Ever since their inception, cordless tools were supposed to free us, and they did very well, but now along comes a newer generation of compact cordless designs which offer not only to free us from cords, but also to carry more compactly.

I’ve now had my Drill/Screwdriver/Hacksall kit for about a month and while using it on my house renovation, they are constantly fought over and used more than any of the cordless tools that no-one else brings to the site anymore.

We still use a 1/2″ corded Milwaukee drill for the heavy stuff, but there has been no full-sized Sawzall on site and the Drill has done far more work than I would have hoped it could.

If you ever use a drill at all, this is a great tool that will see a lot of usage, regardless of whether you’re a pro who makes their living by power tools, or a homeowner who wants something powerful and easy to use.

Just to be sure, the M12 series will not deliver the same power as modern full-sized power tools, but they are incredible when you take into account the size and the torque you feel the first time you try is very impressive.

A couple features that made me choose the M12 over the competitors, all of which were also very impressive, was the handy 4-LED battery meter that lights for a couple seconds each time you press the trigger, the smoother chuck grip which offers good enough purchase not to slip, but doesn’t tear at your hand while tightening a bit. The 2-speed switch and torque selector rounded it out to be a no-regret purchase.