Review on DEWALT DCD991P2 Lithium Brushless 3 Speed: Power-packed Performance at Your Fingertips by Jay Maryland

I have two DeWalt 3 speed screwdrivers and hammer drills that I have used for many years. I also have two high end Milwaukee 18 volt drill presses and two Makita 18 volt drill presses. When I opened the case and checked the drill, the battery was dead. I tried a second battery and it wasn't airtight either. A loose battery pack that slips is a nuisance and is a design flaw. I was able to stick two pieces of plastic tape on each side of the batteries for a tight fit (not necessary on Milwaukee, Makita, or even Black & Decker batteries that fit that way). Three usable gear speeds provided by DeWalt make a world of difference in performance. I use the medium speed range with the Mega TCT 4" to 6" Hole Pro Blue Boar to cut through 1" or thicker black flooring and it works great. With the Makita, Rigid, Bosch, Milwaukee - or Panasonic drill that I own I would have to go to a low speed setting and performance would suffer and the cut wouldn't be as smooth It may seem insignificant but the second DeWalt handle can always be attached to the angle, like Makita handles and unlike Milwaukee hand drills.Often I want a second handle to stabilize the drill bit and often I don't want it to be at a 90 degree angle as space is often limited.On this one Kit is the handle that comes with DeWalt cheaper but at least DeWalt have dedicated a dedicated place for it in the carrying case It's a very light drill even with the 5Ah battery attached this is close to what can be achieved with half size battery packs that provide only 1/3 the charge life and reduce drill motor power by more than 50%. This is the lightest heavy duty drill I have ever used. Another thing I've noticed with all the drills I own and tested with a variety of drills is that only DeWalt and Bosch drills have fixed drill chucks that won't loosen when there's a lot of vibration when drilling holes occur (e.g. drilling plaster with Blue Boar stucco drill bits or plywood with any hole cutter). In fact, the chuck ratchet works so well with the DeWalt professional cordless drills that the first 5 or 6 times I use a new drill I have to use channel locking pliers to loosen the chuck. A small price to pay for ensuring that drill bits, arbors and router bits don't fall out of the drill chuck in the middle of drilling a hole, especially when climbing stairs. This drill is equipped with an LED light with three settings. One is high, one is medium and one leaves the light on for a full 20 minutes. It is very convenient to have these three options. There is a charge indicator with 3 LEDs on the back of the battery pack. It's nice to know how much charge is left before you can go underground or climb stairs and complete a task without taking a second gear. The carrying case is surprisingly good, and that's unusual for DeWalt tools, which generally underperform. Cases from one of the manufacturers of power tools. The case that comes with this drill is a third smaller than the cases for my 18v drills and has room for a spare battery, charger and side handle and the spaces are obvious in terms of what goes where. It may sound trivial, but I have cases of Makita drilling where trial and error becomes trial and error to get everything back with tools I use less often. One caveat is that even with the #1 torque setting, there is enough torque on the bolts to snap the fastener before the clutch slips. For very small diameter fasteners, it is best to finish the bolt or nut by hand.