His birthday is next week, and Fathers Day is approaching too, so your shopping for gifts for him. His old drill is beat and a new cordless drill would make a great gift. At first glance you might think a drill, is a drill, is a drill. But check this out, cordless drill drivers have evolved a great deal over the last few years and the latest generation of power tools is the product a huge leap forward in both engineering and technology. If you want to get him a gift he'll be really happy with, there are a few important features to look for.

Today's best cordless drill drivers have scrapped the old nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries and are now powered by more powerful, longer lasting, quicker charging lithium ion batteries, which are the same type of batteries found in your cell phone by the way. I wouldn't purchase cordless tools with a NiCad or NiMH anymore, stick with a Lithium-Ion powered drill driver and he'll be able to work longer and harder than ever. Li-Ion batteries provide fade free power until end of the charge. Plus, new battery chargers are more energy efficient too, saving cash on the electric bill, just remember to look for the energy-star rating on cordless drill chargers.

Look for a quality clutch most quality drill drivers now a days have like 15 to 20 or more clutch settings so the drill may be fine-tuned to set the screws to the proper depth and to keep from destroying the screw head by stopping the drill chuck from turning when it reaches a set amount of resistance. Also look for at least a couple of variable speed settings typically they range from around 0-600 rpm & 1-1600 rpm to tackle a wide variety of jobs. Cordless drills are also much, much lighter than they were a couple of years ago and they've shrunk way down in size too, making it possible to get into tighter spots than ever before.

With a whole summer of home improvement ahead, it may be perfect timing to gift dad a new cordless drill driver. Below are our top 18-volt cordless drill driver gift picks. What's his favorite flavor?

• Makita 18-Volt Cordless Drill Driver Kit - The BDF452HW features a Makita maximum torque motor that delivers 450 in/lbs. of Max Torque in a compact tool that's lithium-ion powered. TheMakita BDF452HW has a two-speed all-metal transmission that delivers 0-450 RPM in low speed and 0-1,500 RPM in high for a wide range of drilling and driving applications.

---


• DeWalt 18-volt Cordless Drill Driver Kit - The lithium-ion powered DeWalt DCD960KL features a 3-speed all-metal transmission featuring 0-500 RPM, 0-1,250 RPM and 0-2,000RPM best matching the tool to task for fastest application speed and longer battery time. LED Worklight provides increased visibility in confined spaces. High power, high efficiency motor delivers 450 unit watts out of max power for superior performance in all drilling and fastening applications.

---


• Milwaukee 18-Volt Li-ion Cordless Drill Kit - The Milwaukee 2601-22 18-Volt Li-ion Compact Drill Kit features a 1/2-inch ratcheting chuck featuring reduced weight to avoid fatigue. The Milwaukee 2601-22 is designed to be compact allowing him to work in tight areas. The compact motor delivers 400 inch-pounds of maximum torque. The heavy-duty 2-speed metal gear box is durable, and allows speeds of 0-350 rpm is low and 0-1,400 in high. Other features include a built-in LED and a belt hook to free up both hands for working.

---

Here's a gift that will turn the backyard, camping trip, or festival weekend into the fun zone. There's nothing more enjoyable than passing the seemingly endless summer days playing lawn games and Blongo Ball is one of the best games there is. It's a complete lawn game set that combines elements from bocce, horseshoes, croquet, and other lawn sports, with a twist! It's easy to learn too, you simply toss Blongo Balls, which are essentially two small balls connected by a rope at the goal. The object of Blongo Ball is to wrap your tethered Blongo Balls around one of the horizontal bars of the goal of the 3 tiered goal which are worth 1, 2 or 3 points, you play to 21 points. You can even add a bit of defensive strategy to the game by trying to knock your opponent's Blongo Balls off the bars. Blongo Ball is actually becoming a rather popular outdoor game with college kids.

The bag makes it  really easy to store and carry the game around, it's a must have accessory available separately. The simple mesh bag is the perfect size for the length of the poles. Blongo Ball is appropriate for outdoor or indoor use. Ages 4+

• Blongo Ball Complete Game Set
• Official Blongo Ball Game Transport Bag
• Carlton Badminton Set

What do you give the person that has everything? You give them an experience gift. What's an experience gift? It's river rafting trip, it's hot air balloon rides, it's driving a Lamborghini or riding a Harley! Cloud9 offers gift certificates which may be redeemed by the gift recipient for thousands of unique activities from all around the nation, they're sure to have something fun in your neck of the woods. For instance city tour and gourmet experience gifts are perfect gifts for her, they even make exceptional Mother's Day gifts. Take in the sights of some of America's most amazing cities while enjoying exquisite dining, fine international wines, music, even romantic dinner cruises. This is a wonderful gift for any occasion and it's available in many US cities.

Adventure experience gifts are very popular