Drills Reviews

Power is good (takes a few seconds to come totally up to speed) and included blade is better than expected - I got additional blade at initial purchase becuase I assumed like most saws the included blade would be crap but standard blade is good general purpose. Dust collection sucks, though some reviewers have not been as "candid." Does not fit any standard dust collection connection I know of (i.e. have), and the provided "bag" holds enough dust to be worth a Tinker's "Damn." For an extra $50 next time I would go for 12" for the extra height on miter cuts concurring with other review that says guard (and dust bag) get in the way sometimes.

Though table seemeed expensive I bought it anyway (needed portable platform for job-site) and it was definitely worth it. Extendable supports are convenient (wouldn't say "invaluable" because I avoid hyperbole ;-) for long pieces of molding, flooring & 2x's for framing. If you clamp the saw past the stops and extend one end support to limit you can handle 12' cuts. Haven't seen a need for sliding as I always need a table saw for long rips, so having short slide doesn't eliminate an extra tool. Laser might be nice, but I guess I trust my eye and a solid pencil line enough...

This saw replaced a Ryobi 10" miter saw that was highly recommeneded to me at Home Depot and which lasted a little over a year before the motor gave out. The DeWalt is on an entirely different level of home power tool. The quality of construction, ease of use (especially setting the miter table), excellent included blade, and the power and accuracy of the tool makes me wish I'd spent the extra money for this saw when I listened to the idiot at Home Depot. I'm using it for everything from light trim to 4X4s and rafters and have no complaints. I wonder about the stock people are cutting when they say this saw has a hard time with pressure treated lumber---must be soaking wet from the treatment process. As long as you let the motor get up to speed the DeWalt with the standard blade can handle deck building with ease. I didn't calibrate it, just set it up and started cutting. I'd give it 5 stars if the basic kit came without supports and clamps (the Ryobi did), though I highly recommend buying a miter saw stand for it anyway.

This is my second DW703 because my first one was stolen. I liked it so much that I never considered any other brand. The quality of the saw, the table, the adjustments, even the blade, are all top-notch. Good value for the price. Lately I've seen it for $189 at Home Depot and Lowe's. The dust collection could be better, but I just stick the shop vac hose in the back and it gets probably 60% of the dust.

I have just finished pruning 110 rose bushes with these pruners. About 30% of my cuts were bungled because the blade quickly dulled and it easily flexes to prevent a clean bypass cut. Otherwise the pruners facilitate cutting large branches and the spring works well.

I like this item B00004SD72 very much You should read more reviews to find out more about it

The Fiskar pruners lived up to their advance advertising as being easy to operate and giving a clean, crisp cut. I like them so well, I got a pair for my neighbor, who is equally satisfied.

Well, I read the reviews, bought the router and I'm happy with it. The router works great, has a nice sturdy feel, and is very easy to use. This is a router that you can operate with one hand and the switch is right there near the thumb for easy on/off.

Bought this for my father, He loves it. I used it a little bit, very smooth, very comfortable in your hand. well made in the usa.

I've owned this model for about three years now and I couldn't be happier with it. I use Bosch and Porter-Cable routers at work and I'm always happy to come home to my Milwaukee. The Milwaukee is much easier to adjust (the only router that I ever used that has a depth adjustment that works 100%), and the bodygrip feature puts it miles ahead of the others when it comes to controlling the unit. I can eaily route 3/4" wide material perfectly. Very stable and extremely durable.

While it is a solid, durable, and bright light, it has several big disadvantages. For one, the light output drops off way too fast. It has an impressive beam with fresh batteries, but after relatively short use, it's too dim to justify the enormous size and weight of the thing. Many lights, such as the modestly priced Surefire G2 pack just as much light output (or more) but are easily pocketable and much much lighter. Also, the smoooth plastic reflector gives it a dirty, spotty beam with noticible dark spots.
Really, the only thing this light has going for is that it is a pretty indimidating body and has a definite macho appeal. But if your looking for serious illumunition look somewhere else.

This is the only flashlight to have. It is tough, bright, and durable. It will not break, and if you replace the batteries, it will never let you down. If someone attacks you, you can beat them with it, and it will still work. Compared to the Maglight, any other flashlight is worse than useless. Face it, your flashlight is a serious personal survival tool, and it is stupid to be stuck with one that is just a cheap toy. Put one in your vehicle and one by the side of your bed, and I guarantee you will never regret it. The company is also pretty amazing. I bought a maglight at a large store once, and someone had removed the gasket and some other parts. I called the company toll-free, and they not only sent me the parts I needed at no charge, the sent me extras, and they came in the mail within a few days!

These are great lights. I have had at least 5 Maglights in my life and each one has been there reliabily even after being dropped and on in the rain and in the mud...I am pretty rough on them. I even had one in the bedroom I found them so very useful. I am sure you will find them usefull too, no matter what size you get! Other than that, take care and good luck shopping.

Bought this in Dec. 05 and was initially pleased. Will drive screws all day long. Unfortunately, I did not put a drill bit in until 3 months later. Damn intermittent 1/2" wobble at the end of the drill bit. No, I did not drop the tool. I treat my tools better than my wife.

I thought I was buying a quality tool. Had to take time out of my day to visit an authorized service center. Now two weeks later, they still have my drill. New gears and chuck on order from Makita. I asked the tech if this happens often straight out of the box. He said he sees it from time to time, and it all depends on where the parts are made. He said I should have bought a Bosch.

We bought it for my dad for father's day. He used it to build a set of stairs. He used 2 and a half inch screws and it drove them really well. He over uses screws when he builds. A tornado couldn't tear what he builds apart. Anyway he was very pleased with the lasting time of the batteries and you've never seen anyone so happy to receive a gift. He has an old Makita that is only 9 volt and it lasted him over 30 years. He made many barns, sheds, and wood boats with it. He wouldn't choose anything but Makita.

This is my first cordless driver and I'm glad I didn't cut corners on it. We recently moved into a new home and many changes were required to make it our own including every lock, every bit of hardware on the cabinets, all switches/recepticles, etc. This things batteries last long enough to make sure you never need more than the two that come with it and they're NiMH so we don't need to worry about them losing power over time. The Jacobs chuck is effortless to switch from Phillips to standard on the included tip or to a drill bit while placing your bit in the on-board storage. Plus, it seems to be the only cordless tool that employed Americans in their production. Plenty of torque for 3.5" lag screws into studs, and delicate enough to drive screws into old/abused wood. Lot's of speed for driving a hole saw or through solid core doors and driving long screws like the ones in above-the-range microwaves. Oh, and no run-out, the chuck is laser straight.

I purchased this drill three years ago this month. I have used it only for some small projects around the home. Initially, it worked great. But for the past several months, one battery is completely dead and will not accept a charge and the other is weak and will not accept a full charge. I sent an e-mail to Milwaukee asking for advice, but never received a response. I feel the batteries should have lasted much longer considering the limited use. I cannot recommend this drill and will not likely ever buy another Milwaukee product.

This drill was my first, and last, Milwaukee tool purchase. It is just out of warranty, 1 year, and I have used it very little (maybe 15 battery charges). When it first arrived it had one bad battery. I received a replacement which is ok, but now the other battery is bad. I keep the batteries and charger indoors so I don't believe heat/cold are to blame. Also, the drill now has a noticeable burning smell whenever it is operated.

I have owned several other cordless drills and all of them performed better than this one. If you're looking to buy, I recommend you keep looking.

I purchased a Milwaukee 14.4 Power Plus (minus t-handle), almost 3 years ago. It came with the 2.4 amp hour batteries. Despite the rough use that I've subjected it to, the drill has performed flawlessly. However, 6 months ago I let the batteries run down (not keeping them on maintenance charge). To my disappointment, they would not take a charge. A month ago, I again tried to recharge them (leaving them in for as many as 10 hours). But the charger light would never come on. The voltage on both batteries read 0 volts. New batteries would cost me $70 each. So I figured, for a little more money, I would be just as well off to by a new drill and batteries together. First, however, I tried something "off-the-wall." I attached one of the dead batteries into the drill and inserted a short steel rod into the chuck. I inserted the other end of the steel rod (about 3/8"x 8") into my corded Milwaukee. I set one in "reverse" and the other in "forward" and held down on both triggers, running at about 500 rpms. After a few minutes, the turning motor charged the dead battery to over 6 volts I believe, which was more than enough for the charger to finally kick in and start charging. One battery now works great and the other is fair. I'm in no way recommending that this would be practical for everyone with dead batteries, which won't take a charge. But I figured that since I was all set to but a new one, what did I have to loose?

Bot 3 sets Lechmere closeout 10 years ago. Use sporadically and have experience that batteries last 4 years plus/minus. Buy a new one each year, keep 3-4 going. Inside batt are two industrial "C" Ni-Cads - older ones develop memory. To utilize best, discharge to 5% remain, then full. Not user replaceable. The torgue is enough to twist the unit out of a strong grip, but they are best for light/medium assembling, not all day heavy duty
unless a few charged batteries on hand. 1-10 Torque settings are useful with more delicate materials. Unit will turn to torque then click to prevent over tightening. High voltage drills are for all day house-building. 10 years use, units built to industrial strength, built to last. Package is good deal as retail batts are $30 and charger $40+.

I have no idea when Milwaukee first came out with this cordless screwdrive. I may have had one of the first made. All I know for sure is that, 10 years later, the darn thing still works great. The batteries have held up just fine; I've never had to replace one. It has great torque, and does everything you'd want a cordless screwdriver to do. If this thing every gives up the ghost, you can be sure I'll buy another. It's been a tremendous value.

First, let me state that I don't work for Milwaukee or any of their competitors. I'm just a consumer like you are. I couldn't decide if I wanted this Milwaukee cordless screwdriver or the Panasonic. When you compare what you get for your money and what you want to use your cordless screwdriver for, well, it's a no brainer. Unless you need a cordless screwdriver to drive hundreds of 4 inch screws into 2x6's, stay away from the Panasonic. You only get one battery and a charger with the Panasonic. With this red beauty you get not 1, but two 2.4volt batteries, a one hour charger, a package of bits for drilling and driving, a keyed chuck which is something I'm always needing (especially when I need to drive small pilot holes) and a beautiful red carry case embossed with the name Milwaukee on it. It's a very impressive package and it works. It also bends into a pistol type driver so you can get into those hard to reach areas. It is also very powerful at 26in./lbs of torque. This is the little red engine that works and works and works and.....Buy it. You won't be sorry and it will quickly become your favorite tool...

I bought this drill as part of the kit with the 6" circular saw in advance of purchasing a house that needed some major renovations. For about the first year, I used this drill frequently on weekends for everything from drywall screw driving to drilling 1" holes in studs, hole saws, metal drilling, you name it. I was pretty satisfied overall, and I gave it a fair amount of abuse from a homeowner standpoint, but not as much as it would see on a jobsite. Right about as the one year warranty expired, I was working on a furniture project, and noticed that with longer drill bits, there was an unacceptable amount of wobble at the end of the bit. Made it difficult to start holes and the drill would shake a lot once the bit was deep enough into the hole. So I sent it to the factory service center for a diagnosis, thinking they might replace the chuck or something. The service center was absolutely unsatisfactory. They agreed something was wrong, but said there was nothing they could do about it. "These things just happen, there are a lot of plastic parts in there, and it's normal wear and tear." They said that I should just deal with the obvious wobble in the bits, and sent it back to me. I am disappointed that I only got 1 year of useful service out of the drill. I will relegate this tool to beater status and buy a Bosch or Makita. By the way, the cordless saw is useless for anything except where it is impractical to bring the corded saw. Update: Since writing the original review, (above) the drill performance has deteriorated. The wobble is worse, and now the motor makes a weird smell when in use. Doubt it will last too much longer - hope it makes it 'till Xmas!! ;-)

About 5 years ago I started looking at cordless drills. I wanted something powerful, yet easy to hold. I am not a contractor, but I do lots of home improvement and build furniture / cabinets on the weekends as a side business. I used to be a DeWalt fan, but after reading the literature I decided on the PorterCable. I can say with confidence that this is one of the best drills around. The batteries hold a long charge and refill quickly. The drill has plenty of power for its size (3/8" lag screws max it out, but lets be reasonable about the weight to power ratio). Durability, unsurpassable. I have dropped the drill onto concrete from 8 or 10 feet more than once and I have seen my girlfriend run it over when it gets left on the floor and it still works just like new. Value, I figure it has cost me less than a penny per screw or hole drilled and I see no reason why it will not last at least another five years.

Bottom line I have become a PorterCable man. I now have the palm sander, 12" compound miter saw, Biscuit cutter, router with table, and tiger saw. Everything else will be replaced with PC when they die or just because I want something better.

I am a carpenter who uses his drill everyday and in my opinion this drill is better than Dewalt, Milwaukee, or Bosch.
The drill is light and well balanced. The torque output is greater than Dewalt's 18v. This drill is not a hammerdrill but they do offer it (Model# 9877).I reccomend the 9878 to homeowners because they don't need the hammerdrill for around the house. Contractors will love the 9877 for light to medium concrete drilling (ie:Tapcons,thunderbolts and hammerdrives.)
The run time on this drill is excellent, more than adequate to complete any project without waiting for the batteries to recharge.
I have found only two problems. First, the head of the drill is too long to fit into small cabinets when mounting them.
Second, The battery charger will not charge the batteries when the battery or the charger are colder than 40 F or warmer than 90 f. The temperature problem was intentionally designed that way to maximize the life of the batteries because most cordless drills' batteries die before the drill and to replace them would cost almost as much as a complete new drill. Here's a tip, keep the batteries in the house when not in use. Extreme temperatures will diminish the life and capacity of the batteries.
I have owned my drill for 3 years w/out any problems and will buy another when this one eventually dies.

I still like this drill. My previous rating emphasized too much that a bad repair place ruined one of my two Makita 18v drills. However, the drill itself is excellent. It is well made, and will take just about any drilling job thrown at it. After the disastrous repair (to install a new trigger switch), I took apart the drill and found metal gears and ball bearings, metal thrust bearings, and overall quality construction. I would highly recommend this drill as a quality product. It also has good ergonomics and lots of torque. I have experienced NO problems with the drill I bought new. The repair to the other drill was made necessary more due to an abusive first owner than to any problem of the drill itself. I just took it to the wrong shop for repairs. I do wish it had a single-sleeve chuck. The double-sleeve chuck works fine, but you can tighten a single-sleeve cuck with one hand - a bit more convenient.

Dont usually write reviews but my Makita 6343D is worthy of one. I've owned this drill for almost six years now and must say it has never failed me, never. Gone through alot of tools since i've had this drill but this is the old stand by. Have even used it on the job drilling concrete when a hammer drill was not avaliable. Have completely remodled my home and this drill has done all the drilling jobs, from drywall to pressure treated decking, drilling studs for electrical and sheeting for plumbing. By the way I am STILL using the original batteries and charger. The batteries will only hold a 2 1/2 - 3 hour charge now but i aint complaining. You'll not find a better cordless drill than Makita.

This is the best 18-volt cordless drill, period. As the Amazon review says, this is the cordless drill that contractors consider to be a performance powerhouse. It's built tough to last, and in my opinion, it's also got the best overall combination of weight, power and style. There's nothing this drill can't do as well or better than any other 18-volt cordless.

If you're agonizing over whether to get the 18-volt versus some smaller or lighter model, spend the extra bucks if you can and get this model. It won't disappoint. Better to have more power than less, and same goes with 1/2" versus 3/8". If you're concerned about the weight of 18-volt cordless drills, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the Makita 6343. Because it's perfectly balanced, the drill feels very comfortable in your hand. In my experience, the 6343's weight is simply not an issue.

The 6343 uses quick charge NiMH batteries, which is a very nice feature. NiMH batteries don't have a memory, so you can fully charge them without completely draining them first (though I did have to condition the batteries the first couple times of use). The Makita 6343 may not come with a built-in level like many of the cheaper 18-volt drills do, but that's just an unnecessary frill. The Makita 6343's power and overall quality more than make up for any lack of such frills.

One tidbit of advice: if you don't already have a Sears Craftsman Speed-Lok drill/driver bit set, get one. You can buy an 18-piece set for about $20 on sale. The Speed-Lok system is a real time-saver that works great with the Makita 6343.

The saw's base plate screws do come loose and do fall out. All those people who gave this combo 5 stars should take a closer look at their saw.

I used my saw only twice. Once to rip 6 ft of lumber and once to cross cut 2 ft of the same lumber. When I went to use it a third time it didn't have enought power to finish my cut. When I replaced the battery I noticed one of the base plate screws was missing and the others were loose. I replaced all the base plate screws with screws a 1/4" longer and added locking nuts to keep them from coming loose again. I also used the two batteries right away leaving the drill empty.

I found the drill to be very powerful and heavy. For my uses it is probably overkill.

If you are thinking of getting a combo pack I recommend buying the tools separate. Check out the 18v Dewalt saw, (...)(no base plate screws to come loose!)and try the Makita 9.6v drill. The total cost is comparable to a combo pack but you will end up with the usefull saw that you want and the right size of drill along with 4 batteries instead of only 2.

Now go build something!

The circular saw in particular works excellent, weighted nicely, and very easy to handle. My only complaint is that the battery packs do not seem to last long while working, and I am in constant rotation of the batteries.

This is my story .
I went on a mission to find one tool set like this and there were many .
Since sears was close by I first got the set they offered , a circular saw and drill in a case .
The drill was nice but the saw useless so back it went .
A friend is really onto dewalt and raved about his so I went out but could not find the size saw he had and dewalt made the saw still but a larger blade diameter .
Now the drill was inpressive but the saw was no better than the sears model , both shared the same problem , a base that rocked on any flat surface and to make matters worse it flexed with the slightest amont of pressure .
' This may be fine if you are cutting thin paneling and don't need a square edge but for anything else it is useless and the dewalt had a switch that would catch and this made it difficult to use .
So finally I looked at the makita set and both the drill and the saw were very well made , both had all metal gear cases and both were built with precision .
I have been using them both for a few years now and they are the first tolls I will grab even though I do have power a few feet away .
The saw is light and balanced with a base that is stable and cuts a perfect 90 degree cut it will go through 2x4's with ease and it is quiet .
The depth lock lever is one of the best I've seen and the handle and switch safetly lock are right where you want them to be and simple to use .
Hands down the best cordless combo I have seen . I still looked at others after this purchase but none were in the class of these two tools .
I have used the drill for very small light work and drilling large holes , also as a power driver and in all applications it has worked well . It is large but very well balanced .
These tools I don't believe were designed to replace corded power tools but to add flexability to the job .
All rechargeable power tool batteries run down and need to be charged and I don't expect anyone is capable of giving an accurate run time . It depends on what you are cutting or drilling and the size of the bits or screws . Anyone knows this so for one to say the batteries run down too quickly tells me nothing at all . They ripped a 2x4 and it went dead , was it wet , did it have alot of knots , were you cutting using a guide of just forging on ahead blindly and binding the blade and what sort of condition was the blade in , nice and sharp or a bit on the dull side after hitting a few nails ?