DeWalt 20V MAX Brushless Cordless 1/2 in. Hammer Drill/Driver and 1/4 in. Impact Driver Combo Kit

A compact, brushless duo that punches above its weight

My first day with this DeWalt combo was a mixed bag of tasks: setting Tapcons in a garage slab for a temporary wall, running 3-inch construction screws on a deck repair, and drilling a handful of 1/2-inch holes in aluminum angle. By sunset, I had a pretty good feel for both tools. They’re compact, genuinely lightweight, and—thanks to brushless motors—surprisingly capable for their size. If you’re looking for a small kit that covers most everyday drilling and driving without dragging you down, this one gets a lot right.

Ergonomics and design

Both tools land squarely in the compact category. The hammer drill’s 7.5-inch front-to-back length and 2.6-pound bare weight make it easy to work in cabinets and between studs. The impact driver is even stubbier at 5.4 inches and only 2.0 pounds bare—great for overhead work or in a tight mechanical chase. The grips have DeWalt’s familiar contour and tacky overmold, and the balance feels lighter than the numbers suggest, especially with the included 1.5Ah batteries.

Each tool has a foot-mounted LED that kicks on with the trigger and lingers for about 20 seconds. That delay sounds trivial until you’re indexing the next hole in a dim basement—very handy. The lights aren’t theatrical-bright, but they put meaningful illumination where you need it without hotspotting.

The kit’s soft bag is basic but usable. It swallows both tools, the compact charger, and a small assortment of bits. It’s not protective in the way a hard case is, so if your gear rides in a truck with other heavy tools, consider adding a rigid organizer or a TSTAK/ToughSystem case.

Impact driver: right-sized torque with smooth control

DeWalt rates the impact driver at 1,500 in-lbs of max torque. On paper, that’s mid-pack today, but in use it’s more than enough for framing screws, structural screws up to the 5/16-inch range, and common deck hardware. I drove dozens of 3-inch construction screws into Southern yellow pine without a whiff of strain and buried 1/4-inch lags into predrilled PT with authority. It’s not a “monster lag” driver, but that’s not this tool’s mandate.

Trigger modulation is excellent. There’s no three-speed selector here—just a well-tuned variable trigger that lets you creep screws flush without cam-out. Bit changes are one-handed with the standard 1/4-inch hex collet, and bit retention was positive throughout my testing.

One note on runtime: the included 1.5Ah batteries keep things featherweight but won’t power marathon driving sessions. Plan on swapping or recharging if you’re running big fasteners all afternoon. The upside is that the motor and electronics don’t feel hobbled by the smaller packs; you simply change packs more often.

Hammer drill: compact, capable, and honest about its limits

The hammer drill runs a straightforward two-speed gearbox. In low, it has the control and torque to drive spade bits and larger twist bits in wood without drama. In high, it’s fast and clean with smaller metal drilling. The 1/2-inch chuck on my unit held round-shank bits securely with minimal runout, even when I leaned into a larger step bit in sheet steel.

Flip into hammer mode and it’s good for light to medium masonry. I set Tapcons with a 3/16-inch bit in cured slab and drilled anchor holes in brick for a ledger install; the percussion is snappy enough that you’re not babysitting each hole, but this isn’t a rotary hammer. If your day job is setting anchors by the hundred, you’ll want a dedicated SDS-Plus tool. For the occasional bracket, mailbox, or threshold—no problem.

Again, the small batteries are the bottleneck, not the motor. Hammer drilling taxes compact cells, and you’ll feel the pack sag on longer holes. Swapping to a higher-capacity 4Ah or 5Ah pack extends runtime and keeps the drill from feeling “thirsty” mid-hole.

Batteries, charging, and platform fit

The kit includes two 20V MAX 1.5Ah lithium-ion batteries and DeWalt’s DCB107 charger. The upside of two packs is obvious: one on the tool, one on the charger. The trade-off is charge speed. The DCB107 is a slower, compact charger; topping a dead 1.5Ah pack takes a noticeable beat. In a garage or for short punch-list days, the cadence is fine. If you’re cycling packs hard, you’ll either want a faster charger or to step up your battery capacity.

Compatibility is a strong suit here. These tools play nicely with the full range of DeWalt 20V MAX packs, including higher-capacity cylindrical-cell options and the newer flat-cell PowerStack batteries. In my hands, a 4Ah or 5Ah pack materially changes the experience on the hammer drill, and a compact PowerStack improves the impact driver’s snap while keeping the footprint small.

Build quality and durability

Fit and finish on my kit were clean. The battery rails were square, packs clicked in with a firm latch, and there was no wobble or rattle in use. The housings feel dense and well-supported around the gearbox, and the rubber overmold is applied where it actually touches benchtops and floors, preventing tool rash. The brushless motors are the quiet achievers here—cooler running and clearly more efficient than the brushed compacts of a few years ago.

As always with cordless tools, take a minute at unboxing to inspect the tools: verify the chuck runs true, the battery seats cleanly, and the trigger/LED behave as expected. DeWalt backs this kit with a 3-year limited warranty, 1-year free service, and a 90-day satisfaction guarantee, which meaningfully lowers the risk if something’s not right.

Performance in the real world

• Framing and carpentry: The impact driver had no trouble sinking 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 inch screws flush without stripping heads, and the compact nose got me between joists where a longer driver would fight. For the occasional ledger or bracket, the hammer drill in low speed kept larger bits steady without chatter.

• Electrical and HVAC: The compact lengths matter here. I drilled pilot holes for hangers and drove self-tappers in sheet metal cabinets with line-of-sight. The LED delay helped me place holes behind duct runs without juggling a separate light.

• Masonry and anchors: With a sharp masonry bit, the hammer drill was perfectly serviceable on block and brick for small-diameter anchors. For 3/8-inch and larger holes in harder concrete, the pace slowed as expected. That’s the point where I’d reach for SDS.

• Metal fab and maintenance: The drill’s 1/2-inch chuck made swapping between standard twist bits and step bits painless. A dab of cutting fluid and low speed kept holes crisp in steel angle and aluminum channel.

Where it comes up short

• The included batteries are great for weight and quick tasks, but they limit runtime on harder jobs. Budget for at least one 4Ah or 5Ah pack if you think you’ll be drilling masonry or running larger fasteners.

• The charger works, but it’s slow. Not a deal-breaker for homeowners or weekend work; pros may want to pair the kit with a faster unit.

• The impact driver lacks advanced drive modes. The trigger is well tuned, but if you rely on preset speeds for delicate fasteners, you’ll miss that here.

• The bag is purely for transport and basic organization. If your work involves rough rides or stacked storage, you’ll want something sturdier.

Who this combo suits best

• Homeowners and DIYers who want a lightweight, do-most-things pair that doesn’t feel like a compromise.

• Tradespeople who need a compact secondary set for punch-list work, service calls, or overhead installs.

• Anyone entering the DeWalt 20V MAX ecosystem who values brushless efficiency and portability over brute-force specs.

If your daily workload is driving big structural lags, boring large holes, or running anchors in hard concrete for hours, step up to higher-torque flagship models and higher-capacity batteries. This combo can do those tasks in a pinch, but it’s optimized for agility and everyday versatility.

Recommendation

I recommend this DeWalt combo for users who value compact size, brushless efficiency, and a balanced feature set over headline torque numbers. The tools are light, comfortable, and genuinely capable across wood, light metal, and small-diameter masonry. The included pair of 1.5Ah batteries keeps weight down and ensures you can keep moving, and the broad 20V MAX compatibility makes it easy to tailor runtime later with larger packs. The main caveats are the slow charger and limited stamina of the compact batteries on heavy tasks. Address those with a bigger battery (and perhaps a faster charger), and you’ve got a dependable, portable kit that handles the vast majority of everyday drilling and driving without complaint.