Oh, forgot to mention the 12V is the 3/8 chuck and the 14.4 is a 1/2 chuck. I'm assuming the 3/8 chuck will hold tiny bits more securely. ???

IMO I would look at the price of batteries, My dewalts 18V was 99 bucks ea and they didn't last no longer than the cheaper drills, After about 4 years and a few batteries I dumped my $429 buck dewalt pack at a garage sale for $250. The contractor that brought it was glad to get it and I was glad to get rid of them. I saved 200 bucks ever other year.

My problem is seasonal use. So that why I went with the SEARS 19.5V 4 pack of tools. 1/3 the price and twice the tools and the batteries are 39 bucks and even cheaper when you catch them on sale.

Now if you use them every day in a bussiness then I could see going with the best. But, it's your dime vs. useage.

I've had a Makita for several years and it has been great. I have two batteries so I always have one ready to go in the charger. I find it very usefull for drilling with a small drill bit and then using my electric power drill for setting the actual screws.

Get one with cord and 100 ft drop cord on reel. Keyless chuck with clutch so set torque. I have Makita with 2 dead batterys 4 years there gone to bad.

I'm looking at buying a drill with a cord. They are actually less expensive than ones with batteries. I have a dewalt 12v that is about 7 years old. I use it around the house which is not very often. It came with two batteries. One battery is dead but the other one is still working. I always have to remember to plug the battery into the wall for charging before any project. To me this is a pain. Hey I can use the drill for this project. Grab the drill and find out the battery is dead. If I have a drill with a cord...plug it in and get the job done.
It also sounds like the drill gears are going. Probably from mixing paint too much with the drill.

The DeWalt has NiCd batteries in it; that's not helping you with the whole leaving it sit for a long time deal. The Makita uses NiMH batteries; far better at working off the shelf in my experience.

I just purchased the 12V MForce Makita from Amazon for like 146 bucks. Has only 40 less torque then the 14.4V Makita, but the same motor and transmission. I think it will serve my purposes just fine (oh, and its more torquey then the non-MForce 12V).

I just got the set in the link below because folks on another site I found swore by it(has the 6337 drill), and wish I'd have had it for the last 10 years. I'm having so much fun that I'm running out of stuff to fix. The impact driver is the berries. Think the batteries are around 50 bucks if you have to replace them. You can save a few bucks on the set with ebay, but I think for something like this, amazon may be the safer deal.

Good Luck,

Dave

http://www.amazon.com/Makita-6935FDWDEX-14-4-Volt-Cordless-Fluorescent/dp/B000ASE2YM/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/002-1571981-8046464?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1190841966&sr=8-2

Can't some of those drill battery packs be opened? I would think that the individual NiCad cells can be replaced for a fraction of the price of a new battery module.

If my Milwaukee drill batteries ever go bad, that is what I plan to do.

I opened up my HoneyWell Auto Strobonar 480S Flash from 1975 and replaced the NiCad cells. It works like new.

Check out Ridgid, when I bought mine they were giving a lifetime service agreement that covered batteries. I haven't tested it yet but supposed to replace batteries for free for life. The drill is probably not up Makita or DeWalt quality but adequate for my needs. They are only sold at Home Depot and the sales staff don't have a clue. You have to go to the Ridgid web site to register for the lifetime service.

I have a Bosch PS20-2 Litheon 10.8-Volt Lithium-Ion Pocket Driver that is the best. It's small, lightweight and power full. This is the first cordless driver/drill that IÂve ever owned and I use it for everything. ItÂs always with me ready to go unless my wife is using it!
My other drill is a corded Bosch drill, never buy cheap power tools unless to like to buy new tools every few years.

http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-PS20-2-10-8-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Batteries/dp/B000F4GITI/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-6259603-8778501?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1190990247&sr=8-1

If there is a Harbor Freight near you, you might want to look at their Drill Master cordless drills. The price is right--about $15--and the battery is rechargable. For homeowner use the drill is more than adequate. We have two chuckless and one chucked drill, and they all have performed well. They are made in China, but since you don't plan to put it in your mouth, it ought to be safe!

In my opinion just don't get De Walt. I bought a kit of 18V drill and circular saw for over $400 and later bought a 12V right angle drill. The batteries ( all 3 ) burned on there own recharger and I still have all the tools without any battery. To replace the battery is more than buying some other cheaper tools. I talk to the sales rep of De Walt and there is nothing they can do. I bought a set of Ryobi 18V tools for less than if I just replace the battery and it works. I used it for doing earthquake retrofit which is usually quite heavy duty, they work. I dropped them from 8 ft. ledder many times and still work. Not the best but works. I would not buy any De Walt anymore. I have a lot of fancy tools, I truely don't think it is that important to get the best best. I see more and more contractor using Ryobi.

I had a similar problem with DeWalt. I bought a "REFURBISHED" 12 volt drill, with 2 batteries and a charger, for $120, (a couple of years ago). The price seemed a little steep, but I thought I was buying the
best. After about a year, one of the batts.
went bad and DeWalt wanted almost $70 for one battery!!
I scrounged around the internet and found a new one for
$24. No more DeWalt anything for me. Besides, they are
just a Black & Decker in different colors.

I would look seriously at the Panasonic line! Hey don't they make batteries too?Highly sought after by the pros!
I bought one over 4 years ago still going strong! I also recomend the hammer drills a little bit more expensive but what a BEAR! the one I have is an original 6-7 plus year old MAKITA alos going very strong on the original batteries!

Get a Panasonic. They have the best battery/charger technology and their drills are top notch. Don't worry about anything greater then 12-15v. If you need more capability then that go corded unless you have a very specialized application. (extra voltage just adds needless weight and bulk)

My Panasonics drill batteries have lasted well over 10 years however now it's time to replace them.

I got 20 new 2.4AH Nicad sub C's for about $35 shipped from Ebay. That will allow me to rebuild both battery packs for a tiny fraction of OEM replacement.

Here's my other advice. Try and avoid cordless tools unless you really need them. Maintaining good batteries status can be a PIA.

Until recently, I would have to agree with the Panasonic recomendation, having used a lot of them at home and work. However, the last two that I have bought, 15.6volts, one nicad and on one nimh, both had very short battery life. They only went 2-3 years of home use. The old 12 volts that I had lasted at least double that.

This time I got a Hitachi 18volt with lithium ion batteries, very light, very powerful, but it doesn't feel as solid as the Panasonic. At 550 inch pounds of torque and very long battery life, it is useable almost anywhere I would use the corded drills, and cost about the same as a Panasonic.

I would say stay away from cordless tools,for home use;maintianing the batteries will be a PITA.Unless you don't mind plugging in a charger 1 hour before you want to use it;otherwise,Get a corded tool;it'll be a sure thing.................I would say Makita's drills,and impact tools are made the best,but about battery's and charging technology,I'm not sure.............I'm still waiting to see how long mine will last. I have a porter-cable kit,that 1 of the batteries got weak,the other is still good,and that kit is about 5-6 yrs old,with occasional use..............I just got the makita Drill,impact driver/light with 2 batteries(Very Nice!)And I'm still waiting to see how long the batteries will last;but those are metal hydride,not NiCad,so they should last longer..........

Just don't get De Walt stuff. I waisted over $600 dollars on them. I bought a set of 18V drill and circular saw and 12V right angle drill. All the batteries burnt out. Both charger do not stop charging when battery is full. I am not sure there were dirt blocking the charger but I don't notice it. Point is the batteries and charger are soo soo expensive, I end up buying a set of Ryobi for less than I would have paid for the replacement batteries. I see more and more contractors using Ryobi now a days just because it is cheap.( say disposable!!!) Ryobi drills chuck comes loose when use as a drill, works perfect if use in socket driver which is very important to me. I do earthquake retrofit, so it is pretty heavy duty work. Ryobi survive nicely. I dropped it from 8 ft. ladder more than ones, it's ok.( say cheap!!!)

As for toys( more expensive, unnecessary ) I bought a Bocsh 14V drill.( of couse they are a little stronger for the same voltage) so I can have a lighter tool. You be surprise how important light weight is in some situation. Try reaching into a odd place, extend your arms all the way just to reach it, in a funny position. The 18V heavy tool suddenly became not that important any more!!!! Trust me, I have planty of times like this. It is not bigger the better. That's the time you really want to pay more for a low voltage, lighter tool.

But if you are like me, do a little, spend a lot( it's a toy, need justification to spend money to get the best) try the more expensive ones, like Bocsh!!

Hi,

http://www.boschtools.com/tools/tools-detail.htm?H=189200&G=70084&I=69859

I bought one of these screwdrivers from Bosch. Although not really a drill, for smalljobs it is just great. After getting it I never so far had the need for anything larger for stuff around the house.

Best, Mike.