So just thought I'd update this with a mini overview of what I ended up buying yesterday.
I ended up going with Dewalt despite being pretty nailed on to Makita before walking into ITS. Part of my reasoning ended up being the fact I already had two 2mah batteries from an impact driver I bought earlier this year which has held up pretty well with just the usual cosmetic blemishes. The other factor I took into consideration is Dewalts push on their new 54v technology. All the 54v batterie are backwards comprise with 18v tools and although I don't currently have a use for any of their 54v stable it does not mean I won't in future as they seem to be bringing out a lot of bits.
So the kit I went for is this
http://www.its.co.uk/pd/DCK550M3T-Dewal ... 550M3T.htm
It means I no have 2 impact drivers so one will be moved on at some point as a bare tool.
The Combi Drill DCD795 - I had decided I didn't want a heavy duty drill which despite it feeling quality, ruled out the big brushless Makita mentioned on this thread. I thought about what I do with a drill in the workshop or around the house and what I am likely to do with it once I start sparking. The answers I came up with were working over head and drilling holes in wood up to circa 30mm as well as fixings into brick work. A general duty type drill filled all these needs and saved on unnecessary weight which means drilling out holes for spot lights won't be so bad - weight was the one thing that put me off the Festool PDC I have - when plaster bording my ceilings recently it was just to heavy to be comfy able for prolonged over head work. Comparing this Dewalt to its Makita equivalent in store 2 things stood out, it had more Torque at 60nm and it had a Metal chuck where the Makita had rubber. In the hand it feels good and balances nicely with with a 2mah or 4 mah battery attached. I've not out it to use yet but I don't foresee any issues within the confines of why I need it to do. I have a corded SDS for big jobs and a cordless SDS wil likely be going on the wish list now.
The Impct Driver DCF886 - already had this driver as had bought one a few months ago when facing the entire re bording of the downstairs of my house with T&G chip. Impacts are really much of a muchness for me although I will say I prefer a mates old brushed Makita just for the heft it ha which seems to make it easier to control. That said this Dewalt ha served me well the last 3 months and I especially like the 3 LED halo around the chuck. When I oroginally bought this driver it came with the 2mah batteries which gave it plenty of run time but made it feel a tad unbalanced. The 4mah batteries sort this small niggle out and I expect to continue to be perfectly happy with this impact driver. One will be finding its way into the for sale section at some point as a naked tool so I'll hopefully get a few quid back.
The Circular Saw DCS391 - this was always a nice to have and never something I really needed. I already have a TS55 and when we started renovation work on the new house I went and bought a Bosch GKS190 for all the rough work - cutting cruddy chip floor or OSB with the Festool was not something I was keen on. The Dewalt seems well made all though the lower retractable blade guard is polycarbonate (plastic to you and me) so how well it holds up and lasts remains to be seen. It feels to have plenty of power and is a good weight. Interesting they have swapped the motor housing to the right side of the tool as you hold it which means right handers like myself can now directly see what the bode is cutting with ease which makes the 0 mark on the base less critical. This is a good thing as the 0mark is not the easiest to follow I have seen. The blade is a basic 24 tooth thin kerf affair which suits the tools intended use. What I like about this is it's now as scary to use as the big powerful corded Bosch I have. Using this one handed or on its side to cut timer fixed in situ does not seem like it would be quite the game of Russian roulette that doing it with the Bosch would be. This would of be really handy when I was boarding out my loft! Looking a future uses I have more chip T&G to lay in the house and decking to do next summer. In terms of using when I start sparking I see more limited use although the thin kerf lends itself to being used to cut the tongues on old T&G flooring before lifting. I've discovered this stuff is a nightmare to get up!
The Jigsaw DCS331 - jigsaws have always been a tool I've never got quite right. I started life with a cheap corded D handle Metabo which was solid if not spectacular. It did what had to be done but I never felt comfy able using it from an ergonomic standpoint. The Carvex was next as this was bought at the height of my Festool addiction. I got the barrel grip version as i thought this would be more economically suited to me but I've never quite got used to it. The Carbex is a great machine but it's a tool that demands time to set up. I wanted a jigsaw I could just pick up and use for the tasks I need it for - scribing fitted units, cutting in for pipes and the like when laying floor and quick roughy cutting to size of timber. The Dewalt is a brushed jigsaw but feels smooth and well made. handling wise I love it as the D handle is at an angle which makes it comfy able to use. The trigger is responsive and it has plenty of power for a cordless. I do think it's a pretty ugly machine and looking at the front of it makes me think of steam trials for some reason!!. The quick change blade mechanism is nice and chunky and works well. It does not eject the blade and send it flying which seems to be the fashionable thing but this is something I like as I've lost a fair few jigsaw blades down cracks in flooring or under units now yet I've never had the need to rapidly swap out differ net bodes when using a jigsaw which is what this feature is supposed to be for as it prevents you burning fingers on a hot blade. I can usually just set the tool down for 2 minutes to allow it to cool down before changing. The base can be angled without the need for a hex key but I will say it lacks the positive stop when returning to zero so this is something I'll need to test. The major down point for me is the lack of an LED job light. This is something I've come to almost rely on when using a jigsaw as I've found myself more often than not using it in situations where the cut line is cast in shadow by myself leaning over to cut. This alone is the one reason I've not dirtied the tools yet as I'm still 50/50 on returning it! It would be a shame as I love the way the tool handles and despite the new Makita brushless feeling slightly better made it did not fit as well. We will see......
The Torch - what can I say, it's a torch / work light that seems to be pretty standard in all these kits. It's nice and bright and does not weigh much. The angle head is a nice feature and I expect this will make a good inspection light but it's no way a working light.
All the tools aside from the torch are made in the Czech Republic. I'm not necessarily against stuff made in China, after all they the skill to have an active some programme, home designed and built goth generation fighter jets and a nuclear capability but tools made in China seem to be made there for cost as opposed to the potential China has for quality engineering.
I feel I should also mention the T Stack cases Dewalt provides these tools in. Systainer a they are not but when you stop looking at them in this light and think about where they were intended for, namely use in building sites then they start to make a lot more sense. Everything is big and chunky so you can open easily with gloves on and they are all made of tough, thick ABS type plastic which although not as nice to look at seems to be tougher feeling than even the mighty systainer.
