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It is light weight, and the battery life is great. This is an awesome tool for what I have been using it for, which is drilling 1/2" and smaller holes in wood and driving wood screws.My wife loves this drill, too.
I have also used the 9.6V series from Makita, which are also great for continuous light duty work.This drill is pretty tough - I have dropped it a few times onto concrete, and it still works great. It is light and manageable, and having used 18V DeWalt and 19.2V Porter-Cable drills, I much prefer this smaller drill.
My wife got this drill over a year ago, and it's great. This is not the tool for frequently driving lag screws or large diameter forstner bits and hole saws.
I have not had the quality problems many of the other reviewers mention. Both of us have used it on countless projects.
I have not had a problem with torque limitations with this, but I am also using it only for drilling wood and driving wood and dry-wall screws.
You can't place the drill upright. This is a replacement to one I bought nearly 12 years ago. You just have to remember to place it on it's side. It falls over every time. It's been a staple in my home wood shop since then and has never let me down. The torque is adequate for driving any screw type in wood but is too light for drilling into concrete without a lot of effort.One negative.
The drill seems well built and functions well but the batteries leave something to be desired. So in the market for a new one. Have owned this drill a while and worked fine for some time, no real problems, except for the batteries. Two new batteries cost just 10$ less then a new drill. Maybe a Lith Ion one. After a year or so one became noticeably weaker and held a charge shorter then the other. Now neither will hold much of a charge.
Not sure why it happens, but I don't think it's me- I treat my tools well.* The power leaves something to be desired. These drills are OK, but I think there are better models out there. I've owned two of these drills for three years. I've used these drills for everything imaginable. Some items, such as a circular saw and biscuit joiner are awesome. I had a total of three chargers between my tools, two charging units have died. Not too impressive- I expected better.* The chuck sometimes will not grip against whatever mechanism is in there, and will instead just "click and spin", requiring some finesse to get the chuck working properly.
I've had variable results with Porter Cable. Now that Porter Cable / Delta has been bought by Black and Decker (like DeWalt was years ago) hopefully the quality of the tools will improve.
Specifically:* The battery chargers are junk. Next drill I'll get an 18V Li-Ion battery model* On the good side, I like the feel of the drill and the adjustable clutch is easy to adjust on the fly.
I'm a former carpenter and an obsessive compulsive home improver. Maybe this is just due to the 12V capacity, I don't know.
I used to think the Porter Cable label ensured a high quality tool, but it pays to carefully compare I now know. In general I've had a good opinion of Porter Cable tools, but I feel the quality of these drills leaves a lot to be desired and I would not buy them again.
In the same period, two batteries have also died.
I have to agree with the other comments, that I too am dissapointed in this drill. I expected much more from PC equipment, and am truly very dissapointed. My wife gave me this drill/light combo for Christmas some time ago, and since have used it extensively.
I thought the motor had burnt out, but it appears to have been the battery. I have used my fathers cordless many times with no problems which is why I wanted one of my one, so you can see my frustration is not unwarranted. I went out and purchased a Rigid 18v from the Home Depot, and am much more satisfied.
After reading the other reviews I thought I'd put my 2 cents in. One day the drill started smoking from the side vents while I was drilling through pine 2 X 4's. Caveat emptor.
I am not a contractor, but do all my home improvement and many other projects myself, so this drill has been used, but not abused. The chuck has slipped an uncountable number of times, and makes your hands hamburger tring to get it tight enough to grip any bit that is not a hex shaft.
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