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340 of 345 found the following review helpful:
 Terrific combination of power, weight, size, & ergnomics... Jan 11, 2005
By Victor H. Agresti
"remodeling-guy"
Panasonic EY6432GQKW 15.6-Volt NiMH 1/2-Inch Cordless Drill/Driver Kit
Originally posted this review in January 2005; updated in February 2011. I own two of these drills, with a total of four 3.5 amp hour NiMH batteries.
Power. The Panasonic's 390 inch pounds is sufficient for most drilling and driving applications. However, putting things in perspective, my DeWalt DW235G 1/2" Heavy Duty 7.8 Amp corded drill has much more torque; so don't buy a cordless drill thinking you will have the "most powerful" tool.
Chuck. Terrific one-handed keyless chuck will tightly hold any bit, from tiny 1/16 inch round bits to 1/2 inch bits. Very quick to change out bits, even with one hand. My Panasonic chuck wobbles a tad and sometimes the shaft turns 1/2 revolution or so when trying to tighten the chuck, before it locks in place. (One Panasonic reviewer said "It is difficult to center small bits in the chuck"; probably a result of the chuck being open too far -- simply close-up the chuck more before inserting the bit.) Terrific electric brake. Release the trigger and the chuck stops instantly.
Weight. I can use it all day without arm fatigue. Heavier drills can be uncomfortable to use overhead for any length of time, and I'm 6/4 260 lbs.
Size. Relatively small for a powerful drill - e.g., it's shorter and 1/3 lighter than my Milwaukee V28 hammer drill/driver. Consequently, the Panasonic can be used in tight spots where larger drills won't even fit.
Run-time. Excellent run time due to the excellent NiMH batteries and their high amp-hour rating. When not in use it maintains a charge longer than any NiCad tool. On big jobs, keep the spare Panasonic battery in the charger so it will be ready when needed. On a construction job when the Panasonic is used frequently, a battery discharges about once a day. On rare days, I change out batteries twice. The battery does not get hot sitting in the charger for hours (or even days).
Battery life. Batteries began to noticeably deteriorate after 5 years of serious use. At the 6 year mark, my two drills are still usable, but run-rime is ½ of what it was, drill speed is reduced, power is diminished, and the charge only lasts a week. At this rate of decline, by 6.5 years, the NiMH batteries will be completely dead. By comparison, the NiCAD batteries on my [previous] Porter/Cable, Delta, and Bosch cordless drills were totally dead within 3 years.
Clutch. Offers a wide range of choices, from a few pounds of torque for small screws, to drilling a large hole. The "lock" position bypasses the clutch to provide maximum torque. It's pretty easy to snap a screw and/or Phillips bit by over-torquing.
Charge time. About 30-40 minutes. However, this isn't important if the spare battery is kept fully charged, because run time is far longer than charge time.
Ergonomics. Fits my [large] hand well, has no sharp spots, nothing pinches my fingers and the grip is comfortable. The reverse switch is perfectly logical.
Speed control. Excellent, going smoothly from a dead stop to full speed. Release the trigger and it stops instantly.
Gearbox. No problems with either of my Panasonic drills, so the gears must be steel. (One reviewer said the motor was turning but not the chuck; my guess is he had the speed selector set between high and low.) Steel gears are important to me ever since my Porter Cable 14.4 v drill stripped its nylon gears after two years.
Noise. The Panasonic whines a little, as though its gears are really tight. So what; it is not annoying.
Auxiliary handle. The Panasonic does not come with such a handle, probably because it is not sufficiently powerful to need one. E.g., the Milwaukee V28 hammer/drill is much more powerful (it's also huge and more costly), has a side handle that's useful when working with large bits that can bind and stop instantly. I.e., that handle could save your wrist from a nasty sprain if the drill continued turning before you could release the trigger.
Ruggedness. Drills have been dropped onto the floor a couple of times from about 5', with no obvious effect.
Tool case. Case is molded plastic, has metal latches, and fits the tool just fine.
Reliability. Couldn't be better. I've used my two Panasonic drills on a 2-year total home renovation, finishing a basement, and countless other construction projects, without a problem of any kind.
Summary:
An outstanding tool with terrific batteries.
113 of 122 found the following review helpful:
Awesome Jun 11, 2003
By Jonathan Peck
Shear power. At 390in./lbs. of torque I have been having trouble trying not to shear the heads off of galvanized screws (pre-drilled w/countersink). I've tried both speeds, and all of the clutch settings. This has forced me to drive screws 7/8 of the way home and finish off the deal by hand. I just finished using this Panasonic to drill 3/4" x 2 3/8" deep holes into a hardwood workbench for bench dogs. The Panasonic maintains constant speed under strain, and while getting hot, it did not overheat. The only reason I would need to stop was to let the fostner bit cool down. The 3.5 amp NiMH batteries are A+++++. The kit comes with two, so you always have one in the ready. One charge lasts a full day under heavy use. The drill is well balanced and has good ergonomics. The electronic brake stops on a dime. This can't be good for the brushes, but no problems so far. I like the weight of this drill, it is substantial but not too heavy. The best feature of all - SMALL DRILL BITS WILL NOT SPIN IN THE CHUCK. WOW I will probably dedicate the 15.6 volt to drilling and buy the Panasonic 12 volt cordless for driving screws. The 15.6 easily overpowers cheaply made screws. Highly recommended!!
48 of 49 found the following review helpful:
Best overall drill Feb 21, 2004
By A. W. Rouse
"andrewwynn"
I'd been waiting for years for the perfect overall drill to come into my workshop. I have a brother that sells power tools for a living and he told me about this Panasonic drill that he liked better than all the rest of the pack. The couple of selling points he had was the high torque at ANY SPEED... pull the trigger a bit to turn a screw in slowly even when the going gets tough... and the almost never-ending power supply of 3.5 Amp hours... that's enough power to run a halogen light for 75 minutes! I recently put in an entire subfloor on one charge, the battery just doesn't quit. Note of caution: the chuck has an anti-loosen mechanism that while loosening or tightening makes a pretty loud whine... or ratchteting click when hand turning.. but it pays off.. my bits never loosen while on my milwaukee it happens any time i bump the chuck while loosening screws. I lucked out in the timing of my purchase.. they just came out with the 3.5AH battery.. it uses squared off battery cells to get more juice in almost the same space as the 3.0AH batteries that have cylindrical battery cells. I've used the bosch 24V which has 25% more torque.. a monster.. but this drill will put 4" screws into hardwood w/o thinking about it so it has gobbs of torque yet is still a very nice small size.. it fits no problem between two studs to drill holes for wiring and i've used it to bore 2 1/2" holes in cabinets. I bought the lantern and a spare battery and it's extremely convenient to have a constant portable light source that will last 5-6 hours straight with no dimming whatsoever (light just shuts off when battery is low). Summary: impossible to beat this drill for overall use... get the new 12V impact if you want light and high power mostly for screw driving... get the 15.6 if you want the best general purpose drill made. -awr
32 of 35 found the following review helpful:
 Great battery, but chuck is an issue Feb 28, 2004
By Fuzzypaw Designs
I've had a number of cordless drills. After having a second DeWalt die before its time, I vowed to never buy a yellow tool again. I picked up every brand of drill I could find to check the feel and the Panasonic was very well balanced. And thankfully it doesn't have that much yellow on it.... I've had this drill for almost a year and the battery life is impressive, to say the least. I built a 12 x 12 deck this summer for my brother using pressure treated yellow pine from the ground up. Every connection was done with the drill and it did it all on one battery charge - I drove over three pounds of screws into crappy wet Home Depot wood and the battery just would not give up. The only thing I don't like is the chuck. I got use to the screaming sound when loosing and tightening, but the chuck doesn't seem to want to center a drill bit. It usually takes two or three tries to get the bit centered. Maybe I have a faulty chuck? Otherwise the drill is great, and I would certainly buy another one.
22 of 23 found the following review helpful:
Unbelievable tool, doesn't get recognition it deserves. Jun 26, 2003
I have owned the 15.6V, 3.0Amp Panasonic for about 5 years. The NiHi batteries still hold a charge all day with a lot of use. I went ahead and purchased the newer 3.5Amp model and the first thing I noticed was that it was heavier. I was not looking to increase the weight as I have to hold it above my head all day. I weighed the batteries and there is about 5oz. difference. If that is not a problem (it's still very light at 4.4lbs) then you will not be disappointed with this drill.
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