Review: Dewalt DCD771C2 20V Cordless Drill

The Dewalt DCD771C2 cordless drill is a very popular and affordably priced compact drill that performs well with medium duty drilling and driving tasks. It’s very similar to another popular drill from Dewalt with a few key differences. Let’s take a closer look.

Drilling Power & Motor

This cordless drill is powered by a brushed motor that provides 300 UWO (unit watts out) in total power output. The brushed motor is a little less efficient than a brushed type, but it works fine in this drill and helps keep the cost down. This drill has a 2-speed transmission and it can spin a max of 450 RPM on high torque gearing and 1500 RPM on high speed gearing.

The forward/reverse switch is located right above the trigger and can also locks the spindle for bit changes when it’s in neutral.

There is a torque adjustment collar that has a range of torque setting from 1-15. The torque setting can be adjusted to help keep from over-driving fasteners.

This model (DCD771) doesn’t have a hammer drill setting, you’d have to look at the brushless DCD778 model to get hammer drilling features.

This drill is capable of both wood and metal drilling applications and despite it’s smaller size it can be useful both around the home or on the job site. People using it at home find it has plenty of power for home maintenance and renovation uses. On the job site it is a good tool for getting into smaller spaces due to it’s smaller profile.

Keyless Chuck

This drill can use up to 1/2 inch drill bits and it uses a keyless chuck that operates with a single sleeve ratchet. There is a built-in automatic spindle lock that assists in bit changes.

Dewalt recommends removing the battery during bit changes. To loosen the chuck you simply grab and turn the sleeve on the chuck. Insert your bit about 3/4 inch into the chuck and then tighten by hand. You’ll hear a few clicks when tightening and that’s how you’ll know it’s been properly tightened.

The keyless chuck works pretty well on this drill but people do run into some slippage with certain bits when they really put the maximum capabilities of this drill to the test. For most average drilling and fastening tasks this shouldn’t be much of an issue.

LED Light

This drill features a single LED light that points to just below the drilling area, which works well enough to illuminate the work area in darker conditions. This is one of those features that you don’t think is useful until you need it, and then it’s invaluable.

Due to it’s positioning the light gets blocked a little by the chuck, so it doesn’t center up well on the drilling area, but the light is strong enough to mostly counter this issue and not really be anything to complain about.

The LED light turns on when you press the trigger for operation and it turns off about 20 seconds after you release the trigger. The LED can’t be activated or deactivated separately and only activates when the tool is in operation.

Battery Power

This drill uses Dewalt’s 20V batteries and the kit that we looked at comes with (2) 1.5 AH batteries and a charger. The model number for the included batteries is DCB201. The batteries that come with this drill are some of the lower capacity batteries available from Dewalt, but they provide enough juice for most people and the smaller size keeps the drill lightweight during use. The included batteries can be charged in 90 minutes or less. It’s nice that 2 batteries were included since you can charge one while use the other and it reduces downtime.

This drill can use any of Dewalt’s 20V Max batteries which are available in sizes from 1.3 AH to 6AH. You can also use any of the Flexvolt batteries. Some people like to upgrade to 2-4 AH batteries to get a little longer life. Keep in mind though that larger batteries will add more weight to the drill.

Ergonomics & Handling

This drill is designed to be smaller and lightweight and it has a smaller overall profile. It’s smaller size makes it good for working in tighter locations or even for overhead work since it’s not as heavy to hold. The grip is good on this one, it’s a rubberized grip and it feel solid in hand. The weight balance of the drill is pretty good until you start to use the larger sized batteries, then it starts to feel more bottom-heavy.

Overall, this drill feels good to use and maneuver and it’s small enough that it won’t fatigue your arm so quickly when you have to hold it in awkward positions.

Safety Features

This drill is safe to use and with the nature of a drill there really aren’t any outstanding safety features to cover for this one. Most of the safety precautions with a drill like this involve safe practices such as safe handling of the battery packs and making sure the battery is removed during bit changes. Otherwise it’s good to practice typical safety precautions as with any other power tool in your lineup.

Build Quality

This drill feels very well built and during operation it doesn’t feel cheap or lacking in power. It’s lightweight, which is helped by the plastic included in the build, but there aren’t really any weak points with the plastic parts or parts that are prone to breakage. People who own this drill find that it hold up well over time and even stands up to being dropped or being banged around, which is great.

Comparing the DCD771C2 vs DCD777C2

The DCD771C2 is the drill we are looking at specifically in this review and it’s very similar to another model from Dewalt, the DCD777C2. The biggest different between the two is the brushed motor in the DCD771C2 and the brushless motor in the DCD777C2.

The brushed motor is a little less efficient in terms of power usage, and it also has a little less torque. The brushed motor will use up batteries more quickly than the brushless motor when they are compared side by side.

DCD777C2

3.5 lbs with battery

7.5 inches length

Brushless motor

340 UWO

The DCD777C2 will be a little more capable of performing work faster and more efficiently. So if you will be working on bigger jobs or more demanding projects it could be worth it to look at that version instead. That’s not to say that the DCD771C2 is bad. It’s just a little less capable and more affordable. It’s nice to have options.

Accessories

This drill kit that we looked at comes with a few accessories. In addition to the drill you get (2) batteries and a charger. There is also a bag included, which is just large enough for the drill and batteries. The bag feels a little tight when fully packed up but it works.

One notable but minor thing that people notice with this drill is that there is no bit holders anywhere on-board. It’s a small thing but people do find it to be an issue if most other drills they’ve used have such a feature. The good news is that a bit holder can be purchased on the aftermarket and added to the drill, but it involves extra expense and time to get it done.

Setup & Assembly

This tool is easy to get up and running, there’s not really any setup involved. New units may need to have the batteries charged, which could create some waiting time when it’s new out of the box. Other than that it’s pretty much a plug and play tool.

Warranty

Dewalt offers a 3 year warranty on defective parts or workmanship. They also include a 1 year free service contract and a 90 day money back guarantee. This is good enough to help you out if you have quality control issues in that first year of use.