Folks - I'm in need of a new drill/driver, first new one in about 10 years, and I had some questions on feature usefulness. I already have an impact driver (love that thing!) so this will be only used for drilling, both for shop and home uses. My questions:
First, when I got my current Dewalt, one of the things I looked for was a chuck that could be easily tightened by my somewhat stiff hands and gripped well. At that time, the makita I had required a death grip to tighten the chuck down. The Dewalt had (and, it appears, some of the models still have) a ratchet mechanism that I found a lot easier. So, I'd appreciate hearing about how easy (or not) different models of drill/drivers are to tighten the chuck.
Second, some of the models now come with battery charge gauges. This seems like a good idea, but I'm wondering how useful it is in practice for your average hobbiest/diyer like me. For those with this feature, is it something you end up using a lot? Or do you just run each battery until it doesn't drive too well? Does it help with battery life to know it's running low before it craps out?
Lastly, a Tools of the Trade article said that most manufacturers have 2 models, one lighter/less sturdy model, one more pro-oriented. The lesser models mostly have a plastic chuck, the pro models an all-metal. Anyone found it makes a difference in homeowner/hobbiest usage?
If anyone has a link to a recent drill roundup test, I'd appreciate it. I have a 2009 one in FWW (which doesn't mention either of the above features), and there's one at Tools of the Trade, which talks about the battery gauge but not the chuck grab issue.
Thanks all - all comments and thoughts appreciated -
Ken