DeWalt 12V Brushless Screwdriver Dares to Drive Where Other Drills Won’t Fit
When you need to drive screws in tight spaces, a cordless impact driver goes where a standard drill can’t. But what if you don’t want the violence of the hammer and anvil? That’s when you turn to a cordless screwdriver. The DeWalt 12V brushless screwdriver promises a compact, lightweight design with excellent performance. In my opinion, the DeWalt DCF601B nails it.
Pros
- Shorter head than other 12V drills and impact drivers
- Less than 2 pounds with a battery
- 3-LED light right
- 15+1 clutch settings
- Excellent value
Cons
- No major drawbacks
Editor’s Note: Check out our best electric screwdriver article to see our top picks after hours of use and comparative testing.
Compact Performance
Tight Design
Like the new 12V brushless impact driver, the DeWalt 12V brushless screwdriver makes incredible improvements in size. The previous model (DCF610) measured 6.25″ long. That’s long enough that it might as well have been a standard drill.
The DeWalt DCF601B drops down to 4.8″, even shorter than the new impact driver. That’ll get you into some pretty tight spaces. Few cordless drivers other than a right-angle drill driver can get much tighter.
DeWalt helps you out even more by ensuring the 1/4″ collet accepts 1″ bits, leaving only the last 5/16″ of bit exposed.
Precision Performance
The whole reason you reach for a 1/4″ hex screwdriver is to save space without the violence of an impact driver. Typically, you’re working with smaller fasteners or more delicate materials.
Even so, DeWalt still puts 200 UWO of power in the motor. That’s an increase of 25% over the previous model. To put that in perspective, the 12V brushless drill has 250 UWO and the previous brushed drill had 189 UWO.
Let’s consider speed for a moment. The DeWalt 12V brushless screwdriver maxes out at 1100 RPM. With the idea that we’re looking at more control for fastening, it’s not a surprise to see it well under the brushless drill’s 1500 RPM (the brushed drill also has 1500 RPM).
But let’s toss one more log in the fire. Even though this screwdriver has a 1/4″ hex collet for holding driver bits, there are plenty of drill bits with 1/4″ hex shanks. There’s enough power in this screwdriver to use a reasonable range of drill bits in tight spots as well.
You just need to plan on drilling more slowly than normal. With a sharp bit, that shouldn’t be an issue if it lets you drill a hole where a longer tool won’t.
Feature Set
Clutch Performance
You don’t get much depth of drive control with the compact design of an impact driver. The DeWalt 12V brushless screwdriver has a 15+1 clutch design, giving you more control when you need it.
Size and Weight
We touched on the compact design of the DeWalt DCF601B already, but let’s take it a little farther. With a compact 2.0Ah battery, the tool stands 8.4″ tall with a 4.8″ head length.
Without a battery, the tool only weighs 1.5 pounds—11 ounces lighter than the previous model. With a battery, it’s still lighter than the DCF610 bare at just 1.98 pounds.
LED Light Ring
DeWalt sticks with their 3-LED light ring around the chuck. It’s a design we highly prefer over lights just above the trigger or down by the battery.
One-Hand Bit Insert and Ejection
There’s no need to pull the collet when you’re inserting a bit and a spring ejects the bit when you’re ready for a change.
Pricing
You can get the DeWalt 12V brushless screwdriver for $109 as a bare tool. However, the kit is currently running just $10 more for a charger and 2.0Ah battery, so I recommend going that route.
There are a handful of similar models running about $10 to either side of DeWalt’s pricing. For what you get, it’s a fair price.
The Bottom Line
DeWalt’s Xtreme Compact line is crushing it with top-end 12V performance and legitimately compact designs. The DeWalt DCF601B brushless screwdriver continues the trend with a tool that can both drill and drive in tighter spaces than just about anything other than a right angle drill. Even its price is competitive.
This is an excellent choice for cabinetry and woodworking, where control is more important than flat-out speed. It does its best work on precision fastening and is also capable of light drilling in spots that are tough for a standard drill driver.
Specifications
- Model: DeWalt DCF601B
- No-Load Speed: 0 – 1100 RPM
- Max Power: 200 UWO
- Height: 8.4″ with battery
- Length: 4.8″
- Weight: 1.5 pounds bare, 1.98 pounds with battery
- Warranty: 3 years
- Price: $109 bare
