UPDATE. I wanted to do this earlier but the tool hasn't had many days of hard use.
Recap: I was gifted the drill so I picked up a pair of extra batteries and bought a 2 year unconditional replacement warranty in the even of failure which includes drop damage.
I charged a pair of batteries and stuffed one, factory wrapped, into the bottom of my roller chest as a spare. The drill indeed has the advertised speed and torque. Hanging new steel on quarter panels it was used for anything requiring a drill motor including pop rivets. I repaired a fence, and handed it over said fence to let the neighbor check it out side by side to his Dewalt. Ran through a handful of deck screws and bored a few holes using a spade bit. He said aside from the color he couldn't see any real difference between mine and his. Not buying one though since his cordless system of tools is already Dewalt and the batteries, while looking very similar, don't fit. (I already knew that)
I've the used it for various tasks around the house and helping out neighbors since. Just picking it up whenever the need arose.
So far so good. It's working as claimed. However the grip feels a little small. Nothing I can't adapt to for occasional use, but if I were using it all day everyday I'd opt to wrap it for a little more "meat".
Still on battery number one! Hasn't gone dead yet. The one extra battery I charged up back in September still shows four bars/full charge. I don't think I need worry about having dead cells after sitting for a while.
The trigger felt 4 stage out of the box but smoothed out to a true variable in short order on the first day.
The light is aimed well and tapping the trigger, it stays illuminated for a few seconds to serve as a quick flashlight. Came in handy already looking for a dropped screw.
Undetermined: Need to give it a serious workout to test the workings in regard to longevity. There simply hasn't been enough time or tough chores yet. Based upon performance to date I feel fairly confident. I'd hate to have to admit a catastrophic failure but I will should it happen. I have more than a year and a half to run it through the wringer before the plan expires.
To date: Since Dewalt has dropped their indentical package to match HF's offering, about the only REAL difference is in the cost of the batteries which are most often the need for replacing the entire tool. The Herc batteries are 1/3 the cost. Hence having factory spares on hand for the future.
That's about it in a nutshell. No, I didn't make out like a bandit but I have no buyers remorse either. (Mostly because I didn't buy it! LOL)
*added* The two year full replacement plan was between $15- $20...somewhere between there. So, I added the spare batteries and the plan for a little under fifty bucks.
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