Just to add to the list:
A 12 volt Craftsman "Contractor Series" that is at least
10 years old.
A 12 volt Hitachi that is at least 8 years old.
Both have provided enough power for just about everything
I've ever needed and the light weight of the 12 volt is nice.
I've had to bring out the corded 1/2 inch drill only a few
times over the 10 year period.
One nice feature of the Hitachi is a "battery holster". It
goes on you belt and holds two batteries. There is a cord
that goes from the holster to the spot on the drill where
the battery plugs in. When putting up sheetrock, etc. having
the weight of the battery on you hip and not on the drill
is a big arm-saver.
The only bad feature is of both drills has been the batteries.
Every few years I've had to have both packs for both drills
rebuilt - usually costing about what I paid for the drills!!
This spring I bought a Panasonic 15 volt with NiMH
batteries. According to the test reports I read, it has as
much power and torque as most 18 volt drills [the claim
is that the NiMH battery is able to supply more current
than the NiCad battery]. NiMH usually does not allow
as many charge/discharge cycles as NiCad, but I seem
to have memory problems with the NiCads before I
reach the cycle limit so hopefully the NiMH will give
me better total battery life.
Arvid
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