Hi, I would love to hear your opinions as I have gotten only so much information from reading online visiting the local home depot / lowes stores here in GA. I live in an apartment and would like to start hanging some shelves for my textbooks and electronic/computer equipment. I saw some simple bookcase/shelf designs on another website that require some drilling too. In addition, I wanted to make a few "holes" to pass ethernet cable from one room to the other. I only have 1 floor. I'm not sure on how delicate work like driving ikea furniture screws or using it for light screw driving (as opposed to manual) would be on things. I am a complete novice, hobbyist and by trade, a medical student. I am thinking that I can start with a compact, cordless 12V lithium ion 3/8 drill with a budget of less than $160.00 - something that will not only serve some of the above purposes, but perhaps more indoor things in the future (I'm not sure what - but). I don't plan on putting up walls, building decks or a house. Maybe put together a swing set/playground set for my little cousins or a picnic bench... I went to the stores to get a feel for how it fits for me, but that is far as I got. I thought I would get some good hands on help from some of the local hardware stores, but that was beyond the case when at least in my situation, the salesreps literally read back to me the same thing I can read on the display card or box and then tell me that I absolutely need an impact driver (okay if I am driving 100s of screws outside, but I am in an apartment) and extra battery too. I'm not sure who they're hiring at these stores nowadays, but that was not my experience at these places in the past, so I hope it was isolated. Anyways, the brands that I was looking at were. To my knowledge, these are all 3/8" 12V cordless drill/drivers with lithium ion. Bosch : [url=http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-PS31-2A-12-Volt-8-Inch-Driver/dp/B003BEE2LU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1316286670&sr=8-4]Amazon.com: Bosch PS31-2A 12-Volt Max 3/8-Inch Drill/Driver: Home Improvement[/url] Dewalt : [url=http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DC742KA-Cordless-12-Volt-Compact/dp/B000X1TYPS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316286902&sr=8-1]Amazon.com: DEWALT DC742KA Cordless 12-Volt 3/8-Inch Compact Drill/Driver: Home Improvement[/url] Milwaukee : [url=http://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-2410-22-12-Volt-8-Inch-Driver/dp/B002EEP4VK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316286970&sr=8-2]Amazon.com: Milwaukee 2410-22 M12 12-Volt 3/8-Inch Drill/Driver: Home Improvement[/url] Ridgid : (can't find this at amazon, but saw this exclusive at home depot) - [url=http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/R92009-12V-Lithium-Ion/EN/index.htm]FUEGO 12V Lithium-Ion 2-Speed Drill/Driver with LED Light - RIDGID Professional Tools[/url] I'm not sure if an "all metal chuck or transmission" like in the milwaukee makes a difference... my main concerns are safety (don't want any flying bits) - I read some reviews on amazon that people had the bits come off the chuck - I want to have as much control as possible I suppose. Meaning, I don't want to run in the event of stripping or breaking a screw or something worse which I haven't imagined. They all felt great in the hand, and I did like how these fit into possible tight spaces.... Hopefully over time, I will get better through experience, and perhaps go to something else if I ever start a family on my own and plan on doing something else. Thank you.

Need some help... 1) Loaded the nail properly (plastic flanges just inside barrel, nail point facing down/out) 2) As far as I know, I loaded the bullet/charge correctly (in my case, green tip into cartridge hole, leaving a bit of the cartridge sticking out for the tool to finish setting). 3) Set tool onto wood (attaching sill plate to concrete) 4) Fully depressed tool (can see indentation in wood) 5) Struck strike plate on top of tool with hammer and winced, expecting loud noise... Nothing... Waited... Nothing... Opened barrel to attempt to dispose of what I assumed was a dud charge... No charge to be seen. No nail in wood (nail still in ramset), no visible cartridge in tool to dispose of (not going digging)... "Note: It is a good practice to fully extend the barrel and re-chamber the load after the tool is improperly struck causing a misfire, and after the misfire procedure has been followed." Tried to do that... Help? Tool is currently alone in my backyard, pointed at ground. I heard a pop a few moments ago, suppose it might have been it finally discharging? After I hit it a couple times with the hammer (figured I must not have hit it hard enough the first time and yes, this would be my initiation with the tool), I did smell a bit of something but it could have been saw dust on my light that was just warming up too... Help please. Ok, so I went out to see if the charge had perhaps gone off on a delayed schedule, and when I tried to open the barrel to dispose of the charge (not sure if I'm using the right terms here, but..), it did not slide (stuck). So, I reset the tool on a chunk of wood and tried again with the hammer. One strike, nothing. I'm a bit paranoid at this point. [url]http://www.ramset.com/pdfs/tool_manuals/HD22_eng.pdf[/url] "Caution: Constant overdrive will damage the tool beyond repair. For technical assistance or service information call 1-877-ITW-BRANDS (1-877-489-2726). Note: When overdrive occurs, the piston may jam into the front barrel. In this case be sure the tool is unloaded, turn the tool upside down and place on the work surface. Strike the exposed piston with a hammer until it moves downward into the barrel. Reset the piston. Wear safety goggles when performing this task." I would love to try this, but I can't "unload" either the nail or the charge.