| | |  | -Digital Camera Battery | Home » » » DEWALT DC988KA 18-Volt Cordless Hammerdrill/Drill/Driver Kit | | | | | | | Description: | | Ideal for drilling in a range of materials, from cement block and stucco to plaster and adobe, the DC988 from DEWALT is a powerful workhorse boasting a 1.2-inch 100 percent metal ratcheting chuck with sturdy carbide jaws, a three-speed transmission, and a robust motor producing 500 in./lbs. of torque. The DC988KA uses a long-lasting XRP extended run-time battery and can store a screwdriver, bit tip holders, and standard-size nut drivers on its body. Additionally, the tool's ratcheting hammer action helps prevent binding, and combines with an ergonomic design to reduce user fatigue. Finally it reaches a maximum BPM speed of 34,000 BPM--perfect for masonry work. The DC988KA comes with two XRP extended run-time batteries, one-hour charger, double-ended screwdriver bit, 360-degree side handle, and a carrying case. | | | Features: | |
• Ideal for drilling in a range of materials, from cement block and stucco to plaster and adobe
• Three-speed transmission and robust motor producing 500-inches-per-pound of torque
• 100-percent metal ratcheting chuck helps reduce bit slipping
• Maximum BPM speed of 34,000 BPM for masonry work
• Comes with two XRP extended run-time batteries, 1-hour charger, double-ended screwdriver bit, 360-degree side handle, and a carrying case
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 16.0 inches | | Product Width:
| 14.25 inches | | Product Height:
| 5.25 inches | | Product Weight:
| 13.75 pounds | | Package Length:
| 14.7 inches | | Package Width:
| 14.2 inches | | Package Height:
| 5.2 inches | | Package Weight:
| 13.8 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 22 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 22 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
33 of 33 found the following review helpful:
hammer drill vs rotary hammerNov 14, 2005
By Shantara
"remodel. repair. new construction. architecture. design. tool Xpert. teacher. blogthor."
a note to 'R. Saccenti': there is a big difference between hammer drills and rotary hammer drills. hammer-drills, like this cordless dewalt use 2 grooved plates that rotate opposite of each other. when they slip and the grooves connect, a bang is heard. this "hammers" the chuck, which in turn, drives the bit into the masonry material. do you remember the manual masonry hand drill bit? you had to hit it with a heavy hammer and it rotated as it drilled. a hammer drill is the same principle. masonry drill bits are more efficient over chisels for only one reason, they remove the dust faster, allowing the bit to go in further and faster.
a rotary hammer is extremely more efficient than a hammer drill, because it drives a piston that pounds the chuck with measurable impact energy. there's really no question which is better. hammer drills are loud and cheaper. rotary hammers are bigger, quieter, more expensive, and do the job in 95% less time, with less effort.
now, there are rotary cordless hammer drills out there, but they are expensive. HILTI makes an 18v, a 24v, and a 36v. DEWALT and BOSCH make a 24v. MILWAUKEE makes a 28v. i apologize if i left out a few.
when drilling into concrete, i use a rotary hammer, especially if it's old (harder) concrete. but for light-duty concrete drilling in cement block, stucco, adobe, hard plaster, whatever, i use this DEWALT hammer drill and i love it every time i use it. i can drill the hole and drive the tapcon (blue concrete screws) with the same tool. driving tapcons with a rotary hammer, usually snaps them in two.
everyone should own a cordless hammer drill, instead of a regular cordless. it is so much more versatile. if you have one, you will use it. most professionals have one cordless hammer drill and one regular drill in the same voltage. one for drilling and one for driving.
if you buy this drill, you will be satisfied with it, just don't use it where it is not intended to be used, ie, hard concrete.
the fastest hammer drilling 18 volt i've ever used is the new makita litium ion. it's hammer power compares to low-grade corded rotarty hammers (for small diameter holes).
25 of 25 found the following review helpful:
DC988KA 18-Volt HammerdrillSep 01, 2005
By SJK
I recently purchased this new model and still have each of the two previous 18-volt 1/2" cordless models. The older units have seen several years of heavy daily use in the field and have held up well, but they and their batteries are now justifiably tiring. They required only occasional routine maintenance such as new motor brush boxes, commutator dressing, internal cleaning and relubrication. I service all of my own tools, and this is just the regular maintenance that most of my power tools will need at least annually. I also have and use several other brands of corded 1/2" hammerdrills as well as several different sizes of SDS and spline drive rotary hammers.
The DC988 is my new all around drill/driver/hammerdrill general-purpose workhorse, which I carry on my belt clip or in my tool bucket and it goes everywhere with me on every job. Battery life has been very good with this hammerdrill as it was with my older models too. The locking keyless chuck is excellent as it also was on the older models and is now something I could never do without.
Contrary to some peoples opinion, a hammerdrill is not the same thing as a rotary hammer and has never been a tool just for masonry drilling.
Although corded hammerdrills have more power, even a cordless, such as this one, is more versatile than a standard drill/driver.
With the hammer-mode off, it is used for regular drilling in metal and wood, or for driving most screws and fasteners.
In the hammer-mode, it is often used with hole saws, especially larger sizes, for making clean penetrations through finished wood sheathed exterior walls to install conduit, cables or 4" vent hoods. The tools ratcheting hammer action helps the hole saw bite into the wood, clear chips from the teeth and reduces binding for faster drilling that is much easier on the operator. Spade/paddle type bits also work faster in hammer-mode. Because of the hammer-function, I routinely use the DC988 with up to a 4-5/8" hole saw even though Dewalt says the maximum size is only 2".
Although cordless impact wrenches are now widely available, I also use this hammerdrill in low speed with nut drivers and socket adapters for driving fasteners such as #14 hex head screws or 1/4" lag bolts into wood beams with pre-drilled pilot holes. The hammering drives fasteners quickly and helps keep bolt heads from walking out of the socket driver. The DC988KA puts out up to 34,000 BPM and works with 1/4" or smaller rotary percussion bits to make holes in hollow concrete and cinder block for conical plastic anchors or Tapcon fasteners. If you need to do lots of this type of fastening all day long, productivity will be much higher with a corded model. If, on the other hand, you happen to be in the middle of a job, and just need to drill a few 1/4" or smaller anchor holes, this tool can sometimes save you another trip out to the truck to grab your corded hammerdrill and 100 foot extension cord. No cordless hammerdrill, regardless of the voltage rating or manufacturer, is suited for drilling in hardened poured concrete. Even corded models are not the best choice for this kind of work and are used mainly with bits 1/2" diameter or less but, given enough time, most have enough power to make a hole through an 8-inch slab up to 3/4" diameter, although this is unnecessarily hard on the tool and the operator as well as other people working around you who will no doubt be extremely irate and bleeding from the ears because of the intense screaming sound that the larger corded models make during use. A small cordless SDS rotary hammer like the Dewalt 18-volt DW999K-2 is better for that type of work. I also own that model and wrote a review on a couple of years ago. It's a good little rotary hammer but is much too bulky and awkward for all around general-purpose use.
According to Dewalt, the DC988KA hammerdrill weighs only .05 ounces more than the standard 18-volt DC987KA drill/driver. Torque, speed and all other specifications are exactly the same. Since it is only about twenty dollars more in price, for my needs, the added flexibility of use it provides and minimal weight difference makes the DC988KA hammerdrill the obvious choice for my all around daily on the job drilling and fastening.
48 of 55 found the following review helpful:
 Don't buy for hammerdrill featureJul 21, 2004
By R. Saccenti
They keep changing the name on this drill, adjusting by a letter here and there, but the only difference is packaging. They are trying to hide from the reviews on this one. I love my old DeWalt drill/driver. But this "hammerdrill" model is a bust, and had to go back. This is nowhere near what you are looking for if you are going to be drilling into masonry, especially concrete. And if you are not, why are you buying this instead of the drill/driver model (which I own and love)? The good: a great redesign of the keyless chuck. The bad: does not have the power for even the most basic work you'll do (drilling a 3/16" hole a couple inches into a tough concrete slab). I cut my teeth on a real heavy-duty hammer drill (worth at least twice the price, I admit), which I had to always borrow. Bought this DeWalt model, and went through several bits, cursing the bits. Worried, I went back and borrowed the real tool, stuck in one of the bits I'd been cursing, and...zip zip zip, right through the material. If you buy this thinking you're getting a heavy-duty hammerdrill, you will be disappointed. Unfortunately, a true heavy-duty hammerdrill is going to run you twice what this does. No free rides. I had to learn the hard way what the extra money buys you; hopefully I've saved you a lesson.
11 of 11 found the following review helpful:
FORGET ITDec 12, 2004
By gingermax
"gingermax"
I'm Bill not Sandra, I bought the Dewalt 18 volt XRP to use at work. I do a lot of drilling into concrete, wood, plastic and metal. This is exactly what this drill was designed to do. I use it almost every day. After the first year I had to replace the clutch and all the associated parts. I took it to the Dewalt dealer/repair shop. They replaced the parts with Black and Decker parts. The cost was $105.00, almost half the cost of a new one, several weeks later I had to buy two new batteries because the old ones would not hold a charge, the cost was either $68.00 or $86.00 for each battery I can't remember. Now after almost two years of use the brushes are about to go out, OK, I'll concede on the brushes but the clutch is beginning to give me the same problems that I had the first time. I'm going to fix the thing and give it to my wife, maybe she will get more than a year out of it. Dewalt used to put out an outstanding product. I have had cordless drills, made by dewalt, that lasted 5 years or more in the past. But sometime in the last few years they have taken a turn for the worse. Several of my co-workers have had the same problems with their XRP's. Maybe its just the XRP's, I don't know. I need a drill every day, all day and I don't need any down time when it comes to my drill. If you are buying this drill for occasional home use it'll probably last a lifetime, but if you need it in the construction field, FORGET IT!!
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 The one drill to replace them allJun 25, 2006
By J. Sobrino
Having blown a few corded hammer drills over the last 15 years I finally decided to try a good cordless model to get rid of the irritating cord. Did some research and came upong this drill which seemed to pretty much offer anything you can possibly want in a cordless drill. I have not been dissapointed. I really don't know how I ever got along without this tool.
The balance of the tool is great. It feels really well in your hand. Its a little on the heavy side but pretty average and to be expected from a NiCD 18v drill. The tool balance really makes it feel comfortable anyway regardless of the weight. The keyless chuck saves so much time and grips bits as good as a keyed one. The three speed transmission is very versatile and has as far as I can tell the highest RPM speed (2000rpm)for a cordless drill which is very useful for masonry applications. The middle speed (1450rpm) is great for when high speed and higher torque are needed such as hardwood, holesaws, etc and finally the slowest (450rpm) for maximum torque and driving. Most cordless models only have slow and fast, and fast isn't that fast, pretty frustrating for masonry work. The battery life is very good. The 18v XRP battery should provide enough power to work reasonably continuously while the other is finished charging. I can many times go a full day of extended usage without having to bother recharging.
Finally, the reason I really bought this drill, the masonry performance. Remember this is a hammer drill, NOT a rotary hammer. A rotary hammer is far more powerful but is pretty useless for anything else as they are typically to large, heavy and too violenty powerfull for smaller work. This hammerdrill I have found can easily outperform even many corded hammer drills. Lately I've been using it to drill mainly into insanely hard 40 year old structural concrete columns in a building and driving tapcon screws in. I would normally use a rotary hammer for this but rotary hammers tend to oversize holes so tapcons don't grips as well (or at all). With a good bit the drill powers through pretty effortlessly into the reinforced columns. Softer stuff like brick and blocks, it plows through with no sweat.
I give this tool the full 5 stars. It's by far the most versatile and best performing tool in my box. If you need a cordless drill that can do everything and replace all others, this is the one.
See all 22 customer reviews on Amazon.com
| | |
|
