Lytefall Posted April 24, 2011 Report Share Posted April 24, 2011 I am looking at 2 different kits. Reviews I have read show the 720 is the better drill but the 826 is the better impact driver. One kit comes with the dc720 and dw056 and is $80 less. The other with the dc760 and 826 impact but is $80 more. I am torn on which is the better overall kit. The drill will probably get slightly more use than the driver. Any advice or experience shared would be greatly appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjones Posted April 24, 2011 Report Share Posted April 24, 2011 So the cheaper kit will have two main differences. First, it is going to come with Ni-CAD batteries (that is the difference between the DC720 and DC760, same drills, different batteries that come with it), and the DC056 impact driver is the previous model impact. The DC826 (same as the 825, just packaged with a lithium ion battery instead of a Ni-CAD) is smaller, has the LED light, has the new frameless motor design, and is geared slightly different. I would get the kit with the DC760 and DC826 without a second thought. They are both really good kits though, so you won't regret either purchase. Question for you though- Are you a professional user (using the tools every day/almost every day), or using them around the house when needed? A big difference in the batteries (Ni-CAD vs. Li-on) is that Ni-CAD will "self discharge" (lose their charge) while sitting on the shelf, while li-on has virtually no self discharge. What this means is that if you use a lithium battery, charge it up and throw it on your shelf in the garage, when you need to use it (days, weeks, or months later) it will still be fully charged and ready to go. Ni-CAD's are great batteries that "like" to get used hard and often, so if you are a professional user and will be using them often, than it is a great battery for you. If you are going to be letting the batteries sit un-used for long periods of time, the Ni-CAD can "drop off" (lose charge) so much that it will actually damage itself, giving you less usage out of the battery. All that to say that the people that I recommend lithium batteries to the most are the occasional users, as the strengths of lithiums lend themselves to that user very well. If you are going to use them nearly every day, I prefer Ni-CAD, as it can be a "harder working" battery, but both lithium and Ni-CAD will work fine for the every day user. So there is my long winded answer! I hope that this helps to clear up your questions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lytefall Posted April 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2011 Thanks. That helps quite a bit. Good information to know about the 760 and 720 being the same drill. I read multiple reviews that rated the 760 quite a bit lower in power than the 720. Is this due to the Li-ion vs. the ni-cd? I am not a professional user. I will be using the drill for everyday around the house work and the impact driver for building fences, decks, and framing sheds etc. for myself and when helping out friends/family (which I seem to have to do quite a bit). But yes, there will be periods of time, especially during the winter where the batteries sit for extended periods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjones Posted April 24, 2011 Report Share Posted April 24, 2011 Yes, that is incorrect. The 720 and 760 are identical (except in some cases the battery footprint can be different). The compact hammer drill has the metal chuck (the DC775 vs the dc760, and I am not sure what the model number is for the Ni-CAD compact hammer drill). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lytefall Posted April 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2011 Thanks...I was just reading and answered my own question about the chuck. I modified my post before I realized you had answered. Sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjones Posted April 24, 2011 Report Share Posted April 24, 2011 I should also clarify that all of the chucks are metal, just that the Jacobs 600 chuck (used in the 720 and 760) has a rubber sleeve around the outside for grip/comfort. The Jacobs 600 series chuck is an industry leading chuck in its class, and is a very strong system. The hammer drills need a different chuck, which is why they do not use the same one as the 720/760. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjones Posted April 24, 2011 Report Share Posted April 24, 2011 Thanks. That helps quite a bit. Good information to know about the 760 and 720 being the same drill. I read multiple reviews that rated the 760 quite a bit lower in power than the 720. Is this due to the Li-ion vs. the ni-cd? I am not a professional user. I will be using the drill for everyday around the house work and the impact driver for building fences, decks, and framing sheds etc. for myself and when helping out friends/family (which I seem to have to do quite a bit). But yes, there will be periods of time, especially during the winter where the batteries sit for extended periods. The 760 is rated as having lower power than the 720 because of something to do with the "over charge" capability of a Ni-CAD battery. I do not know the specifics, but right off the charger the Ni-CAD will produce over 18volts, which gives the 720 an initial burst of higher power. Overall however, the two tools will have the same power. I have both and they both do the same applications. There are a number of users on this forum who have a lot more knowledge of the batteries, chemistry, and variances between them. They may chime in here and clarify what what I am talking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lytefall Posted April 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 Speaking of batteries. Did Dewalt have issues with their Li-ion batteries that have been rectified. In every review of the dck265 combo theres always a handful of people saying the batteries don't last long enough (some saying as short as 15 mins of non-continuous work time). Sorry...I keep coming up with more questions. I just found the dck265 combo at a Canadian Tire store for $349. Thats about $50 less than anywhere else I have seen it. They only have one, and its not a regular item so I am just trying to make a quick decision before its gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjones Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 There is nothing wrong with them, just people not doing their homework before buying the tools. DeWALT has 4 18v batteries, all different and all optimized for different things. The DCK265L is the COMPACT lithium ion kit. Compact means that get a smaller, lighter weight, faster charging battery. These features come at the cost of run time. If you think of it like a gas tank, if you shrink the capacity of your gas tank, you will fill it up faster, it will weigh less, and it will take up less space. The same is true of batteries. Just about all cordless makers have a compact line, and these features will be true with them all (relative to their larger batteries). The target end users for the compact class is primarily electricians, HVAC, etc. Essentially users that do average applications for long periods of time, often above their heads. This is why the weight factor is so important for these users. Bottom line, DeWALT offers 4 very different battery options that are all completely interchangeable with the tools so that you can choose a battery option that is practically custom tailored to your application. Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lytefall Posted April 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 Ok. So if I am understanding their proper application then if I am planning on using the drill and driver for drilling into pressure treated and framing lumber the the compact li-ion probably isn't the best option for me. Is the ni-cd combo the smarter choice here even though the impact driver is the older technology? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDamericano Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 I believe the compact lithium battery will work just fine for what you are needing it for. I've had that kit for over a year now and it has been great. Also keep in mind that the compact li-ion batteries charge faster than the ni-cad's (30 minutes, sometimes less) and because of their light weight are hands down easier for drilling above your head or in awkward positions. Also, because all the 18v dewalt batteries are interchangeable, if you wanted to purchase an additional battery (cheap ni-cad, or XLT li-ion) to add to your kit that is always an option too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 KJONES - "...The 760 is rated as having lower power than the 720 because of something to do with the "over charge" capability of a Ni-CAD battery. I do not know the specifics, but right off the charger the Ni-CAD will produce over 18volts, which gives the 720 an initial burst of higher power...." Wow. I pulled DC9096 NiCad batteries right off DC9310 chargers and took a multimeter to them. They all read 20.8 volts. I was going to try this with the 12v MAX batteries, but there are too many prongs, dont know which ones to tap into. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 I got the DCD760 drills & DC825 impact drivers for my business. Use them for residential/commercial/industrial remodels and new builds, we work on everything (electrical, plumbing, HVAC...). Highly recommend them. Drill goes through wood/steel studs. I would take the 760 over the 720 because the smaller nano base and the batteries that comes with. I think the DC825 impact driver is the exact same as the DC826, but the 826 comes with the better newer batteries. I buy all my stuff as 'bare tool' & all i ever used was the XRP NiCad (DC9096) yellow top batteries, but as they die i will replace with the Li-Ion ones. Dont know anything about the DW056. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjones Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 KJONES - "...The 760 is rated as having lower power than the 720 because of something to do with the "over charge" capability of a Ni-CAD battery. I do not know the specifics, but right off the charger the Ni-CAD will produce over 18volts, which gives the 720 an initial burst of higher power...." Wow. I pulled DC9096 NiCad batteries right off DC9310 chargers and took a multimeter to them. They all read 20.8 volts. I was going to try this with the 12v MAX batteries, but there are too many prongs, dont know which ones to tap into. Yes, all 18v batteries will show around 20v after pulling them right off the charger. What I meant (and again, I do not understand the chemistry/physics behind this, so I don't know how to explain it correctly) the Ni-CAD somehow has more initial power than lithium. The DC720 and 760 run the exact same components (minus the footprint). After a little bit of running, the two batteries will put out essentially the same power. As far as if the batteries are right for you, it really depends on what you want. As I mentioned before, all the batteries are tailored to different end users. However, that does not mean that if you are not an electrician you will not like the compact batteries, just that they where developed specifically for the trades that want lighter batteries at the cost of run time. What I usually tell users is that if you are around a charger while working and have the ability to swap out batteries, than the compact can be a great option, as it is significantly lighter and charges so fast (full charge in 30min. and 90% charged in around 5-10 minutes). If you work up on the roof, out in fields, away from electricity and can't swap batteries out easily, than obviously run time is a bigger factor that weight of the battery. At the end of the day, you just need to see what you feel is right for you. Also, as was already mentioned, one of the beautiful things about the DeWALT system is that all the batteries are interchangeable with the tools, so if you want to get an XRP battery down the road, it will work with your tools. lastly, another bonus to buying the lithium kit is that it comes with the yellow charger (you can't charge a lithium battery in the black charger, but the yellow charges all chemistry's) which costs around $70 by itself. So if you buy nicad now, but buy a lithium later, you will need to drop the cash for a yellow charger as well, but if you buy lithium now and run across a great deal on ni-cad batteries sometime in the future, they will work directly with your tools and charger. Anyway, hope this helps and doesn't make your decision any harder! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lytefall Posted April 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2011 Picked up the DCK265 kit today with the Li-ion batteries. Thanks for all your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanxrus Posted April 30, 2011 Report Share Posted April 30, 2011 Let us know what your thought are after you've broken it in! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lytefall Posted May 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 I will do that. I have to help a friend build a fence in a couple weeks, then I am building a shed so they will get a good workout! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.