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Is the DeWalt 20V Drill and Impact Driver Kit Worth Buying
November 1, 2026 · 5 min read
Many people buy their first cordless drill for a home improvement project. It might not have been the one they wanted, but it was easily available at the time and now they put up with it. If you prefer to make a deliberate choice or are buying for someone who juust moved into their new home, the DeWalt 20V MAX drill and impact driver kit is the set we would recommend.
Right now, it's cheaper than we've ever seen and that makes the choice to buy pretty easy. We'll cover what you're getting with this kit and what you should add later.
What comes in the bag
The combo kit comes with two tools, two compact batteries, a charger, and a soft tote bag.
The drill is equipped with a half-inch chuck and has two speeds. The lower speed is suitable for driving screws since it gives you more control, while the higher speed is used for drilling holes. There's also a clutch ring which stops the drill from spinning when a screw is tightly in place. This prevents it from stripping or punching through the back of a cabinet.
The impact driver looks like a shorter drill but functions in a different way. It uses quarter-inch hex bits which click in, and when a screw begins to resist, it adds quick hammering bursts to keep the screw turning. This is perfect for driving long deck screws or lag bolts without stalling or pulling your wrist sideways.
DeWalt 20V MAX Cordless Drill & Impact Driver Kit
DeWalt kits do not go on sale all that often, so the drill and impact driver combo going for this price is a legitimatel... more
Do you really need both?
When it comes to hanging pictures or assembling a bookshelf, the drill is does the job on its own. The impact driver proves its worth the first time you undertake a project with many screws: building a fence, a garden bed or a workbench in the garage. It drives them faster and with considerably less strain on your arm.
There's another minor advantage too. You can fit a drill bit in one tool and a screwdriver bit in the other. This lets you drill a pilot hole, then put the tool down, and drive the screw. That way, you don't have to swap bits fifty times during a single project.
Is this the price to buy it at?
Yes. Throughout most of summer and early fall it was on sale for well above what it is now, and it we've only previously seen this price once before. If you've been waiting for this combo to go on sale, this is the sale. If you're buying As a gift, we wouldn't wait for anything better either.
Where it comes up short
The batteries are the smaller ones. This makes the tools lighter, a useful feature when you're drilling above your head, but they won't last through a long afternoon of boring holes through studs. Many people eventually end up purchasing a larger battery and that's generally the first upgrade worth making.
This also isn't DeWalt's top of the line model. Their brushless kits cost more and get more work out of each charge which matters to someone using a drill every day for work. But for hanging curtain rods, assembling furniture and the occasional weekend project, this combo is plenty powerful.
The battery is what you're really buying
That's the part that people tend to skip. Once you have DeWalt 20V MAX batteries, all the other DeWalt 20V MAX tools can be used with them interchangeably so buying the next tool without a battery or a charger ends up costing a bit less.
That locks you in a little bit. The Ryobi, Milwaukee, and Craftsman brands all have their own type of batteries which are not interchangeable with DeWalt's. Therefore, when you choose your first drill you're in effect choosing a brand. DeWalt has a large range of 20V products, including saws, sanders, lights and blowers, making it a reliable choice.
When the time comes, DeWalt's cordless wet/dry shop vac could be a good example of a second tool. It uses the same batteries, picks up sawdust and drywall dust following a job, and can deal with a flooded floor drain without an extension cord. No batteries here, just the tool itself.
The current price isn't ideal. We've seen it a good bit lower, and frequently. Hold off on this one until the price comes back down again.
DEWALT 20V MAX Cordless Shop Vac, Wet Dry Vacuum Cleaner
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A socket set to go with it
You can't use a drill to loosen the bolt that holds a lawnmower blade, to tighten a loose bike seat, or to change a car battery. Instead, you would need a ratchet and sockets set.
The DeWalt 108-piece mechanics' set is suitable for both 1/4" and 3/8" drives and can handle most household and small-engine jobs. Everything fits into a hard case, so pieces don't go missing. It's currently cheaper we've seen in a while. This is a good price and easy to choose.
DEWALT 108-Piece Mechanics Tools Kit, 1/4" & 3/8" Drive
This complete socket and tool set covers most of the repairs and projects you'll tackle around the garage. This kit giv... more
Craftsman's 230-piece set is suitable for someone who works on their own car. It contains more than twice as many pieces which means a greater variety of sizes, more extensions, and fewer visits to the hardware store when you need the one socket that's missing. It is also more expensive than the DeWalt set for this reason.
Currently this is the price it reaches when it's on sale, and it's only been lower by a few dollars for a brief period before. Buying now is fine since waiting probably won't save you an amount that makes a meaningful difference.
Quick answers
Is 20V MAX stronger than an 18V drill?
Not really. DeWalt's 20V is the battery's max voltage with nothing running. Under load it works out about the same as tools sold as 18V. You should compare tools on what they do, not on the 2V difference.
Should I use the drill or the impact driver for furniture?
The drill, with its clutch set at a low position. A lot of pre-fabricated furniture is made from particleboard and an impact driver can strip a screw before you know it.
Will DeWalt's bigger batteries work in this kit?
Yes, any DeWalt 20V MAX battery can be used, including the bigger ones, and the DeWalt FlexVolt batteries will also work. However, the opposite is not true and the smaller batteries from this kit cannot be used to run DeWalt's 60V FlexVolt tools.
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