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I purchased from a local distributor about 5 years ago when it was cutting edge. It seemed like it would spend 15 min in charger & 15 min out.this gets old when you use it a lot. It did not come with a case or any extras other than a charger. It replaced the disposable Skill unit that goes for $30.
*read my Makita screwdriver review to learn more. The clutch worked well for my application, dialing up or down it did not over torque at any time or break any delicate material. The Makita came with a useful case [soft side, zipper] second battery, charger and some bits.yes I said bits. So what did I do with my old one. At about $70 delivered I would have been goofy to do otherwise. I liked the 15 min coffee break charge time.
I recently went with the new Makita because buying a replacement [Ni cad] battery was going to be about $40 and is quite outdated with lithium ion technology. I gave it to my soon-to-be retired father in law to use around the house, knowing him he will get years out of it. I think I paid about $120 then. Over the past 6 months I began to notice the battery just was not giving me the performance it used to.
I have been in electronics service for over 30 years, and our shops have always used these stick type screwdrivers. They work perfectly, and have been a big improvement over prior models, as has been the increase to 3.6 volts, enabling the speed to go to 600 rpm. I have been using it daily for about 5 years now. Our shops have been outfitted with hundreds of them over the years, and not one of them fail until they have been completely worn out from many years of daily abuse.This model has been manufactured for many years, which is why it is still using Ni-Cd technology.
But it is used primarily for electronics and similar light duty tasks. I'm sure Panasonic will be updating it soon, but the lack of Li-Ion batteries is not that big of a deal.Contrary to a prior comment, you do not want variable speed with a driver of this type. The low speed high torque setting is great for that occasional tough job, or if you need delicate control.It should be noted that this is not a driver for driving long screws into 2x4's. Pick the correct tool for the job. It is a precision tool that has a surprising amount of power for its size. Products like Black and Decker, Skil, and Craftsman are not even close to being the caliber of this Panasonic driver.This is my 4th driver, and each one has been a steady improvement in features and power.
You would find that it actually would be a nuisance. The 9.6 volt Ridgid is a good driver if you need more power. Having started out with the single speed Milwaukee, then the Milwaukee and Panasonic two speed 2.4 volt drivers,(which are identical), and now the 3.6 volt Panasonic, these are all truly bullet proof and proven Professional products. But the rest of the features, such as the chuck, and the electronic clutch, are very modern.
50 OF THEM WERE PURCHASED IN 2001 AND THEY ARE ALL STILL GOING STRONG.THIS UNIT IS THE BEST AVAILABLE. WE HAVE OVER 108 OF THESE UNITS IN SERVICE IN OUR SERVICE DEPARTMENT.
When everyone else saw it and saw how great it was, they wanted to order more. I purchased this product and used it in our shop.
So we recommend it highly for light duty jobs. Any other driver is either way to heavy to carry all day, or way too crappy.The clutch works, the batteries work for about a year. For what it is- simple and lightweight, it's the best we've found so far.They last about 1-2 years of daily use in our production room. We needed a driver that was light to carry for driving small screws, with a good clutch to make sure the screws didn't break out.
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