I have a Metabo (Walter is Metabo, FYI) BE1020 (see www.metabo.com), made in
Germany.

It has a torque-limiting clutch which I have tripped a couple of times. It
comes in handy when breaking through the back face of a part. Virtually all
of Metabo's drills have this feature (some of the really cheap "made in
China" drills may not). It is a good idea to use the included side handle as
the safety clutch is fairly stiff.

The BE1020 has electronic speed control (what they call VTC) so it runs at
full RPM at maximum load. It has a two speed gear box. These two features
make the tool great for tapping. The max speed is set via a dial on the top
of the drill, and the trigger will go from zero to whatever the max setting
is.

The electronic speed control will shut down the machine if it overheats (a
co-worker did that only once) and when the brushes need to be replaced.

It cost me about $300 Cnd. and is well worth the money, IMO. I drill
aluminum, mild steel, cast iron and cast tooling steel with the machine. You
should be able to use any tap which will fit in the 1/2" chuck (which I
believe is made by Rohm).

HTH.

Regards,

Robin

"Ned Simmons" wrote in message
...
Has anyone bought a currently available model they especially like?

Extra points for:

-Jacobs chuck (not keyless), or a 1/2-20 spindle that will accept the
chuck off my old drill.
-Good speed control and convenient reverse for power tapping.
-*Not* the Milwaukee Magnum style long trigger, which IMO is an
ergonomic abomination. I notice some of the newer Milwaukees have a
shorter 2-finger trigger.
-Something that won't twist your arm off before you can release the
trigger when it jams. I've got a 1/2" spade handle drill for when I want
to beat myself up.

Ned Simmons