DeWalt DCH273 SDS Plus Drill Review – Tested and Rated for UK Buyers

The DeWalt DCH273 is the 18V XR brushless SDS Plus drill in DeWalt’s cordless range and one of the most widely used SDS drills among UK tradespeople and serious DIYers. SDS Plus is the standard chuck format for hammer drilling in masonry and concrete at this size – the spring-loaded bit retention and dedicated hammer mechanism deliver a level of drilling efficiency that a standard combi drill simply cannot match when working through brick, blockwork, concrete or stone. If you are fixing anything to masonry on a regular basis, hanging radiators, fitting electrical back boxes, installing garden structures or doing any significant building work, an SDS Plus drill transforms how quickly and easily those tasks are completed.

We tested the DCH273 on a range of masonry tasks typical of UK domestic and trade work – drilling fixings into brick and dense blockwork, coring through cavity wall ties, chiselling out old mortar and removing a patch of concrete. The question was whether the brushless motor upgrade and DeWalt’s XR engineering justify the price premium over cheaper SDS Plus alternatives, and whether it holds up as the reliable workhorse tool it is marketed to be.

Overview and first impressions

Out of the box the DCH273 is compact and lighter than many users expect from an SDS Plus drill. At 2.3kg body only it sits at the lighter end of the 18V SDS class – the brushless motor’s smaller form factor contributes to this – and the overall balance in the hand is excellent. The three-mode selector (rotary only, hammer and rotation, hammer only for chiselling) is a solid rotating collar that clicks positively into each position without any slop. This is an important detail on an SDS drill – a vague mode selector that can vibrate out of position mid-task is a genuine safety concern, and the DCH273’s implementation is reassuring.

The XR brushless motor runs noticeably smoother and quieter than the brushed SDS drills in the same price bracket, with less vibration transmitted to the hand during sustained drilling. Electronic clutch control prevents the bit jamming from spinning the tool body – an important safety feature when drilling large diameter holes or working in confined spaces. The build quality throughout is to the standard UK tradespeople expect from XR tools: the body feels solid and robust, the rubberised grip areas are well-positioned and the bit change mechanism is fast and positive.

Specifications and scores

How it performed in testing

Drilling 10mm fixings into standard UK house brick is the bread-and-butter task for an SDS Plus drill and the DCH273 handles it effortlessly. The 2.1J impact energy is more than adequate for this application – holes appear quickly and cleanly without the need to apply significant forward pressure. The brushless motor’s variable speed control allows careful starting in a new location before ramping up to full drilling speed, which prevents bit walking on smooth surfaces. This is a small but practically important detail that distinguishes well-engineered SDS drills from cheaper alternatives where full-power start is the only option.

Dense blockwork and engineering brick presented a more demanding challenge. The DCH273 maintained its pace well through denser material, though with noticeably more vibration than when drilling standard brick. The anti-vibration handle absorbs a reasonable amount of this but sustained drilling sessions in hard aggregate blockwork will leave the hand feeling the work. This is characteristic of the 2.1J impact energy class rather than a specific criticism of the DCH273 – a heavier SDS Max tool would be more appropriate for extended heavy blockwork, but the DCH273 is not marketed as a heavy-duty concrete tool.

The chisel-only mode for mortar removal worked well for the scale of task it is intended for – clearing old mortar from a small area of repointing or chiselling out a damaged brick. The bit retention in chisel mode is solid and the tool does not attempt rotation, transmitting all energy directly into the chisel. For more extensive chiselling work the single-joule energy figure again becomes the limiting factor and a dedicated SDS Max breaker would be more appropriate.

Battery and runtime

The DCH273 runs on DeWalt’s 18V XR platform, which is the largest cordless ecosystem in the UK professional market. XR batteries are cross-compatible across DeWalt’s full 18V range – combi drills, impact drivers, jigsaws, circular saws, grinders and dozens of other tools all share the same battery format. For a tradesperson building a cordless toolkit, this compatibility is one of the strongest arguments for committing to the DeWalt XR platform.

Performance and limitations

The DCH273 sits in the middle of the SDS Plus performance range. The 2.1J impact energy is sufficient for the majority of domestic and light trade drilling tasks in UK construction materials – standard brick, medium density blockwork, concrete lintels and similar. Where it reaches its limits is in heavy aggregate concrete, dense engineering blockwork and any application requiring holes larger than about 20mm diameter in hard material. For those tasks, a higher-energy SDS Plus tool or an SDS Max drill is the correct choice.

The brushless motor delivers a meaningful practical advantage in the form of consistent performance across a full battery charge. Brushed SDS drills show a noticeable reduction in drilling speed and impact energy as the battery depletes, particularly in the last third of the charge. The DCH273’s brushless motor maintains more consistent output across the full discharge cycle, which matters in practice when drilling a large batch of fixings and needing the last hole to go in as quickly as the first.

Final verdict – is it worth it?

The DeWalt DCH273 is a well-made, well-balanced SDS Plus drill that performs reliably across the range of masonry tasks it is designed for. The brushless motor is the key upgrade over older brushed SDS drills in the same price range – consistent performance, longer service life and better battery efficiency combine to make a meaningful practical difference for anyone who uses an SDS drill regularly. The compact form factor and light weight for the class make it genuinely comfortable for extended overhead and confined space work, which matters more than most buyers anticipate when choosing an SDS drill.

The body-only pricing is the main sticking point for new buyers. Added to the cost of a quality 5Ah XR battery and fast charger, the total spend is significant. For existing DeWalt XR users that calculation disappears entirely and the DCH273 becomes straightforwardly the right choice. For those starting fresh, the decision requires weighing the XR ecosystem investment against the long-term benefits – and the answer depends heavily on how many other tools you intend to buy and whether DeWalt XR is the platform you plan to build around.

For the intended user – an existing XR owner needing a reliable SDS Plus drill for standard UK masonry work – the DCH273 earns a strong recommendation. It does exactly what it promises, reliably and without drama, which is precisely what you want from a tool in this category.