People have their drill brands they love and trust: Dewalt, Milwaukee, Skil, Bosch, etc. But when you do the research on 18V cordless drills, the Makita comes out on top. I suppose of "blue and white" makes you cringe, then you should get the Panasonic below. But don't buy a cordless drill on gut feelings. Buy one because research shows it to be the best.
The best 18v cordless drill is the Makita BDF452HW 18-Volt Compact Lithium-Ion Cordless 1/2-Inch Driver-Drill Kit
There are several reasons to like this drill. Since this Makita drill uses a Lithium ion battery it is much lighter than the previous version. I expect a quality drill to be heavier, (my mind must think metal instead of plastic). This drill does have an all-metal transmission for quality and durability, but the weight comes out of the battery and that makes the drill easier to maneuver and causes less fatigue over a day's work. The Lithium battery also means it has a much slower self discharge. A NiMh battery self-discharges about 30% per month. Lithium batteries discharge low single digits. They also have more capacity, no memory, go through more duty cycles and have low internal resistance for excellent max current.
Research the Makita 18-Volt Compact Cordless Drill at Amazon
This Makita 18v drill also features an LED light that comes on whenever you're drilling. Very handy. The charger does its job in 15 minutes. So with two batteries in the box there's no reason you should ever run out of juice.
