I think that I have an addiction. A tool addiction (Power tools you mucky pups!).
I seem to acquire at least 2.1 new tools per project I take on – I offer up in mitigation that I never buy anything that I don’t need (albeit, I might not need the tool for that specific project) – but, I can say “hand on heart” each and every tool gets used way more than once.
Anyhow, before I disappear down a rabbit hole on my love of power tools lets talk about one of my latest additions to the armoury the DeWalt DCD803NT.
First off – the 803NT is DeWalt’s first 18V XR multi-head driver which was released to the UK market in early 2026.
The thing that makes this drill different from other Combi drills form the DeWalt range is that you can simply clip on and clip off one of the supplied four interchangeable heads according to the job at hand.
This is far more useful than you might think – imagine that you have a job which first requires a pilot hole drilled for a screw – normally you would have to pop in a drill bit, drill the hole, then remove the drill bit, then put in a screw bit then drive it in.
The unit is supplied with:
- 1 x Right Angle Head
- 1 x Offset Head
- 1 x Traditional all metal Chuck
- 1 x 1/4 in. Hex Quick Release Bit Holder
Where as you have 4 heads you can combine 3 of them with the right angle head to create a number of further drilling positions by adjusting the angle head on the body of the drill which can get you into so many different kind of spaces – which is ideal for activities like cabinet making or drilling in confined spaces.
That being said whereas there is huge versatility in the interchangeable heads onto what is a fairly compact body – I have found that there are situations where something like the DCF601D2-GB combined with a Dewalt Right Angle Drill Adaptor is a much better fit into those really, really confined spaces so, whilst it is a very good tool it doesn’t fit absolutely everywhere.
In terms of power, the 803 when compared to some of my other drills I’d say sits at the low to medium end. It doesn’t have the power of the DCD1007 (which isn’t unexpected given that is currently DeWalt’s top of the line combi-drill).
I’d also say that from a power perspective it is no where near the DCD 996 (which I have owned). It is probably more aligned to something like the DeWalt 778 (which I have never owned) – but when all is said and done it is still a pretty powerful drill which is designed for more intricate work such as cabinet making or drilling into less dense / thick materials or medium duty tasks.
With it topping out at around 73Nm in Torque (the DCD 996 (95Nm) and DCD 1007 (169Nm) respectively) you’ll still get it through drilling into some light brickwork – but anything more significant and you’re going to be out of luck as it lacks a hammer function (which, I haven’t found to be a huge issue as I have other drills that are more than up to that task).
However key point is that each and every tool has it’s purpose – and in my view the function of this tool is to perform awkward drilling tasks when working in the main with wood and lighter materials in a more convenient way. The variable heads allow for it more to be used for a more versatile range of tasks – which means to the consumer there are less changes of bits.
In terms of a practical power source for this Drill it will perform well on traditional 18v 5ah XR batteries, but the sweet spot is probably something like either 1.7 – 5 ah Powerstack battery. This compares favourably against the DCD 1007 which, if you want it to work to it’s true potential you will need to run that on a minimum of a 5ah Powerstack – but it really gets going when plugged into a 54v Flexvolt.
Overall I think that whilst this drill makes some compromises in terms of power, its a good little utility effort (a bring drill if you will – as opposed to a ‘Breg gun’ for those Snatch fans reading). It’s excellent for light weight work, efficiency and being capable of being used in awkward and cramped situations. I am not sure if it is worth its price tag if your work is mainly heavy duty based – but if you’re mainly performing carpentry, cabinet making or fitting kitchens or the like then it is probably worth a look as it will reduce the number of tools that you will bring to a job site.
