"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 17 Dec 2014 12:46:12 -0500, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
. ..

I use them all freehand, not in a drill press. And it's all on
loose
material, like mobile home siding/trim and wood. Half the time,
it's
from setting the drill down and grabbing the screwdriver to put
the
screw in, or from kicking it over. I need to build a safer
storage
for them, too, because many are broken in my toolbox when they
fall
out of the cheap plastic holder in which Snappy sold them.

Handymen are much harder on tools than machinists, in their nice
clean
shops.

I like this short, lightweight drill for small holes freehand,
especially when I'm on a ladder and have only a hanging canvas bag
to
put tools down in.
http://www.amazon.com/Ryobi-802-504-.../dp/B00A14MUZI

It's rather slow on steel thicker than 29 ga roofing, but it's
easier
to start in a punch mark than a heavier, faster drill.

I have one and use it at home with the HF hex set of billdrits.
They're surprisingly strong for a tiny motor, aren't they? I
couldn't
believe that they'd drive a #10x3.5" deck screw into Doug Fir, but
Glenn showed me that trick and I bought one of the things the same
week. They're very handy. Batteries sure as heck take a long time
to
recharge, though. My Makita 3Ah lithiums take 20 minutes, but the
Ryobis don't seem to have charged fully until 12 hours later.

I like that it fits in a pocket so I can also carry a full-sized drill
in a holster, as it doesn't have the battery life to do a big job by
itself.

I haven't found a really good case for regular hex shank bits, let
alone the Snappys. I'm using a blue and black "Warrior" set that's too
big for a pocket and needs to be chopped up to accept larger drill
bits. The bit holders tilt out and their friction grip is about right.
-jsw