Customer Reviews

Bare-Tool Denali 565034 18-Volt Cordless 1/2-Inch Hammer Drill (Tool Only, No Battery)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

So far, after a couple weeks of working with it, no complaints. Which actually surprised me, since the price makes it seem like I would have had to accept a number of limitations. After hearing about another customers problems with his 3/8" denali's chuck, I tried a long sanding session with my 1/2" and a sanding drum to see if I could get any similar behaviour, but it kept going with no noticable damage to the chuck. It may be that the 1/2" is made a little stronger, as it weighs in at almost a pound heavier than its 3/8" brother. If I had my 'druthers', I guess I'd rather have Li-ion batteries, and the denali's ni-cd is a little bulky, but they created that rotating battery connector which helps a lot, by rotating it 180 degrees, it keeps it out of the way and provides excellent balance. Only gripe with that is the light should probably have been put someplace else, as the only way its really useful is when the battery is rotated forward. But whatever minor flaws it might have are easily overshadowed by its excellent torque, in either speed setting it has no problem drilling into steel, or pushing screws into hardwood, it has all the power you should need for any home project. The other features just make it better, like the built in bubble levels and the LED light, it adds up to a heck of a drill for the price.

But for now I'll have to leave it at 4 stars, as the big unknown is how well it will last over time, in six months or so, I'll re-visit this review and let you know how it's held up. Or if it dies at some point before then, I'll let you know that too. For such a low price, I would worry about its lifespan most of all, but its features and performance seem top notch.

I have a collection of cordless drills both consumer grade and professional models ranging from a $10 18 volt NiCad model purchased at Menards all the way to the 36 volt DeWalt Nano Tech.Lithium Ion powerhouse and just about everything in between, and a many lower voltage models.
I enjoy using tools. I purchased the Denali out of curiosity, it was very inexpensive. I am impressed with it. The chuck has zero run-out, the 2 speed gear box functions well and the drill seems to have as much power as any of my other much more expensive consumer grade drills. The rotating battery mount can be a little annoying, it needs a stronger "detent" to hold it in a centered position, but it more than makes up for that design shortcoming with the switch on the L.E.D. light that lets you use it like a flashlight independent of the trigger switch. This is very handy when working in dark locations, no need to carry a separate flash light. In my opinion this is a very good home owner type tool. The batteries that fit this are moderately priced, have good reserve capacity and have a nice "power meter" feature built in.

These Denali Tools are not for a Contractor, but for someone that uses them intermititnly. for me i have employees who lose stuff every day, and don't want to give them great tools to lose. this is good quality, escpially for the price tag. the rotating battery is annoying, and i have yet to want it to do that, but not a big enough gripe to say anything. the other thing is that it doesn't have a true drill function like most other drills, instead it has a high breakaway point. this requies taht you drill through hard material very slow. i am not disappointed though and own 3.

Small Addition, turns out the first drill had an adjustment problem in the chuck, i got it turned all the way to the drill section, and it doesn't break away anymore. the new drill they sent me has fixed this problem, so now i have no complaints!

If you read the reviews for the Denali jigsaw, my review for the hammer drill will look familiar to you. Yes, I wonder whether this took is "new" as most consumers understand the word. Note that the drill and jigsaw were supplied by different vendors. The vendor of the jisgaw asserted that he bought the inventory from Amazon itself.

I wonder whether the tool is new because it bears a label that says "Made Sept 2005". I know it's meant to be there because the instruction pamphlet draws your attention to it. Also, there are some slight scuffs on the housing. Perhaps this item comes from a little cache of inventory previously lost or tied up in some financial snafu. Or, maybe it's a refurbish.

Moving on to the quality of the item itself. This is heavy. The battery slides smoothly although not super easily into place. The battery is so wide that it's difficult to grip the release pad on each side to unlock it.

The chuck seem to work as does the two-speed setting, and the drill versus hammer-drill setting. The dial for selecting one of 24 torque settings rotates and clicks at each setting. But, the markings don't line up with the positions where the cuff clicks.

Had I not bought a Denali drill, Denali jigsaw, two batteries, and one battery charger (sadly all from different vendors), I would send this back.

Excellent hammer drill and driver drill. I bought two of them so I could use one for drilling pilot holes and the other one for screwing. The LED light is a nice feature. For a 1/2" drill it is very light and compact. I'd recomment it.

This drill has been my constant companion since buying a home. I've used it to hang things, drill things, unscrew things, screw-in things, dismantle things, reconnect things, and even once as a flashlight -- kind of.

This drill has a pretty good heft but it's balanced so it's not unwieldy. It's a bit heavy, but I don't have any issues using it for a few hours.

Unlike some drills I've used, this one stays put when I set it on the battery pack, whether I set it on a hard floor or carpeted one. Its balance is very secure (you can't tip it over just touching or bumping it).

I haven't found much use in the rotating battery pack, but I am sure someday I'll run across something and then I'll be thankful for it. As it is now, it's a non-issue -- it clicks into place and stays put just fine (not sure why some have had problems with theirs) unless you turn it.

The addition of a light is quite nice, and it definitely helps in low-light working areas. You can turn it on using a toggle switch, or it turns on automatically when you pull the trigger. It won't replace a flashlight or work light, but it's handy.

If this drill ever dies, I will be looking into another Denali drill to replace it (unless of course this one turns into a flaming ball of molten plastic or something when it goes). For the price, you get a lot!

EDIT: It's now been 2 years since I bought this drill, and it's still working just as well as it did at the beginning. The batteries still hold a great charge (1.5 days running screws into decking boards). I see Amazon has discontinued their line of tools, which is a pity. Search for FTI Corporation, as they have taken over the compatible tool line and if they're the same as these tools, I definitely highly recommend them for home use.

This is a perfect back-up drill for the price. It is called a "Hammer" drill but it doesn't actually hammer, it has a setting that actually "grinds" the chuck and that is supposed to simulate hammering... I think. I have used the drill and is is powerfull enough to do stuff around the house. If you are having second thoughts about buying this drill, just buy it, you wont regret it.

not sure until I use this drill. may be too much more than I needed