I too am very unhappy with my Dewalt tools - in my case it's the cordless set. I bought the XRP (supposed to be heavier duty) 18 volt 4 piece kit in January of 05. My drill/hammer has locked up twice in hammer mode (I won't use that mode any more). I had a battery go bad after 4 months (replaced under warranty, but I only got a regular 18 volt, not the supposed "better" XRP model. My recipro saw's motor sheared the skimpy plastic brush holders off (fixed under warranty, but still a pain). What really ticks me off is how Dewalt put the outdated and worthless recipro saw in my set. The dealer told me my saw was discontinued in September of 02, and I bought my set in Jan of 05. The dealer wanted proof of my date of purchase, which I had - he just shook his head. The recipro saw is absolutely worthless, no power at all - I'm sure it was sitting in a warehouse and they got rid of them by putting them into the kits. On the plus side at least the flashlight works.
What I am very happy about is my corded Milwaukee hammer drill. The thing is awesome! Power up the wazoo, and also can be used as a regular drill - which is what I use it for mostly - it flies! It won't compare to a Hilti, but I only do resi work so I can't justify a Hilti.
Two co-workers have Ridgid sets, and I'm pretty impressed with Ridgid, plus the lifetime warranty including the batteries - and any problems have had complete kits replaced through Home Depot.
Thanks for the chance to vent!
