DeWalt vs Makita for cordless drills - which one for home projects?

Hey everyone, I'm looking to upgrade my old corded drill and trying to decide between DeWalt and Makita for a cordless drill/driver combo. I mostly do weekend projects - building shelves, hanging pictures, some light furniture assembly. Budget is around $200-250 for the kit. Which brand would you recommend for reliability and battery life? I've heard good things about both but can't decide!

Gary, I've been running DeWalt XR brushless drills on job sites for 8 years now. They take a beating - dropped from ladders, left in the rain, you name it. Batteries last all day and charge fast. Makita makes good tools too, but DeWalt's warranty service is better in my area. For your needs, either would work, but I'd go DeWalt 20V Max combo kit. The impact driver that comes with it will change your life for driving screws.

Hank's right about DeWalt being tough, but I switched to Makita LXT 5 years ago and won't go back. The ergonomics are better - lighter weight, better balance. For a weekend warrior like Gary, that matters more than ultimate durability. Makita batteries also seem to hold charge longer when sitting unused between projects. Check out the Makita sub-compact series if you want something really comfortable for overhead work.

I'm just an apprentice but my boss uses DeWalt and the other crew uses Makita. Both get the job done honestly. The DeWalt feels more powerful but the Makita is quieter and vibrates less. One thing I noticed - all the guys with Makita have like 8 batteries, DeWalt guys have 3-4 but they seem to last longer? Maybe just my observation. For your budget you could get either brand's mid-range kit.

Thanks for the input everyone! Sounds like I can't really go wrong with either. Hank - you convinced me on getting a combo with impact driver too. Sam - good point about weight since I do get sore shoulders. Carl - interesting about the battery observation. I think I'll go to the store and actually hold both to see which feels better in hand. Appreciate the real-world advice!