I don't think this is a good deal... being a ni-cad batteries. You can get newer models for very slightly more, with much better overall performance. - I suppose what you really want to use it for, because for the house stuff, this will work fine.
NiCd is STILL a legitimate choice to save money, if you use a tool often instead of rare use where you let it sit for months then need to charge it before each use, but not so often that you're a contractor using it all day, most days.
However, yeah, this is a narrow niche these days. Few people today need this type of small form factor tool with lower torque than its bigger brothers, for occasional use. More often people who need this short length tool are in a trade where they use it often enough that it makes sense to pay more for a Li-Ion battery.
... could be why it's on sale. If you don't use one much and aren't in a hurry when you do, then there is an argument to be made for not paying more, including the fact that if you rarely use it, the Li-Ion batteries on a more expensive set may shelf rot before you get the full potential out of them. NiCd has a much longer shelf life than Li-Ion.
So yeah, Li-Ion is better, but you might end up paying more than it's worth if you don't use the tool a lot.
Since I seldom need to get into tight places with a compact-class impact driver, I'd rather spend the extra money on a full sized impact driver and go from there, but this would appeal most to people who already have compatible 18V Dewalt tools (before they made up their fictional 20V tool rating which is still just 18V in a fair comparison to others). Dewalt makes good tools but on that front, their marketing is not so fair and honest.
I still use my ni-cad set and would exclusively if the batteries wouldn't have faded out as much as they have. No biggie, I got great use out of them. Upgrading to li-ion, the best part hasn't been they are that much functional better for my uses, the best part has been they are significantly lighter. Reason enough for the upgrade for me.
i've been using my Ni-Cad driver since 2013. It's been almost 4 years and I haven't noticed an performance loss. I've used it around the house but also had used it on construction projects as well. It's been great and I love the price of the Ni-Cad tools from deWalt.
Comments & Reviews (5)
However, yeah, this is a narrow niche these days. Few people today need this type of small form factor tool with lower torque than its bigger brothers, for occasional use. More often people who need this short length tool are in a trade where they use it often enough that it makes sense to pay more for a Li-Ion battery.
... could be why it's on sale. If you don't use one much and aren't in a hurry when you do, then there is an argument to be made for not paying more, including the fact that if you rarely use it, the Li-Ion batteries on a more expensive set may shelf rot before you get the full potential out of them. NiCd has a much longer shelf life than Li-Ion.
So yeah, Li-Ion is better, but you might end up paying more than it's worth if you don't use the tool a lot.
Since I seldom need to get into tight places with a compact-class impact driver, I'd rather spend the extra money on a full sized impact driver and go from there, but this would appeal most to people who already have compatible 18V Dewalt tools (before they made up their fictional 20V tool rating which is still just 18V in a fair comparison to others). Dewalt makes good tools but on that front, their marketing is not so fair and honest.
Thank you!