I have a dewalt dcd771 20v. I just ran your exact test and I can only confirm 100% your results: only in the highest gear and only in position 1, the clutch has "some" effect. In position 3, gear 2, you go through it all, exactly like your test. In gear 1 the clutch is useless instead. And now i understand why I always considered the clutch as almost useless. Thank you, your videos are the best ever, you have no idea how many things you taught me
This test explains why when I was repairing a door threshold, my Dewalt kept breaking the screw heads off when the head hit the wood. Snapped them clean off when I didn't throttle the drill.
At first I was wondering if this would actually be that big of a deal, but after seeing your results I realised the major difference. I Expect DIYers, perform their share of funiture essembly - I know I do a lot and if I had the DeWalt model and wasnt able to use the clutch, I would have to resolve to a regular hand screwdriver. This would be dreadful in my mainly IKEA funitured house! Great video, Nils
After watching both those videos. I'm glad I chose Rigid. On the weakest clutch setting, you can stop the drill with a slight breeze. On max, it will keep drilling until it breaks your wrist. Free replacement batteries for life, too.
I have the dcd999 and the clutch doesn't work at all in use. I contacted dewalt and they had me send in the drill. When I got it back same exact issue. I don't even think they looked at it. This tool is really only useful for drilling into concrete or long structural screws. The sad thing is the clutch works perfectly on my old dewalt drill.
Nils, I have an old DeWalt drill that was assembled when Li was still unknown to the general public. They used to make an Li battery that was the same form factor as those old NiCads. When my NiCad quit working, I bought the Li replacement. I just ran your test with it. Using a straight grain 2x4 on edge. On setting 1, it stopped after sinking a 2 1/2" screw about 1" deep. On 2, it stopped at about 1/2 way in. On 3, it stopped when the screw head was flush with the wood. Every other setting (of 9) buried the screw. (I was using Torx screws so cam-out wouldn't be a factor). Oddly, without changing the clutch setting, in each case (1 and 2), I was able to drive each screw the rest of the way in. So I'd conclude, they used to know how to make the clutch, but have since forgot.
As for uses of the clutch, one of the best is when you're driving pocket hole screws. You need that clutch to work properly so you don't drive the screw right through the boards. Thankfully, I have the Ryobi and it works flawlessly, even when driving 8" long, 1/2" shank diameter lag bolts. As long as I have at least a 3Ah battery, I've been able to drive as many as 12 of those lags through 2x material before the battery gives out. MORE than enough needed for anything I do as a diyer homeowner or weekend woodworker. Inexpensive, powerful and durable (I've dropped my impact driver more than a few times from various heights and it still runs like it did when new!), my Ryobi tools are great! And, since I've had the majority of them for many years - especially the drill and impact driver set, which I've had for over 16 years - I see no reason to ever switch to anything else. In fact, I only plan on replacing them when they wear out...and THEN I'll replace them with brushless. That's right, most of my Ryobi tools are the cheaper brushed ones, the only exception being my new 7 1/4" circular saw, which I specifically got the brushless as it was part of the buy a battery kit, get a free tool deal.
I also have Ryobi and count on the clutch for pocket screws. I bought 2 drills in 2008 and both are going strong. I also like them because of the bubble level on the drill. New ones don't have that.
I have the DeWalt DCD708 Atomic 20v brushless and thankfully it works just as intended. Clutch works perfectly. I can't imagine having to deal with that issue. I would definitely return it. I guess the best thing to do would be to test out all the options when you purchase a drill and return it if it is not working properly.
A couple years ago I decided to upgrade my tried and true DeWalt 12v with one of the newer 20v brushless. Discovered this same thing: the brushless electronic clutches in DeWalt are garbage. Try the same test a dozen times and you'll get a dozen different results. I like the drill for most things, but have held on to my old 12v for drywall work because the clutch is still great, even 3 chuck replacements later.
I had no idea my original comment would blow up like it did. Love your videos. I just tested my Dewalt 20v max brushless in 2nd gear with and it performed well with decent stare step results. It’s about 3 years old and replaced my old Dewalt which coincidentally failed with a ceased clutch mechanism. Hope you make you million subs this year. You deserve it.
I have the 20V Dewalt and the clutch does work really well. I used it on setting one on some thin MDF installing a sliding shelf under a bathroom sink. Once the screw contacted to top of the bracket, the clutch started slipping as it should.
I bought my first power tools last year, and as Consumer Reports gave Flex the highest rating, that is what I went with. As someone who spends between 40 to 60 hours a week building the brakes they use for the arresting nets that catch airplanes, I can say they do a great job from the small screws to the heavy duty bolt screws. I definitely took time to measure out what gear I want the clutch in for my lighter work, and Flex has the flexibility you displayed here. Great tools with a lifetime warranty. Highly recommend Flex for anyone who has not yet started buying power tools. They are more expensive, but they are amazing, and I have definitely surprised my coworkers with the kind of work my battery-powered tools can do.
I checked my Dewalt drills. I have a DCD995 hammer drill and a DCD791 drill. Both clutches seem to work fine - but interestingly, they feel different. The DCD995 seems to have an electronic cut-off clutch, and the DCD791 feels like a mechanical clutch. Great video and test - thanks - just subscribed.
Nice. I just have to wonder why you would wave around a Bosch in the video but not use it in the comparison. Also, having bought into the Makita brand, I felt a bit left out. But I understand that both are less popular in the US.
Certain applications are clutch critical to me. Top of the list is pocket holes. I do a LOT of pocket holes in case joinery. You only have to blow out a piece of walnut plywood once to begin the "find the best clutch" journey. My primary battery platform is Makita LXT 18V. The clutches on the two drill/drivers I have are ok, in the respect that I am confident I could achieve the Flex/Ryobi stair steps you got. However, when Bosch's 5-in-1 transformer came on sale, I snapped one up. It is 12V. It is smaller than the Atomic. It has a 2ah battery (I can get genuine Bosch 3 and 4 ah, and knockoffs up to 6ah, allegedly...but in my experience you can expect 2/3 the power from them). It has all the balls I need to drive pocket holes screws, with a clutch that does what it is supposed to do. I rarely use an impact driver, unless I am out helping my contractor nephew. I find them to be insensitive brutes, designed for one thing only...driving construction grade screws into construction lumber. Period.
I have a previous generation m18 fuel that does the same thing as the Dewalt in speed 2, and I believe it’s because of the electronic clutch. I bought the new m18 compact one this Christmas that has a mechanical clutch just to have something that won’t blow out pocket holes lol.
Fantastic video! Good job testing mutiple variables to find out which ones have an impact. It's disappointing to see that DeWalt does not do such a simple test on their drills. Just because its powerful does not mean you don't need a clutch. On the contrary, a more powerful drill should have a clutch able to manage torque across a whole spectrum.
We settle for this because of how difficult things have become in recent times. Some months back I was wondering how to utilise some money I had. I used some of it for e-commerce business, but that sank. I'm thinking of how to use what's left to invest, about 90k, but I don't really know which way to go.
I understand how you feel. It's a little bit difficult to navigate things these days. You don't wanna lose whatever is left. I may suggest that you find a financial advisor who could give you thorough advice on how to go if you want to go the investment route. Also, the fact your business failed doesn't mean you should give up.
That's right. I have tried many failed businesses and it's just a step further. Don't despair. But to add, if you do decide to use a financial advisor, it's best you use someone who understands your special needs and can work with you. I learnt this from experience before finally finding one
Hedge funds are good, but their large size make them very bureaucratic. You could find most independent financial advisors on the internet. For instance, I work with Sharon Lynne Hart, and she has a website. I'm sure there are other good ones. Just do your research.
The battery shouldn't matter, although I know some DeWalt stuff is HEAVILY effected by the battery, Torque Test Channel has proven this. The drill should be smart enough to know what to do.
I have the DCD991 and thank you for this. The clutch is beyond useless and as you pointed out this can injure your hand/wrist/arm. I was on a low clutch setting driving a lag bolt for a hanging shelf into a wall and the drill torqued my wrist and arm so hard that it was not ok for almost 3 months. This drill honestly scares me. Having paid almost $300 for this with a battery and chargers pisses me off along with the fact that I’m in the Dewalt eco system and really don’t want to change to another battery solution. BTW i did get the Dewalt gyroscopic “cordless screwdriver” and the clutch and power are really good for detailed work. Unless you’re trailed navy seal, don’t get the big Dewalt cordless drill. It’s just not right.
So glad I found this video! I was go crazy thinking it was something I was doing wrong or that I just simply got a bad drill. Glad to know I'm still sane and at least somewhat competent. :P Great work and thanks!
I have an older Dewalt drill. I have only rarely used the clutch. It didn't seem that useful at limiting torque. I had no idea the problem might be the brand. Although, for me, it isn't much of an issue. I use my impact driver for installing almost all screws and mostly I have a feel for when the screw is set to an appropriate torque by the feel and sound of the impact driver. This probably wouldn't be a great approach where the exact torque is an issue, however with wood screws if it's set at the right depth you did it right.
I did the same test with my Craftsman CMCD721 and it was actually pretty sensitive on the lowest gear and it did gradually increase as you. You went to higher gears. I don't know why DeWalt is so different because they are made by the same manufacturer. I know they're not the same tool but they are both owned by Stanley Black& Decker
This video is awesome! I guess the clutch is just bad on the Dewalt. I have both the Mikwaukee and Dewalt and I have never used the low setting on either drill. Now I want to experiment. Maybe you should do a video for impacts too? That would be really interesting!
Thats great information to know. I've always wanted to see a snap-on 14.4 volt ⅜ impact wrench compared to different impact drivers. I've used my 14.4 ⅜impact mostly to drive large screws and bolts for fencing. I'm just curious how that old mechanic tech compares to modern construction tools. It's a tiny impact wrench that can fit in you pocket or on a hammer loop on your pants. Depending on the model it has a 3hammer hammer head with a high rmp.
The issue is mechanical vs electronic clutch all these drills that seem to have too much power even on the lowest clutch setting have electronic clutch. If you want the gradual and repeatable torque as you move through the different torque settings ...get a drill with mechanical clutch. Dewalt has a 12v screwdriver dcf601 which is basically a low powered drill with 1/4 inch hex quick connect (like the ones found on impact drivers) 15 different clutch settings with the 1st setting measuring way below 1 lb-ft.
Great video, coming from someone that likes the versatility of using tools in different applications. Having a good clutch that works is always good. It can give you precise control. There is no point in having a drill with 19 clutch setting when clutch 1 has a lot of power.
I wonder how much of this has to do with the electronic clutch. I have an older generation 18V DeWalt (stem-style batteries) with a mechanical clutch, and it was incredibly sensitive and precise.
On my Dewalt Drill, I have a similar experience. What I found was to not use all the trigger. I squeeze to a controllable speed when in gear 1. I use gear 2 for drilling only. Your mileage may vary.
I’ve never really relied on the clutch honestly. I don’t remember the last time I actually changed the clutch from max. I grew up using a corded drill with no clutch. So I really just had to be cognizant of what was going on and pray for no kickback. I gave myself a nice shiner and really learned my lesson on throttling and being aware of the feeling. If you weren’t careful you’d blast the screw right through a deck board in no time. Good video. I own 20v dewalt and take no offense to legit criticisms. Edit to add: Do people actually drive fasteners with drillsl? Must be more on finer finishing type things? If it comes to that I’ll hand screw stuff usually.
I recently bought the dcd805 and immediately noticed this. I also have the 12v dcd706 (bought almost 5 years ago) and the clutch works great. I will continue to use the 12v whenever doing any low torque precision jobs.
I only buy Dewalt and haven’t noticed them being so aggressive although I did notice a higher torque when I upgraded and had to adjust the clutch differently from my previous tool.
I own a medium sized bag of Milwaukee tools and I'm continually impressed by Flex and Ryobi. I know Ryobi is "made in the same factory" so it's not too surprising. What surprises me more is that the Dewalts just send those screws in. I know in max torque tests you can flip a coin between most equivalent red and yellow tools. They're both going to get the job done. But having some finesse is arguably more important than just delivering the most beans.
Thank you for sharing this, your video prompted me to go test my drill, I’m happy to report that my DEWALT 20v MAX XR is working perfectly. I took photos but can’t upload to comments 😢
I have a DeWalt DCD996B and yeah, the clutch is completely useless on it. It'll drive anything completely through whatever you're trying to screw together even on the first clutch setting. Good to know I'm not completely alone in being disappointed with it! I do have a really old 14.4v DeWalt and that clutch works flawlessly.
Maybe that's why my Dewalt dislocated my thumb when the screw stopped, and the drill kept turning through my grip and put my thumb on the top of my forearm. Very expensive orthopedic surgery and physical therapy later and I have range of motion back, but reduced grip strength; and to top it all off chronic pain in all rhe joints connected to and in my thumb. I have the surgery reports and doctors' evaluations to back it all.
I have the exact Dewalt drill used in this vid and have only used it a couple of times because it's too aggressive for the vintage furniture I refinish. So glad it's not just me but I wish I would have known this sooner 😭
Wow DeWalt needs to get on that. I have the DeWalt hammer drill and one of the normal drills in brushless and the drill clutch works great but the hammer drill doesn't slip at all on the lowest setting unless it is used on a bolt😢
Didn't you open up your DeWalt drills and swap out the chucks a few months back? Couldn't it be possible that you messed something up while you were in there? I don't have the 999, but I've been using my 996 for probably more than 6 years and I can tell you the clutch works just fine. I do however have the DCD800 just like in this video and I can tell you that the clutch on my 800 also works like it's supposed to and does not drive as hard as yours does on the lower clutch settings. I let my wife and kids use the 800 for school projects and the like, but I also use the 800 for all of _my_ interior work such as I just installed new cabinets in our bathroom. I was definitely using the clutch for all of the install and the finishing work and everything came out perfect.
It would be interesting if you compared any 12V drill with these monsters. I personally bought a DeWalt DCD703 (which looks like being actually phased out for no reason) and so far I managed to do virtually any DIY stuff around the house I could imagine, with added benefit of reaching small spaces or screws close to the wall with replaceable heads. The clutch works rather fine on this one. What I don't like is the switch is non-linear, it goes from super slow through less slow to lightning fast in a blink of an eye. Unless you don't do big woodworking stuff, this one looks fine for home use.
I would have commented "but muh DeWalt works!" except I am not even sure of the exact age, and I have 4. 3 have clutches, the newest one is my personal one with a small battery and I never use a lower gear except for drilling and feed speed adjustment for material being drilled/abraded with carbide rotary files. The ones we have where I work mostly work as advertised. My really big hammer drill has no clutch, but I use it exclusively for masonry and to chisel.
Tiny point of positive feedback: at 8:12, you have a pop-in of a separate message to subscribe to the channel. I wanted to say that I love how you did this. I feel like it's much less annoying and intrusive to have the pop-in when there's already "action" happening, rather than having it as a separate segment at the start or end of the video. I wish more channels would do this rather than including a bumper.
You probably could’ve reached 1 million subs years ago, if you mentioned wanting to reach it sooner! You’ve got a great personality and an excellent channel, so this shouldn’t be hard. If you could collab with a popular RUclipsr, or get a shout out from one (like DiResta), you’ll far surpass 1 million in a jif! But regardless, you’ll be able to reach it on your own! Thanks always for the entertaining and educational content, Nills! 👍
We've got the 3 speed (brushless) Dewalts at work at work, and the clutch settings don't work at all. I have a 2 speed (brushed) dewalt at home, and the clutch settings work great throughout the entire range.
First of all, excellent videos!! Love the way you explain and test every hypothesis! I believe that this has some thing to do with the high torque that the atomic series and the first drill have. I have one DCD7781 and the clutch works flawlessly. Maybe they have different purposes. The smaller ones are meant for light work, while the high end ones are meant to drive a screw through a tank lol
Excellent video! After all these years, nothing has changed; always good info that's helpful. Appreciate your dedication and good luck hitting the Millionaire list of subscribers.
I love dewalt, you can get a much better feel on the trigger. The clutch works anyway #1 is wide open in the manual but will save your arm, the screw is super all out like for cement
Nice video I have old Ryobi drills and M18 fuel and 3 generations of M12 fuel drills, all working well just a new tool addiction I do more repairs than builds. All my drills came in sets with impacts I used the impacts for a few years but with so many plastic pieces and more MDF than wood it’s become too easy to damage finishes, the plastic and paper cracks and tears. I picked up the M12 screwdriver non fuel and hated it for my use ( unbelievable slow) but my wife liked it and quite honestly I also think it works well for her use. Picture hangers, on the frames and the wall. And with a 1/4 in hex collet works better for small bits with a hex than any small bit and a drill chuck I picked up the fuel version and love it. 1/4 hex on basically a gen2 M12 fuel drill with an unnecessarily big collet. I wish they would take the gen 3 fuel drill and put the impact collet on. Not as fast as an impact but the time to fix or redo a finished surface makes up for it. Also not tearing out what I’m drilling into. Also fewer snapped screws using self tappers in metal, my gen 2 M18 fuel impact self tapper mode is actually the best for those drilling into steel the self tapper mode on the m12 impacts is pretty useless But since I’m not running construction screws all day I prefer my 12 volt tools. Smaller, lighter especially comparing 12V to 18V drills, the 18V impacts are about as compact as the 12V it’s the battery forms. Much quieter than impacts. Runs screws fast, not as fast as an impact Clutch settings and just more control than an impact If you’re building using lags and deck screws you want a big impact If you’re doing repairs and running 3” and smaller #10s and #8s you want a 12V with a clutch , and you won’t need hearing protection I still need the 18V tools. 12V saws are worthless while the 18V are pretty good. And if I’m building using large screws and lags or need a hole saw. There are also lots of electric motors on RVs that have manual shafts that can be run with drills not impacts that you need the 18V oomph So many different needs so many tool choices For DIY occasional projects it’s hard to beat Ryobi value and selection I like the M12 lineup. Drills and impacts drivers, pin nailer, rotary tools, multi tool, rivet tool, right angle drill, ratchets and impact wrenches If you do finish work, the pin nailer is a game changer. If you have to do a lot of steel rivets the rivet tool is shockingly good, going from multiple hard pulls and having to get a large set of pliers for the final squeeze to a couple trigger pulls I got 18V Milwaukee tools before Flex came out and Dewalt updated their lineup. I’d probably get Dewalt 20V tools now in preference to Milwaukee but I like my M18 tools, they get the job done
Found milwaukee clutches are not sensitive enough. Dewalt was crazy bad and I wonder if it's poor design. Makita clutches have always worked well for me.
i do wish the clutches were more sensitive. i have a couple m12 milwuakees that are generally used as screw guns and even then, if you go full tilt on the throttle, the clutch is less "sensitive" than if you half-trigger it. i have a dcd796 for drilling, and the clutch does save your wrist when drilling stuff that requires savage torque.
Nice video and surprising results Nils. Personally, I have never experienced this problem with my clutched drill, which is a Makita. Was there a specific reason you did not include the Makita in this test?
Honestly, I have too many drills to test them all in one video. I figured putting 12 brands up against each other would just be too much. I suspect the Makita, Bosch and others may perform really well.
When I saw the Bosch Profactor at the middle of this video I thought he would include that one as well. High torque but I wondered how would it behave since Bosch's lesser offerings have had excellent clutch sensitivity
I have a Dewalt DCD 771. I haven't tried your test. It's a little depressing because I was going to use it to install rivnuts with the drill adapter. It could strip them out if too much torque is applied. I'll let you know how that works out at the lowest settings.
That was my exact thought. The one thing the clutch IS useful for here is the safety mechanism - keeping it on in any situation where you think binding (and therefore kickback) could occur. But for limiting torque while driving - no deal. A lot o drills now come with anti-kickback technology too, which eliminates the need to use the drill's clutch to help with that.
7:36 Great video, I have this bosch drill, but unfortunately it was not included in this test. I was curious about the performance in this tests. Electronic clutch is not that consistent and is easily influenced by the battery, or heat. But that ryobi is performing very well. I have to check the bosch,you make me curious.
Looking forward to your findings. I own the 2nd most powerful drill on Bosch's lineup (975 in-lbs) and it behaves well. Also owned the 535C and 490 in-lbs drills and the later had a bit better clutch control but that one was a mechanical clutch so it'd make sense
@@engineer_alv I own that drill also, but in Europe is the gsr 18v-110c, and I love that tool. It is equipped with a precision clutch, when the mechanical part is engaged, the electronics are stopping the motor in milliseconds. Thus newer model does not have this function, but the angle finder is great, and the kickback control can be disabled directly on the tool with the push of the button. But it is a heavy tool,and the soft torque is one of the best, according to the torque test channel.
Do you have one of those digital torque sensors/adapters? Using one of those you might be able to show not only how much torque each setting applies in a nice graph, but you might also find that some of these brands are adding useless settings. E.g. if setting 1 is 100 lbft and setting 19 is 110 lbft, the brand is clearly just adding them as a PR function rather than a useful function.
I’ve got a DCD791 XR brushless drill and the clutch works fine. I can screw in machine screws on the 1st setting on the clutch and it stops pretty much just as the screws fully seats, pretty much just at hand tighten. Granted this is the smallest battery and the drill is on level one not 2 with clutch on 1 as well
I think either there is a run of defective clutches out there or he just got unlucky with 2. Our jobsite has 7 dewalts and al l of the clutches work as intended. Put on 3, install brackets into wood and it stops as intended.
Same for me, I have both a DCD790 and DCD791 and with either of them the clutch on the lowest setting is very sensitive. Even what you describe sounds a little stronger than mine. I can hold the chuck of either just pinched between the tip of my index finger and thumb and trigger the clutch on the lowest setting.
I have ancient Ryobi and Craftsman drills that are on their multiple-generations of generic replacement batteries, and the clutches on both work superbly well with anything but a dead battery (lol.) Never knew how lucky I was!! The builders and contractors I know are going hard into the new Milwaukee OneKey tools so they know where their tools are, and those drills have settings you can change via their smartphone app, so I'm very curious as to how that would fair in your testing... when you have an extra $400+ to spare...! PS: FYI, Milwaukee and Ryobi are both made by Techtronic Industries. PPS: I have no idea what a "Flex" is fully named nor who makes it but I am curious.
Great test and thanks for testing the Atomic. Very disapointing results from DeWalt. Flex is putting out some great equipment, and Ryobi...for the price...slaying the overlords.
My 8yr old dewalt works just fine. 99% of the time I use the clutch. From tapping M3 holes to driving 3/8" lags, proper setting is repeatable everytime. Hope it's an assembly issue, that's bad for dewalt. I believe they started the impact driver series bc the vast majority never use the clutch, even so called home pros.
I have the 996, in speed 1, just as your test showed, drove it straight down, how ever, in speed 3, it worked as I believe it should.....go figure. That being said, I'd never use that beast for hanging doors and the like. Oh, and on my 794, clutch works imperfectly.
Good video. That being said....i would like to see a video showing clutch action in 1 click intervals. Different manufacturers are obviously not maintaining the same clutch action for the same number of ticks. An example is tha Milwaukee may be just fine in one step increments and deeper into the numbers , it may be able to perform better on heavy duty jobs.
Don't know what's going on with the 20V Dewalt drills (several models)...chucks keep loosening and dropping drill bits. Real PITA. I'd switch to Milwaukee, but I have too much already invested in Dewalt tools and batteries where it wouldn't be cost-effective. I may just replace the chucks with something more robust such as Rohm at this point.
Is there a 20v DeWalt option where the clutch DOES work so I don't need to add a second battery kit, charger, etc? I already have a hammer-drill for heavy-duty work. I want a simple drill-driver that is more sensitive for smaller detailed jobs. Thanks.
I have a bunch of DeWalt drills from over the years. Some have excellent clutches and some don’t. My 999 isn’t ever used with the clutch. I buy high power drills for that purpose. If I don’t need the power I use a lower power drill to start with. That doesn’t mean that their clutches shouldn’t be better when they aren’t. But generally, the way I use these is to slow the speed as I reach the end. I go back a ways to when we only had corded drills and there wasn’t anything like a clutch in the minds of anyone using a drill. So you learned how to use a drill for screws. Otherwise you bought a screw gun with settable mechanical clutches. I’ve got two Rockwell screw guns. So I don’t bother with the clutches.
I'd love to see you test the upper bounds of the clutch sensitivity, unless the highest several settings are actually pointless. Would the DeWalt demonstrate some control and sensitivity in high-torque situations, or would it behave just like in this test?
I'd be really curious to see how the dewalt performs when screwing steel or aluminium instead of wood. Maybe that would be enough to make the clutch useful?
As I said in the other video. The battery just change how long you can work until you need reloading. The power is the same. The issue is that your are using a very strong driver from DeWalt. It is a driver for materials like steel or concrete, not soft wood. Use a more suitable driver for this type of work.
I have a DeWalt drill which uses a 9.6 volt Ni-Mh battery. It seems I am always recharging and every 1 1/2 years I have to buy a new set of batteries. My question is why don’t they make a li-ion replacement battery and charger ? It would make the drill more effective.
Im curious on 2 points what if you clamped the thinner wood together or just used a 2x4 on edge.. only reason I say that is I noticed some of the drills cause more 'flaring' of the wood (separation, ? don't know the best way to explain it.. ) Make sense?
At around 5m30s you say, "If you're doing something you're a little unsure of in terms of how much grab it might have just turn that clutch onto the highest setting. I've got it on 11 which is as high as this one goes and that might save your arm." which is 100% incorrect. The higher the number, the higher the torque. (You can see this in the DC999 manual on page 8) I assume you just misspoke but it might be worth adding some text correcting yourself since someone could definitely hurt themselves starting at 11 instead of 1 depending on the bit they're using, the material they're going into, etc.
I stopped buying Dewalt for a variety of reasons, this wasn’t one of them, but it’s yet another reason to not buy Dewalt drills. Love my Milwaukee M12 Fuel drill and my Ridgid Gen5X and Octane drills.
You should always drive screws at the lowest speed (to avoid stripping screw or splitting the wood), so how the clutch works at high speed is pretty irrelevant. Though this aspect is useful when I occasionally forget to lower the speed after drilling, the greater torque reduction helps prevent damage.
I have a dewalt dcd771 20v. I just ran your exact test and I can only confirm 100% your results: only in the highest gear and only in position 1, the clutch has "some" effect. In position 3, gear 2, you go through it all, exactly like your test. In gear 1 the clutch is useless instead. And now i understand why I always considered the clutch as almost useless.
Thank you, your videos are the best ever, you have no idea how many things you taught me
great peer review 👍
This test explains why when I was repairing a door threshold, my Dewalt kept breaking the screw heads off when the head hit the wood. Snapped them clean off when I didn't throttle the drill.
Yeah, that makes sense. I was really surprised by the results here - at least on the much less powerful DeWalt.
At first I was wondering if this would actually be that big of a deal, but after seeing your results I realised the major difference. I Expect DIYers, perform their share of funiture essembly - I know I do a lot and if I had the DeWalt model and wasnt able to use the clutch, I would have to resolve to a regular hand screwdriver. This would be dreadful in my mainly IKEA funitured house! Great video, Nils
After watching both those videos. I'm glad I chose Rigid. On the weakest clutch setting, you can stop the drill with a slight breeze. On max, it will keep drilling until it breaks your wrist. Free replacement batteries for life, too.
I have the dcd999 and the clutch doesn't work at all in use. I contacted dewalt and they had me send in the drill. When I got it back same exact issue. I don't even think they looked at it. This tool is really only useful for drilling into concrete or long structural screws. The sad thing is the clutch works perfectly on my old dewalt drill.
It has an electronic clutch, that is why it doesn’t work at all.
Nils, I have an old DeWalt drill that was assembled when Li was still unknown to the general public. They used to make an Li battery that was the same form factor as those old NiCads.
When my NiCad quit working, I bought the Li replacement.
I just ran your test with it. Using a straight grain 2x4 on edge.
On setting 1, it stopped after sinking a 2 1/2" screw about 1" deep.
On 2, it stopped at about 1/2 way in.
On 3, it stopped when the screw head was flush with the wood.
Every other setting (of 9) buried the screw. (I was using Torx screws so cam-out wouldn't be a factor).
Oddly, without changing the clutch setting, in each case (1 and 2), I was able to drive each screw the rest of the way in.
So I'd conclude, they used to know how to make the clutch, but have since forgot.
As for uses of the clutch, one of the best is when you're driving pocket hole screws. You need that clutch to work properly so you don't drive the screw right through the boards. Thankfully, I have the Ryobi and it works flawlessly, even when driving 8" long, 1/2" shank diameter lag bolts. As long as I have at least a 3Ah battery, I've been able to drive as many as 12 of those lags through 2x material before the battery gives out. MORE than enough needed for anything I do as a diyer homeowner or weekend woodworker. Inexpensive, powerful and durable (I've dropped my impact driver more than a few times from various heights and it still runs like it did when new!), my Ryobi tools are great! And, since I've had the majority of them for many years - especially the drill and impact driver set, which I've had for over 16 years - I see no reason to ever switch to anything else. In fact, I only plan on replacing them when they wear out...and THEN I'll replace them with brushless. That's right, most of my Ryobi tools are the cheaper brushed ones, the only exception being my new 7 1/4" circular saw, which I specifically got the brushless as it was part of the buy a battery kit, get a free tool deal.
I also have Ryobi and count on the clutch for pocket screws. I bought 2 drills in 2008 and both are going strong. I also like them because of the bubble level on the drill. New ones don't have that.
I have the DeWalt DCD708 Atomic 20v brushless and thankfully it works just as intended. Clutch works perfectly. I can't imagine having to deal with that issue. I would definitely return it. I guess the best thing to do would be to test out all the options when you purchase a drill and return it if it is not working properly.
A couple years ago I decided to upgrade my tried and true DeWalt 12v with one of the newer 20v brushless. Discovered this same thing: the brushless electronic clutches in DeWalt are garbage. Try the same test a dozen times and you'll get a dozen different results. I like the drill for most things, but have held on to my old 12v for drywall work because the clutch is still great, even 3 chuck replacements later.
I had no idea my original comment would blow up like it did. Love your videos.
I just tested my Dewalt 20v max brushless in 2nd gear with and it performed well with decent stare step results.
It’s about 3 years old and replaced my old Dewalt which coincidentally failed with a ceased clutch mechanism.
Hope you make you million subs this year. You deserve it.
The point is that it doesn't work in 1st gear, not that it works well in second
I have the 20V Dewalt and the clutch does work really well. I used it on setting one on some thin MDF installing a sliding shelf under a bathroom sink. Once the screw contacted to top of the bracket, the clutch started slipping as it should.
My older models did better all the news ones are just super powerful. Dewalt is meant for tough work not carpentry
@@lybnychavez6953 I don't think you understand what a clutch is at all.
I bought my first power tools last year, and as Consumer Reports gave Flex the highest rating, that is what I went with. As someone who spends between 40 to 60 hours a week building the brakes they use for the arresting nets that catch airplanes, I can say they do a great job from the small screws to the heavy duty bolt screws. I definitely took time to measure out what gear I want the clutch in for my lighter work, and Flex has the flexibility you displayed here. Great tools with a lifetime warranty. Highly recommend Flex for anyone who has not yet started buying power tools. They are more expensive, but they are amazing, and I have definitely surprised my coworkers with the kind of work my battery-powered tools can do.
Another great and clear test. You're diagnostic procedures are perfect!
DeWalt clearly didn't test at all!
I checked my Dewalt drills. I have a DCD995 hammer drill and a DCD791 drill. Both clutches seem to work fine - but interestingly, they feel different. The DCD995 seems to have an electronic cut-off clutch, and the DCD791 feels like a mechanical clutch. Great video and test - thanks - just subscribed.
The 791 is really nice. Works well even for pocket holes in pine as long as you don’t go too high..
Nice.
I just have to wonder why you would wave around a Bosch in the video but not use it in the comparison.
Also, having bought into the Makita brand, I felt a bit left out. But I understand that both are less popular in the US.
Certain applications are clutch critical to me. Top of the list is pocket holes. I do a LOT of pocket holes in case joinery. You only have to blow out a piece of walnut plywood once to begin the "find the best clutch" journey. My primary battery platform is Makita LXT 18V. The clutches on the two drill/drivers I have are ok, in the respect that I am confident I could achieve the Flex/Ryobi stair steps you got. However, when Bosch's 5-in-1 transformer came on sale, I snapped one up. It is 12V. It is smaller than the Atomic. It has a 2ah battery (I can get genuine Bosch 3 and 4 ah, and knockoffs up to 6ah, allegedly...but in my experience you can expect 2/3 the power from them). It has all the balls I need to drive pocket holes screws, with a clutch that does what it is supposed to do.
I rarely use an impact driver, unless I am out helping my contractor nephew. I find them to be insensitive brutes, designed for one thing only...driving construction grade screws into construction lumber. Period.
That Bosch GSR12V-300 has an excellent clutch. I love mine. There's an official 6Ah battery for it, the GBA12V60.
I have a previous generation m18 fuel that does the same thing as the Dewalt in speed 2, and I believe it’s because of the electronic clutch. I bought the new m18 compact one this Christmas that has a mechanical clutch just to have something that won’t blow out pocket holes lol.
Fantastic video! Good job testing mutiple variables to find out which ones have an impact. It's disappointing to see that DeWalt does not do such a simple test on their drills. Just because its powerful does not mean you don't need a clutch. On the contrary, a more powerful drill should have a clutch able to manage torque across a whole spectrum.
We settle for this because of how difficult things have become in recent times. Some months back I was wondering how to utilise some money I had. I used some of it for e-commerce business, but that sank. I'm thinking of how to use what's left to invest, about 90k, but I don't really know which way to go.
I understand how you feel. It's a little bit difficult to navigate things these days. You don't wanna lose whatever is left. I may suggest that you find a financial advisor who could give you thorough advice on how to go if you want to go the investment route. Also, the fact your business failed doesn't mean you should give up.
That's right. I have tried many failed businesses and it's just a step further. Don't despair. But to add, if you do decide to use a financial advisor, it's best you use someone who understands your special needs and can work with you. I learnt this from experience before finally finding one
Thank you for the advice. When you say financial advisor, are you talking about hedge funds? And how do I get in touch with one?
Hedge funds are good, but their large size make them very bureaucratic. You could find most independent financial advisors on the internet. For instance, I work with Sharon Lynne Hart, and she has a website. I'm sure there are other good ones. Just do your research.
Thank you for the recommendation. I'll check her out, and I hope I'm able to make something out of it.
The battery shouldn't matter, although I know some DeWalt stuff is HEAVILY effected by the battery, Torque Test Channel has proven this. The drill should be smart enough to know what to do.
"Effected"? How would it be _started off_ by that?
you could have a video just saying "hello!" and someone somewhere will be offended...
Nonsense!!!!! 😜
@tumbleweed1976 - you win.
How dare you
Yes, but it is not a case this time. Everybody can make test videos, even those without the essential knowledge about the things they test.
I am offended by the way he holds the drill, covering up the air holes like that, HOW DARE HEEEEE!!!!!!!¡!!!!
I have the DCD991 and thank you for this. The clutch is beyond useless and as you pointed out this can injure your hand/wrist/arm. I was on a low clutch setting driving a lag bolt for a hanging shelf into a wall and the drill torqued my wrist and arm so hard that it was not ok for almost 3 months. This drill honestly scares me. Having paid almost $300 for this with a battery and chargers pisses me off along with the fact that I’m in the Dewalt eco system and really don’t want to change to another battery solution. BTW i did get the Dewalt gyroscopic “cordless screwdriver” and the clutch and power are really good for detailed work. Unless you’re trailed navy seal, don’t get the big Dewalt cordless drill. It’s just not right.
So glad I found this video! I was go crazy thinking it was something I was doing wrong or that I just simply got a bad drill. Glad to know I'm still sane and at least somewhat competent. :P
Great work and thanks!
I have an older Dewalt drill. I have only rarely used the clutch. It didn't seem that useful at limiting torque. I had no idea the problem might be the brand. Although, for me, it isn't much of an issue. I use my impact driver for installing almost all screws and mostly I have a feel for when the screw is set to an appropriate torque by the feel and sound of the impact driver. This probably wouldn't be a great approach where the exact torque is an issue, however with wood screws if it's set at the right depth you did it right.
I did the same test with my Craftsman CMCD721 and it was actually pretty sensitive on the lowest gear and it did gradually increase as you. You went to higher gears. I don't know why DeWalt is so different because they are made by the same manufacturer. I know they're not the same tool but they are both owned by Stanley Black& Decker
This video is awesome! I guess the clutch is just bad on the Dewalt. I have both the Mikwaukee and Dewalt and I have never used the low setting on either drill. Now I want to experiment.
Maybe you should do a video for impacts too? That would be really interesting!
Excellent! I can't believe you haven't been scooped up by PBS!
Thanks so much - and thanks for watching!
Thats great information to know. I've always wanted to see a snap-on 14.4 volt ⅜ impact wrench compared to different impact drivers. I've used my 14.4 ⅜impact mostly to drive large screws and bolts for fencing. I'm just curious how that old mechanic tech compares to modern construction tools. It's a tiny impact wrench that can fit in you pocket or on a hammer loop on your pants. Depending on the model it has a 3hammer hammer head with a high rmp.
The issue is mechanical vs electronic clutch all these drills that seem to have too much power even on the lowest clutch setting have electronic clutch. If you want the gradual and repeatable torque as you move through the different torque settings ...get a drill with mechanical clutch. Dewalt has a 12v screwdriver dcf601 which is basically a low powered drill with 1/4 inch hex quick connect (like the ones found on impact drivers) 15 different clutch settings with the 1st setting measuring way below 1 lb-ft.
Great video, coming from someone that likes the versatility of using tools in different applications. Having a good clutch that works is always good. It can give you precise control. There is no point in having a drill with 19 clutch setting when clutch 1 has a lot of power.
I wonder how much of this has to do with the electronic clutch. I have an older generation 18V DeWalt (stem-style batteries) with a mechanical clutch, and it was incredibly sensitive and precise.
On my Dewalt Drill, I have a similar experience. What I found was to not use all the trigger. I squeeze to a controllable speed when in gear 1. I use gear 2 for drilling only. Your mileage may vary.
I’ve never really relied on the clutch honestly. I don’t remember the last time I actually changed the clutch from max. I grew up using a corded drill with no clutch. So I really just had to be cognizant of what was going on and pray for no kickback. I gave myself a nice shiner and really learned my lesson on throttling and being aware of the feeling. If you weren’t careful you’d blast the screw right through a deck board in no time.
Good video. I own 20v dewalt and take no offense to legit criticisms.
Edit to add: Do people actually drive fasteners with drillsl? Must be more on finer finishing type things? If it comes to that I’ll hand screw stuff usually.
I recently bought the dcd805 and immediately noticed this. I also have the 12v dcd706 (bought almost 5 years ago) and the clutch works great. I will continue to use the 12v whenever doing any low torque precision jobs.
I only buy Dewalt and haven’t noticed them being so aggressive although I did notice a higher torque when I upgraded and had to adjust the clutch differently from my previous tool.
I own a medium sized bag of Milwaukee tools and I'm continually impressed by Flex and Ryobi. I know Ryobi is "made in the same factory" so it's not too surprising. What surprises me more is that the Dewalts just send those screws in. I know in max torque tests you can flip a coin between most equivalent red and yellow tools. They're both going to get the job done. But having some finesse is arguably more important than just delivering the most beans.
Thank you for sharing this, your video prompted me to go test my drill, I’m happy to report that my DEWALT 20v MAX XR is working perfectly. I took photos but can’t upload to comments 😢
Which model #?
which model
DCD 796
I have a DeWalt DCD996B and yeah, the clutch is completely useless on it. It'll drive anything completely through whatever you're trying to screw together even on the first clutch setting. Good to know I'm not completely alone in being disappointed with it! I do have a really old 14.4v DeWalt and that clutch works flawlessly.
Maybe that's why my Dewalt dislocated my thumb when the screw stopped, and the drill kept turning through my grip and put my thumb on the top of my forearm. Very expensive orthopedic surgery and physical therapy later and I have range of motion back, but reduced grip strength; and to top it all off chronic pain in all rhe joints connected to and in my thumb.
I have the surgery reports and doctors' evaluations to back it all.
I have the exact Dewalt drill used in this vid and have only used it a couple of times because it's too aggressive for the vintage furniture I refinish. So glad it's not just me but I wish I would have known this sooner 😭
Wow DeWalt needs to get on that. I have the DeWalt hammer drill and one of the normal drills in brushless and the drill clutch works great but the hammer drill doesn't slip at all on the lowest setting unless it is used on a bolt😢
Didn't you open up your DeWalt drills and swap out the chucks a few months back? Couldn't it be possible that you messed something up while you were in there?
I don't have the 999, but I've been using my 996 for probably more than 6 years and I can tell you the clutch works just fine. I do however have the DCD800 just like in this video and I can tell you that the clutch on my 800 also works like it's supposed to and does not drive as hard as yours does on the lower clutch settings. I let my wife and kids use the 800 for school projects and the like, but I also use the 800 for all of _my_ interior work such as I just installed new cabinets in our bathroom. I was definitely using the clutch for all of the install and the finishing work and everything came out perfect.
Did he supposedly do that to both of them?
It would be interesting if you compared any 12V drill with these monsters. I personally bought a DeWalt DCD703 (which looks like being actually phased out for no reason) and so far I managed to do virtually any DIY stuff around the house I could imagine, with added benefit of reaching small spaces or screws close to the wall with replaceable heads. The clutch works rather fine on this one. What I don't like is the switch is non-linear, it goes from super slow through less slow to lightning fast in a blink of an eye. Unless you don't do big woodworking stuff, this one looks fine for home use.
I would have commented "but muh DeWalt works!" except I am not even sure of the exact age, and I have 4. 3 have clutches, the newest one is my personal one with a small battery and I never use a lower gear except for drilling and feed speed adjustment for material being drilled/abraded with carbide rotary files. The ones we have where I work mostly work as advertised. My really big hammer drill has no clutch, but I use it exclusively for masonry and to chisel.
Tiny point of positive feedback: at 8:12, you have a pop-in of a separate message to subscribe to the channel. I wanted to say that I love how you did this. I feel like it's much less annoying and intrusive to have the pop-in when there's already "action" happening, rather than having it as a separate segment at the start or end of the video. I wish more channels would do this rather than including a bumper.
Just "action" in quotes? Why: you think it's not _actual_ action; only figurative?
I tried the clutch on my Dewalt DCD771 and it worked just fine. It drove a drywall screw flush into a stud at gear 6.
Can you test larger screws to see if there's any different? Maybe their clutch is for much higher torque sensitivity...
You probably could’ve reached 1 million subs years ago, if you mentioned wanting to reach it sooner!
You’ve got a great personality and an excellent channel, so this shouldn’t be hard. If you could collab with a popular RUclipsr, or get a shout out from one (like DiResta), you’ll far surpass 1 million in a jif!
But regardless, you’ll be able to reach it on your own! Thanks always for the entertaining and educational content, Nills! 👍
We've got the 3 speed (brushless) Dewalts at work at work, and the clutch settings don't work at all. I have a 2 speed (brushed) dewalt at home, and the clutch settings work great throughout the entire range.
First of all, excellent videos!! Love the way you explain and test every hypothesis!
I believe that this has some thing to do with the high torque that the atomic series and the first drill have.
I have one DCD7781 and the clutch works flawlessly.
Maybe they have different purposes. The smaller ones are meant for light work, while the high end ones are meant to drive a screw through a tank lol
Excellent video! After all these years, nothing has changed; always good info that's helpful. Appreciate your dedication and good luck hitting the Millionaire list of subscribers.
I use the clutch a lot and the best clutch I’ve ever used was the Ridgid gen 5X with the 100 position micro adjust clutch.
On my DCD805 the clutch works very well.
I love dewalt, you can get a much better feel on the trigger. The clutch works anyway #1 is wide open in the manual but will save your arm, the screw is super all out like for cement
Nice video
I have old Ryobi drills and M18 fuel and 3 generations of M12 fuel drills, all working well just a new tool addiction
I do more repairs than builds. All my drills came in sets with impacts
I used the impacts for a few years but with so many plastic pieces and more MDF than wood it’s become too easy to damage finishes, the plastic and paper cracks and tears.
I picked up the M12 screwdriver non fuel and hated it for my use ( unbelievable slow) but my wife liked it and quite honestly I also think it works well for her use. Picture hangers, on the frames and the wall. And with a 1/4 in hex collet works better for small bits with a hex than any small bit and a drill chuck
I picked up the fuel version and love it. 1/4 hex on basically a gen2 M12 fuel drill with an unnecessarily big collet. I wish they would take the gen 3 fuel drill and put the impact collet on. Not as fast as an impact but the time to fix or redo a finished surface makes up for it. Also not tearing out what I’m drilling into. Also fewer snapped screws using self tappers in metal, my gen 2 M18 fuel impact self tapper mode is actually the best for those drilling into steel the self tapper mode on the m12 impacts is pretty useless
But since I’m not running construction screws all day I prefer my 12 volt tools. Smaller, lighter especially comparing 12V to 18V drills, the 18V impacts are about as compact as the 12V it’s the battery forms.
Much quieter than impacts.
Runs screws fast, not as fast as an impact
Clutch settings and just more control than an impact
If you’re building using lags and deck screws you want a big impact
If you’re doing repairs and running 3” and smaller #10s and #8s you want a 12V with a clutch , and you won’t need hearing protection
I still need the 18V tools. 12V saws are worthless while the 18V are pretty good. And if I’m building using large screws and lags or need a hole saw. There are also lots of electric motors on RVs that have manual shafts that can be run with drills not impacts that you need the 18V oomph
So many different needs so many tool choices
For DIY occasional projects it’s hard to beat Ryobi value and selection
I like the M12 lineup. Drills and impacts drivers, pin nailer, rotary tools, multi tool, rivet tool, right angle drill, ratchets and impact wrenches If you do finish work, the pin nailer is a game changer. If you have to do a lot of steel rivets the rivet tool is shockingly good, going from multiple hard pulls and having to get a large set of pliers for the final squeeze to a couple trigger pulls
I got 18V Milwaukee tools before Flex came out and Dewalt updated their lineup. I’d probably get Dewalt 20V tools now in preference to Milwaukee but I like my M18 tools, they get the job done
Damn! I was a DEWALT fanboy until this! Thanks for making this! Is there Anyway DEWALT would want to see this?
Found milwaukee clutches are not sensitive enough. Dewalt was crazy bad and I wonder if it's poor design. Makita clutches have always worked well for me.
i do wish the clutches were more sensitive. i have a couple m12 milwuakees that are generally used as screw guns and even then, if you go full tilt on the throttle, the clutch is less "sensitive" than if you half-trigger it. i have a dcd796 for drilling, and the clutch does save your wrist when drilling stuff that requires savage torque.
Please do the same test on the drivers
Nice video and surprising results Nils.
Personally, I have never experienced this problem with my clutched drill, which is a Makita. Was there a specific reason you did not include the Makita in this test?
I was wondering why Makita wasn’t included too. Oh well. They have a reputation for having very sensitive clutches afaik.
Honestly, I have too many drills to test them all in one video. I figured putting 12 brands up against each other would just be too much. I suspect the Makita, Bosch and others may perform really well.
When I saw the Bosch Profactor at the middle of this video I thought he would include that one as well. High torque but I wondered how would it behave since Bosch's lesser offerings have had excellent clutch sensitivity
Guess that's a job for Project Farm.
@@500features he already did that
I have a Dewalt DCD 771. I haven't tried your test. It's a little depressing because I was going to use it to install rivnuts with the drill adapter. It could strip them out if too much torque is applied. I'll let you know how that works out at the lowest settings.
Well I have a Bosch that will be take through its paces now... As of now I love it.
Good job to prove a point. I use the 18v and 12v just for the reason you proved.
I own Red, Yellow and Orange.
Exactly. Better stick to a lower powered drill for anything sensitive.
I've been using drills and drivers pretty much every day for at least 20 years and I don't think I've ever intentionally used the clutch
DeWalt is my go to brand but one has to ask why even have a clutch on this drill
That was my exact thought. The one thing the clutch IS useful for here is the safety mechanism - keeping it on in any situation where you think binding (and therefore kickback) could occur. But for limiting torque while driving - no deal. A lot o drills now come with anti-kickback technology too, which eliminates the need to use the drill's clutch to help with that.
7:36 Great video, I have this bosch drill, but unfortunately it was not included in this test. I was curious about the performance in this tests. Electronic clutch is not that consistent and is easily influenced by the battery, or heat. But that ryobi is performing very well. I have to check the bosch,you make me curious.
Looking forward to your findings.
I own the 2nd most powerful drill on Bosch's lineup (975 in-lbs) and it behaves well. Also owned the 535C and 490 in-lbs drills and the later had a bit better clutch control but that one was a mechanical clutch so it'd make sense
@@engineer_alv I own that drill also, but in Europe is the gsr 18v-110c, and I love that tool. It is equipped with a precision clutch, when the mechanical part is engaged, the electronics are stopping the motor in milliseconds. Thus newer model does not have this function, but the angle finder is great, and the kickback control can be disabled directly on the tool with the push of the button. But it is a heavy tool,and the soft torque is one of the best, according to the torque test channel.
I'm A new DeWalt fan for no other reason than that I can turn it up to eleven!
Do you have one of those digital torque sensors/adapters?
Using one of those you might be able to show not only how much torque each setting applies in a nice graph, but you might also find that some of these brands are adding useless settings.
E.g. if setting 1 is 100 lbft and setting 19 is 110 lbft, the brand is clearly just adding them as a PR function rather than a useful function.
This is why when i got my 999 i kept my 18v nicad dewalt with the adapter
Haha - exactly. It's an all out beast!
I’ve got a DCD791 XR brushless drill and the clutch works fine. I can screw in machine screws on the 1st setting on the clutch and it stops pretty much just as the screws fully seats, pretty much just at hand tighten.
Granted this is the smallest battery and the drill is on level one not 2 with clutch on 1 as well
I think either there is a run of defective clutches out there or he just got unlucky with 2. Our jobsite has 7 dewalts and al l of the clutches work as intended. Put on 3, install brackets into wood and it stops as intended.
Same for me, I have both a DCD790 and DCD791 and with either of them the clutch on the lowest setting is very sensitive. Even what you describe sounds a little stronger than mine. I can hold the chuck of either just pinched between the tip of my index finger and thumb and trigger the clutch on the lowest setting.
I have ancient Ryobi and Craftsman drills that are on their multiple-generations of generic replacement batteries, and the clutches on both work superbly well with anything but a dead battery (lol.) Never knew how lucky I was!!
The builders and contractors I know are going hard into the new Milwaukee OneKey tools so they know where their tools are, and those drills have settings you can change via their smartphone app, so I'm very curious as to how that would fair in your testing... when you have an extra $400+ to spare...!
PS: FYI, Milwaukee and Ryobi are both made by Techtronic Industries.
PPS: I have no idea what a "Flex" is fully named nor who makes it but I am curious.
Great test and thanks for testing the Atomic. Very disapointing results from DeWalt. Flex is putting out some great equipment, and Ryobi...for the price...slaying the overlords.
it depends if it has a mechanical clutch or an electronic clutch electronic clutch is more quiet but not good for low torque applications
That was amazingly helpful and informative, thank you!
Thank you for taking the time that it must have been to run this test twice! It also must have cost a small fortune.
Just tested this on my dcd999 with a 9AH flexvolt battery, gear 3, clutch setting 1. Ph2 screw into 4 by 4 wood...it works as intended.
Now try in 1st gear... Did you even watch the video?
by stripping the screws?
My 8yr old dewalt works just fine. 99% of the time I use the clutch. From tapping M3 holes to driving 3/8" lags, proper setting is repeatable everytime. Hope it's an assembly issue, that's bad for dewalt. I believe they started the impact driver series bc the vast majority never use the clutch, even so called home pros.
I have the 996, in speed 1, just as your test showed, drove it straight down, how ever, in speed 3, it worked as I believe it should.....go figure. That being said, I'd never use that beast for hanging doors and the like. Oh, and on my 794, clutch works imperfectly.
Good video. That being said....i would like to see a video showing clutch action in 1 click intervals. Different manufacturers are obviously not maintaining the same clutch action for the same number of ticks. An example is tha Milwaukee may be just fine in one step increments and deeper into the numbers , it may be able to perform better on heavy duty jobs.
Don't know what's going on with the 20V Dewalt drills (several models)...chucks keep loosening and dropping drill bits. Real PITA. I'd switch to Milwaukee, but I have too much already invested in Dewalt tools and batteries where it wouldn't be cost-effective. I may just replace the chucks with something more robust such as Rohm at this point.
Is there a 20v DeWalt option where the clutch DOES work so I don't need to add a second battery kit, charger, etc? I already have a hammer-drill for heavy-duty work. I want a simple drill-driver that is more sensitive for smaller detailed jobs. Thanks.
I have a bunch of DeWalt drills from over the years. Some have excellent clutches and some don’t. My 999 isn’t ever used with the clutch. I buy high power drills for that purpose. If I don’t need the power I use a lower power drill to start with. That doesn’t mean that their clutches shouldn’t be better when they aren’t. But generally, the way I use these is to slow the speed as I reach the end. I go back a ways to when we only had corded drills and there wasn’t anything like a clutch in the minds of anyone using a drill. So you learned how to use a drill for screws. Otherwise you bought a screw gun with settable mechanical clutches. I’ve got two Rockwell screw guns. So I don’t bother with the clutches.
I'd love to see you test the upper bounds of the clutch sensitivity, unless the highest several settings are actually pointless.
Would the DeWalt demonstrate some control and sensitivity in high-torque situations, or would it behave just like in this test?
Same problem with my new DeWalt drill, my old one has a clutch that works fine.
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it
I'd be really curious to see how the dewalt performs when screwing steel or aluminium instead of wood. Maybe that would be enough to make the clutch useful?
As I said in the other video. The battery just change how long you can work until you need reloading. The power is the same. The issue is that your are using a very strong driver from DeWalt. It is a driver for materials like steel or concrete, not soft wood. Use a more suitable driver for this type of work.
I have a DeWalt drill which uses a 9.6 volt Ni-Mh battery. It seems I am always recharging and every 1 1/2 years I have to buy a new set of batteries. My question is why don’t they make a li-ion replacement battery and charger ? It would make the drill more effective.
This is fantastic! Thank you for doing this one.
Looking at the 1st and 2nd screws for the Flex, they seem too close to the same height. I think the Ryobi and Festool show a better set of steps.
great video always, can you maybe do with some tools from harbor freight 😅
Im curious on 2 points what if you clamped the thinner wood together or just used a 2x4 on edge.. only reason I say that is I noticed some of the drills cause more 'flaring' of the wood (separation, ? don't know the best way to explain it.. ) Make sense?
Wow, Fessie's gearshift is almost just like a 4-speed manual car (just without N/R)!
Would have like to see this same test with some larger lag screws, say 3/8 by 4" long ... with maybe a pilot hole that is smaller that suggested.
At around 5m30s you say, "If you're doing something you're a little unsure of in terms of how much grab it might have just turn that clutch onto the highest setting. I've got it on 11 which is as high as this one goes and that might save your arm." which is 100% incorrect. The higher the number, the higher the torque. (You can see this in the DC999 manual on page 8) I assume you just misspoke but it might be worth adding some text correcting yourself since someone could definitely hurt themselves starting at 11 instead of 1 depending on the bit they're using, the material they're going into, etc.
I stopped buying Dewalt for a variety of reasons, this wasn’t one of them, but it’s yet another reason to not buy Dewalt drills. Love my Milwaukee M12 Fuel drill and my Ridgid Gen5X and Octane drills.
My 999 clutch works just fine tested after your first vid
Honestly, this is why I've always preferred DeWalt. But the way I use them never requires any sensitivity, so there ya go.
You should always drive screws at the lowest speed (to avoid stripping screw or splitting the wood), so how the clutch works at high speed is pretty irrelevant.
Though this aspect is useful when I occasionally forget to lower the speed after drilling, the greater torque reduction helps prevent damage.
I have a DCD 790 XR with a 5ah battery. The clutch works just fine with it