If you do a lot of screwing and drilling, then you definitely need the reliable, compact power that is offered by the DeWalt DCK265L 18-volt Compact Combo Kit Review. This combo kit includes the new DCF826 18V Impact Driver and the Compact DCD760 18V 1/2″ Drill/Driver along with two batteries and a charger all packaged up in a sturdy storage case.
Since the advent of impact driver type cordless tools, we have found that their uses are almost boundless except for some cases were a regular chucked drill is required. This kit is ideally suited for almost any carpenter or other tradesman that installs lots of fasteners and occasionally needs a chucked drill. Since this combo kit includes the new Lithium-ion batteries, these tools are lightweight and very compact in size when compared to many other 18V tools on the market.
Our test tools arrived in the typical sturdy black rigid hard plastic tool case that DeWalt includes with most of their tools. These cases are great for keeping your tools organized and safe when they are not in use. Inside, the case fits both the impact driver and the drill, along with two batteries and the charger. For those of you that might be wondering, yes, these new 18V lithium-ion batteries are 100% compatible with all your other DeWalt 18V tools that have been produced since 1996. The only trick to this is that you must use the included charger to charge them. Your old DeWalt battery charger will not charge the new batteries, but the good news is that the new included charger will charge any of the old type DeWalt batteries including everything from 7.2 volts up to 18V. Not only is this a do-it-all DeWalt charger, it will charge your 18V batteries in only 30 minutes to minimize downtime.
Probably the best way to examine the Impact driver and compact drill is to take a closer look at each of them separately.
DCD760 18V 1/2″ Compact Drill/Driver
- Max Power: 350 UWO
- Speed Settings: 2
- RPM Low: 0-500
- RPM High: 0-1700
- Clutch Settings: 17
- Chuck Size: 1/2 inch
- Weight: 4.0 lbs
- Length: 8.2 inches
The DeWALT DCD760 18V 1/2″ Compact Drill/Driver offers the benefits of being compact yet does not sacrifice power. While we are still trying to get used to the power rating of UWO (Unit Watts Output) for DeWALT tools, the thing to remember is that this number can’t be directly translated into torque like every other manufacture uses. While the claim is that this method of measuring the overall power of the drill is better, we are still of the notion that it is better to give the customer a number that is easy to compare to the competition. Hey, we have a novel idea, how about putting both the UWO and Torque on the package and let the consumer decide what measurement they want to use to compare them to other products. Until more manufacturers start to show a UWO rating, we think the folks at DeWalt are wasting their time.
Aside from the power rating, this drill is no joke, with it being just a tad over 8″ long. It is compact, yet features a two speed transmission, 17 clutch settings, and a 1/2″ chuck. The drill seems to be well built but does not come with much metal on the outside like its bigger brother hammer drills. There is plenty of black rubber overmold that provides extra grip and there is a handy built-in LED light located just over the trigger that directs light towards the end of the chuck. In our use and testing this light proved to be very convenient when working in dark spaces. As a handy feature, they included the bit holder that can store a spare bit so that you don’t have to scrounge around for one.
It came as a surprise that, in our testing, we actually preferred this drill over the larger DeWALT 18V hammer drill/drivers we had on hand for comparison. We found that its overall light weight, compact size and ample power was enough to make it the go-to tool for most drilling applications. Pretty much, if you don’t plan on drilling concrete or using very large size drill bits or hole saws for extended periods of time, then you can probably get along just fine with the DeWalt DCD760 18V 1/2″ Compact Drill/Driver.
DCF826 18V Impact Driver
- Drive Size: 1/4″ hex shank with quick release
- No Load Speed: 0-2,400 RPM
- Impacts/Min: 0-2,700 IPM
- Max Torque: 1,330 in-lbs
- Max Torque: 111 ft-lbs
- Tool Weight: 3.1 lbs
- Tool Length: 5-3/4″
The DeWalt DCF826 18V Impact Driver is clearly the shining star in this combo kit. We’ve found that we have almost been able to eliminate a regular chucked drill from our belt. If it weren’t for a few special applications where a chucked drill is a necessity, we probably would. With a myriad of accessories designed for impact use, DeWALT has really opened up the usefulness of this type of tool. One of the first things we noticed about this tool was how much smaller it is than the last generation. The size of this tool is on par with many 12V impact drivers (aside from the battery), but it has an incredible amount of power and torque. Wait, did I say torque? We wonder why DeWalt found it better to use this unit of measure over their UWO when describing this tool? Inside the impact driver is a frameless motor that has replaceable brushes and the whole gear case is made with magnesium. The rest of the transmission is all metal which should really improve its long term durability. The rest of the tool is made of the familiar DeWalt yellow colored plastic with black rubber overmold for added grip and comfort.
For our field testing we used this impact driver in a few different scenarios that varied from driving 3″ long, 1/4″ diameter lag bolts to sending 3″ deck screws home. As is our experience with most other impact drivers, the impacting mechanism directs nearly all the torque to the fastener instead of to your hands or wrists as you might expect from a standard drill when driving tough fasteners. This means that there is less user fatigue and more overall comfort. We experimented with several types of 1/4″ hex bit types and found we had equally successful results whether we were using a Philips head drive, a Torx bit, #1 or #2 square drives, and even impact-rated sockets for lag bolts. In all cases we never had a screw head strip out or a bit slip. The other thing that we really liked with the new model impact driver over the previous model was that, in addition to its overall smaller size, the included Lithium-ion batteries made the tool super lightweight and comfortable to use.
DeWalt DCK265L 18-volt Compact Kit Conclusion
We highly recommend the DeWalt DCK265L 18-volt Compact Combo Kit for anyone that has lot of fasteners to install and occasional holes to drill. In addition to the tools in the kit, the new Lithium-ion batteries are also a big bonus since they offer twice the recharge cycles as NiCad and weigh less then half. Also these new batteries will fit all the other 18V DeWALT tools that you already have. For our Performance rating we gave this set a 9/10 because they really pack a lot of performance and power into two compact sized tools. For our Value rating we gave this set a 7/10 since it leans towards the higher end of the price bracket.
