dwain

Really? If the DeWALT had a 4.0Ah batt , by my maths it would have done the most 1/4" holes and been near the top for 5/8" holes. All you'd gain is faster drilling, but i guess that's pretty important! I've got the compact Bosch, and love it for round the house. So light and small, a truly one-handed rotary. Wouldnt be big enough for 16mm+ though... http://www.boschtools.com/Products/Tools/Pages/BoschProductDetail.aspx?pid=RHS181K

yeah i was surprised Dan won this argument. I love my 985, but I dont think the extra grunt and third gear are enough to get it over the line against the runtime and length of the FUEL drill (not that I've used it). But how lucky as consumers are we to have such choices! On another note, I remember the first brushless dewalt impact driver (DCF895) coming in right on par with the FUEL impact in the tool fight. I assume the DCF886 (which i love!) would do the same. But the FUEL has 3 speeds? Should/could it have won that category too? Was the Dewalt oscillating tool lucky to get the nod over the Bosch also? I have mostly Dewalt (for cordless), and love my gear, but I'm feeling they got pretty lucky in these awards...

had a play with one today. AU$900 for the kit here. But a nice tool. They're saying it is paying itself off in 22 boxes (of 3000 nails). Some guys would go through that in a few weeks ....

i love Bosch. I have their grinder, HT wrench, jigsaw and SDS. They seem to be getting the same level of love as Dewalt - http://professional-power-tool-guide.com/2013/12/2013-tools-in-action-tool-awards-readers-choice/

im stuffed either way if there are gods like that. I have the forums three favourite platforms, Milwaukee, Dewalt and Bosch :shock: Might have a slight cordless addiction ...

The three biggest red fans all have big plumbing issues? I thought Milwaukee was catering to that exact crowd

Not many I don't think. I'd rather the the clutch settings on drills dropped in favour of compact sizes, power or other features. On the other hand I'd think several speed settings on the impact drivers should become standard (or other 'control' features)

good points here. i suppose if it has the power equivalent to a compact 18v then the size is justified. I've still never used the screw driving/clutch feature on my drill drivers, so to me the mode selector isn't important. but 1/2" metal chuck! That's awesome. That's what i love about my 790, so i can appreciate why you'd love it on the M12 FUEL

thanks for the info. im certainly not trying to create a yellow vs red debate (i have and love both . whilst there is nothing wrong with your comparisons, you were still comparing a 12V tool to an 18v tool. and that was my question,if 18V drills can be this small (Dewalt, Bosch etc compacts), do the 12Vs need to be smaller? perhaps people are happy to have a larger 12V since they are on the platform. just seems to me the main reason (apart from cost) to use 12V is a smaller size....

I've not got to hold one of these yet, but after hearing the great reviews (but concerns over size), i just checked the specs. The M12 FUEL drill is half an inch longer than the compact Dewalt 18v (790), and only half a pound lighter (both with 2.0ah batts)! Does its power justify the size? Is this too big for a 12V drill? granted, the 12v dewalt is about the same (im a fan of both brands). Maybe its great for those who don't have an 18v line!

lucky they brought out the FUEL version, or you guys might have needed a black and yellow one Love the Dewalt recip.

was the dewalt much slower per hole? i think the speed is just as important as the total holes.... is the 995 less powerful than the 985?

It came this week! Man the 790 is a great drill, and with those skinny 2.0ah batts .... ahhhh. The brushless impact driver also feels so much nicer with a skinny batt. I'm stoked!

having owned and used the 985 for a while now, i consider the 2nd speed the 'extra' gear, not the 3rd. 3rd gear does nearly everything you need (including speed bore auger bits up to ~ 18/20mm). Its comparable to other drills 2nd gear (like the Bosch Destroyer that i also own). So most of the time it's 1st or 3rd gear. To me the 2nd gear is just a luxury 'middle ground' for doing some high torque applications a little faster than 1st gear - a 25mm auger bit for example. As for the Milwuakee vs Dewalt debate, who cares? They're both awesome, they'll both do everything you want. As an owner of Dewalt 20v and Bosch 18v lines, i can say without any shame that based on what i've seen on TIA, i think the FUEL is the slightly better drill due to runtime, length and weight (in that order). But i love my 3 speed and the 985 is a monster!

take it to a store and ask to try a battery out, don't buy a new battery until you know if the drill is ok. then rule out a problem with the charger...

wow AU$160 will only get you a drill driver kit in Oz. that's so cheap!

i dont think the newer one comes with batteries and charger, its just a bare tool (skin). it looks like you could get an 18v li-iion set of porter cable (never tried them myself), or a bosch kit from there. or you could find a way to turn that gift card into cash (sell or use for something else), and buy from somewhere else. if you're after a compact drill driver, the dewalt dcd780 (or better 790) or boschDDS181-02 would be great choices...

Civil engineer here. Unfortunately, tools are just hobby stuff for me, i don't get to use 'em daily

thanks i just ordered a 2.0ah kit with the brushless impact and 790 on ebay! now for the 2 week wait! now to figure out what current drill(s) to offload...

Oops, posted as a guest ^. Didn't know you I could do that.

Hi all. Been watching TIA and reading this forum for a while, so decided its time to join. Besides, I haven't seen enough representation for the Aussies on here. Bit of a cordless fanatic of late. Got my foot in DeWalt and Bosch Blue camps, though I'm only a weekend warrior with no need for such quantity or quality of tools! Maybe this is the right place to admit my addiction P.S. despite owning the Bosch Destroyer, dcd985 and 10.8V drill (we call it by it's proper voltage down here ), I'm super temped to import the new brushless dcd790! such a sweet looking drill and slim 2.0Ah batts! Can't get em in Oz yet