Steve,
Went through the same debate myself this summer. Was looking to a cordless impact driver because a buddy of mine who is a full time contractor was telling me how great they where. Since my Makita 9.6V drills where getting pretty old and it wasn't worth buying new batteries, I was heavily considering getting a Dewalt 18V combo. Figured the sawzall and circular saw would come in handy fro removals, instead of always dragging the corded versions. I went round and round for a couple of week changing my mine on which brand daily :shock: Then I walked in to Home Depot and they had the Ryobi 3/8 drill, impact driver, 2 batteries and charger on the clearance table for $99, and I could pass on it. I had read probably all the same reviews as you and I figured what the heck. I have to say, I have been extremely pleased. That impact driver is probably my favorite tool now. I don't think you can go wrong with the Ryobi, especially if you aren't going to be using it full-time to make a living with. But then again, even if you are, Nathan makes some pretty good points about not worrying about it when you drop it or abuse it. I accidentally left my drill out in the yard for a week with rain and all, and it didn't phase it at all. I know my buddy uses DeWalt, and he has issues with them from time to time and it is usually cheaper to replace them then to get them repaired anyway...