DEWALT DCK240C2 Review: a no-nonsense cordless combo that just gets work done

I’ve been using this DEWALT 20V MAX combo kit (DCK240C2) as my main drill/driver setup for a while now, both around the house and on a couple of small renovation jobs. I’m not a contractor, but I do enough DIY and help out friends enough to know when a tool is decent and when it’s just cheap plastic. This kit sits in the middle: not the fanciest setup out there, but it’s clearly built for real work, not just hanging a picture once a year.

In the bag you get two tools: a 1/2" drill/driver (DCD771) and a 1/4" impact driver (DCF885), plus two 20V MAX batteries, a charger, and a soft bag. Out of the box, you can actually start working right away because both batteries come with some charge. I didn’t have to dig around for anything extra, which was nice. Plug in the charger, slap a battery on the drill, and you’re ready to go.

I’ve used it for basic stuff like assembling furniture, installing shelves, and driving deck screws, but also for more annoying jobs like drilling into studs in tight corners and taking apart old cabinets. The kit has handled all that without complaining. The drill isn’t a beast, but for standard home projects, it has more than enough power. The impact driver is the real workhorse for screws and lag bolts.

Is it perfect? No. The batteries are on the smaller side (1.3–1.5Ah), and you can drain one pretty fast if you’re driving long screws nonstop. The charger is also just a single port, so you can’t charge both at once. But for the price and what you get, it’s a pretty solid everyday combo that does the job without feeling like a toy.

In terms of value, this DCK240C2 kit hits a nice spot: two useful tools, two batteries, a charger, and a bag at a price that’s reasonable, especially considering DEWALT’s reputation. You’re not just buying a single drill here; you’re getting a full basic setup that can handle most home and light jobsite tasks. For someone starting to build a tool collection, it’s a good shortcut to being actually equipped.

Compared to budget brands, yes, you can find cheaper combos. I’ve tried a couple of those, and the difference is noticeable. The cheaper ones feel weaker, batteries don’t last as long, and the chucks and triggers feel sloppy. This DEWALT kit costs more, but it also feels more reliable and more pleasant to use. Over time, having tools that work consistently is worth the extra money in my opinion—especially when you’re standing on a ladder and just want the screw to go in without a fight.

The trade-offs: the included batteries are small, and you only get one charger. That’s probably where DEWALT kept the cost down. For heavy users, you’ll either need to buy bigger batteries or accept that you’ll be swapping and charging more often. If you already own DEWALT 20V MAX tools and bigger batteries, this kit becomes an even better deal, because you can treat these compact packs as backups and focus on the tools themselves.

Overall, I’d call the value good for serious DIYers and light pros. If you just need something for a one-off project and then it will sit in a closet, you could probably get away with something cheaper. But if you plan to actually use your tools regularly and want a platform you can expand later, this kit makes sense and feels like money reasonably well spent.

On the design side, both tools are pretty typical DEWALT: yellow and black, chunky but not huge, and clearly built to be used and dropped a few times. The drill (DCD771) has a 1/2" ratcheting chuck, which is actually useful because it grips bits tightly and doesn’t loosen up every five minutes. I’ve used cheaper drills where the bit slowly backs out, and it’s annoying. With this one, I tighten the chuck once and it stays put through a full batch of holes.

The impact driver (DCF885) is more compact front-to-back (around 5.5"), and that makes a difference when you’re working inside cabinets or between studs. I used it to drive screws in a tight corner behind a toilet where a regular drill just wouldn’t fit, and the smaller head length was the only reason it worked. The one-handed 1/4" hex chuck is also simple but very practical: you pull the collar, pop a bit in or out, and you’re done. No fiddling, no tools.

Both tools have LED lights. The drill has a single LED near the trigger, which is helpful but not perfect—sometimes your hand or the chuck casts a shadow. The impact driver’s 3-LED ring is better. It lights the work area more evenly and stays on for about 20 seconds after you let go of the trigger, which is nice when you want to check what you just did. It’s not a work light replacement, but it’s enough for dim corners or under-sink work.

Ergonomically, they feel balanced with the small batteries attached. With the compact packs, neither tool feels top-heavy, and I could work overhead for a while without my wrist screaming. If you add a bigger battery later, they’ll feel a bit heavier, but still manageable. Overall, the design is practical, not flashy: no random gimmicks, just stuff that actually helps when you’re drilling or driving all afternoon.

The kit comes with two compact 20V MAX lithium-ion batteries (about 1.3–1.5Ah each). They’re light, which helps with comfort, but they’re not built for full-day abuse. In my use, one battery on the drill lasted through a full round of shelf installs—drilling pilot holes and driving screws into studs in three rooms—before it started to fade. That’s a mix of light and medium work, with breaks in between. For that kind of pace, swapping between the two batteries works fine.

When I used the impact driver on a small deck repair, driving a lot of 3" and 3.5" screws in a row, I could drain a battery in under an hour of solid work. Not shocking, given the capacity, but it’s something to know if you’re planning a big project. The good thing is that the charger isn’t painfully slow; by the time I ran down the second battery, the first one usually had a decent charge back. It’s not fast-charging like some newer systems, but it’s acceptable for home use.

One downside is that you only get a single charger. If you’re in a small shop or on a jobsite and both batteries are dead, you’re stuck in a queue: one on the charger, one waiting. For occasional users, that’s not a big deal. For heavier use, it’s annoying. I ended up planning my tasks a bit—doing layout and measuring while a battery charged, then coming back to driving screws.

The good part is that these batteries work with other DEWALT 20V MAX tools. So if you already have DEWALT gear or plan to add more (like a circular saw or oscillating tool), this kit gives you two extra packs to share. Long term, if you like the tools, you can buy a couple of higher-capacity batteries and keep these smaller ones as backups. Overall, battery life is decent but not impressive: fine for most homeowners, a bit limiting if you’re pushing it like a full-time pro.

On durability, this kit has held up better than I expected for the price. I’ve dropped the impact driver off a small ladder onto concrete once (not on purpose), and aside from a scuff on the plastic, it kept working like nothing happened. The housing feels solid, and the rubber overmold around the grip and key areas actually does its job. It doesn’t feel like hollow plastic that’s going to crack the first time it hits the floor.

The drill’s chuck is another good sign. The 1/2" ratcheting chuck has stayed tight and hasn’t developed any wobble after repeated bit changes and drilling into studs and plywood. On cheaper drills I’ve owned, the chuck starts to feel loose or slightly off-center after a while, and you see the bit wobble when you spin it up. I haven’t seen that here. The gearbox and clutch also still click cleanly between settings, with no weird grinding or slop.

The batteries are holding up fine so far. Lithium-ion packs do lose capacity over time, but after repeated charge cycles, I haven’t noticed a big drop yet. The plastic on the battery casings has some scratches from sliding in and out of the bag and being dropped on a garage floor, but there are no cracks or loose contacts. The slide-on connection between battery and tool is still snug—no random power cutouts or wiggling.

Is this kit built like top-tier industrial tools? No. If you’re on a construction site every day, tossing tools around and running them non-stop, you’ll eventually want heavier-duty stuff and bigger batteries. But for regular home projects, light trade work, or a serious DIYer, the durability feels pretty solid. Add the 3-year limited warranty from DEWALT, and you at least have some backup if something fails earlier than it should.

In terms of raw performance, this kit is solid for DIY and light professional tasks. The drill’s motor is rated at 300 UWO (unit watts out), which doesn’t mean much on its own, but in practice it drills cleanly through wood, drywall, and thin metal without struggling. I’ve used it with spade bits up to 1" in studs, and it handled that fine as long as I used the low-speed setting. For masonry, with proper bits, it can get through brick for anchors, but it’s not a hammer drill, so don’t expect it to chew through concrete all day.

The impact driver is where this kit really earns its keep. With 1,700 in-lbs of torque, it drives 3" and 3.5" construction screws into studs and deck boards very easily. I rebuilt a small deck stair using this impact, and it handled all the structural screws without bogging down or overheating. Compared to using just the drill for driving screws, the impact driver is faster and doesn’t twist your wrist as much when a screw binds. The hammering action takes most of the shock instead of your hand.

Speed control is decent on both tools. The triggers are variable speed, so you can feather them for delicate stuff like cabinet hinges or electrical plates, and then pull full speed for framing screws or larger holes. The drill’s two-speed gearbox also helps: low speed for torque and control, high speed for quick drilling in softer materials. I swapped between the two when assembling a shed—low speed for starting screws, high speed for pilot holes—and it felt pretty natural.

It’s not all perfect. Under heavy continuous use, like driving big lag screws one after another, the impact driver will get warm, and the small batteries drain fairly quickly. It’s fine for bursts of work, but if you’re doing full-day framing or decking, this isn’t a heavy-duty pro kit. For that, you’d want higher-capacity batteries and maybe a higher-tier DEWALT line. But for normal home projects, weekend jobs, and even side gigs, the performance is more than enough.

In the box, the DCK240C2 kit is pretty straightforward: one drill/driver, one impact driver, two 20V MAX lithium-ion batteries, a basic charger, and a soft contractor bag. No extra bits, no fancy accessories, just the core stuff. For someone starting from zero or upgrading from an old corded drill, it’s basically everything you need to get going, minus the drill bits and driver bits.

The drill is the DCD771, a 1/2" chuck model with two speeds (0–450 and 0–1500 RPM) and a clutch. That’s useful if you’re switching between drilling holes and driving screws into different materials. The impact driver is the DCF885, with a 1/4" hex chuck and up to 1,700 in-lbs of torque. In practice, that means it’ll drive typical construction screws into studs or deck boards without much fuss. Both tools have built-in LED lights, and the impact driver has a 3-LED ring that stays on for a bit after you release the trigger.

The two batteries are the smaller-capacity DEWALT 20V packs (around 1.3–1.5Ah). They keep the weight down, which is nice, but they’re not meant for all-day framing. For home use, swapping between the two batteries works fine. On a bigger project, I found myself wishing at least one battery was a higher capacity, like 3Ah or 4Ah. The charger is basic but does the job: plug it in, slap a battery on, light comes on, done. No screen, no extra modes, nothing fancy.

The contractor bag is simple: soft-sided, zipper, a couple of small pockets. It’s not organized like a hard case, but it holds everything with room for a small bit set, safety glasses, and a tape measure. For me, it lives in the trunk of my car, and it’s handy to just grab the bag and know both tools and batteries are in there. Overall, the kit is laid out like something meant for regular use, not just as a gift set that looks nice and then sits in a closet.