Re: Cordless drill
i will second (third? fourth? I did not read all the replies...) vote for LiIon batteries. 20 minute full charge on the 18-20 volt tools I own.
I have 3 brands in my "arsenal" and all have their merits and use.
I have a Ridgid 18v impact driver, lifetime warranty on batteries with free replacement. CANNOT BEAT THIS. The tool itself is warranted forever too under the service contract I purchased at the time for an additional 5 bucks.
I have a Hitachi 18v LI drill - nice workhorse, quick charge time and pretty handy to carry, lacks a bit holder on the version i got. Purchased with "atta-boy" points thru a rewards program at work. DEFINITELY worth the price paid.
Last Christmas my dad gave me a dewalt impact and hammer drill set. got an 18v battery and a 20v high capacity battery that fit both units. charge time for either is less than a half hour. I have yet to use the hammer drill function, but with the 20v battery, the drill will probably snap my wrist if i let it. very powerful drill. in a side by side comparison the dewalt will drive 6" 3/8's lag screws flush into 2 stacked 2x4's about a full second faster than the hitachi, and holds a charge longer...a LOT longer.
Now let's talk about impact driver vs. drill. First off, the impacts i own are considerably lighter than the drills. second, i get no torque kickback when driving screws. once you try an impact driver, for MOST things you use one of these things for, they are the bee's knees. I even use both of my impacts for speedy lugnut removal on my cars when performing routine maint. I break the lugs loose with a breaker bar, and then jack the car and fire them off and on with the impact driver. Tighten to torque with a proper torque wrench.
Comparing the two dewalt devices side by side to run 3.5" drywall screws in during a bathroom remodel - the drill is a bit quicker to sink the screw, but maintaining proper depth on the screw was a challenge but with the impact, i have alot more control, and a TON less hand fatigue because there is NO torque transfer to the handle. I've used the crap out of both impacts and neither is showing any signs of wear or giving up. another thing about the impacts...i have yet to bugger up a phillips head screw when using the impact. drills are notorious for fawking up screws. I wish i had an impact back when i was building speaker boxes at a stereo shop for a living.
Give an impact a try and see for yourself. there's a ton of drill bits for normal household stuff that come fitted with a hex end for use on the impact drivers too.
Comparing the dewalt to the ridgid...the dewalt has 3 LED's to light the way, located in the head of the driver. the ridgid has one, located at the battery. Dewalt wins...it lights the area I want lit. the dewalt has more oomph. it's faster by a half inch on the lag bolt test above. I can drive drywall screws with a single hand. I tried to find a video i made firing a 3.5" drywall screw into the wall one handed while filming with the other hand...it is really effortless. The dewalt has another feature i like alot, a spring assisted bit eject when changing bits. not a big deal, but i like it.
my uncle is a drywaller by trade. I asked him one day if he tried using an impact for doing drywall screws. he actualy carries 2 Milwaukee mini impacts and says that the chargers and drivers keep him at a constant pace when hanging sheets. he and one other guy can do 4 full 1200 sq foot apartments and the hallways in a single day with them and when they used the heavy drywall screw guns, they were only able to accomplish 3 apartments and were much more fatigued at the end of the day. That is what prompted me to get the impact in the first place - i was working on the same bathroom project mentioned above, and had a bunch of concrete backerboard to hang and lay on the floor. the impact made quick work of this and sinking the screws to a perfect just below flush was unbelievably easy. doing the same with the hitachi and it's horrible clutch was just simply NO comparison at all.
both drills spend more time on the shelf or in the toolbox than the impacts. Nuff said. sorry for the long winded post