The Ridgid Fuego R92009 12V Lithium-Ion 2-Speed Drive/Driver with LED Light is one tough set that combines great build quality and power into a portable platform. The flashlight comes with a powerful Cree-style LED light source that is nearly blinding in a dark room. The stocky construction of the drill/driver includes a compact 3/8" single sleeve locking chuck and an all-metal two-speed transmission. Both tools are literally built like tank and easy to grip and use. Their rugged construction should help this set to hold up to nearly any use and abuse you can throw at it.
When Kobalt Tools gets into the power tool business, it's going to draw attention. This for a variety of reasons, but the most obvious is because Lowe's already has some excellent value tools already within its walls (Porter-Cable comes to mind). On top of that, Kobalt is billing its new tools as being "tougher than dinner with your mother-in-law". Now, I like my mother-in-law, so I probably would have went with "tougher than dinner with your soon-to-be-fiance's father", but you get the implication. By setting the bar high - and making "toughness" the primary focus, Kobalt's new line of Lithium-ion power tools were something we really were looking forward to getting our hands on. Of course, the press event was scheduled and held at an art museum... so I guess what Lowe's is communicating to the tool world is that their new power tools are tough AND pretty. In either case, just what can you expect from the new tools? Lots, if our hands-on experience with them has anything to do with it.
The Masterforce 18V Cordless Lithium-ion 4 Tool Combo Kit intrigued us when we first saw it. Masterforce is a midwestern brand sold exclusively through Menards, so we were anxious to see how well these tools would perform in the real world. It was certainly one of the biggest boxes I had ever seen for a 4-piece tool kit, so we knew we were in for a treat. I was very impressed when I opened the box and started to notice, in particular, all the thoughtful and forward-thinking features that came on all the power tools. We were definitely anxious to put them to the test.
Writing a review of the new Ridgid X4 18V lithium-ion 5-piece Combo Kit is both easy and hard. It's easy because there's a lot to say, and it's almost all good. From the features, to the build quality, to the lifetime service agreement that includes brushes, batteries and more - this Ridgid 5-piece kit is a cut above many of the 18V cordless tools we've used all year - and we mean that to even include some of the bigger names. This makes the review difficult because, as you can imagine, it means we've got a lot to convey about this kit. And we need to be specific and back up our contention that it just may be the cordless tool industry's best kept secret.
In our testing and review of the Rockwell RK1001K2 12V Drill & Impact Driver Combo Kit, we found it to offer a good combination of both value and performance. With a myriad of different manufacturers coming out with 12V lithium-ion powered cordless tools it can be hard to determine what ones are the best to pick. If you are on the market for a 12V lithium-ion combo set, we think that the Rockwell RK1001K2 Drill and Impact Driver Combo Kit is worth a look. These tools offer performance that is comparable to many leading brands and, as a bonus, they come with a full three year warranty and a program where they offer free replacement batteries for life if you register your tools.
The Makita LCT307W 12V Cordless Combo Kit contains some very light and compact tools. Compared with typical competing portable drills, the included FD01W measures only 6 inches from hex chuck to back - and the DT01W Impact Driver is nearly the same. This really makes these Makita tools much more accessible to tight spaces. On both tools, the built-in LED light illuminates with just a touch of the trigger and proved to be very bright and helpful. Under our test conditions where we intentionally worked in tight (and thus dark) quarters, both the Makita Driver-Drill and Impact Driver were great tools.
We weren't sure what we'd find when we opened up the Porter-Cable PCL418C-2 18V 4-tool Combo Kit, but after just a few minutes examining the tools and handling them, we came away with the impression that this is possibly one of the best values in the market today. We don't say that lightly, and we certainly were anxious to get to our performance testing - but in terms of sheer features and build quality, Porter-Cable really impressed us with their attention to detail and craftsmanship.
The Bosch CLPK40-180 18-Volt Litheon Four-Tool Combo Kit contains four high-performance tools that help you drill, drive, hammer-drill, saw and cut a variety of materials. All tools in this kit feature the industry's most advanced lithium-ion technology, with twice the battery life, up to 50% more runtime. The kit's tools also boast Electronic Cell Protection (ECP) and batteries that keep cool for long periods.
The DeWALT DCK211S2 12V MAX Cordless Li-Ion Drill/Driver and Impact Driver Kit seems pretty good, but they are a long time in coming and we were eager to see if these new 12V tools were worth the wait. These new tools come at a time when some other manufactures are already coming out with their second generation 12V tools. Having owned a construction company that had a lot of DeWalt tools on our job sites, a certain amount of brand loyalty had us holding out for these and we were excited to dive in and see how these new offerings from DeWalt sized up.
If you're looking for a compact yet powerful and versatile impact driver and drill/driver, the Porter-Cable PCL212IDC-2 12V Max Lithium Cordless Compact 2-Tool Kit is all you need. It is a small, powerful, and handy kit that can tackle almost any project that requires drilling, driving, or the need for being able to work in a cramped area. With 950in-lbs of driving torque, the impact driver can tackle almost any job. The drill/driver with a 3/8" chuck, variable 2 speed transmission, and a clutch with 20 positions, will have you covered for all your drilling needs.
Makita just released its contribution to the 12V world with its 12V max Lithium-Ion Cordless 2-Piece Combo Kit, model LCT208W. The new combo kit features a tiny but versatile new 3-3/8" Circular Saw with a range of cutting capabilities, paired with a powerful and compact 3/8" Driver-Drill. The new LCT208W is the first of what seems to be a growing line of 12V max cordless solutions that deliver pro power and pro speed in a fairly compact size.
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