More about DEWALT DCF680N2 8V Max Gyroscopic Screwdriver 2 Battery Kit

I bought this because I needed a low torque, light weight, ergonomic power screwdriver and this is the best I have found to date. Dewalt has become very good at designing tools that feel good in your hand and this is no exception. Because you can rotate this from pistol grip to in-line, you can get comfortable in almost any application.

The gyroscopic function is great. It takes about 30 seconds to get used to. You no longer need to remember which way the switch goes to tighten or loosen the fastener. A turn of the wrist controls both direction an speed. The trigger only turns the power on or off. Nothing moves until you turn your wrist. To stop, just let go of the trigger. You can turn your wrist back towards your start position to slow down or even to stop, but if you go past the start position, the chuck will start turning in the opposite direction. So the easiest and quickest way to stop is to let go of the trigger.

The 15 clutch positions give you good control on the lower end to this tool’s torque range. The Max setting seems to be a big jump in torque over the highest setting, but this is not a powerful tool, this is a finesse tool. This is a replacement for a manual screwdriver or ratcheting screwdriver. I useually drive the fastener down to contact, release the trigger, and manually give the tool approximately 1/8 of a turn. That works great for me. I can also manually break a tight fastener loose, press the trigger, turn my wrist and remove the fastener. The LED lights can come in handy at times.

The 1/4″ hex drop in chuck works very well. I have used a 1/4″ hex to 1/2″ drive socket adapter without any problems and 1/4″ hex bits are held securely. I don’t know what this tool can do with wood screws, but is does exactly what I bought it for and better than I thought it would.

This is the latest model of this saw with the battery mounted on the side (the $99 combo at the Home Depot has the second-last model with the battery in the back). I have been using the blue model (with lithium-iron batteries) for most of my dimensional wood and panel cutting. The older saw has just enough juice to do the job. This latest saw has sufficient additional power to justify the upgrade. It is also better balanced and the laser guide comes handy for rough cutting. I systematically replace the original blades of my saws with Freud Diablo equivalents. If you do not have a saw like this or, like me, want to upgrade an older model, go ahead and buy it with confidence. Just mind the fact that, with a 5 1/2″ blade, it cuts through 2x wood only perpendicularly and you need a saw with a 6 1/2″ blade to cut at 45 degrees. BTW, since I started using this kind of saw (with boards between two folding tables), I have not been touching my sliding miter saw any longer.

the saw started losing its bushings/bearings within 5 minutes of cutting. I contacted John of Johns Tools and received a return of nothing………. oh he offered 50% but the saw was junk. Go to Home Depot and get the factory warranty that comes with the saw. Home Depot stands behind what they sell……..