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It is now my favorite tool. I have owned several brands of cordless drill but have never been real impressed with the torque, or battery life. This Panasonic has more torque, is smaller and more compact, and has tremendous battery life. I have been recommending Panasonic to my neighbors. I never did that with any of the other brands.
I took this little bad boy out into the sugarbush last spring with 3 batteries and over 1,000 7/16 holes to drill in hard maple trees. The holes had to be about 2-1/2" deep. I used 2 of the batteries. If you ask me, there's no better cordless driver/drill than a Panasonic.
I have owned 6 others in the last 25 years (starting with the 12v) and each new one has been a solid improvement. A few have copied the auto-locking shaft that allows quick one-handed chuck tightening & loosening, and their competitors drills and batteries are way better than they once were, but for a powerful,lightweight, multi-purpose cordless drill they're still not there, and the few close competitors are now significantly more expensive (they used to be cheaper). I use them in tandem a lot, so I buy them in pairs when the batteries start to need charging more than once a day. Over the years many co-workers who borrowed mine have done the same.I just bought 2 more of these. I bought my first Panasonic cordless after ridiculing a co-worker who paid more for a used 9.6v Panasonic than the cost of a new Makita. (I've only seen one Panasonic-inclusive bench test review and in it their 15.6v cordless beat all the 18v models for battery life and torque, and got the editors' rave review). Each time before rebuying I spent time in stores and online trying to find something as good as or better than Panasonic. I also own a nearly new 19.2v Craftsman/Ryobi drill that is surprisingly good for the price, but the torque and battery life seem little different from the 15.6v Panasonics plus it's heavy as an anchor, has a two-handed chuck and several is inches longer.I'm not a brand-loyal person.
I'm not retailer-loyal either. I buy new drills each time because a pair of replacement batteries costs only slightly less than the a new drill with 2 batteries, charger & case. He loaned it to me for an hour and the next day I bought a new 12v one for myself, and then shortly, another. Quick note: Amazon's price was the lowest I could find. My last double set of 3.0 Amp/Hr NiMH batteries lasted ll years. Only one of these drills ever needed repair (chuck replacement--20 years ago) and none broke or wore out. You won't find Panasonics on display in Home Depots or most hardware stores, or in advertisements, nor even in many consumer reviews--few trade magazines will review a non-advertiser's product. Where you'll most likely find them mostly is in the hands of working professionals who use them regularly.
My first Panasonic (EY6432NQKW) lasted 7 years under heavy use. A slide-on battery would be a more robust approach. The chuck clutch finally gave out, but I quickly bought this new Panasonic, and also another mfgr's lithium model.
Not much of a factor in purchasing it, it's shorter length proved invaluable in many situations. My only complaint is that the batteries tended to fall off the drill in later years so I had to add a round of blue tape at battery changes. Fabulous torque, battery life, ergonomics, balance.
The new Panasonic (like the old one) blows it away. This thing drives screws through several inches of dimension lumber for a long time on one battery charge. Very impressive.
Admittedly, the drill dropped several feet a couple times to a hard surface. But it's the best drill out there none-the-less.
You show savings of 100.00 to200.00 dollars off of most Items, What are you comparing your prices to. Most of your prices are within a few bucks of everbody else price. You say we save x amount of dollars off of retail, thats Bs No we don't, Explain your savings please, when I go into local stores I don't see these savings.
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