Cordless power tools make fine holiday gifts.

Byline: Gene Austin

Cordless power tools continued to proliferate this year, some of them in interesting new forms and packages that promise to make fine holiday gifts for do-it-yourselfers.

A shopping tip: The power of cordless tools is rated in volts _ the more volts, the more powerful the tool. A tool with 9 to 12 volts of power is adequate for most do-it-yourself work, but those who plan heavy-duty use will want more power. Some home centers and hardware stores carry the tools discussed here, but many tools are also available from Internet sites such as Tool Crib/Amazon at

www.toolcrib.amazon.com

and Tools Plus at

http://www.tools-plus.com/

An example of cordless versatility is the new battery-powered FireStorm …