DEWALT DC970K-2 18-Volt Drill/Driver Kit

Full Overview

DEWALT's DC970K-2 18-volt cordless 1/2-inch compact drill driver kit is perfect for anyone looking for a compact tool capable of drilling and driving in tight spaces that other tools cannot reach. The lightweight design of the DC970K-2 makes it extremely comfortable to use. Despite the compact design, this drill/driver makes no sacrifice of power and also features a 1/2-inch single-sleeve keyless ratcheting chuck for convenient and superior bit retention. The high-performance motor delivers maximum power of 380 unit watts out, the dual speed range of 0-450/0-1500 rpm delivers optimal performance, and the lightweight design (5.2 pounds) minimizes user fatigue. This kit includes the DC970K-2 18-volt cordless 1/2-inch compact drill driver, two 18-volt NI-cad batteries, a one-hour charger, and a carrying case.

Technical Details

- Compact size fits into the tightest conditions
- Lightweight design (5.2 pounds) minimizes user fatigue
- High performance motor delivers maximum power of 380 unit watts out
- Dual speed range, 0-450/0-1,500 rpm, delivers optimal performance
- 1/2-inch single sleeve key-less ratcheting chuck for tighter bit grip

An excellent drill for those looking to spend about $70-90. While this drill seems expensive for a 9.6V model keep in mind it works as hard as similar priced 12V models. It is definitely a professional quality product. However, it does fall into that range where for a bit more money you get a 12V+ professional quality drill with more power and battery life. At a similar price point you get a 12V+ consumer drill that isn't really more powerful, is definitely bigger but offers better battery life.

I own the previous version of this drill, the DW926. The DW926 and the DC750 are the same but for the rubber grip surface and the great addition of a one handed chuck.

What's great about this drill? Well despite being small and light, it's reasonably powerful. I have had several cordless drills including this one, a DeWalt DC727 12V, Makita D6011 12V (the old school Makita cordless stick battery drill) and a Sears 12V ~$80 model (2 speed gearbox, not a super cheap 1 speed).

The little DeWalt has the about the same torque (200 in-lb) as my 12V Makita (234) or my Sears (225). Mind you it's not nearly as strong as my 12V DeWalt (350). At the same time the DeWalt is quite a bit more compact than the Sears or Makita models.

More volts doesn't always mean more power! Many people assume that battery voltage equates to how much power a drill has. That's just not true. It's more complex that that. Needless to say you can advertise big voltage and still have no power to speak of. Look at some of the cheap Black and Deckers (the maker of DeWalt) for examples of lots of volts but no torque.

So it can work just as hard as many of the consumer grade 12V models (harder than many 1 speed models). So what's the down side?

Well costs to some degree. If you can get this drill for say $70-90 it's good buy because the competing "home use" drills just aren't any more powerful. However, once you get to around $100+ the 12V+ models intended for contractors from DeWalt and other brands offer yet more power and in the case of DeWalt's own DC727 little increase in size or weight.

Battery life (the start that shines twice as bright...): Remember when I said this 9.6V was just as powerful as many home use type 12V drills like my Sears drill? Well there is a price you pay in battery life. The drill clearly trades battery life for power. My 12V Sears isn't really any more powerful but it lasts a lot longer on one battery. The DeWalt does come with two batteries but you may still use them faster than you charge them. So while this drill will work just as hard as a 12V or even some cheaper 14.4V drills it will run out of juice faster. That might give you pause if you are thinking about screwing in deck screws all afternoon.

In the end I really like the DC750. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this drill for medium duty jobs so long as the limited battery life isn't an issue. Otherwise I might suggest looking for a DC727. However, I would also suggest buyers consider stepping up to a 12V DeWalt for the extra battery life and power with little size increase or looking at something like the Sears 12V-14.4V line of home use drills. They are larger, chunkier, and hardly more powerful in the 12V case but they do have better battery life. Still, the DC750 a great little drill.

I've just bought a 2nd DeWalt 9.6V cordless drill to supplement my woodworking shop. My first is still going strong after over 6 years of use. The original batteries have just about died (I still have one good one) so rather than spend eighty-four dollars on two new batteries I spent about the same for a new drill kit that comes with two new batteries!

This drill is great for general purpose work and is small and lightweight enough to be a joy to use in tight places. Why lug around a beastly-size cordless drill when you don't have to? Only rarely have I found the 9.6V drill to be lacking in torque (I mostly drill in wood with 3/8" and smaller twist bits). If you need something with more speed and/or torque then consider the 12V (the upper speed of the 9.6V is 1,100 rpm vs. 1,400 rpm for the 12V).

Batteries recharge fast (less than 1 hour) but the ones for my newest drill seem to last only about 1/2 as long as the first batch did. And, they are NiCad so you need to make sure you top-off the charge if you've not used the drill in the past several DAYS. Short battery life between charges is my only complaint. The new drill models have a chuck lock which is most handy--you no longer have to hold the chuck still when loosening or tightening the chuck.

This is a great product from DeWalt and, except for the short batterly charge duration, I strongly recommend it.

I own and use about 10 of these commercially. The drills hardly ever die and they have all the power most would ever use. I buy refurb units to get the batteries, but now the new ones are close in cost. You wont be sorry...

I have been using the prior, discontinued Dewalt 9.6 volt version of this for many years. I am home DIY and the versatility and power is more than adequate for my needs. This new one replaces another brand which has needed replacement batteries or chargers during the same period of my use of the old Dewalt drill -- the old Dewalt is still going STRONG! One major advantage of the Dewalt batteries and charger is that I can leave the second battery in the charger until needed. Just replace the exhausted battery after use with a fully-charged battery, put the exhausted battery in the charger and forget it until it is needed. NO CHARGE AND REMOVE CHARGER AFTER SEVERAL HOURS! GREAT!

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This is a great drill for home repairs & light construction needs. Cordless makes it easy to manuver or to take up a ladder. DeWalt quality & reliability at an affordable price.

This is the little brother to the - DEWALT DC727KA Heavy Duty 12-Volt Ni-Cad Cordless 3/8-Inch Drill/Driver - and probably simply does not have the torque to really need a 3/8-inch chuck.

That said, this is a perfect little drill/driver for general home use - even a novice will not find it intimidating to use. A wide clutch range and good speed control means the driver can be used with perfect control by a careful user, even if inexperienced.

The unit is well balanced - though honestly, the uses for which this unit will shine are not likely to involve repetitive motion stress.

I have given this unit only four stars, due to the battery lifetime I got on another of this range of units, though for occasional use this will not likely be a problem, and the charger is reasonably fast.

Hope this helps.

This replaced an older 9.6 Volt Makita Drill. The basics: balance is nice, not too heavy, with enough power for the DIY type projects. Beyond that, it comes with a case that holds everything even after use. Some kits are nice, but once you untie everything, the items don't always fit as nicely as they used to. This one repacks easy.

Using one is straight forward and very intuitive even for a novice. Simple easy to use features don't require the manual, though the charger did require a reference for a guide on the blinking lights and what they mean. But hey, it charges fast and holds the charge for the duration.

For the price, I don't think you can beat it.

I gave this to a dear friend and she loved it. It is the perfect size and weight to make use very comfortable.

Battery could last longer when drilling but does just fine when screwing. Much of my work is reaching out on a 25 foot ladder so it's lightweight makes up for it.

One battery did not take a charge - it would only drill one hole and die. I tried to contact Amazon just to get the battery replaced, but their system did not work that way. They shipped a whole new drill to me instead. Because of my concern on getting another bad battery, I hung on to the first order in case I had to grab the good battery. As it turned out, the second drill had two good batteries, but had severe runout in the chuck. Maybe not a huge issue for hand-drilling, but could be an indicator of improperly-installed bearings, so I swapped drills. So Amazon is getting back one "bad" drill, one truly bad battery and one good battery. I guess I should expect this from a Chinese-made drill. The price is very low, but I had to mix and match two orders to get one good one.