Battery Chargers Reviews

I purchased a Ryobi combo set that included the same tools as the Makita combo set. Battery life with the Ryobi was short and the recip saw broke after a few hours. I returned the Ryobi set and purchased the Makita combo set after reading the customer reviews here.

I put up galvanized steel fence panels on my property and used the reciprocating saw to cut the panels to fit. What a difference! The recip saw cut through the galvanized steel like butter! A nice feature is the adjustable shoe. Being able to move the shoe up or down lengthens the life of the blade by moving the cutting edge to other parts of the blade. Another nice feature is the do-it-yourself carbon brush changes on the recip and drill/driver. The drill is in itself is really nice. Again, the quality of the tool was evident. Batteries seemed to last a long time.

I've grown up using corded tools [usually past down from my father] and finally decided to buy a nice cordless tool set after tripping on extension cords once too many times. Power is right up there with the corded tools.

If you are looking for a good set of tools, this is the set to buy.

I bought this tool set about 1 year ago and It is so handy. I have used it more times than I can count. I am a carpenter and I use it from trim work to cutting plywood off the eves of a roof. I am very impressed with the power of the drill, the amount of work I can get out of the tools on one charge of the batteries and how efficient the tools are to use. The tools are very rugged and durable. They have held up very well on the jobsite and I use them just about everyday. I highly recommend them to anyone who needs the power of a corded tool with the effiecency of a cordless.

Have now used this kit quite a bit while building a shed from scratch.

The drill is incredible. Great power, flexibility, balance and battery life. I have managed to break one of the two included bits, but I replaced it at the hardware store for 89 cents. The drill itself seems solid and well built, even after a lot of use.

The circ saw is powerful enough and well balanced, but battery life can be an issue if you don't plan your charges in advance.

The recip saw is nice enough and well balanced, if a little heavy (I had to do some tight cutting above my head and holding it up there was a little tiring after a while).

The flashlight? Well, it just sits there. I suppose it would be ok, but usually both of my batteries are taken, either by a tool or the charger.

The standout here is really the drill, followed by the circular saw. The fact that I don't have to drag a cord around is simply wonderful, and the 18v tools provide more than enough power for the things I do.

This replaced my old Twist extra that was around for lots of years, and is as good or better than the old one. The convienience of charging the batteries along with the screwdriver is a plus with this new one, and the storage compartment for the included bit is handy to have.
A very good tool for the price.............

I've had two of these screwdrivers for twelve years and am only now replacing the batteries. The screwdrivers still work great. They are VERY strong, will screw or unscrew virtually anything, and the batteries last a long time between charges. I once lost one of them for over a year - couldn't imagine what happened to it - and finally found it right where I'd left it - inside an evaporative cooler on the roof of my house. The metal parts - collar and screwdriver bit - were totally rusted, but when I put a freshly charged battery in the unit worked just fine, and does so to this day. Highly recommended.

Have owned one for at least 12 years, went through a couple of batteries, now its finally time for a new one. Sturdy, perfect power, efficient, all the great things everyone else has already said. Buying my second one, even if they quit making the batteries, I can't complain about a tool that lasts as long as this one and works as hard for the price. Their new flex handle version looks nice also, but this one has come to feel like an extension of my hand, with years of solid service.

Over the past 8 years, I have worn out four different manufacturers' 12 volt drills. This panasonic is hands down better than any of the competition. The balance and performance of the drill is pure QUALITY. The chuck says it all. I truly enjoy using this drill. All of my team mates at Habitat-for-Humanity beg to use it.

You will not be disappointed with this drill motor. It is every thing the reviews say it is and then some. I have other brands, the Panasonic has better balance, unexpected power and it's a great bargin. In the future I will buy another Panasonic.

I absolutely love this driver. It has the best balance of all the drivers I've owned and tried and am very impressed with the quality of workmanship.

Panasonic cordless drills are incredibly well made. I have beaten my pair nearly to death. Several years ago I left mine on the roof accidentally over the winter, for several months of rain and snow. When the snow melted, there it was, and it has worked perfectly for years since. There are a lot of less expensive, excellent cordless drills out there. If you want the best--the best made; the best heft; the best size-power ratio--I recommend this drill.

This cordless drill is as close to perfection as a tool could be. I have 2 Porter Cable 19.2V cordless drills besides this one, and I have found myself using this drill more and more. It is relatively light weight, well-balanced in the hand, surprisingly powerful for a 12V drill, recharges the NiMH batteries (2 included) quickly, the one-hand keyless chuck is a joy to use and most of all, the workmanship quality of this drill is simply beautiful. A work of art!

This drill is by far the best. I use it professionally, and wouldn't buy any other. It has the longest running and most powerful battery on the market. It is incredibly powerful, even for a 12 volt drill. If you need more power, buy a corded drill. The other great feature is that you can tighten the chuck with one hand, and crank down with one hand and the bit won't slip. That feature alone is worth it. You don't need channel locks or pliers to tighten the bit, as I read in a review of cordless drills. Buy it and you will be completely satisfied.

I have owned this saw for over 3 years now. It is a shame that I had paid the full introductory price when it had come out, but I wouldn't trade this saw for anything. I also own the complete 24V cordless line by Bosch. I own a small contractor buisness doing everything from kitchens, baths, additions, full house construction, to concrete work and everything in between. Not only is this saw worth it's weight in gold, but the entire 24V Bosch is worth the same. I can not write a good enough review for this item. It is so handy to set up and cut a few pieces of trim with such accuracy as my 12" Bosch Sliding Compound miter saw. In fact, I have found myself using this saw for just about every job, since I already have the case with my other cordless tools. I have trimmed out $750k houses with this saw, just set it up in every room that needs trimwork, hook it up to my shop vac and away I go with accurate miters. The only thing that I had wished this saw had was the dual compound feature, but I am used to turning crown over and cutting it the other way. The saw holds an accurate fence and the positive miter detents are right on! Again, it takes only 5 min. to pull the saw out, set it down, and begin cutting with no cords to drag around. It is the nearest replacement to a quality cordes miter saw you can ever have. I am truely convinced to forever puchase the old blue and red over the yellow and black any day. Bravo Bosch!

L. Long, L Squared Building and Excavating

well ive had this saw for a month now. i couldnt be happier i install kitchens and bath cabinets everyday and use it everyday, the battery lasted longer than i thought it would before i had to recharge it. its so light my helper dosent complain anymore about dragging the saw around. between this and the bosch cordless jigsaw and the nail gun i hardly have to plug in anything anymore i read some of the reviews before i bought this last saw most were favorable some wernt but for what i do its great i guess if i did trim all day i would want 2 batteries but thats the only down side

First let me say I am not a contractor I am a weekend warrior but I do like doing my own project work.
I bought this saw about 2 months ago because I had a project to build a double set of outside stairs. The nearest power was 1/4 mile away and I don't own a generator.
This saw is very good. I was suprised by it power. The stairs I built were completely made from green treated lumber. I was able to cut 2x12 stair treads with no problem. Yes I had to flip the wood over and yes the wood was still wet. I was amazed. I also bought the 24 volt circular saw. It too exceeded my expectation. I also own the Corded Dewalt 12 inch compound miter. This saw can't do everything the Dewalt can do but you can't expect it to. For what it is worth I have not found a job it can't do yet.
I would highly recommend this saw to any one.

I recently purchased a set of these little radios for a camping/hunting trip and they are great! I used them to communicate with my friends while out in the woods and there are very handy. They have a very good range 1.5-2 miles depending on the terrain and the signal is very clear with no interferance or static! they have many useful features such as 14 channels with the 38 sub codes a rodger beep tone that can be turned off if you wish and a privacy(voice scramble) mode. We used them while driving to and from the woods and campsite and basically anytime we weren't in ear shot of each other. I would highly reccomend these radios to anyone I now have several pairs

I used a pair of these on a hike in the mountains and it was great ! Also used it at a country fair. The privacy feature prevented me from hearing others and kept my conversations secure. The range was very impressive. As soon as there are more in stock, I will buy another one.

I purchased 2 FRS250s for a family vacation to the Adirondak area of NY state. The main purpose of having these with us was to permit car-to-car communications on the trip. The radios worked great. We were able to keep in touch through all the different environments we encountered on the trip including city, suburbs, and mountains.

The cabins we rented had no phones, so when we arrived, the FRS250s permitted cabin-to-cabin communications throughout the stay. My only regret is that we did not purchase the rechargable batteries. But even here, the radios performed better than I expected. Over a 10 day stay, we needed to replace the batteries ony twice even though we kept them on for up to 8 hours a day.

I was surprised to find that the published range of 2 miles was real. I was able to make contact from my boat on the lake to the cabin, a distance of about 2.6 miles. Of course the voice quality wasn't so good, but we were able to communicate.

In all, the FRS250 was a good value. It served us well and performed better than I expected.

I had this kit for less than 1 month and cannot tell you how many times I have used it..I just built some shelves for my mom and it was a breeze having the cordless conveinence but furthormore the circular saw does not stop..I ripped down some boards with no problem and it has plenty of power. I did look at dewalt circular saw and the milwaukee is built 10 TIMES BETTER..
Dewalts cordless drills seem fine but I think milwaukee is built with tough standards..Buy this combo you will not be dissapointed...I know this was the best purchase I made!!! Hope this helps...

I tried an entry-level Ryobi quad-pack (at the Orange store) with circular saw, sawzall, 1/2 drill, and flashlight. Not all that bad for $199.00, but I needed a hammerdrill and wanted longer battery life as well as more precision tools. I bought the Dewalt saw and hammer/drill and found it was physically impossible to make one-handed 45's with the saw. Very clumsy "safety" switch, probably ends up being somewhat dangerous considering what you have to do to be able to finally pull the trigger switch.

I then discovered Milwakee's saw/hammerdrill combo on Amazon, all I cold find was the higher item count sets at the Orange store. I am extremely happy with my choice. Some of my oldest tools are Milwakee and I have no reason to get new as they are tough and capable ene though 25 years old (sawzall and 1/2" angle drill, both have lot of miles on them).

One thing no one has mentioned is the brake on the saw. Let go of the switch and it stops instantly, something my wormdrive and other circulars don't do. When it comes to safety, that is right up there as far as effective. A coasting cirluar can do a lot of damage, if it gets away from you. Safety switches and blade gaurds are questionable in the final analysis, but without them, the lawyers would be driving bigger cars, I suppose.

Another reason I bought this saw was, aside from the incredible conveinece, is it is light and well balanced and at 60, I'm just not as strong as I used to be. This saw is light comparatively speaking.

I am a homeowner and hobby woodworker. I purchased this set of cordless tools after using a friend's DeWalt set. Milwaukee sends DeWalt to the back of the line in quality, ruggedness, power, you name the category. You want to see a friend cringe with envy, pull this set out while he is using his DeWalt. I chose this set from shopping in the local stores and using Amazon's reviews. Thanks everyone who posted five stars, you all were right. This is one of my first reviews on anything, I usually don't take the time, but I just had to tell the world about this set of Milwaukee tools. Simply, these tools ROCK!

I love this thing! I was amazed at how powerful it is. This drill will drill through just about everything. I have tried many drills from other brands and they just don't compare.

This is the best drill I've ever owned, bar none! DeWalt, Makita, you name it I've owned it...even the Tim Allen Drill/driver. Nothing I've used matches the torque or the clutch. It is comfortable, and will drill through anything I have touched it to. I was so impressed I bought two! Bosch has made me Blue to the Bone.

The title says it all. When you bring out this drill, You're bringing out the "BIG GUNS!" I kid you not, This is the only cordless drill that I've ever used that has the power of a corded drill. I use it for driving screws, and a corded drill to drill the pilot holes. This way, I dont have to keep changing bits. They say it weighs 15 lbs., but you can't tell it. It feels more like 8. It is really well balanced. The batteries last for ever, and then it only takes an hour to charge them back up. I built three tables before I had to change batteries. If I were Porter-Cable, Dewalt, Milwaulkee or any of the rest, I'd be ashamed. When it comes to cordless drill drivers, this one stands alone and a way out in front. Thanks Bosch, you did it again!

hitachi apparently has two versions of this tool according to the model number wh12dm2. One has two gray colored grips on the handle. When reading specs on the gray handleled one it has 1500 pounds of torque. This model with the same model number has a black grip and has around 1100. I can't figure out why the confusion but regardless either of these tools once you use them will convince you that this is the way to go and forget the 18 volt behemouth you've been lugging around. Why break your wrist when you don't have to. I still want to try to drive a 3 inch screw through a 4x4, I think either one will do it if you had a long enough bit.
Here is the link to check out specs on the real wh12dm2. Now obviously the link is not amazon but after calling hitachi's 800 number and speaking with them, wh12dm2, is in fact the gray handled model number and they do still make it.

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go to the above link and you will see the gray handled model. Try to buy it and it will forward you to the black handled dmr model on amazon. That is the only reason this didn't get five stars. I don't want the black handled one I want the gray handled one with 1500 pounds of torque and a 1/4 inch hex drive thats rated for heavy industrial work. Can somebody help me out here? The only one I find similar on amazon is a 1/2 inch square drive and thats not what I want.

I use a lot of tools on a daily basis and I would have to say this baby is my favorite! I've had this for about a year and a half with no problems whatsoever. Prior to this I was using various non-impact drivers and it was like night and day when I bought this thing! You'll learn to love the "rat-a-tat-tat" sound it makes when it effortlessly powers screws into whatever material...this baby has lots of torque for only 12volts. If you've never owned an impact driver (and you have a need) then you'll be real happy with this one. One of the beauties of the impact is that you never strip screw heads which in itself makes it worthwhile to own! If I were in the market for another impact driver I would probably look into the new lithium ion versions just because they offer even more power and battery life. That said, I have always been happy with this hitachi's battery life. You'll never have a problem anyway because you get two batteries and a quick charger and a great carrying case I might add. Both my batteries still seem to have long lives and they've gotten quite a bit of use!

My dad got my drill in the mail before I could get it from him. he didn't want to give it back. Used with many project in building our home and on the farm. Battery pack lasts forever compared to other drivers. Thing is noisy as heck when the impact driver kicks in, but the power is amazing! Would recommend to anyone!

I am a owner of this battery charger. The quick charge time is very nice, but the battery feels a bit hot to the touch after the charge. I always wondered if the battery is going to last long.

Rayovac has discontinued production of this battery type. In a few month the supply of batteries would have disappeared. If you are still interested, make sure you buy a few extra batteries because you will not be able to purchase them after the supply runs out.

I'm really impressed by the way this product has worked so far, it did exactly what it was supposed to do. After 15 mins or so, the batteries are fully charged and quite hot though.
I've found that these batteries doesn't work with some appliances such as digital clocks, maybe because they have an output of only 1.2 volts, instead of 1.5 alkaline batteries have.

THese batteries work better and last longer than any other brand of tyoe I've ever used. I haven't charged mine for 3 days, and I've used them in my camera constantly. You'r batteries died? It will charge them in 15 minutes or less - no joke. It does make a whining noise, but only for 15 minutes.