The other thing I forgot to mention earlier is that if at all possible go for the lithium ion battery tools. A lot more juice in the batteriess and also a lot lighter. Second choice would be metal hydrate batteries. My least favoriate is the old Ni-cad bateries. Also pay close attention to the amp hours. Higher the better. The fire storms, cheaper Black and Deckers, Ryobi, Ridgid all have low Amp hour batteries This is partly why these brands are so much cheaper. If you don't understand amp hours think of the difference of 450 crank amp automotive battery versus lets say a 900 crank amp battery The bigger battery will crank your engine longer before dying. Same thing applies to tool batteries. But don't forget, bigger battery = more $s.