DeWalt 12V Max 3/8 In. Drill Driver Kit DCD710S2 Review

Drilling

First, we rated and compared the power and speed of each cordless drill at drilling holes, which constitutes 35% of the total score for each tool. We scored the DCD710S2 as it drilled a hole in a solid door, dimensional boards, and a steel sheet with a 5" hole saw, 1" spade bit, and a pair of twist drills, respectively. It didn't do terribly well.

The DCD710S2 struggled in the solid door with the 5" hole saw. It couldn't drill the saw to the full depth, overheating at around 2.5 minutes — even with a brief respite part of the way through.

It did a little better at drilling through the 2x12 with the 1" spade bit. It drilled the holes fine, though it was on the slower side. Additionally, you had to push this drill, and we could hear it straining the entire time throughout this test.

Unsurprisingly, it also struggled with drilling through the 16 gauge steel sheet. It did about average with the ¼" twist drill, making the hole in a little less than five seconds. Still, you could hear more of a struggle compared to the higher voltage models. It took about 30 seconds to make it through with the ½" drill, protesting and binding up the entire time, when the best drill only took 3-4 seconds with the same drill.

Driving

The DCD710S2 did a little better in this metric. For this metric, we graded each drill's performance at driving in both #9 screws that measured 3" in length and driving in a ½" lag screw that is 5" long. Overall, these two tests are responsible for 35% of the total score.

This drill did alright with the smaller screws, driving them in most of the way relatively quickly and easily.

It did struggle a little bit towards the end, especially when it came to setting the countersunk head. However, it could usually set the head flush eventually.

Battery Life

Next, we compared and scored the battery performance of each cordless tool, which is responsible for 20% of the overall score. We awarded points on the effective runtime of each drill and the time it took for a dead battery to recharge. The DCD710S2 again didn't do exceptionally well. This model was tested with a 1.3 Ah battery.

To compare the runtime of each cordless drill, we alternated driving in 16 of the 3" long, #9 screws to their full depth in a pair of stacked dimensional 2x12s and then drilling three 1" diameter holes through a single 2x12 with the paddle bit with the DCD710S2. We repeated this until the drill died, with the DCD710S2 unfortunately only making it through two complete cycles of this and died two screws into the third cycle. The best tools made it more than ten sets before dying.

The 1.3 Ah batteries of the DCD710S2 do charge relatively quickly, taking less than an hour to recharge fully, and this drill did earn a few extra points by including an additional battery.

Convenience

Our final set of tests dealt with each drill's different functions and specs that make them more enjoyable and efficient to operate, which accounts for the remaining 10% of the final score. The DCD710S2 is about average for these products.

This drill does not have any sort of battery charge indicator, and we found it to be a bit more challenging to install or remove the battery compared to some of the other tools. The release button for the locking mechanism also isn't the most user-friendly that we have seen so far.

This drill is on the lighter side, weighing less than 2.5 pounds, and includes a belt clip. It has two different operating speed ranges — 0-400 and 0-1500 --, and the chuck can expand up to ⅜".

It also has a built-in work light that turns on when you hold the trigger. However, we did find that it is a bit on the dim side, and we would usually want supplemental lighting when working in a dark area.

Should You Buy the DCD710S2?

Overall, we wouldn't really recommend the DeWalt 12V Max 3/8 In Drill Driver Kit DCD710S2. It didn't score particularly well and had an overly high list price, with many less expensive drills scoring a lot better. The DCD710S2 presents a poor value, performing similarly to other drills that cost a fraction of the price.

What Other Drill Should You Consider?

If Dewalt is your band of choice or you already own compatible batteries, we prefer the DeWalt Atomic 20V Max Brushless Compact 1/2 In. Drill/Driver Kit DCD708C2. This is far better at drilling and driving with better battery life than the DCD710S2. While it has a slightly higher list price, it can be found cheaper on sale, which happens frequently. If it is still out of your budget, and you aren't worried about the brand, the Craftsman V20 1/2-In. Drill/Driver Kit CMCD700C1 is almost half the price and offers significantly more power for drilling and driving.