REVIEWS

DEWALT DC970K-2 18-Volt Compact Drill Review

By Philip Yiga | February 24, 2016

The DEWALT DC970K-2 is an 18-Volt Compact Drill equipped with a powerful, high-performance motor that makes it ideal for fastening and drilling a wide-variety of materials and for use in different applications. Likewise, this compact-drill is about 9-inches in length and weighs 5.2-pounds hence this makes it ideal for use in tight-spaces and awkward-angles while its plastic 1/2-inch, single-sleeve, keyless ratcheting-chuck offers a tight bit-grip in order to ensure better bit-retention and increased bit accuracy and precision.

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The DEWALT DC970K-2 uses an 18-volt NiCad that facilitates for cordless-operation yet it charges fully in just one-hour while the included contractor-bag facilitates for easy transportation of the compact-drill kit from one job-site to the other. All in all, the DEWALT DC970K-2 18-Volt Compact-Drill kit is great tool for professional-contractors and perfect power-tool collection for people who love doing DIY projects.

The good:

The DEWALT DC970K-2 Compact-Drill is an ideal tool for fastening and drilling a variety of materials like metal, wood and plastic. In fact, this even makes it ideal for use in a wide-range of applications like; cabinet-installation, framing and much more.
This is a lightweight drill/driver that weighs only 5.2-lbs and actually lessens hand-fatigue while using this drill so that the user can be able to use it for a long period of time.
The DEWALT DC970K-2 offers optimum drilling control and versatility because it’s designed with over 17 clutch-settings so that user can always complete his/her drilling/driving tasks perfectly.
It also features a compact-size which makes it easy to maneuver and ideal for use in tight-spaces and at awkward-angles.
The drill/driver even features a cordless-design that ensures optimum mobility especially when working in remote areas like over the roof and many others.
Lastly, the DEWALT DC970K-2 operates on a compact NiCad-battery that recharges in just 1-hour in order to provide the user with more working-time.

The bad:

This drill/driver can’t handle heavy drilling or driving projects and you should consider getting an upgraded drill for such heavy-tasks. In fact the DEWALT DC970K-2 is designed for doing around house projects perfectly.

The other weakness is that the DEWALT DC970K-2 Compact Drill lacks a LED work-light and this is a very essential feature is equipped on most drills made in the past few-years. This means that you won’t be able to use drill in areas that are dark or don’t have enough light.

Lastly, the clutch on this drill tends to slip more often than expected and this means that drill-bit will stop turning when drilling or screwing and even makes a high-pitch noise.

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Features overview:

Compact design: the DEWALT DC970K-2 drill/driver features a compact design and this actually helps to improve on user-comfort especially when working in tight-spaces and at awkward-angles for a long period of time. Additionally, its compact-design makes it easy to hold within your hands hence ensuring more efficient and effective drilling or driving.

High-performance motor: this compact-drill is also equipped with a high-output motor that features (380 unit-watts-out) so that the user can always drill or drive screws through different materials easily and quickly.

Dual-speed range: the DEWALT DC970K-2 Compact-Drill is also dual-speed capable ranging from (0-to-450rpm) and (0-to-1,500rpm) so as to maximize on the efficiency of drilling and fastening within different applications. So, the user is actually provided with an option of choosing from either a lower-speed setting or high-speed setting depending on the material he/she is drilling at the moment.

1/2-inch single-sleeve, keyless-ratcheting-chuck: The DEWALT DC970K-2 is designed with a plastic 1/2-inch, single-sleeve keyless ratcheting-chuck that offers tighter bit-grip for optimum bit-retention coupled with increased bit precision and accuracy so that the user can accomplish his/her drilling tasks perfectly.

17 clutch settings: it is even equipped with about 17 clutch-settings and these actually offer the user with maximum versatility and control when drilling through different materials. In fact, these 17 clutch-settings make the DEWALT DC970K-2 18-Volt Compact-Drill perfect for professional use or tasks compared to other drills in its category.

18-volt battery: the DEWALT DC970K-2 Compact-Drill is also powered by an 18-volt, NiCad battery that charges fully in an hour so that the drill/driver can always stay powered-up on the job-site. In fact, since this drill runs on batteries, it’s considered to be cordless and this makes it an ideal work-tool for mobility because it can reach even in the hardest areas while drilling or screwing.

Lightweight design: the DEWALT DC970K-2 is a lightweight drill/driver that weighs only 5.2-lbs so as to lessen fatigue of the arms when the user is working. Likewise, the lightweight design makes the DEWALT DC970K-2 easy to carry-around while working or after using it.

Multi-purpose: the DC970K-2 is an ideal work-tool for drilling and fastening into a wide-range of materials like wood, plastic and metal so that the someone can use it for accomplishing different applications like; framing, cabinet-installation and much more. This actually makes the DEWALT DC970K-2 kit a great work-tool for any professional-contractor or DIY users.

Warranty-policy: this DEWALT DC970K-2 Compact Drill kit is backed by a 90-day, money-back guarantee coupled with a 1-year free-service contract and a 3-year limited warranty on all operational parts. This means that the user is capable of returning this unit for a replacement, repair or to receive back his/her money within 90-days if he/she does not like this work-tool.

Contractor-bag: it is also provided with a contractor-bag for easy storage and transportation of the unit from one job-site to another. However, this bag is small and it only accommodates the drill, 2-bateriess and charger. However, this small-size of the bag can be huge drawback for some people who would like to add in more work-tools within the bag.

Package/kit includes: lastly, the DEWALT DC970K-2 Compact-Drill is provided when well-packaged in a kit that includes two 18-volt NiCad-batteries, a 1-hour charger and a contractor-bag.

Product Quality:

In terms of quality, the DEWALT DC970K-2 is a premium-quality 18-Volt Compact Drill/driver that offers optimum performance while using its high-output drive motor with 380 unit-watts-out coupled with a dual-speed setting that provides speeds of (0-450rpm and 0-1,500rpm) depending on what the user is drilling or fastening thus accomplishing a wide-range of applications. In fact, this drill/driver is only 9-inches in length and about 5.2-pounds in weight hence making it an ideal work-tool for use in tight-areas and at awkward-angles. Additionally, the DEWALT DC970K-2 features a plastic 1/2-inch, single-sleeve keyless ratcheting-chuck that ensures tighter bit-grip for optimum bit-retention so that the user can achieve increased precision and accuracy while drilling or screwing any materials.

On the other hand, the DEWALT DC970K-2 is designed with 17 clutch-settings for optimum control and versatility while its 18-volt NiCad battery provides it with enough power to run for a longer period of time so that you can always complete your drilling and driving projects. On top of that, it comes a great charger that charges the batteries in just 1-hour so as to provide the user with more working-hours and less charging-time while the contractor bag is meant for storing the unit and all the components that come along with it and this bag even ensures easy transportation of the entire drill/driver unit.

Who does it benefit?

This drill benefits professional-contractors: the DEWALT DC970K-2 Compact-drill will perfectly work for any professional-contractor because it’s equipped with a strong drive-motor coupled with a dual-speed capability in order to drill/drive through different materials at the job-site.
It works for DIY users: this drill/driver unit is ideal for fastening and drilling through a wide-range of materials like; plastic, wood and metal in order to accomplish different applications such as framing, cabinet-installation and much more. This makes it an ideal work-tool for people who like doing small DIY-projects within their homes.

What Else Do You Need?

DEWALT DW1361 Titanium Pilot-Point Drill-Bit Set (21-Piece): these are very durable and strong pilot-point drill-bits that will help you drill almost through any material easily and quickly. They actually come in different sizes and shapes so that you can choose the right drill-bit to complete your drilling-project.