I'm a weekend warrior but use my Panasonic cordless drill nearly every week. I've had if for more than a year. It works very well. Battery life is excellent, I will ALWAYS try to buy NiMH batteries in the future. They are far superior to NiCd batteries. (Battery life is such that I rarely have to change batteries on a weekend project. There is no "memory effect" on the batteries so I don't worry about fully discharging a battery before recharging it.) The drill itself works great. The one hand keyless chuck is very easy to use. The clutch works well. Two speeds, fast for drilling, slower for driving screws are appropriate. Size/weight/power/controls are perfect for me. (I'm an average size guy.) If I had it to do over, I would have purchased the Drill/Driver combination with the circular saw. Saw is not available w/o batteries charger like other brands. If it were, I'd buy it in a second! Are you listening Panasonic/Amazon?

I waffled between this unit, with it's 3.0 amp-hour NiMH batteries, and the model with 3.5 amp-hour units. It turns out that this drill is about 1/2 pound lighter than the other, a smart trade-off because you're only losing 15% of run-time. The weight difference is seen in the user's manual, not on Amazon's erroneous description.
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br /Buying anything heavier than this drill would be a big mistake for me. At work, we have a Porter-Cable 19.2 drill that is an absolute beast. We need all the torque we can get at work, because we regularly use it to drill through steel. But you get fatigued immediately with this clumsy, bulky drill. As a woodworker, I sometimes use my drill-driver for hours on end- and having a light drill is absolutely mandatory. At 15.6 volts and with it's two-speed gearbox, this Panasonic has more than enough torque.
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br /This drill is also very compact- more so than my cheapie Black and Decker 12 volt drill. That helps me get into tight corners.
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br /The chuck is high quality and easy to use.
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br /I added a Bosch Clic-change quick-release chuck and driver set for rapid changing between my countersinking drills and my drivers.
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br /Paired together, this is quite an effective, powerful, lightweight and efficient drilling system.

I don't understand why Panasonic doesn't push these tools. They're the best you can buy. After seven years of overloading it, I finally burnt up the 12V I had at work and bought this...br The tool: This just feels right in your hand, it doesn't tug your wrist. The chuck is much better than my old one as it ratchets in both directions. The chuck on my old tool would loosen up when I was breaking and extracting a bunch of sheet metal screws. I never ate a clutch, unlike the DeWalts our construction division bought. We'll see how this one holds up with the extra power (I've only had it for a few months). When I get into sheet metal on our equipment, I appreciate a light tool, I'm getting old. This tool weighs more than a 12V, but I can do the repetitious work without fatigue. With the higher voltage tools I need 2 hands after a while. I have a 12V at home that I DID buy from Amazon (model EY6407NQKW) xlnt. brI'm a heavy equipment mechanic/power generation technician and fully expect my 15.6 to last to my retirement in 4 yrs.brjd

I have done over 30 years in the remodeling trades. I have always preferred compact drills to larger ones. I have used many of the different cordless drill models; mostly because the batteries wear out and it is always cheaper to get a new drill with two batteries than it is to get two replacement batteries. I have had this drill for nearly a year now and the batteries are still working. The drill itself is light, powerful, and it has a precise feel to it that pleases me. It compares favorably to many of the 18 volt drills I have used but it is lighter and smaller. I should mention that I have never owned or used a cordless drill that I didn't like, but that being said, this is my favorite to date.

As the owner of a commercial cabinet shop I require all of my dozen or so employees to provide their own hand tools and one power tool: a cordless drill. Over the last 21 years we have obviously seen about every cordless manufacturer out there. The employees are proud people and get quite competitive over who has the best drill. For many years we had quite a variety but for the last 3 or 4 years almost every single drill we buy is a panasonic. Bottom line is they have the best battery power and life second to none. They are built well and last through the abuse of day to day constant use. Our only warranty work that has been done on a few of them is the clutch but I attribute that more to heavy use than poor quality. The biggest debate we have is whether to get the 15.6 volt or the 18 volt and it's all about weight. The 18 volt is definately more powerful but a fair bit heavier also. Personal preference and end use should guide you. With either drill you can't go wrong, I have two myself.

First off, I have to admit that I'm a bit of a Panasonic groupie, because I think that for the money, they produce some of the best electronic products made. They're kind of like Sony used to be in that you could count on buying the best if you bought that brand. So you can understand how surprised I was when the trigger speed control failed after only 1 month of light use!
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br /A month ago, when it was "new", I found that it went from zero to 60 rpm rather abruptly. But since other reviewers had mentioned this behavior, I wasn't unduly alarmed since it did spool up smoothly with more trigger pressure. But now it has just two speeds: Off and full speed! So it seems that this drill/driver's weak link is its trigger speed control. That's why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.
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br /But while I'm disappointed that my unit has failed, it's well within the warranty period, and I think it is worth trying to repair it, rather than just giving up and buying something else. There's just nothing else in its class that's as light, powerful, has two NiMh batteries, charges quickly, has a good case, and is so well designed -- barring, of course, the trigger speed control!
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br /I'll report back when it's repaired to let you know what I think about it after that.
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br /Update
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br /The switch was repaired and I had my drill back in 1 day. And it's been going great since. No other problems despite the fact that I use this a lot; more than any other thing in my shop. I just love this drill, er screwdriver, uh, whatever.

Drill is extremely powerful, I use it daily in my work.
br /Only drawback is clutch head becomes loose after about a year of heavy use.
br /This is my second and plan to repair my first

The best cordless drill i have used .comfortable to usebr ,powerful as an 18 volt model.I have used cordless tools from every major manufacturer and panasonic is the best.If only panasonic made electric tools!Panasonic never promote tools in the uk and as such there are very few stockists.

Pros:
br /1/2" chuck, high torque at lower speeds, compact, comfortable grip, chuck stays tight and is easy to use, quality built for professional use.
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br /Cons: Motor gets hot, especially at lower speeds. somewhat heavy and makes an unusual noise at lower speeds.
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br /It's more money than I wanted to invest in a drill but if it continues to work well and the battery packs last, I'll be happy.

I bought this drill to replace a Sears 18-volt model that had two failed batteries. This unit seems to be every bit as powerful as my old drill, but lighter in weight and less bulky.
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br /I've very pleased with the power it has and the comfort in use. My only complaint is the friction mechanism for the keyless chuck is a bit noisy (a loud raspy sound when you're tightening the chuck).
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br /There are a lot of less-expensive models out there, but getting NiMH batteries (which charge up very quickly) is hard to do unless you spend a lot of money anyways. I hope these batteries last a lot longer than the NiCad ones that seem to die after 2 years of even light use. (Sears wants more for replacement batteries than I paid for the entire drill kit a few years ago.)

I've owned the 15.6V 3.5 amp-hr Panasonic drill for about 3 years. My 18V other brand finally wore out and I saw the Panasonic being used by local contractors, so I bought one. I've built a deck, finished a large basement, and done numerous other projects on 3 houses. Love the drill! I've had no problems whatsoever. The chuck is probably the best I've ever had - no slippage with drill bits. I really like the lighter weight the relatively compact size. The batteries are finally beginning to lose their storage capacity after 3 years, so I just bought a 3.5 battery two-pack. The old batteries still hold some charge, but the time is noticeably shorter than new. The drill has quite a lot of torque for a battery model (not as much as my Milwaukee 1/2 hole shooter of course) and is very controllable. Batteries last a long time before recharge. I'm sure that cold weather degrades the battery time, but for most intermittent projects, cold temps don't seem to be a problem. I wish the plastic case had a little more room for storing bits, etc. However a plastic tube / rubber end cap storage container fits perfectly in the case will hold a fair number of bits. Our local industrial supply house has sold many of these to local contractors I've talked to a number of the guys using them daily. So far almost everyone really likes the drill. So do I.

When the battery on my Dwalt finally gave up the fight, I checked Consumer Reports for a good replacement. The Panasonic drill that I bought has seen plenty of use in the short time that I've had it. I have only good things to say about the way it's performed so far. I highly recommend this drill!

I've owned a lot of Panasonic electronics and have had nothing but great luck with all of them, so I figured I'd take a chance with this drill. It is much better than the one I had before. It has enough power to do all the household jobs I've used it for so far. The batteries (comes with 2) charge quickly and last long. I highly recommend this drill for any homeowner.

This is the second one of these I have purchased. I bought the first one about 8 years ago after doing a good amount of research. The one feature that tipped me towards this drill was a review that rated this drill as the absolute best as far as maintaining constant torque over the speed range. You don't often hear discussions about torque but in general it relates to control and this drill is very good in this area.
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br /The drill is also very well balanced and not overly heavy. I think 15.6v is a nice compromise between battery power and weight.
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br /Panasonic did have problems with some early batteries and that is my one negative on this drill. I was not able to get batteries replaced under warranty due to when they were determined bad. I was able to build one good battery pack out of the two provided. One good pack provides plenty of usability for most jobs.
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br /Note: When I originally got this drill I was a bit disappointed in the battery life compared with my 9.6 volt Milwalkee. Turns out there were dead/weak cells in both battery packs right from the start. Unfortunately for me I did not determine this until it was out of warranty. After fixing one pack up to be all good cells this baby performs extremely well.
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br /If you are going to do anything more that casual work or just enjoy using high quality tools you will love this drill!

I'm hard on tools. I occasionally "nudge" pieces I'm gluing and screwing, for instance, with the battery end of a cordless drill. My old Milwaukee 16v drill cost me $0.00 and lasted through 5 years of hard use and abuse. I wanted a powerful, solid but slightly more compact and lightweight drill to replace it when it finally gave up the ghost (nonreplacable brushes, I think), and this Panasonic was my choice. At $0.00 with 2 batteries it's a good deal. It feels good in the hand, and has a lot of torque at low speed, good for starting big unpiloted screws. I like the "click" of the chuck as I lock in a bit.

I previously gave this drill a 'glowing' review and my enthusiasm hasn't diminished one iota in the interim. In fact, I recently purchased a second Panasonic drill to replace an older Bosch that is coming to the end of its battery life (NiCads--ugh!) and the new drill is every bit as good as I anticipated.
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br /Having two of these drills to work with is now pure joy. I used to have to make a choice between the Panasonic and the Bosch based on the amount of power I needed, but no more. Now I can put whatever accessory I want into either drill and not have to be concerned with whether or not the drill can handle the job.
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br /Once again, I can highly recommend this drill to anyone looking for a reliable, heavy-duty, and relatively light-weight cordless drill.

We have used panasonic cordless drills for the last 15 years. I have 3 three that are 15 years old that are still be used today. We own 15 panasonic cordless drills and wouldn't own anything else. Panasonic is the best on the market!

We have 5 of these drills in our furniture shop. They are very reliable and durable. We have tried all types of drills and this is by far the best.

i bought this specific drill because the techinal data said it was made in japan , but on the drill it self said made in mexico, if i had known that i would have bought the 18 volt. i feel that ive been lied to. its a nice drill , but i feel like i got screwed

I have had this tool for 2 years now and I would say that I use it frequently as a do-to-yourselfer. I was constructing some 2x4 shelves and dropped the drill on the chuck on cement and broken the chuck. The drop was about 5' or so. The problem is that the battery so outweighs the motor that it does not want to stay in a holster. I replaced the chuck, though it did not work as well as the original for some reason. Now, when set for drilling it will move the setting off drilling and start to slip. The chuck does not want to hold bits like it used to as well.
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br /Recently I was drilling 2" holes with a Forester bit (very tough going) in 2x6s and the motor started to smoke. This drill is ruined now, as it smokes all the time. It was clearly not up to the load imposed by drilling these.
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br /I love the feel and weight of this tool. The batteries and charger have worked excellent by any standard. I wish there was a little more heavy dutiness to it though. I think people are buying this tool on the weight and battery life. I know I did, but I would be cautious of the durability for heavy duty tasks.
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br /As a side not, there are some very good drivers coming out and I think I will try using two separate tools, a driver/impact driver and a drill. The drivers/impact drivers are a lot lighter and would cover most of what I am doing and that would address my concern about lugging around a 5+ lb. tool most of the time.
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br /Good Shopping