DIYorDie Posted January 11, 2017 Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 Hi all, I've always been interested in power tools and diy projects and for a few years I stated buying Harbor freight tools and black and decker, Last year I decided to upgrade my tools when I saw the combo below during black Friday at 499.99. I thought all dewalt tools where pro-grade but now that I have been researching realized that I was wrong. I always thought Black and decker, Ryobi , Ridgid homeowner and dewalt , milwaukee , Makita, hilti and porter cable pro. And I realized that its much more complicated than that.. I know for a fact that the recip. saw does not have a movable shoe and the circ. saw has a metal base instead of the fancy one but are they the same insides? The only tool from this combo that I did not like was the drill which I upgraded (at least that what I think) to the new dcd777 entry level. would you consider this combo at 500 a good deal? Are the tools in this combo kit any good? or did they just paint the Black and decker tools yellow? http://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-20-Volt-MAX-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-Combo-Kit-9-Tool-DCK940D2/206510146 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bremon Posted January 11, 2017 Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 First off, welcome to TIA! Now that that's out of the way, at one point that stuff was Dewalt's high end gear. It's not bad stuff. To speak to individual tools; it's well known that Dewalt can't make a reciprocating saw to save their life; even their new brushless one doesn't have an adjustable shoe or rafter hook. Brushed grinders are all in the same boat; you can use them as cut off tools but they are easy to stall when grinding and battery hungry. Metal shoes are standard on decent saws. I would guess that saw has a magnesium or aluminum shoe as most good saws do. That multitool is great, I have it and love it. I think what you'll find is the reason your tools might feel sluggish or entry level is that the 2 compact batteries in the kit are not sufficient for the high draw tools like the grinder, and two saws in that kit. Next up I would buy some standard "fat" packs or FlexVolt packs they have 10-15 battery cells in them instead of 5. You'll get much more runtime and less voltage drop out of your tools. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cr8ondt Posted January 11, 2017 Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 Hi, I would strongly suggest you stay away from the siren song of the large combo kits. Yes they include alot of tools but do they include the tools you want? need? I recommend starting with a drill and impact driver kit like this one: http://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-20-Volt-MAX-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-Combo-Kit-3-Tool-DCK387D1M1/207175338 This kit starts you off with arguably the best 2(yes DeWalt makes a stronger drill but it is much larger) tools you will probably use most often and gives you a small and large capacity battery pack, not to mention an extremely handy flashlight. From there get the bare tools you need(A bare tool is one sold without anything but the tool no battery no charger) After getting a couple tools your definitely going to need to add more batteries, at this point get maybe 1 more small battery and then only look for 4ah and larger. The small packs are great for their light weight and you will really appreciate them but they just don't give the power and runtime on saws grinders etc, this is where the larger batteries really shine. Back to your question about the saws included in the kit you linked..... those are COMBO KIT only models and are "cheepend" versions of the regular ones The circular saw has a steel shoe versus the magnezium shoe of the regular model other than that, no notable difference. The recip has a non adjustable shoe and lacks the sideways or 4 way blade clamp other than that they are the same. I have the DCS391 saw http://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-20-Volt-Max-Lithium-Ion-6-1-2-in-Cordless-Circular-Saw-Tool-Only-DCS391B/203164241 and love it, but it NEEDS at least 3 4ah batteries to be useful(1 on it 1 charging and 1 ready) and I would say that is true for all cordless saws. After getting your needed tools its a good time to watch for deals on other tools that are of "lesser" need, obviously the easiest times to find deals are Fathers day and Black Friday sales but also almost every other major holiday has a good sale and even in off seasons deals are abound. Tool manufactures are in the business to sell their wares. So keep an eye on this forum the guys here are more than happy to share their good finds and also check out Toolguyd(not a plug he is just another great resource for finding deals). I also find Slickdeals .net and Dealnews .com to be helpful. I've mentioned the 4ah batteries a few times because they are the smallest USEFUL size, there are 3,4, and 5ah batteries in the same form factor and there is no noticeable weight difference so the 5ah is clearly the best in its class but comes with a tad higher price tag while the 3ah is cheapest it simply doesn't have the run time for more than a hand full of cuts. Hope this helps and welcome to the shin dig. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnarlyCarl Posted January 11, 2017 Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 16 minutes ago, Cr8ondt said: .... After getting a couple tools your defiantly going to need to add more Why so defiant? Welcome aboard, I've never bought a combo kit, for the reasons above about the kits not having what I wanted. I was also able to find what I wanted with one or two batteries deals and made it much more enticing that way 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cr8ondt Posted January 11, 2017 Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 1 minute ago, KnarlyCarl said: Why so defiant? Welcome aboard, I've never bought a combo kit, for the reasons above about the kits not having what I wanted. I was also able to find what I wanted with one or two batteries deals and made it much more enticing that way Hey I play with tools yo! You expect me to know how to spell! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comp56 Posted January 11, 2017 Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 Welcome to the crew, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisK Posted January 11, 2017 Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 Welcome aboard dude! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CATERPILLAR Posted January 11, 2017 Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 Welcome to the one and only tiacrew ? if ya got any questions on fixing power tools just pm me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigmikez Posted January 11, 2017 Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 I see the crew has already been answering your questions welcome aboard man there's so much to learn here 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jronman Posted January 11, 2017 Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 9 hours ago, DIYorDie said: Hi all, I've always been interested in power tools and diy projects and for a few years I stated buying Harbor freight tools and black and decker, Last year I decided to upgrade my tools when I saw the combo below during black Friday at 499.99. I thought all dewalt tools where pro-grade but now that I have been researching realized that I was wrong. I always thought Black and decker, Ryobi , Ridgid homeowner and dewalt , milwaukee , Makita, hilti and porter cable pro. And I realized that its much more complicated than that.. I know for a fact that the recip. saw does not have a movable shoe and the circ. saw has a metal base instead of the fancy one but are they the same insides? The only tool from this combo that I did not like was the drill which I upgraded (at least that what I think) to the new dcd777 entry level. would you consider this combo at 500 a good deal? Are the tools in this combo kit any good? or did they just paint the Black and decker tools yellow? http://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-20-Volt-MAX-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-Combo-Kit-9-Tool-DCK940D2/206510146 the multitool is by far the best tool you got in the kit. It's arguably one of the best multitools in the market. The impact isn't a bad tool either. It has decent power, tri beam led, and single hand chuck. The only other tool in the kit I have owned is the normal drill and as my first drill it had its flaws but worked well for me at the time. Lets talk about the rest. I'm not a big fan of right angle drills. I found the chuck and power to be garbage. The recip and circ saw should work well enough if you get a bigger battery. I cant say much about the light, grinder, and radio because I have never used them. I personally think at $500 for a 9 tool kit it's a good deal for what you get, Around $50 a tool which isn't bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Framer joe Posted January 12, 2017 Report Share Posted January 12, 2017 Welcome.....I agree with the crew above......I would ask this first..." what am I using these tools for " DIY use ? Occasional use? Serious building ? When you know that ,then you can plan out your tool buying strategy.,because buying the wrong tools for the job can be costly,,,This crew is very insightful helpful ,informed and some of the best guys/gals around....some guys could actually buy your kit for a penny ...but that's another story... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DIYorDie Posted January 12, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2017 39 minutes ago, Framer joe said: Welcome.....I agree with the crew above......I would ask this first..." what am I using these tools for " DIY use ? Occasional use? Serious building ? When you know that ,then you can plan out your tool buying strategy.,because buying the wrong tools for the job can be costly,,,This crew is very insightful helpful ,informed and some of the best guys/gals around....some guys could actually buy your kit for a penny ...but that's another story... not sure I get the penny reference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TB12DAWG Posted January 12, 2017 Report Share Posted January 12, 2017 I agree with what Cr8ondt recommended . Besides being a a much better drill and charger it also has the newest XR brushless DCF887 3 speed impact vs the DCF885 basic model in the 9 tool kit. This would be a great starter kit and you could add the wanted bare tools as needed probably for around the same price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DIYorDie Posted January 12, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2017 Thank you everyone for your replies and Ideas. I've already got the tools so there is no going back and even though they are not the best they are actually overkill for what I use them plus I guess once you divide the 500 in to the 9 items plus the charger and batteries it comes out ok (I guess you get what you pay for)...Just a lot of projects in mind and can't wait to use my yellow tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bremon Posted January 12, 2017 Report Share Posted January 12, 2017 31 minutes ago, DIYorDie said: not sure I get the penny reference. We have some ridiculous deal hunters on the forum. With regards to your "no going back" comment, you could realistically make money selling off parts of the kit if you wanted. If I find a great deal (even on kits I already have) I buy them, break the kit down and sell the pieces individually and make money for the tool budget lol. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DIYorDie Posted January 12, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2017 8 minutes ago, Bremon said: We have some ridiculous deal hunters on the forum. With regards to your "no going back" comment, you could realistically make money selling off parts of the kit if you wanted. If I find a great deal (even on kits I already have) I buy them, break the kit down and sell the pieces individually and make money for the tool budget lol. I guess I could do that, I hated the drill that came in the kit (dcd771) and sold it on craigslist (bare tool) and replaced it with the dcd777 that I like a lot more. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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