"Hmmph! Voltages in the teens are for kids!"
How old are you? Better yet hows the arthritis?
Anyway, I think this type of thread pops up every month or so...
Working with giant batteries is more pain than rolling out a cord.
If you are drilling holes, no cordless can compare to a corded drill. (If there is no power on site... You are an Electrician, right?) If you are driving screws, nothing will compare to a 12-14v impact gun of any make. At which point I would choose Makita, Panasonic, or Dewalt, for a quality work all day long tools.
As for battery life, knowing when to put it on a charger makes all the difference. At the first sign of weakness. I keep seeing people with obsolete battery habits. (thowbacks to the days of battery memory and the turquois bannana Makita) Running modern non-memory batteries down like that is the end of the drill motor, and its battery.
You should re-charge the battery when you notice a significant decrease in tool performance.Battery packs should not be completely discharged before re-charging. Completely discharging a DEWALT battery pack may cause damage to the cells in the battery.
Battery packs can be left on the charger when not in use with no adverse effects and DEWALT batteries can be re-charged at any time during their use.
[This message has been edited by e57 (edited 01-11-2006).]