DEWALT (vs. Makita) Cordless Drill Help Needed

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olipct

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Hi all,

First time posting here so please excuse incompetence.

We bought a DEWALT DCD776 to help with our home renovation. It's been through some light to medium work so far and has generally been really good to use. Recently, we have found that inserting screws (any type) has been challenging - the drill will come out of the screw head repeatedly, almost in a continuous pattern, making it almost impossible to use.

We think the issue is that the drill and drill bits aren't spinning correctly. We have tried different bits and they all seem to have a similar outcome. The chuck also seems to be not turning correctly. I've attached videos to help show the problem on the DEWALT, and I've also attached videos of our Makita that is turning with no issues yet is much older and has also been through some hard work.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/142ZedLWoWhKRzDwUiR7cmx88Aoxrtj5a?usp=sharing

Could anyone help with this issue? Have we diagnosed it correctly? Can I fix this or is this something warranty could cover?

My partners Dad has a couple of DEWALT drills too and his have the same 'problem', but he is adamant that it's nothing to worry about?!

Any help would be hugely appreciated. Not particularly handy so this is all a bit alien to me!

Many thanks,
Oli
 
Your Makita is an impact driver, not a cordless drill. It looks like the bit shaft on your dewalt is bent. The makita will be 100 times better at screws, because it’s designed for the job. However it won’t be much good at drilling holes.
 
just a DIYer,
I purchased a Dewalt DCD778 may2018 from Screwfix, and had the same concern.
1) 2 of the bit holders where slightly bent, these where purchased same time a kit 101 drill kit Makita, and 1 I had from somewhere else , also BENT.
2) The chuck seemed to have run-out like yours.

I went into it quite a bit , testing and also comparing with a cabled drill.
I closed down the chuck with nothing in and then took video , dont have them anymore now

I went back to screwfix and told them , they allowed me to try the other 3 in stock and replace which i did, although most had some run-out, of various degrees - and i did exchange, I also had a drill bit which i tested in the corded drill and it run perfectly true, so i used that as a test piece.

I also talked to Dewalt and there inspection people - different company , who said that some chuck run-out was acceptable, i videoed and sent to them and they said the run-out was acceptable, they also said the chuck has a limited warranty 3 months I think.

But I use a impact driver now (dewalt DCF887 , three speed) for all my screwing and have no issues with that.

Where/When did you purchase , can you perhaps see if the company will do the same, trouble is with covid , they are now reluctant to allow people to handle goods and inspect ?
At least they are at my local toolstation/screwfix.
 
Thanks @motorbiking

Which part is the bit shaft? Is it the part between the black chuck and bit holder - the part that essentially holds the bit holder?

Sorry, I just included the Makita for reference, not because it is their equivalent. Although, I do seem to see a running theme with DEWALT and wondering if Makita is just a better brand?
 
Thanks @ETAF

Funnily enough, my DEWALT was bought from Screwfix earlier this year. Sounds like they were quite helpful for you so I'll probably give them a call / visit to see what they say. I'm just reluctant to go into a dispute without much knowledge of what is actually wrong, especially if partners Dad is saying nothing is wrong with it!

I'm wondering if DEWALT as a brand is something I should stay away from - it looks like a lot of people use Makita and not many use DEWALT, perhaps this is for a reason?
 
loads of trades use Dewalt , All the trades that have been to my home and we had quite a few in 2017-19, plumbers/windows fitters/roofers etc all seem to have Dewalt. Same for my son-in-law , again a Dewalt / Milwaukee user, we had a few trades in when they first moved in 2019 and again most Dewalt a couple had mikita

I was also looking at one of the guys who happened to have a 996 and also the 12V range and was thinking of getting the 996 at one time, I tested them at the 2020 FFX show and the runout was OK, on most there. Ended up with a Dewalt corded SDS Drill with an additional non-sds chuck which is perfect.

I did go back into screwfix just 2 days after buying, and had not used at all, other than Run it up and video.

I'll have a look at maybe running a video on mine if i get a chance.

did you run with just the chuck closed ?
 
olipct said:
Thanks @motorbiking

Which part is the bit shaft? Is it the part between the black chuck and bit holder - the part that essentially holds the bit holder?

Sorry, I just included the Makita for reference, not because it is their equivalent. Although, I do seem to see a running theme with DEWALT and wondering if Makita is just a better brand?
Click to expand...

yes that is it. But, based on the other responses - it sounds like the chuck/run-out is the issue. What does it look like with a drill bit spinning?

@ETAF BTW: Warranty of 3 month on the chuck = B**S**, Statutory rights give the consumer right to claim defect in the first 6 months, with the burden on the retailer to prove its not. So they can do one on that.

Your Makita impact driver is the right job for heavy screwing ;) If its on loan, buy one.
 
As a above...

3 months on a chuck is BS on behalf of Dewalt. Anywho, your contract is with the shop that sold you the item and not with Dewalt. Dewalt's warranty does not affect your statutory rights. Again, as mention above, after 6 months you might have to prove that the item is not of merchantable quality, within 6 months the retailer has to prove that you abused the item. You have a total of 6 years protection under UK law but consumables are expected to degrade.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/consumer-rights-refunds-exchange/

If you need to, quote the consumer rights act of 2015 to the retailer (not of merchantable quality) and threaten to lodge a case with the small claims court. It is very unlikely that they will want to send a representative to YOUR local magistrate court given the relatively small sums involved.

BTW if the drill was over £100 and purchased by a credit card, you can ask them to pursue the case on your behalf.

Out of interest, how old is the drill?
 
yes, i thought that was B..sh..t as well, but didnt pursue
heres my drill (Not trade use) been used a lot as a DIYer on a lot of projects - Drilling 14mm holes through a wall for coach bolts - various other jobs, floating shelves, normal shelves and a lot of consturction work both indoors and outdoors, fencing, making gates etc etc. But I only use for drilling holes, screwing i use the impact driver. Now i have the SDS I tend to use that now for a lot of the heavy Drilling both in walls (SDS Chuck) and wood/fence posts (NON SDS Chuck)

I only leave the files on dropbox for a short while

https://www.dropbox.com/s/r966yh8yhjk5pvr/Drill-2.mp4?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/uyyik1x3jqdhl50/Drill-1.mp4?dl=0
 
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ETAF said:
yes, i thought that was B..sh..t as well, but didnt pursue
heres my drill (Not trade use) been used a lot as a DIYer on a lot of projects - Drilling 14mm holes through a wall for coach bolts - various other jobs, floating shelves, normal shelves and a lot of consturction work both indoors and outdoors, fencing, making gates etc etc. But I only use for drilling holes, screwing i use the impact driver

I only leave the files on dropbox for a short while

https://www.dropbox.com/s/r966yh8yhjk5pvr/Drill-2.mp4?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/uyyik1x3jqdhl50/Drill-1.mp4?dl=0
Click to expand...

I do not know how true it is but I have seen others here say that Dewalt drills at Screwfix are manufactured to a lower quality. Their reasoning is that Screwfix (as part of Kingfisher, who also own B&Q) have massive buying power, and are able to coerce Dewalt to lower costs by lowering quality. I do not know if that is true or not but the cheaper cordless drills sold at screwfix do have different model numbers to those sold at other smaller independent retailers- making price comparisons more difficult.
 
Mine was a DCD778 , which was available at other retailers, bare, the deal at screwfix was a Kit , Drill, 2x 3Ah batteries, charger and T-Stak box.
I think they may get special kits put together, I see the DCD778 is now available with a lot of different kit options/battery size 5Ah, 4Ah , 2Ah
other dewalts that i purchased via screwfix - all had model numbers that where also available elsewhere

I had heard the same , which I also checked the model number, but I also think the kits may also be configured specifically for screwfix and maybe same for toolstation

The DCD778 I think is the lowest grade drill Dewalt make, or at least in 2018, it has all metal gearbox apparently - but a lot of plastic on it, compared with the
 
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Hi all,

Interesting read above, especially regarding Screwfix quality. Add another to that list of *poor* quality DeWalt's bought from Screwfix.

As an update my end - took mine to Screwfix today (thanks to you for confirming my thoughts that there is an issue) and they confirmed straight away that chuck was bent and that it wasn't screwing true. They also quickly pointed out a motor issue as well (obviously I didn't pick this up as not experienced enough). Gone back to DeWalt under 1-year Screwfix warranty so fingers crossed they can see issues too. We didn't register product in time because it was given as a gift and we weren't aware of warranty policy (register within 30 days of purchase to get 3 year warranty).

@opps - drill was bought 24-03-21. Only started using in July this year so problem arose within 5 months of use.
 
olipct said:
Hi all,

Interesting read above, especially regarding Screwfix quality. Add another to that list of *poor* quality DeWalt's bought from Screwfix.

As an update my end - took mine to Screwfix today (thanks to you for confirming my thoughts that there is an issue) and they confirmed straight away that chuck was bent and that it wasn't screwing true. They also quickly pointed out a motor issue as well (obviously I didn't pick this up as not experienced enough). Gone back to DeWalt under 1-year Screwfix warranty so fingers crossed they can see issues too. We didn't register product in time because it was given as a gift and we weren't aware of warranty policy (register within 30 days of purchase to get 3 year warranty).

@opps - drill was bought 24-03-21. Only started using in July this year so problem arose within 5 months of use.
Click to expand...

Both Screwfix and Toolstation have very good returns policies. In future, take back the faulty product and ask for a full refund. Once the cash is in your hands purchase the same item again, that way you end up with another 12 months Screwfix warranty.
 
opps said:
I do not know how true it is but I have seen others here say that Dewalt drills at Screwfix are manufactured to a lower quality.
Click to expand...
I can believe it. It's certainly true of some Bosch models, e.g. GSB21-2RE from SFX has a very slightly different model number to the one sold by Bosch dealers - the dealer model benefits from a speed control on-off switch where the speed setting can be dialed in and locked (settings A to F, or the like) meaning that once you have the right speed for a task next time you pick up the drill you'll still have the right speed (think about drilling dozens of holes in steel UBs). The SFX model just has a variable speed switch with no lock - much less convenient than the dealer version, but makes the tool £20+ cheaper at SFX. No doubt they do the same to DW and Makita

ETAF said:
loads of trades use Dewalt , All the trades that have been to my home and we had quite a few in 2017-19, plumbers/windows fitters/roofers etc all seem to have Dewalt. Same for my son-in-law , again a Dewalt / Milwaukee user, we had a few trades in when they first moved in 2019 and again most Dewalt a couple had mikita
Click to expand...
It varies a lot. On the bigger site where I've been recently the chippies were generally split between Makita and DW, plumbers seemed to favour Milwaukee (maybe because of the specialist plumby tools), the sparks liked Bosch and Milwaukee whilst the dry liners were mainly Hilti users
 
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i woud say they are fairly definitely made to a price for the diy market which in my mind is a good thing
you dont need high capacity batteries ' high impact'high revs' high torque 95% off the time in diy or light trade situations where the few seconds extra the odd task takes is off little or no consequence so excellent value
where as in heavy trade a tool that costs about twice the price will pay for its self in as little 1 long job or a 6 months to a year off saved time as a few seconds saved is far more important than the cost over time

also whats the point in a diyer paying for the heavy trade tool that will outlast several generations off being past down when battery will fail and be non compatable so a dead tool
when the diy rated tool will last at least 2 generations and and still have some use till the battery dies :D
as an aside with 2x5ah batteries this is amazing value with same 776 drill for the extra 20 squid[would normally be 50- 60 more]??
https://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-d...i-ion-xr-brushless-cordless-combi-drill/906kv
 
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