DEWALT DCX6401 36-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Hammerdrill/Circ/Recip/Floodlight Combo Kit with NANO Technology

My blade guard on the circular saw melted from the sparks of a cutting disk! I didn't realize it was plastic, wow, that is a bad design.Even my cheap corded circular saw had metal parts where needed.I just got off the phone with DeWalt, they say it is not covered under warranty as they don't rate the circular saw for use with abrasive cutting disks. What kind of tool company is this?I own 14 other DeWalt corded and cordless products. I had been a big advocate of their tools. I will never buy one of there tools again. I'm switching to Makita.Very disappointed.See the picture I posted above of the melted guard. What happened to DeWalt, now all they churn out is junk tools unfit for a real worksite.

Excellent tools! I use the reciprocating and circular saws for over two hours at a time and the batteries hold out that long without any problem. Less powerful than the corded ones but for most purposes I can use these cordless ones in a much convenient manner. So the trade-off is worth it.

As a long time serious DIYer I have always appreciated good tools especially for how they can help to get things done in a more efficient and aesthetically pleasing manner. Over the years I have come to collect numerous power tools, both cordless and corded, but have never had any cordless tools powered by anything greater than 18 volt batteries. So a couple of years ago I decided to purchase this 36 Volt Lithium Cordless set and have used it on various construction and carpentry products since then and would like to share my experience and impressions.First of all I would say that having this 36 Volt cordless set is more of a luxury option than an essential must have tool. Although this cordless set provides power comparable to a corded tool set, I could accomplish the same jobs with a combination of my 18 volt cordless tools and an occasional corded tool (like a worm drive circular saw) just as easily.Other pros include:1) nice balance and relatively light weight of the circular saw2) convenient unwinding system to change the circular saw blades without use to other tools/wrenches3) use of the more common 7 1/4 inch circular saw blades4) convenient latch system in the reciprocating saw, allowing blades to be put in the standard orientation and at right angles to this very quickly and without tools.5) versatile drill driver with plenty of torqueCons include:1) tight storage case that requires numerous adjustments in order to put the tools back in and be able to close the lid.2) Lithium ion batteries that only seem to last about one hour with continuous usage3) confusing battery charger light indication system4) very heavy drill driver, not practical to use if used as your primary drill or screw driver due to hand fatique (I find using my much lighter 18 vot Dewalt drill driver much more practical)5) comes with a flood light attachment that most people will probably never useBottom line is that this tool set is more appropriate for contractors or professional carpenters than it is for most homeowner DIYerrs, however, if you love tools like I do, then you should consider adding this set to your tool collection.Update: I reduced my rating by one star, approximately two years after my purchase. The reason is because of the batteries. After only about 25 charges both of my batteries are no longer working. Fortunately batteries are warranteed by DeWalt for 2 years and after taking it to the nearest DeWalt Service Center I was able to get replacement batteries at no cost. As it turns out, my combo kit from Amazon (fulfilled thru Grizzly) came with batteries that were over 6 years old! (the date of the battery manufacturing is stamped on the batteries). If you purchase this from Amazon, you should check the battery date carefully. When my original combo kit arrived from Amazon, one of my two batteries would not hold a charge and I returned the kit and got the combo kit that I currently have. Having two different combo kits with old or defective batteries makes me wonder about the quality and conditon of the products being shipped out.

In my quest for power, I moved up from the Panasonic 18V kit to the Milwaukee 28V kit to (finally, for now) the DeWalt 36V kit. Of the 3, the DeWalt batteries seem to hold a charge the longest when not in use (for us non-contractor home project types who don't use their tools every other day). This feature is important to overall life of the batteries. The one downside to this system (as compared to the Milwaukee system) is the limited number of expansion tools. For example, Milwaukee offers an impact wrench, a 1/2 in angle drill, and some other tools not currently offered by DeWalt (or others) in cordless format. I hope that DeWalt decides to expand the range of tools that can use this wonderful power source - a sander would be nice, and even some yard care tools (such as a small chain saw for delimbing jobs, a hedge trimmer, lawn clippers, etc.).

I bought this set in 2013. The batteries might have lasted a year at least. You cannot find the replacement batteries and even if you do they are not worth it. Rebuilds are almost non existent. DO NOT BUY DEWALT TOOLS. They will not aid you in getting a battery replacement or making a deal with you knowing the 36V system was garbage.

I am a Pool Contractor and use all the tools very often. have purchased 2 of the 18 volt kits with the same power tools starting about 8 years ago. They both worked very well and were durable. The cases would sometimes break at the handle. Not a hugh deal. I then bought the 36 Volt kit about 2-3 years ago and I must say its Awesome! I have not had any problems with the batteries and everything is still working good. I Love this combo Pack and would recommend it to anyone in Construction! Brian M.

Much to my surprise (after seeing the price) my normaly rather cheap boss bought this kit for a large comercial remodel we were doing. On the jobsite this is the kit everyone wants to use instead of dragging a cord around and if your using it you have to keep your eye on it or it will grow legs. Exept for the ocasional battery charge (can be a problem if two people are using seperate tools, there are only two batteries) it functions just like normal corded tools power wise. Allthough the hammer drill is only good for light duty concrete drilling. I can't really compair it to other lithium kits because I haven't used any of the other ones.The things I really don't like about it, and the thing that everyone complains about is the case! If you haven't ever put the thing back in it's case before it can take guys like 10 minutes of fiddling to get it to close, everything has to be in the EXACT right place and position! It is a real pain and seems like a $10 case for an $800 kit. That and the batteries are sometime difficult to engage.