I got this drill after I checked it out in a local hardware store. It felt so good in my little hand. My husband's old (ancient) Porter Cable 12 volt is wearing out and we're building a house. Instead of trying to find batteries for his old Porter Cable, I decided to get the Makita for Christmas. ( I know..I'm not your typical woman, I'd rather have electronics and power tools) This way I can help my husband when we're putting up drywall instead of standing around.
On to the drill. I absolutely love it. It's lightweight, powerful and it's stubby in length. Many times my husband has a tough time getting into small areas. The LED light is great too, after ten seconds of non use, the light slowly goes away. My husband is impressed with the power. I am a petite woman and it fits my hand nicely. The only problem my husband finds is that he has a tendency to hit the forward/reverse button instead of the trigger. I don't have this problem, he must hold it different than I do. I think he's just not used to the difference from his Porter Cable. We're both quite pleased so far. I don't like bulky tools.
Update: After nearly two years of heavy use my husband has stolen my drill from me. He loves it. Last weekend, he drilled through a steel beam in the basement. He's hard on stuff, but the lil Makita drill has held up superbly. The batteries charge quickly as claimed too. I'd definitely buy this drill again.
Update: It's been nearly 3 years now and one of the batteries finally died. :(. I've been reading about other people having problems with the batteries not lasting long. I guess 3-4 years is the typical lifespan. I ordered a new battery. Drill still working fine. I dropped it off a ladder this past weekend, as I cringed, the drill was fine. I do wish the batteries didn't cost so much. When I charge them, I try to take them off the charger as soon as they're done charging. We completely drain them too since we use the drill so much. This might help extend the battery life.
