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The batteries last about 5 years of hard use, and because you can get the whole kit for under a hundred bucks, I often just by another drill when the batteries get tired. So 5 stars for these little drills. I'm just not victim of the trend for bigger and bigger drills--unless you go lithium, a 14- 18 volt drill is a drag to haul around all day.In the shop, I use electric plug in drills for heavy duty drilling--like 1/2 holes or pocket screw drills. They are light, compact and plenty strong enough almost all drilling/driver jobs and last forever. I now have 3 of these drills for my cabinet shop business, the oldest I purchased over 10 years ago.
Eventually I will get a couple 18 volt makita lithium drills and retire the corded, but thats not a cheap upgrade to do. One has a square driver, one a philips driver and one a countersinker and those bits just stay in the drills. The lightness and compact size is really nice when reaching in cabinets for hardware installation. I certainly hope Makita keeps this line going. I have also used them when building houses for screwing on sheetrock and metal roofing.
This drill is a great buy for light to medium duty use. Battery life is much better than expected also. Has high RPM and high torque for a 9.6v drill. It actually out performs my old 14.4v drill.
This one is just as good. The higher-priced Craftsman models and those like it were a terrible disappointment. This drill is exactly what I've been looking for. Batteries didn't last and replacements were expensive.But Makita is a brand I trust. Tough, durable, and priced right. Years ago I had a Makita rechargeable, and I USED IT TO DEATH.
I'm not talking about holding a charge. I'm talking about torque and power. No matter what I tried, the batteries for that thing would not keep a charge. This happened time after time. Be it for professional or lighter-duty home use, it's hard to go wrong with Makita.I'm not sure what standards are used to rate battery voltages. After having my Makita 9.6v drill-driver (the older long-handled model) stolen a few years ago, I purchased a 13.2v Craftsman drill.
WRONG. How frustrating is it to pick up a tool that you charged 2 days before only to find it dead. It seems odd that the two lower voltage Makita's I've owned outperformed the higher voltage Craftsman. All I can say is that Makita still makes the best rechargeable tools. What a big mistake.As I no longer owned my own home, I figured that the Craftsman would be good enough. I finally got disgusted enough to simply throw it into the trash where it belonged.
The Craftsman, with it higher voltage, just didn't have the "juice" of the Makita. Remembering how much I loved and trusted my old Makita, I decided to again buy that brand.
I use this drill for those small jobs & hard to reach places and it is great.I have had mine for over 8 years now & have never had any problems the battery's are finely not holding a charge i cant believe they have lasted this long. great tool.
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