From the stealth force in power tools:Panasonic EY6225 3.6V cordless drill & driver

Panasonic is sort of a "stealth force" in the tool business. They make some amazing products, but do little or no advertising; and their products are not widely distributed. I don't know why.

My first Panasonic cordless screwdrivers were labeled Milwaukee and AEG -- major tool makers that preferred to re-badge Panasonic products rather than design their own. Car companies do this a lot.

More recently, I bought a few Panasonic-labeled cordless screwdrivers that had better performance or more features than my older ones. My cordless drivers have a tough life. They get dropped and stepped on and dripped on and hammered with, but I've never had one fail.

I almost never use plug-in tools.The Panasonic EY6225 is the "world-beater" of cordless screwdrivers. It actually has enough torque to do a lot of the work that would normally be done with a much heavier and bulkier drill. It's great for drilling small holes, as well as driving screws, for routine household fix-ups, woodworking, automotive repairs, and (not kidding) orthopedic surgery). Charging time is an amazingly low 15 minutes, so you probably won't need a second battery pack, unless you're very busy, or working far from a source of AC power for the charger. It's extremely rugged, and has survived falls from ladders, tumbles downstairs, and dog chewing.

This awesome tool is longer than most cordless drivers, and a bit "nose heavy." When I first got mine, I didn't really like it. I put it back in the box, and planned to return it. I'm lousy about returning things, and it hung around the office for a couple of months. A while ago, I started building a new PC, and this tool was nearby and my other Panadriver was down two flights of stairs. I didn't feel like going downstairs, so I opened the box and gave it a quick charge.

Once I started using it, it took me about 30 seconds to fall in love with it. Now I seldom use anything else for screwdriver work; and I use it in lots of cases where I would have used a drill in the past, like putting up shelf brackets. I really like the positive locking quick-connect chuck, that prevents bits from falling out. It's a WONDERFUL tool. Highly recommended. Cost is $162, with free shipping at PhoneGeeks.com.