MUCH BETTER DRILL NOW
noticably more powerfull than the older version.
i'm not so sold on the pistol grip. its great when drilling down , but gets a bit heavy if screwing to walls such a s drywalling.
the new chuck is much easier to use.
1/15/2007
best cordless I've ever used
I work construction for a living, doing a little bit of everything. One minute I'll be driving self taping screws into angle iron, the next I'll be punching holes in sheet-metal. And that's before lunch. This drill is awesome. I've used the 14.4v version extensively, it just doesn't have the guts this one has. it has the speed to drill holes quickly, and the torque neccessary to break loose rusty screws (among other things). The wide range of torgue settings is also nice. Perhaps the best thing about it though, is the pistol-grip. It's getting harder and harder to find cordless drills with this style of grip, and 'T' Grips just don't cut it. Every time someone says that a T-grip drill is better then a pistol grip, I have to laugh. There is a good reason that serious drills (screw shooters, hammer drills, etc) have pistol grips. They let you put all your force directly in line with the bit, reducing broken bits and camed out screws. Yes, this drill does get a bit heavy after a while. If you're using a drill continuously for a long time, you should be using a corded drill anyway, so I don't really consider it a downside. Finally, the battery life on this thing is awesome. It lasts nearly twice as long as the old 14.4v batteries.
Now for the downsides:
This may seem minor, but the case it comes in has little room for bits and such. The case itself is the same size as the one for the 14.4v, but they pack 2 larger batteries, and a larger drill (yes, this drill itself is somewhat larger then the 14.4v...this is no drill to use in tight spaces) into it. The last 2 downsides aren't so much downsides, as useless 'features'. The highest speed on this isn't signifigantly faster then the middle speed, but uses quite a bit more power. Finally, the 'hammer-drill' function is a complete joke. You can drill a whole just as fast simply by locking up the clutch and using a masonary bit.
4/10/2009
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