Hitachi DS18DMR 18-Volt Ni-Cad 1/2-Inch Cordless Drill/Driver Kit

I was looking for a good cordless drill since my cheapo version won’t hold a charge any longer. Check out the Hitachi DS18DMR 18-Volt Ni-Cad 1/2-Inch Cordless Drill/Driver Kit.

Stylish and Functional? Not exactly what one might expect for a cordless driver/drill.

Hitachi managed to pull it off with this beast.

(For the impatient types:

Summary:
If you’re contemplating an 18v rather than a 24v, 36v or 48v cordless, and still want big-mam-a-ja-ma performance - go buy this one. There’s nothing here to disappoint you and everything to make your job easier.)

I bought this drill after my DeWalt went missing on the day of a huge camera install job in a massive production facility.

I pulled it out of the case (I bought the kit with two batteries, the drop charger, and the nice case), dropped a battery on the charger and came back 20mins later to see (one is lead to believe) a full charge.

Batteries don’t charge out-of-the-box fully. You really need to condition them, but being Ni-MH memory isn’t as much of a concern, so I put the second battery on the charger and went to work.

I used it off-and-on for eleven straight hours, often fourty feet in the air in a forklift cage, or twenty feet up a ladder.

Never once drilling into metal studs, wood railings, or even I-Beams did this drill falter. It still feels a day later like the original battery has a full charge.

Did I mention this thing is a BEAST? Don’t let “pretty” or “cute” fool you. I’m fairly tall for a woman and do jobs like this frequently. Hefting this monster will get to you. But if you need torque (550 inch-pound current best-in-class)and long run-times, it can’t be beaten by anything I’ve touched.

This drill crushes my DeWalt like a bug. Ryobi, Milwaukee, Makita? This thing will torque them into the day after tomorrow…

The Good and the Bad:

Thirty minute charge time for a 3Ah battery. I think DeWalt (my previous favorite) was really the standards-setter for fast battery charges, but, hey - you can tap sheet steel and drill 2″ holes in hardwood and still charge a flat battery before you manage to flatten the one on the drill.

Belt hook: Integrated belt hook. Plastic, but seems pretty tough. Personally - I wouldn’t trust it. But that might just be me. I use a canvas universal drill holster on a wide mesh belt. If you don’t want to be pulling up your jeans constantly, I imagine you’ll do the same. The hook has eight positions (as memory serves) and can be removed and moved to either side with a screwdriver.

Integrated LED light: Cute feature. Seemed silly until I was working in a dark corner without room to get my work-light into the space. It’s built into the belt hook If you angle it up about 60deg. it actually lights up what you’re drilling pretty darned well. It’s the first time I’ve seen that and I like it.

The downside here is that it doesn’t run from the drill battery but rather a AAAA battery in the hook itself (or so I read). Good for probably 30hrs. I don’t know if I’d depend upon it without changing it out before every job - but in a pinch it’s nice that it’s there. It has an auto shutoff after 15mins.

The Chuck: Forget those plastic tightening rings. This baby is _all metal_ and probably weighs more than an entire 18v Black and Decker _kit_, battery and all, by itself. It’s one serious chunk of metal. It’s fast on and off, but you can release it slowly enough that I didn’t drop any bits with constant changing from drill bit to driver and back. 1/2″, so it will hold some serious tools.

Two speed shift: Really useful, fairly well positioned. You can get it with your thumb one handed if you’re dexterous.

22+ position clutch: Really tight on a new drill. I imagine it will loosen up some. There is a definite difference in the break points even from 1-3 and 4-6. It kinda sums up this drill: Functional. ** See note for listed break-points.

Side handle: Removable, and pretty sturdy. Sturdy enough for anything this drill would probably handle. I tend not to use them anyway.

Bit holder: I’m going to put this in the “negative” column. It’s located right above the battery - not a bad place - but it’s poorly implemented. Very “consumer” in that you can’t put extensions or even drill bits in it. It’s made to hold regular driver bits. HoHumm. Ryobi has a magnetic plate there so you can hold screws. Pretty cool. The space over the bit holder is flat on the Hitachi, so I put magnetic tape across it to duplicate the feature.

Weight: You know I have to put it in the negative column, but I feel bad about doing it. It’s a real tool with a real battery and with real features. It’s going to be heavy. But it’s.. heavy. The specs say “5.5lbs” but I’d want to put it on a scale and see if that’s with or without the battery. I have a hard time believing it. After eleven hours, I wouldn’t debate it weighing 5500 lbs…

Maintenance: I haven’t had to do it yet, obviously, but the brushes are externally accessible. I think that’s pretty standard, but put it back into the plus column.

Appearance: Look - I like it, ok? I wouldn’t buy a drill based on how it looks, but it’s all cute and space-age-ie and such. It puts a smile on my face. I give it the proverbial “thumbs-up”. Some might disagree and argue that it doesn’t look serious enough. Fine. Imagine how much more impressive it will be when it actually IS “serious enough”.

Overall: if I haven’t already left this impression, you can see why it gets 5 stars from me. There’s really nothing wrong with it. And the list of “right with it” goes on for pages and pages, just like me.