anyone have experiences with them? I just bought an 18V MasterCraft on sale, but it doesn't have the hammer drill function.

Rona has their house brand, for $20 more with a hammer option, which would come in handy once in awhile.

Anyone have experience with the Rona brand? It has a 3yr warranty.

I know people like to stick to name brands like DeWalt, Bosch, Makita etc, but I have had a bad experience buying a much higher priced Bosch drill before, that Im about to try a cheaper cost brand, with a better warranty.

 

Why do you want a hammer-drill. Do you work with concrete

 

Sometimes I do yes, or I wouldn't be thinking about it. Nothing major, just drilling for tapcons or wall plugs in concrete walls etc, sometimes some bigger 1/2" to 3/4" holes need to be drilled, but nothing on a daily schedule.

 

Unfortunately you really dont know what you are getting. about 20 years ago I purchased a bunch of Craftsman power tools and have killed them or given them away or sold them cheap at garage sales. Circular saw did not cut straight.(replaced with Dewalt) Jig saw did not cut (sold at garage sale for $10) full sheet sander vibrated like hell and hardly sanded. (replaced by makita hand held orbital sander- sands much faster than the big sears) You get flavor of the month. Who is building them this year? Who is standing behind them? Who is providing parts? What if you need a battery in 5 years? Is there any plan for continuous improvement of the product? Name brand power tool models stay the same for 5-10 years because they are designed properly to start with. The house brands change every 3 months depending on the sale and what colors are in fashion. Have you ever seen the same Rona/Craftsman/mastercraft for more than 6 months?
The only exception to this would be Home Depot Rigid brand. They consistantly rank pretty high on test reports. I am into serious hobying and home repair/renovation (only my house, not for business)
I now refuse to buy anything but mid to high range brand name gear. It just works better and lasts longer.

 

I suggest a regular 12 volt drill. this is small and light enough for general work in tight places. It will easily screw in a 4 inch #10 screw. For 1/2 to 3/4 holes the 12 volt is OK in soft wood. You dont want to be using an 18 volt hammer drill on your back in a trunk drilling holes to screw in 6x9 speakers. I have a 12 volt Dewalt (the cheaper models, not the big contractor one) and a real plug in 1/2 makita hammer drill for the big jobs.

 

I already have a Bosch 12V that I have had for a few years but I find I need more power sometimes, and the time between charges is getting shorter and shorter and I dont want to buy new batteries.