I am a big fan of smaller Volt drills. 12 or maybe 14.4 at most. I
have big electric drills that can go for hours and hours if I need
more power for drilling many big holes. I'll use the 12 volt for 99+%
of the tasks.

Me too. I just upgraded from a 16.8V Craftsman to a 12V NiCad
Panasonic ($100 at Amazon), and I think it's a significant
improvement. Feel and balance are much better, and torque and runtime
are very close, if not better, for the Panasonic.
I've only played with the Makita 18V Li-Ion in a store, and it did
have a nice feel, but I've been so happy with the little Panasonic
that I'm glad I saved the extra $100.
Good luck,
Andy