Once upon a time I had an ancient drill I kept at home. It seemed to find a lot of use around the house… you know as my homeowner drill. When it died I went looking for an inexpensive 3/8″ drill for around the house and found the Black & Decker Quantum reasonably priced.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Features:

• 3/8″ Keyless Chuck
• 4Amps
• 0-2500RPM Variable Speed

Experience:

Common drilling. This isn’t a poweful drill with it’s 4 Amp motor. It’s not a contractor grade tool despite it’s armor-like plastic housing. When I don’t have a great deal of respect for a tool it takes a lot more abuse. Maybe I’ll just let it fall a little further, drag it by the cord, push it’s motor to the limits and use it beyond my intended purpose. What am I saying about the B&D Quantum? I bought the cheapest drill in the store and given it a lot of use. It’s still working 10 year later. I still think of it as my crappy 3/8″ drill, the one I lend to friends who are just buying a house or want to wire brush some furniture.

Comments:

It’s not the strongest homeowner drill but it’s lasted ten years longer than expected.

Links:

Although it really looks like a piece of crap, it’s only $30… I seriously can’t recommend buying something like this:
Black & Decker DR250B 5.2 amp 3/8-inch VSR Drill/Driver with Storage Bag

The Porter-Cable 878? That’s what’s printed on the side of my drill/driver despite the fact several searches at Porter-Cable come up: “No pages were found.” Still, this 14.4v Porter-Cable Cordless Drill/Driver continues to serve me well.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

FEATURES

• 14.4 Volt, 1.3 Amp-hour batteries
• 1/2″ keyless chuck with 310 in./lbs. maximum torque
• 21 position clutch plus solid lock-up/drill mode
• 2-speed gear box (0-475 & 0-1,450 RPM)
• Standard Equipment: Drill, two battery packs, diagnostic charger, carrying case, double-ended bit tip, and operating manual

Experience:
I received this Porter-Cable Drill/Driver as a gift and immediately put it to use as my ‘work’ screwgun. For a few years I operated exclusively with this 14.4v driver. I’ve left it under a house for 6 months, left it out in the rain, worked in sub-zero temps and 100ºF sweat-drenching days and it’s none-the-worse.

I have 14.4v, 15.6v, 18v and 24v cordless drill/drivers. I prefer the smaller lighter tools like this 14.4v Porter-Cable to the weighty 24v Rigid I’ve added to my box.

Comments:
On the positive side, This screwgun still seems to give 100% and it’s still using the original batteries. (I’ve been through three Apple Powerbook batteries in less time.) The chuck on the Porter-Cable 878 is outdated by current standards, being the kind requiring two hands to adjust. There’s nothing super special about this Porter-Cable drill except that it’s been through so much and it’s still driving in decking screws. It beats my Dewalt hands down for durability and performance but it’s not as smooth or precise as my Panasonic.

DeltaPorterCable.com (Manufacturer’s website)
Porter-Cable 9824 14.4-Volt Cordless Drill/Driver