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If you are looking for a great dailing drill, look no further, it is definately a steal for $200. It also seems to be a little more powerful then the older version, but that may be because it is brand spanking new. This drill will happily shear the heads off of deck screws and 1/4" bolts if care is not taken. I just purchased and received My 4th panasonic 15.6v drill. For those whom do not use a cordless daily, this drill might be abit overbearing as it has alot of power, and drives screws very quickly on high speed. The new batteries tend to last a long time when charge.
With the newest edition came some nice changes to the drill, a more tapered chuck to get it into even tighter spaces, as well as the elimination of the ratcheting chuck, this one is much quieter when inserting and tightening a bit. The 1st one I bought in 99, because it had a 1/2" chuck. I have never known another contractor to carry one since it is not sold a Lowes or Home Depot, but everyone who has tried or borrowed my drill has been thoroughly impressed. I have heard that the long term battery life is short when the drill is not used often, or stored fully charged. I used it alongside some makita drills, but it quickly made its way to being my #1 choice. I am a professional handyman, and have been in the business for 16 years.
I use this drill daily, and it has never failed. My last drill and others (replaced when the batteries no longer hold a charge) have lasted some 3 years each, two of which I still use as backups, they'll hold a charge for 30 min or so, long enough when I need two drills, or I just use the other new battery that came with the new drill.
Every once and a while the chuck starts having "catches" in it when adjusting it for the next bit or tool. Some have written about difficulty to center a bit. The batteries last a long time, and I have never had a situation where the second battery died before the other one was fully charged and ready to keep the tool going. The case has held up well, too.
Problem gone. The first was great--until I had it stolen. I think that this is a minor thing, and merely taking a little effort to hold the bit centered as you spin down the chuck is all it requires. I have used it with a large mud paddle to mix thinset and joint compounds (probably not recommended) and the motor gets very warm under this type of load. This is the second one I purchased. My second now is about 10 months old. It has kept on running through all of my demands. I suspect it is from plaster or drywall dust entering it while doing overhead work.
I am very pleased with the quality. I do home remodeling. I have used it on virtually ever job I'm at. When this happens, I spray a lot of WD-40 into the chuck and invert it to drain.
Very powerful and great torque. Holds a charge for a couple of weeks with normal use. I've used this drill for a few years now and I can't say enough about it. The battery life is great.
doesn't come w drill bits n the item is way too heavy to do high window treatments.
If I give the batteries a full charge and then put them away in the case, a week later they're close to dead, even if I haven't used them. But the batteries run down fast, even when I'm not using them. Of course, the problem I'm having only began after the warranty expired. I was very happy with this drill at first. It handles well, has plenty of torque for most jobs, and the batteries recharge fast. Replacement batteries are expensive and I'm not sure they'd be any better.
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