DEWALT DCD950B 1/2-Inch 18-Volt XRPHammerdrill/Drill/Driver (Tool Only)

I just received this item today so have not had time to actually drill a hole with it. My review is based upon first impressions and my satisfaction with the purchase experience. The drill appears to be of VERY high quality with power to spare. Because I had another 18v Dewalt product (a Dewalt 18v Impulse driver with 2 batteries) I had a spare 18v battery so opted to buy the bare tool only with no battery, charger or case. I do wish that the case had been included, but can store the drill and spare battery in my tool chest. I paid about $15 less on Amazon.com than this bare tool was selling for on most other sites. Amazon shipped it UPS and it arrived only 2 days after I placed the order. The drill will be replacing a DeWalt 9.6v drill I've had for about 10-12 years. That drill served me well, but the batteries were no longer able to hold a charge for more than a few days, even if the tool was not used during that time. When I priced the 9.6v battery ONLINE, it made more sence to upgrade the drill to a 18v hammer drill (for which I had a spare battery) and use my impulse driver to drive screws. The drill has a bright LED which lights as you lightly press the trigger (before the chuck starts to turn) so you can get the drill properly located before starting to drill. Having metal gears adds quality but does add weight to this drill. The bare tool weighs 5 pounds. Add about 2.5 lbs for the battery. It is well balanced however and does not feel much different than my old DeWalt 9.6v drill. So far, I'm very pleased with this product and would recommend it to anyone who already has another source for a DeWalt 18v battery.

I bought this drill (bare tool) to replace an ancient (12 years old?) DeWalt DW998 18V hammer drill that finally died. I have to admit I subjected that old drill to some serious use and some abuse.Anyway, this new drill is quite a step forward even from that. Tons of power, can easily send a 1/2' drill bit through 8 inches of wood. I particularly like the chuck on this one. To loosen / tighten, you only have to grasp the chuck with one hand and the drill body with the other hand. On older models, you have to grab a ring on the chuck, which is harder on my middle-aged hand. The "click-ratchet" tightening mechanism is top notch, and really grabs the bit, whether round or hex-keyed. Also, the tool is well-balanced; my old DW998K was a bit "nose-heavy".This drill accepts both "old school" NiCad as well as the new Lithium Ion 18V batteries. I appreciated having the choice. I have a pretty good investment in NiCad tools, so I am staying with NiCad. As others have posted, Li Ion costs much more. You can buy on Amazon a 2-pack of XRP batteries for about $99. They have plenty of cacpacity, plus I keep my DeWalt charger radio playing tunes nearby anyway.I have used this for a couple of weeks now, and will update my report if applicable later on.

I bought this to replace a Dewalt model DC988 that was part of a 6 tool kit I bought 7 or 8 years ago for remodeling rental fixer uppers. That drill would probably still be okay, but I lent it to a friend to do drywall with, and he ran the batteries down to nothing under heavy load and got a bunch of drywall dust in it (he was doing a ceiling). That drill smells like it has burnt brushes or coils or both, and the last time I checked, it would cost over $100 plus shipping to send back and have fixed. This model 950B has more torque, It uses my old batteries or the newer Lithium, which are better, but pricey. This 950B looks new, works like new, and smells like new. The Dewalt line of rechargeables is used by more contractors than any other I've seen, and are highly recommended. This is heavy duty, for all day use. Get a couple extra batteries, and read the owners manual about how to care for the tool and batteries. If you have other Dewalt 18 volt XRP tools and need a drill, this one's a dandy, and a real good deal.

I purchased the 950 as a second 18V Dewalt cordless to support my work in homebuilding/remodeling and furniture making. I already have another 18V Dewalt and this gave me the added hammer drive feature plus a second drill/driver. I have had the older one for some 6 years. It is a work horse although a bit heavy when you use it for extended periods especially overhead. The new 950 is a work horse as well and is made a bit sturdier with the metal drive train. It too is heavy. Neither drill/driver disappoints in terms of power. I have 4 batteries and only the non XRP batteries wane in heavy use. By the way I just learned that I can use the new Lithium batteries with either drill driver. I think this is a great design consideration on the part of Dewalt! Certainly this will lighten the unit in use. I will have to wait and see regarding balance when I purchase the Li ION batteries.The 950 has one LED to light the way and it is a handy feature but I do notice that in some areas the shadow the head casts makes the light somewhat less effective.I had an unpleasant experience with the first 950 I ordered. I was using it to install a storm door, i.e. light duty.I had freshly charged batteries and within just a few screw installs it would not operate upon trigger actuation. The LED would light but the drill motor did not turn in the low speed setting. I found that switching to the second or third speed setting would allow normal operation, even if I switched back to the lowest speed. Needless to say I sent it back. A new one arrived very quickly and seems to be OK although I did experience the same event once more (one time).So why did I rate this as a 4 star you say? Primarily because it is a workhorse and I expect it to hold up as my other unit does. I find the hammer drill feature to be the answer to driving deck lags and drilling into concrete for TapCons. I also like the fact that I can swap in/out Li ION batteries and finally the price was right.