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My Firestorm Cordless Drill Review
I have been wanting to write a review for my Firestorm cordless drill for some time now because this drill deserves praise. I often find that the higher quality power tool models from Milwaukee, Bosch, Dewalt, an the like are simply made better and perform better than the more budget oriented brands like Black and Decker. However, as will all rules, there are exceptions. The FS1800D Firestorm cordless drill is an example of this.
I remember the first time I saw this drill a number of years ago, while working on a small apartment renovation. A guy I was working with had this Firestorm cordless drill and I was impressed with it's power, but I was even more impressed with its design. The removable chuck design seemed brilliant and helped him to work quicker than I could with my Skil drill. I meant to shop for the Firestorm cordless drill, but it slipped my mind after the apartment repairs were complete.
Then, a few years later, I was working on some rails for a large front porch and switching back and forth from a drill bit for making pilot holes to a driver bit. I thought that there had to be a better and faster way. I had seen and used some of the quick change bit kits in the past and they were useful, but some requires special drill bit with the hexagonal design. Then I remembered the Firestorm cordless drill and I decided I had to get it. At that time it was a little dated model and the only place I could find it in stock was on eBay. I grabbed one that was new at a fair price, and it came with two batteries and a dual battery charger.
I have now had the drill for over 3 years, maybe even over 4 years. While battery technology has improved since the time of manufacture for the Firestorm FS1800D cordless drill, the old-school 18 volt batteries used by this drill have been very reliable. Over the past year I have noticed that they don't last as long on a charge than they used to, which is typical of the older batteries. Other than this, I have had absolutely nothing bad to say about this drill and this is rare for me. I tend to find at least one aspect of a tool that just doesn't satisfy me. However, after years of consistent use on some tough projects, this drill has proven itself time and again.
As mentioned, it has a very good amount of torque output. Also, it can take a beating and still work fine. This last point is important because the budget friendly brands usually produce tools that aren't heavy duty or designed to take abuse. Also, drills tend to be dropped and banged around frequently. I have dropped this drill from roofs onto some fairly hard ground a number of times and it has never stopped working. Sure, it has scratches and marks all over it, but it works like new.
There are some features offered by this Firestorm cordless drill that aren't standard things you'll find on budget drills. In fact, the combination of features on the FS1800D cordless drill allow it to be used in nearly any situation calling for a drill. The removable chuck makes it very easy to switch between drilling and screwing in seconds. It has a torque adjustment that offers many setting to keep a person from driving screws too deep, which is important since this drill has the power to send screws further than intended. Also, it has two speed settings with the lower speed setting being the higher torque option. I have very rarely used the higher torque option, but it's a nice feature to have. The comfort of the grip is as good or better than any drill I have ever used, and the drill is well balanced when the somewhat heavy battery pack is attached. It even has a few places on it to store drive bits.
I hope it's obvious that I'm bragging about this tool. I'm not bragging that I have it…just bestowing the much deserved praise for the durability, power, and design of the FS1800D Firestorm cordless drill. If this thing ever dies I will be looking for another one to replace it, or maybe for a very similar drill with newer battery technology, such as the lithium-ion batteries. It may be hard to find another model that offers such a great combination of features for under $100. Since this model is difficult to be found, a person wanting it might need to settle for a lightly used one from eBay. I would personally feel comfortable buying a used FS1800D because I know it's a durable and reliable tool. I'm glad to finally get my praise for this drill posted for the world to see. I love this drill!