DEWALT GG107 18V Combi Drill Review: a no-nonsense drill that gets the job done for DIY and light pro use

I’ve been using this DEWALT GG107 18V Combi Drill kit for a few weeks on small DIY jobs at home and a couple of heavier tasks at a friend’s place. So this isn’t a lab test, it’s just how it behaved in real life: drilling into brick, wood, and a bit of metal, plus the usual screwdriving jobs for shelves and flat-pack furniture. I’ve mainly been comparing it in my head to an older 14.4V Makita and a cheap no-name drill I had before.

The short version: it’s a pretty solid workhorse, not the latest flashy model, but it does what you expect a decent 18V combi drill to do. Power is there, the hammer function is usable, and the batteries plus fast charger are practical for home use. It’s not perfect: the battery capacity is on the low side, and a few details feel a bit dated compared to newer XR models, but nothing that makes it unusable.

What really stood out for me is that it feels reliable and predictable. You pull the trigger, it responds nicely, the torque settings are clear, and the chuck holds bits properly. There’s no fancy screen, no weird modes, just a straightforward drill/driver/hammer setup. If you’re used to DEWALT gear, it’ll feel familiar straight away. If you’re coming from a bargain drill, it will feel like an upgrade in control and build right away.

So in this review, I’ll go through how it feels in the hand, how it performs on real jobs, how the batteries hold up, and if the full kit (drill, 2 batteries, charger, T-STAK case) is actually good value. I’ll also point out what annoyed me or felt a bit cheap, because it’s not all perfect, especially if you’re used to more recent 5Ah or brushless tools.

On value, this kit sits in a pretty good spot, especially when you find it at a decent price compared to newer brushless models. You’re getting a known brand, a proper 18V system, two batteries, a fast charger, and a T-STAK case. For someone starting out in cordless tools or upgrading from a cheap no-name drill, it feels like a solid step up without going into silly money. The user reviews sitting around 4.5/5 don’t surprise me based on my use.

Where you need to be clear with yourself is what you expect from it. If you want long runtime and heavy-duty performance, this isn’t the best ratio of money to performance, because the 1.5Ah batteries are small and the motor is brushed. In that case, paying more for a brushless DEWALT with 4Ah or 5Ah packs might be smarter long term. But if your main use is DIY and occasional heavier tasks, this kit is good value for what it offers: reliable performance, a strong brand ecosystem, and a practical case.

Compared to cheaper brands I’ve used, this DEWALT feels more robust and consistent. The clutch is more precise, the chuck holds better, and the overall feel is more professional. Compared to higher-end DEWALT brushless drills, you obviously give up some power, runtime, and compactness, but you’re also spending less. It’s a trade-off. Personally, for home renovation projects and regular DIY, I’d rather have this than a random budget drill and spend the money difference on better bits and fixings.

So, in plain terms: for a home user or light trade backup drill, the value is good. For a full-time tradesperson, it’s more of a budget-friendly secondary tool than your main workhorse. As long as you go in with that in mind, the price-to-performance ratio makes sense, and you’re not paying for features you might never really need.

Design-wise, this drill is exactly what you’d expect from a mid-range DEWALT 18V tool from a few years back. It’s got the usual black and yellow colour scheme (though this listing mentions black, mine still has the yellow highlights), and the shape is that typical T-handle with a fairly chunky battery at the bottom. Nothing fancy, but when you pick it up, it feels like a proper tool, not a toy. The proportions are decent: the head isn’t too long, so you can get into cupboards and corners without feeling like you’re holding a lance.

The control layout is simple: big trigger, forward/reverse switch right above it, torque collar and mode selector at the front, and a slider on top for the 2-speed gearbox. I like that you can switch from drill to hammer mode quickly without fiddling through extra menus or buttons. The LED is placed in a sensible spot, though it’s not the brightest light I’ve seen. It does have a small delay after you release the trigger, which is handy when you’re checking your work in a darker corner.

One thing I noticed is that the drill doesn’t feel overly bulky, especially compared to some high-capacity 5Ah setups. With the 1.5Ah battery, the weight and balance are actually pretty comfortable. However, the handle design is clearly from an older generation: it’s fine, but some newer DEWALT drills have a slightly slimmer, more ergonomic grip that feels nicer over long periods. Here, after a couple of hours of on-and-off use, my hand was fine, but you do feel it more than with a newer brushless model.

Overall, the design is functional and no-nonsense. If you want a compact, ultra-modern drill, this isn’t it. But if you just want a straightforward tool that you can understand in 10 seconds, the design does the job well. The only real downside for me is that the body looks and feels like a previous generation, which is fair given the age of the model, but worth knowing if you’re expecting the latest compact DEWALT design.

The battery side is where you really feel that this is more of a home/occasional-pro kit than a heavy-duty setup. The kit I used came with two 1.5Ah XR Li-ion batteries. They’re light, which helps with handling, but they don’t last forever. On a typical DIY session (a mix of drilling, screwdriving, and some hammer drilling into brick), I’d get roughly 30–45 minutes of active use from one battery before feeling the power drop. For weekend jobs, having the second battery on the charger is enough, but if you’re on a full day of work, you’ll be swapping and waiting.

The fast charger is a plus. It doesn’t take ages to bring a 1.5Ah pack back to life; roughly half an hour to a bit more depending on how drained it was. In practice, I was able to rotate the batteries without too much downtime: use one, stick it on charge, switch to the other, and by the time that one was getting low, the first was usually ready. Still, it’s not the same comfort as having 4Ah or 5Ah packs where you barely think about charging during a job.

One thing to keep in mind is that there’s no fancy battery gauge on the packs themselves (at least not on mine). So you don’t really know how much is left until you feel the drill losing a bit of punch. It’s not a deal-breaker, but compared to newer batteries with a built-in indicator, it feels a bit basic. For planning longer tasks, it would be nice to see how much juice you’ve got left without guessing.

Overall, the battery setup is perfectly acceptable for a DIY user doing jobs around the house: shelves, kitchen adjustments, small decking, fixing stuff, etc. For that use, two 1.5Ah batteries plus a fast charger work fine. But if you’re thinking of using this all day on site, I’d say factor in the cost of at least one or two higher-capacity DEWALT XR batteries. The drill is compatible with them, and that would fix the main weakness of this kit in my opinion.

The T-STAK case is honestly one of the nice parts of this kit, especially if you’re tired of flimsy blow-moulded boxes. It’s a proper, rigid case that feels solid when you carry it around. The latches close firmly and don’t feel like they’re going to snap off after a couple of months. I’ve thrown it in the boot with other tools on top and it’s held up fine. You can tell DEWALT designed it to be stacked with other T-STAK boxes, so if you’re already in that ecosystem, it’s a plus.

Inside, the layout is functional but not luxurious. There’s a shaped area for the drill, slots for the two batteries, and a place for the charger. When I first opened it, I had to play a bit of Tetris to figure out where everything sat best, but once you get the arrangement, it’s straightforward. There isn’t a huge amount of extra space for accessories, though. You can tuck in a small bit set or a few drill bits, but don’t expect to fit a full organiser inside without it rattling around.

The overall packaging from the manufacturer is basic: cardboard outer box, plastic bag around the drill, and the case inside. Nothing fancy, but honestly, I don’t need fancy. Everything arrived in good condition, no damage, and the drill was ready to go after charging the batteries. Compared to cheaper brands that sometimes ship tools in thin cardboard with no case at all, this feels like a step up in practicality.

If I had to nit-pick, I’d say it would be nice if the internal moulding was slightly more flexible, so you could rearrange or add a small organiser for bits. But that’s a minor detail. In daily use, the T-STAK case does exactly what you want: it keeps the drill, batteries, and charger together and protected, and it’s easy to grab and go when you’ve got a quick job to do at someone’s house.

On the durability front, the drill gives off a solid impression. The chuck is all metal, and it clamps down on bits properly. I didn’t have any slipping, even when using slightly larger bits in wood and metal. The body has the usual DEWALT rubber overmoulding in key areas, so if it takes a light knock or gets dropped from a low height, it doesn’t feel like it’s going to shatter. I didn’t throw it down the stairs to test it, but in normal use around a workshop and garden, it handled bumps and dust without an issue.

The motor is brushed, which you can tell from the mention of replaceable carbon brushes and the general feel/sound. That’s both good and bad. Good because if you use it a lot and the brushes wear, they can be changed, so the drill isn’t automatically dead. Bad because brushed motors generally run hotter and don’t last as long as brushless under constant heavy use. For me, using it mainly at weekends and the odd evening, I’m not worried about wearing it out quickly. For a tradesperson using it daily, I’d see it more as a backup or lighter-duty drill.

It also has thermal overload protection, which is reassuring. I pushed it a bit with repeated hammer drilling into harder brick, and while it got warm, it never suddenly died or smelled burnt. You can feel when it’s working hard, but it’s not on the edge of self-destruction. The gearbox and clutch still feel tight after a few weeks of use, with no weird grinding noises or sloppy movement in the chuck.

Given that this model has been around since around 2014 and still gets decent reviews, I’m fairly confident in saying it’s built to last for typical DIY use. If you abuse it daily on site, you’ll probably find its limits, especially with the brushed motor. But for someone wanting a reliable drill that can survive years of normal household tasks and light renovation work, the build quality feels up to the job.

In terms of raw performance, this drill is in that sweet spot where it’s strong enough for most household and light trade jobs, but not so powerful that it’ll rip your wrist off. I used it to drill into brick for wall plugs (6mm and 8mm bits), screw 80mm wood screws into treated timber, and drill a few 10mm holes through steel brackets. It handled all that without any real drama. The hammer mode isn’t as aggressive as an SDS drill, obviously, but for typical plug holes in masonry it’s completely fine.

The two-speed gearbox is actually useful. On speed 1, you get more torque and control for screwdriving. I used that for building a small wooden frame and putting together some flat-pack furniture, and it was easy to avoid stripping screws using the clutch. Speed 2 is better for drilling in wood and metal. When I drilled 25mm holes in softwood, it didn’t stall as long as I let the drill do the work and didn’t lean on it like crazy. You can tell it’s not a high-torque monster, but it’s more than enough for general DIY.

The torque settings are practical too. With cheaper drills, the clutch can feel vague, but here the steps are clear. I could dial it down for smaller screws into MDF and up for longer screws into studs without constantly over-driving or snapping heads. Compared to my old cheap drill, this one feels more controlled and predictable, which saves a lot of frustration on bigger projects where you’re driving dozens of screws.

Where it shows its age a bit is in sustained heavy use. After a longer session of drilling into hard brick, the motor got warm and you can hear it working hard. It didn’t cut out, but between the battery capacity and the brushed motor, it’s clearly not designed for hammer drilling all day on a building site. For a DIYer or someone using it as a secondary drill, it’s perfectly fine. For a full-time tradesperson doing constant masonry work, you’d probably want a more powerful or brushless model, or an SDS alongside this.

This kit is basically a classic DEWALT 18V combi drill set aimed at DIYers and light trade users. In the box I got: the DCD776C2 drill body, two 18V Li-ion batteries, a charger, and a T-STAK case. The listing talks about 1.5Ah batteries, but the description also mentions 2Ah – mine were 1.5Ah, so don’t expect huge runtime like 5Ah packs. It’s enough for short to medium sessions, but you will swap batteries if you’re on a longer job.

The drill itself is a 3-mode combi: drill, drill/driver with torque settings, and hammer drill for masonry. It has two mechanical speeds, a 13mm keyless chuck, and an LED work light above the trigger. Torque is rated at 42Nm hard and 24Nm soft, which in practice is fine for wood screws and light masonry drilling. It’s not a monster SDS, but that’s not what it’s meant to be anyway.

The T-STAK case is a proper hard case, not some flimsy blow-moulded bin. Inside, there’s room for the drill, both batteries, and the charger, but not much more. If you’re hoping to stash a full drill bit set in there, you’ll have to be a bit creative with the layout. Still, it’s sturdy enough to throw in a car boot or van without worrying about the drill getting knocked around.

Overall, the kit feels like a complete starter setup: you get everything you need to get going, no need to buy batteries or a charger separately. It’s not the newest generation, there’s no brushless motor or fancy electronics beyond basic protection, but for someone wanting a reliable 18V drill with a proper brand behind it, it ticks most boxes. The only thing missing in my view would be at least one higher-capacity battery if you’re planning heavier or longer jobs.