More muscle and extra features are what help define the new DeWalt flagship DCD970 18-Volt 1/2-Inch XRP Lithium-Ion Hammer drill. This drill comes with the long-lasting, extra long run time XRP Nano Phosphate Lithium-Ion batteries that facilitate the 450 unit watts of power that is on tap! A few of the things that we like is that there is a lot of metal on this new drill and the new three-speed transmission. The drill/screw/hammer functions have been moved to their own selector ring separate from the clutch ring, which facilitates a quicker and easier selection depending on your application.
Editor’s Note: Check out our New DeWalt Tools article for the latest products and our best cordless drill head-to-head comparison to get our top picks.
DeWalt DCD970 18V XRP Hammer drill Features
Our test drill arrived in a black plastic hard case with a cardboard slip cover over it. Many times tools come in double boxed, that means they take the retail package, put it inside another box with either bubble wrap or packing peanuts and then put a shipping label on it. Not the folks from DEWALT; they just took the case, zip-tied the padlock point closed on the case and attached a shipping label to it. The reason I am telling you all this is simple… the case is great. It arrived a little scuffed up but otherwise unscathed. When we opened the case, the contents were all undamaged and everything was in its place. We like hard cases because they make a great place to store your tools and keep them safe when not in use.
Inside the case came the DeWalt DCD970 18V 1/2-Inch XRP Lithium-Ion Hammer drill, 1 Hour Charger; two 18V XRP Li-Ion Batteries, 360 Degree Side Handle and the manual. The drill comes in the usual DEWALT color scheme but with one difference from some of the past hammer drills we’ve seen; there is more silver colored metal on it. From about the motor forward is all metal. While the metal does not necessarily make this any lighter in weight than its predecessors, it does add to its rigidity, ruggedness and long term durability. The handle and some other parts on the body have black overmold rubber surfaces to aid in gripping.
Motor, Chuck, and LED
From back to front on the DeWalt DCD970, the drill features a frameless motor with the new three speed selector switch located on the top. Next we come to the drill/screw//hammer drill metal selector ring. What DEWALT did was separate these functions from the clutch settings on the clutch ring. This means it is quicker and easier to switch between applications during use. The metal clutch ring has 18 settings that will allow for the gentlest screw setting to outright lag screw driving force and just about anything in between.
The last thing in line is the chuck. It’s an all metal, continuous tightening type that actually tightens as you use the drill; this guarantees that you should not have any slippage. Another thing we liked about the drill was the built in LED work light that shines a convenient light right on your work piece where you need it the most.
One of the things that we think DeWalt DCD970 has done right with their Nano Lithium Ion batteries is that they follow the same fit and function as their Ni-Cad brethren. We like the idea that the two battery platforms are both backwards and forwards compatible. We have seen the arguments on both sides of the fence of whether to come out with new tool and batteries based on the new technology or to keep the same form and fit and make the new batteries work with what people already have.
A Note on Compatibility
Since DEWALT went with the latter approach, this means that all you die-hard DeWalt dudes don’t need to buy a new drill to get the new batteries; you can just simply upgrade your batteries and charger. Just a note on the chargers: you do need a new charger to be able to charge the new battery type since Li-ion uses different charging technology. The good news is that the new chargers will also charge your old Ni-Cads. The only bummer with these new batteries is that there is no power level meter. This is one feature that we have found to be extremely handy and is becoming more standard with some of the competition.
DeWalt DCD970 Hammerdrill Testing and Usage
We hooked up with a local contractor to give him a little time with the DeWalt DCD970 drill. The particular day that we tagged along included them building a dock that incorporated a good number of 1/2″ and 5/8″ holes for all the bolts and hardware. Many of the holes they had to drill were through nearly 12″ of pressure treated timber and lumber. Our contractor friend was happy to report that the drill never tired or showed a lack of power. One thing he did notice was that the batteries provided what felt like 100% power and then they would suddenly stop working.
We were there to see one of these times when the batteries had enough, and right in the middle of a hole he was drilling, the drill just stopped cold. After swapping in a freshly charged battery, he continued drilling. We have learned that what makes Li-ion batteries last a long time is that they are electronically controlled so that they don’t overly discharge. We pretty much had to pry this drill out of our testing contractor’s hands when it was time for us to leave!
Additional Testing
On our own, we field-tested the hammer drilling features. We took a chunk of concrete and drilled a number of 1/4″ and 1/2″ holes to depths of 1″ to 3″ just to see how fast and how clean the holes were. We found that when drilling in concrete, many times your success will be determined by the quality of your tools. In our case, we had some good Tapcon bits and some “no-name” concrete bits. While both bits had carbide cutting edges, our “no name” ones were no match for the concrete or the drill! Needless to say, spend the few extra bucks and get a good bit and this drill will be sure to do as many holes as you will need!
Final Thoughts on the DeWalt DCD970
If you are on the market for a top performing 18 volt cordless hammer drill, then chances are that the DCD970 18V 1/2″ XRP Lithium-Ion Hammer drill Kit is a good choice. The one thing we did found curious about this drill was the new unit of power measurement that DEWALT is using, called: Unit Watts Output (UWO). While they claim this is a better indication of overall performance and an established form of measurement, we think that it is still a good idea to use a term that folks are used to seeing and are familiar with, like torque! Bottom line for us: we really like this drill!
