Cordless Compact Hammer Drill

Cordless Compact Hammer Drill

Once again, Amazon and DeWalt omitted key information from the item description. I bit on the daily special on this drill kit. I have several DeWalt 18V tools and thought I was getting two new batteries and an almost free drill. My old drill does not have the LED work light,

Cordless Compact Hammer Drill

which looked useful. The description said, "What's in the Box: DC725KA 18-Volt Compact Cordless Hammer Drill Kit, two 18-volt NiCad batteries, one-hour NiCad charger, and kit box."

Cordless Compact Hammer Drill

I know that two new standard NiCad 18V batteries cost almost as much as the special price on the drill kit, so it looked like a good buy. But the kit arrived today and the batteries are the "compact" DC9099 size with black tops. The DC9099 is rated 1.7 Amp hours and has a one year warranty. These batteries are smaller and lighter (and shorter lived) than the standard batteries.

Cordless Compact Hammer Drill

The standard 18V NiCad is DC9096 with yellow top and is rated 2.4 Amp hours and has a two year warranty. Oddly enough, today's price on the batteries at Amazon is higher for the smaller battery than for the standard size. Amazon sells the smaller battery by itself, but the DeWalt website does not. DeWalt also fails to explain the battery warranty

Cordless Compact Hammer Drill

difference clearly unless you try to get a replacement for a failed battery.

Cordless Compact Hammer Drill

The new DC9180 Lithium ion batteries are said to be superior to the NiCad batteries, though they still only have 2.4 Amp hours and a two year warranty. They certainly cost more, so I hope they last longer. I guess if I buy a DeWalt drill with the LED feature, I might as well get the new Li-Ion model.

Cordless Compact Hammer Drill