My money is on DeWalt. Makita is a great brand too. I consider DeWalt to be the Honda of cordless/power tools, and Makita to be the Toyota of power tools. It seems that the DeWalt (Honda) guys are more imaginative and innovative with their designs, and Makita copies and sometimes betters their ideas.
Having said that, the Dewalt 18V line is a tremendous value. My DeWalt 18V drill is thorougly used and abused and still works great. Be sure to change the brushes every few years. Makes a big difference.
The 18V Sawzall is another godsend. Can't work without it. The poorest tool is the 18V circular saw. Its more like a toy.
