Review of the drills

OK as promised here is my review of the drills but generally I would say that most of the times it is better to have the corded drill not because it is cheaper but because it is relieve the hassle of the recharging the batteries.

Most of the manufacturers always advertise the rechargeable batteries however these batteries by themselves get problematic just sitting in your cordless drills. That said the cordless drills have that ease of use which is a lot helpful especially if you are working at home or even some client sites if you are in the professions. The sheer ease of use kind of puts the cordless drills as the must have tools.


Here are my inputs

Ideal weight – 3.5 pounds anything beyond that is generally too heavy.
As far as the battery goes use the lithium ion batteries as opposed to the NiMH batteries
As far as voltage is concerned 18 volt is much better than all others. It means more power.

I will rate the drills on the below factors and these are the
Power
Handles and grip
Clutch
Speed
Chuck jaws
Speed range switch
Forward/reverse switch


I bought the Makita 18 Volt Lithium Ion ½” Compact Drill/Driver and here are my thoughts on this one

At 18V this to me is the best drill that is available in the market. The handle is simply amazing and has very good design with special rubber molding.
The clutch is very very nice and and this works like a charm for power and the lithium ion battery works well with very good performance.
The switch for the speed is not comfortably operated though it is much better than other drills that I have used.

Overall this is very much a value for money and has very good balance. In the 18Volt category this drill works the best and I believe this is best suited for your needs even though a lot of folks in a lot of reviews websites tell you that 18 Volt is not worth for the small hole use.
And for those who are doing the DIY home improvement projects by themselves this helps to increase the longvity of their tools


Look at one such review here consumer reports

Based on that I bought the other drill which is the Hitachi DS12DVF3.

The specs are that it is the 12V battery with a 3/8-inch chuck and it weigh about 3.3Volts.
The thing different from the regular drills is that it has Ni-Cd batteries.
The best part is the 5 year warranty.
Update Dec 2009 : I found a blog on diamond drill bit basics . For those interested in the real working of the drill bits especially diamond drill bits I believe this one will help understanding their functioning and mechanics.
I did not find in general any issues with it though I must say that this drill has nothing which is useful and value for money. You should go for the 18 V Makita. The batteries are problematic.
The positive is its light weight and yes the best is the 30 minute charger.
People who need it for more power will prefer to use the Makita