by Jeff Casto

Created on: March 22, 2010

According to Harvard professor Theodore Levitt, people don’t want drills, they want holes. I understand his point, but when it comes to power tools, I have to disagree. People who enjoy working with their hands not only want holes, they want the experience of using a piece of powerful machinery to make a hole. The act brings satisfaction as well as functionality. And for those who want these experiences, the DeWalt DWD110 Variable Speed Reversible Heavy Duty Drill fills the need commendably.

I bought this drill on sale at Lowe’s for $49. I needed to replace my old, worn-out Black & Decker and was looking for something that was well-built and had plenty of power, but was inexpensive. This drill met all three conditions.

This is a heavy-duty, 3/8 inch drive, variable-speed, reversible, pistol-grip style drill. It has a cool-looking yellow and black colored hard plastic case with an eight foot power cord. It features a 7 amp motor that provides variable speeds from 0-2500 RPM. A bubble level on the top rear of the drill helps the user drill accurate vertical or horizontal holes. It has a keyless chuck, a hook on the top for hanging on a hook or for hooking onto a belt, and a switch in front of the trigger for reversing the direction of the drill. It weighs 4.1 lbs and comes in a durable plastic carrying case.

My daughter acts in productions at a local children’s theater. Parents supply the labor for building the sets. There is always a need for drills during this activity, and most of us bring our own. Because there is a lot of commotion and moving from place to place during set build, I considered buying a cordless drill. But while cordless drills offer convenience, they can’t match the power of a corded drill. On some sets, I’ve used my DeWalt to drill through thick-walled steel pipe, hard wood, and an occasional metal plate in addition to softer woods and metals. A cordless would not have been able to handle many of these jobs, not to mention the drawback of the battery not being able to last the long hours it takes to build a set.

In use, the drill feels nicely balanced and comfortable in your hand. On the back of the pistol grip is a wide strip of hard rubber which improves comfort and helps isolate vibration. In fact, very little vibration is felt, even when drilling through hard materials. At just over four pounds, though, it can start to feel a bit heavy after hours of use.

Controlling the speed is not difficult. Although

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