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DeWalt DCF815S2 12V Review

This little 12-volt impact struggled to compete with the rest
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DeWalt DCF815S2 12V Review
Price:  $165 List
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Manufacturer:   DEWALT
By David Wise and Austin Palmer  ⋅  Sep 17, 2022
21
OVERALL
SCORE

RANKED
#11 of 11
  • Speed - 35% 1.0
  • Torque - 25% 1.0
  • Convenience - 20% 6.0
  • Battery - 15% 1.0
  • Noise - 5% 2.0

Our Verdict

Right off the bat, we aren't particularly big fans of the DeWalt DCF815S2 and would be very reluctant to recommend this product compared to the best impact drivers. It scored very poorly in our speed and torque evaluations, which paired with some of the worst results overall in our battery life and noise evaluations. It costs quite a bit more than many tools that performed significantly better, and we are hard-pressed to identify who this tool would be a good fit for.
REASONS TO BUY
Great integrated worklight
Decently convenient
REASONS TO AVOID
Poor measured battery life
Lackluster speed and torque showing in our tests
Editor's Note: We updated this DeWalt 12V review on September 16, 2022, to bring you alternative suggestions for other impact drivers better suited for your needs.

Compare to Similar Products

(change comparison)
 
dewalt dcf815s2 12v
This Product
DeWalt DCF815S2 12V
Awards  Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall Impact Driver
Editors' Choice Award
Best Tool-Only Impact Driver
 Editors' Choice Award
Best 12 Volt Impact Driver
Price $165 List$220 List
$144.84 at Amazon		$135 List
$118.00 at Amazon		$129 List
$92.90 at Amazon		$120 List
$99.99 at Amazon
Overall Score Sort Icon
21
89
82
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60
Star Rating
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Bottom Line The DCF815S2 failed to impress us with its very lackluster results across the boardIf you want an ultra-fast and strong impact driver with an efficient battery, this model is the oneThis impact driver offers fantastic speed and torque in a compact packageIf you want a high performance impact driver that can hang with the best, this is a good choiceWhen it comes to 12-volt impact drivers, it's hard to beat the performance of this model
Rating Categories DeWalt DCF815S2 12V Kobalt XTR Max 24V Milwaukee M18 Fuel... Makita XDT13 Milwaukee M12 Fuel...
Speed (35%)
1
10.0
9.0
9.0
7.0
Torque (25%)
1
10.0
10.0
10.0
6.0
Convenience (20%)
6.0
6.0
8.0
6.0
7.0
Battery (15%)
1
10.0
5.7
6.6
3.6
Noise (5%)
2.0
3.0
2.0
3.0
3.0
Specs DeWalt DCF815S2 12V Kobalt XTR Max 24V Milwaukee M18 Fuel... Makita XDT13 Milwaukee M12 Fuel...
Average Measured Total Time for Lag Bolt Test 133 seconds 13 seconds 16 seconds 21 seconds 37 seconds
Average Measured Time: Plywood Ledger Screw Test 14 seconds 3 seconds 3 seconds 4 seconds 6 seconds
Average Measured Fastening Torque 110 ft-lb 300 ft-lb 300 ft-lb 282 ft-lb 143 ft-lb
Average Measured Breaking Torque 100 ft-lb 300 ft-lb 300 ft-lb 300 ft-lb 275 ft-lb
Average Measured Time: 3-2'x12' Ledger Screw Test 9.0 seconds 2.1 seconds 2.0 seconds 2.8 seconds 3.7 seconds
Battery Test Screws Driven 15 117 68 78 44
Measured Length 159 mm 139 mm 116 mm 126 mm 132 mm
Average Measured Decibels While Using 100 dBa 96 dBa 99 dBa 97 dBa 97 dBa
Impact Driver Model # DCF815 KXID 124B-03 2853-20 XDT13 2553-20
Quick Bit Insert Yes No Yes Yes Yes
Bit Holder No No Yes No No
Multiple Fastening Modes No Yes Yes No Yes

Our Analysis and Test Results

This impact has a good built-in work light and a quick insert chuck, but its lengthy list of flaws outweighs these factors.

Performance Comparison


dewalt dcf815s2 12v - for the price, unfortunately the dewalt dcf815s2 12v is generally...
For the price, unfortunately the DeWalt DCF815S2 12V is generally underwhelming.
Credit: Laura Casner

Speed


The DCF815S2 got off to a rough start by delivering one of the worst performances we have seen to date in our most important rating metric: speed. It was one of the slowest we have seen driving in screws, taking significantly longer to sink ledgers and lag bolts into sheet goods or dimensional lumber. On average, it took almost four times as long to drive a ledger screw into a stack of plywood or 2x12s as the fastest model and almost couldn't even seat the head of a lag bolt against the wood.

dewalt dcf815s2 12v - this model is not very fast at driving fasteners.
This model is not very fast at driving fasteners.
Credit: Laura Casner

Torque


This pint-sized model didn't pack much of a punch in our torque tests, falling flat compared to the rest of the group. It only managed to tighten a ¾" nut to an average of 110 foot-pounds during our tightening test — far less than the 300 foot-pounds or so the top tools could achieve. The DCF815S2 can comfortably break a ¾" nut loose when it was tightened to 75 foot-pounds and only took 5 seconds to crack one tightened to 100 foot-pounds loose but failed to free anything tighter than that.

dewalt dcf815s2 12v - the dewalt 12v torque is less than impressive.
The DeWalt 12V torque is less than impressive.
Credit: Laura Casner

Convenience


Regrettably, the list of things we liked about this impact driver is fairly short. As mentioned above, we were impressed with the amount of light this tool provides. It does a great job of fully illuminating your work area, but it, unfortunately, doesn't stay on unless you are holding the trigger. However, you can press the trigger just enough to turn on the light without the chuck starting to spin.

dewalt dcf815s2 12v - the dewalt 12v has fantastic lights.
The DeWalt 12V has fantastic lights.
Credit: Laura Casner

This impact lets you insert a ¼" hex bit into the chuck just by pressing — you don't need to lift the locking collar like other models. The DCF815 is also on the lighter side for these products. In terms of things we liked, that's pretty much it — we warned you the list is short.

Battery


For our battery assessment, we alternated between setting 14 3" ledger screws and driving in 3 ½" lag bolt in and out, scoring each tool on the number of cycles completed. Most tools completed at least two or three cycles of this, but the DCF815S2 couldn't even make it through a single cycle on a full charge, dying before it could remove the lag bolt.

Noise


This impact is also one of the louder models, averaging close to 100 dBa while driving a screw at the ear level of the operator in our tests — much louder than other models. This is loud enough to exceed typical safe noise exposure levels with continued use. When using this tool, you should always follow the manufacturer's instructions regarding personal protective equipment.

dewalt dcf815s2 12v - unless you are dedicated to dewalt cordless tools, it is worthwhile...
Unless you are dedicated to DeWalt cordless tools, it is worthwhile looking at other options for impact drivers.
Credit: Laura Casner

Should You Buy the DeWalt DCF815S2 12V?


It was a struggle to find positives with this product, and the few we found were far overshadowed by its long list of negatives, in our opinion. We would be very reticent to suggest the DCF815S2 for your next impact driver purchase and would strongly suggest you consider other options.

What Other Impact Drivers Should You Consider?


Overall, this tool is far from a good bargain buy, costing much more than other products with much higher scores. An easy comparison is to the Milwaukee M18 Fuel, our top-scoring impact driver that costs significantly less than this bottom-of-the-barrel model. Similarly, if you are specifically aiming for a 12-volt model, we suggest the Milwaukee M12 Fuel.

— David Wise and Austin Palmer
 
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