At work we have a B&D 12v cordless and a DeWalt 12v cordless. The DeWalt cordless does a better job at coring cable (.750 Coax) on a dead battery than the B&D ever did on a fresh one. DeWalt has so much more torque it isn't even funny...not to mention I can't count the times that drill has been dropped. (The farthest I think has been 30' off a bucket truck)

As for myself, I picked up a Cummins Industrial 18v cordless hammer drill w/ 2 batteries for $45. That drill is probably the only cheap one I have seen stay up with Similar DeWalt and Milwaukee drills. ( I'm going to have to wait few years and see how it stands the test)

As for circular saw, B&D used to be the best. Now before anyone throws a bullshit flag, my old man's B&D finally died...after 30 some odd years of service. Somehow I don't think B&D beats out Milwaukee or Makita anymore, but it's still a cheaper alternative.

Bosch have been making power tools for ages. They're pretty well known for it. Especially those in the industry that heavily use power tools.

In my experience you get what you pay for. Try Makita and Bosch
for quality. Dremel's good too for the small stuff.

If you want serious power tools (angle grinders, rotary hammer, etc), buy Milwauke.

my advice is get ready and shell out some bigger money for more expensive cordless dril... if you are just starting you will soon see that the cordless drill is the most important DIY tool. i would strongly advise against getting a black and decker brand, but would pay for dewalt, porter cable or mikita. there is a diffrence between dewalt and b&d contrary to what someone early said. if you look, the Max RPM on the drills is signifigantly lower on less expenisve drills, this is seen most clearly shown by the MAX RPM diffrence between B&D brand and Dewalt.

I have done extensive remodelling over the last 20 years on 3 homes I have owned. IMHO, looking back as a DIY I would buy all my tools from Harbor Freight ( grinders, hammer drills, routers, sanders, sawsall, cutoff tool, hand tools, razor blades, etc. ) you just cant beat em. It is pretty much the same stuff the big names have and I have had no problems with em.

Except for
1) table saw. I just downgraded to a Ryobi BT3100 and could not be happier with its versatility.
2) The fricken biggest bladed sliding laser pointing with huge fence miter saw you can buy. I have dealing with a 10 yr old craftsman for 2 long.

DIY - Don't waste your money on a contractor quality cordless drill. Spend $30 bucks on an 18v drill flashlight from Kragen and a spare battery for $15. You will never regret it.

I have (or have had) some of all of the brands mentioned. IMHO, the least expensive power tool is the one that you don't have to fix or replace after very little use. For ocassional use, go with a mid-range tool, for regular use, buy the best you can afford. Another thing to look at, is how safe is the tool. If at all possible, try to handle and hold any tool before you buy it. If it doesn't fit you hand well, it just may get away from you, and power tools can really really bite hard.

Good luck in your search, and be safe.

Craftsman used to be cadilac now it's yugo. They can afford bob villa. If you're not going to use it a lot, get one on ebay. I bought some routers from china for nothing. They're devoid of bells or whistles but they are powerful functional and I paid more for the shipping. Start cheap and go up with experience or continued interest.