Lew, I bought one of the Rybobi kits for $99 at a Father's Day sale after talking to my electrician. He swears by the Ryobis. They last him about 3 years of daily use (he does use the crap out of them!) and then something goes wrong. He tosses the drill in the garbage and buys another. He was so keen on them being solid performers I had to try them out as the drill kit I really wanted was $300, but I didn't want to spend the money.

So far, so good. I go a drill that has done everything I need it to do (really... even as a contractor I don't need to drive a couple of hundred 3" screws into kiln dried oak) for my normal repair work. The impact driver has been a great surprise. I don't use it often, but it is a slick little tool. I drove several 3" deck screws into hard yellow pine (no pilot holes)and it worked like a champ! Honestly, I didn't think it would do the job,but after about 25, the driver wasn't breathing hard.

Battery life is very good, the do indeed charge in an hour, and replacement batteries are only $39. So for two tools, two batteries, a charger and a carry case, I am thinking at this point after a few months of use that my electrician could be on to something. That and the fact they have a 3 year limited warranty.

I have a fella that used to work for me that has retired and is on a very tight budget. He bought one or the other of the HF cordless drills and he really likes it. The only draw back for him was his came with one battery, and took all of the 4 hours he allotted to recharge. He said the battery life is pretty good, but since batteries are about $19 at HF, he told me that he was buying another battery if he starts a larger home project. Until then, the said the HF fills the bill for a few screws and holes now and then, so he is pretty happy with his purchase.

Robert