I've got an old Dewalt 1/2" Ni-Cad drill that's seen just about everything from new apprentices to 30 foot drops from a roof top on to concrete. The guts of that drill must be made of some really strong "cast iron" or something, along with the funny - I think_ plastic case that house that creature.
It's kind of like the energizer Bunny - it just keeps going and going....Eat's batteries though - I only get about 200 recharges before we have to take them in for the usual $60.00 overhaul for the new battery cells. The overhauled types I've dealt with now just change out the cells to Lithium-Ion types and they seem to go forever. I kept track of one overhauled battery that was done with the Li batteries and it's just gone through it's 450th charge and still keeps accepting the juice and working like new. That's over a 12 month period for the old Dewalt drill. As far as power goes, I still can't beat corded Milwaukee hammer drills if we have to bust a nice smooth 1" hole in the concrete or drill a 3/4" oak floor.
I've had most of the other stuff, including Ridgid, Bosch, B&D and that green one - Oh ya Hitachi - but Dewalt and Milwaukee are still the outstandingly reliable best for what we do every day.
