DEWALT 20V MAX Hammer Drill and Impact Driver, Cordless Power Tool Combo Kit with 2 Batteries and Charger (DCK299M2)

This combo is a fantastic deal. I loved my 5 year old 18V lithium Ion drill driver and it still worked great but the batteries were starting to go. A direct replacement of the old style batteries was $99! It didn't make sense to spend nearly $200 on batteries for old tools when I saw this combo which was only $279 in June of 2020 my mind was made up for me.My DeWalt cordless 18V drill/drivers have always been the tool I use most as a DIY guy. This is my third such item and it is a huge improvement on my last 18V lithium ion. Speed, torque, size, the sureness of the chuck are all dramatically better. The hammer setting my previous unit was kind of useful not a big plus, the hammer performance of the DCD996 is probably the biggest upgrade as I see it so far.It's not a lot smaller or lighter than my previous drill but enough that I feel and see the difference every time I use it. I've got pretty bad arthritis in my left shoulder an my right shoulder was recently replaced with titanium components. Point being, it's very painful working at or above head level and the reduction in weight has allowed me to get things done with a lot less pain. That's a deal I'll take any day.The DCF887 impact driver is a beast. It's kind of like a genetic experiment that combined the most aggressive traits of a honey badger, a wolverine and a tasmanian devil.It's been a while since I'd used an impact driver but I was completely unprepared for the power and speed of the tool. On first use I drove 3 1/2" deck screws through 3/4" pressure treated ply over pressure treated 2x4 so fast it was 1/2" below the surface before I could release the trigger. That was entirely my fault. I had it on top speed and leaned in just as I did with my older drill/driver. The three power settings and the variable speed trigger make it very easy to apply just the right amount of speed and power for any job.It's size make it easy to maneuver in tight spaces. I utilized it's size and power to handle 80% of the nuts a bolts when I recently did a complete remove and replace of the front suspension of my Honda CR-V, (everything except the knuckle and wheel bearing, which I replaced last year). In combination with my monster DCF899P1 impact wrench(which I really love), the DCF887 made the job dramatically easier. No scraped or smashed knuckles. No straining to get enough torque on a breaker bar. Just pull the trigger and the nut/bold comes off... every time. It helped make the job much quicker and nearly stress free. Bad thing is that the tool was only a month old and already looks live a veteran of many rears in the garage. It cleaned up a little, but avoid accidentally grabbing the wrong rag and getting any brakleen on it. The lettering will come right off. I found that out the hard way.The two XR 20Volt Max 5 amp hour batteries are fantastic. I've used these tools extensively for 10 to 12 hours in a day and they have never dropped lower than two lights on the three segmented charge meter.With an adapter they make by old style 18 Volt recip saw run better than ever.My only gripe about this entire kit is that the batteries don't snap solidly into the tools. There is a good bit of sloppiness and rattle. They have never come loose and for all I know this may be a feature rather than a error. Just something that dampened my enthusiasm a bit.I see this combo has gone up dramatically in price. Hopefully they will have sales or special buys to bring the price back down.

I upgraded from an old DeWalt 18V combo set, and it was worth every penny.When compared to a brushed motor, brushless has more power. Less energy is wasted as friction (heat) since the rotor and stator have an air gap between them. A brushed design has brushes that make contact as the rotor spins. That generates friction, heat, and they eventually wear out and need to be replaced. Brushless motors are more complex and expensive but do away with that, generating more power output at the rotor for the same power input.In addition, brushless motors tend to be smaller. This means the drill and impact driver are both smaller than my old ones, and this is critical for the drill.I am a big fan of Irwin Speedbor drill bits - specifically the three-bladed bits with flutes and the screw nose. That pulls the bit through wood, making it quick and easy to drill holes at least until you get to the back edge. Anyway, drilling holes through joists or studs to pull wire where the framing is already fully installed can be difficult or impossible without a right-angle drill: the drill and bit can be wider than the stud/joist cavity (14.5"). However, a 4" Speedbor bit in this drill (shorter because brushless) easily fits in a standard stud cavity with plenty of room to spare. I no longer need to beg borrow or steal a right-angle drill.The impact driver is an impact driver. Nothing special to report on that, just that it does its job as one would expect. Same with the charger.I like that this kit comes with a 4AH battery. Many of DeWalt's kits come with wimpy 2AH batteries. Those will not last as long - half as long, to be precise. Better to have the extra longevity to get the job done without swapping batteries in the middle.This may be more expensive than the non-MAX variety, but it is worth every penny and I regret nothing. Go big or go home!Update: After a year and a half of use and abuse, these tools are still going strong. They may be nicked up and dinged up, but they just work and work well. Since buying into this battery system I have bought a few other tools and I am even more grateful for the 4AH battery. I use it for the orbital sander and the extra runtime over a smaller battery is nice. I also bought a 6AH battery. Swapping between them when sanding bigger projects works well and I never run out of juice, thanks to the rapid charger in this kit.As far as I am concerned there are two power tool systems worth buying: DeWalt 20V Max, and Milwaukee Fuel. You spend a little extra money up front, but you also don't need to replace a broken tool a few months later which is actually more expensive in the long run.