Dan:

For driving screws, nothing beats an impact driver. We just completed
another test of the Makita 6935DWDE 14.4v Impact Driver and it drove 247 3"
long deck screws into "fresh" pressure treated 6 x6 compared to only 171
driven by the Makita 6336DWDE Driver / Drill, also a 14.4v unit.We also
compared it ot a DeWalt DW953 12v Driver / Drill that we had on hand as a
test sample, and it only drove 45 screws. The best news is that Makita has a
special right now that GIVES you a Driver/Drill of the same voltage when you
buy either the 6980DWDE 12v or 6935DWDE 14.4v Impact Driver. Of course, you
have to send back the rebate certificate by January 15, 2005, and follow all
the POP rules etc, But its still a great deal. The Impact driver must be
ordered by December 31, 2004. Without turning this into spam, the 12v is
going to be a bit over your budget $200, and the 14.4v about $15 more than
the 12v. Hope this helps.

Truth in Posting: We sell these.

Jim Ray, President
McFeely's Square Drive Screws
www.mcfeelys.com

"Dan White" wrote in message
...
I'm looking into Lowes' 20% off sale and want a new drill. The one I have
is a rather weak cordless with the small battery (12v?). I've also lost
the
charger, but that's another story. Anyway I want to be able to drill
in/out
3" screws into studs, and drill into concrete with a masonry bit. I found
that the 12v drill didn't have the torque to do it. I borrowed a cheap
corded drill the other day and it drove those screws like nothing.

What do you guys recommend? If the price is in the $200's US or lower I
don't care about the money. It looks like the most expensive one is a
Dewalt 18v. Is this going to match up favorably with a corded drill of
the
same quality? Will the battery last a long time? I won't be using the
drill often but I wan't one that can do everything a decent corded drill
can
do without the cord hassle.

Thanks for any suggestions,

dwhite