Customer Reviews

Hitachi DV14DL 14.4-Volt Lithium Ion Cordless Hammer Drill

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

 

 

I'm an retired construction project manager(commercial/industrial) and I fully researched this Hitachi drill/driver before I purchased it. It's replacing a great 13 year old Porter Cable 12V d/d (with Magna-Quench!), for which good batteries and chargers are now all but non-existent.
In the month I've had the Hitachi, it's drilled 1/2 in holes through 65-70 4x fence posts, a number of concrete holes for patio and threshold repairs, a bunch of small starter holes for cabinet and shelf installs, not mention countless wood, concrete, and sheet metal screws. I love it!
It has about double the power of my old PC, has the added features of the hammer for concrete work and the opposed handle, has excellent battery lasting power (only had to change once during a big all day job) but is about the same weight as the PC. When I first got it, it looked like a Flash Gordon ray gun, but now it's starting to burly up.
Great price and quick delivery from Amazon. Highly recommend this d/d for a pro who needs the drill power and for all-around home use. It's a great compromise of power, weight, versatility, and price.

I have only had this drill for a couple of weeks, but it is by far the best cordless drill I have ever had. It has a lot of torque and performed well even when I drilled into some concrete with a dull bit. I have had two other cordless drills, a Makita (a good drill, but not in this class) and a Craftman (mostly a piece of junk), and this one is great. It came with both batteries charged, so it was ready to go right out of the box. Also, the carrying case is actually large enough to hold all the parts after you use them. I do think they could have included two screwdriver bits, rather than just the one. Other than that I am very pleased with the drill, especially the hammer drill feature.

I purchased this product due to the price and my good experience with Hitachi tools in the past. I am not disappointed here. I can't believe the quality...many more metal parts than the competition at about half the price! The drill functions flawlessly, has four speeds (though two of them are basically due to a trigger limiting switch that controls how far you can pull the trigger), and has great battery life. This is a much nicer product than the DeWalt I'm replacing with it. Highly recommended!!

I own all kinds of Hitachi Cordless tools. They are the BEST FOR THE MONEY on the market today. You can't go wrong with them. I bought my 1st 7.2 volt DTC-10 over 25 years ago and I still have it, but I don't use it since all the Higher voltage units I now have. They last FOREVER.

I've had this drill for over 3 years now. I used it for the first year at work almost every day in a rugged, industrial application. For the past 2 years, it's been used primarily for DIY projects. I haven't had to grab my corded drill once since I purchased this.

Pros:
Torque - This drill has been fully capable of boring 1 1/2" holes with spade bits through 2x lumber, drive 1/2" lag screws and punch holes in concrete.

Battery life - Two demanding application that I've used this drill for include driving drywall screws and boring holes for wires through dimensional lumber. I've found that with this drill, even with almost constant use, the quick charger has the spare battery ready to go before you can use up the current one. The batteries hold charge for a long time when not used. My 3 year old batteries are still going strong after hundreds of charges.

Variable Speed - The trigger pull is comfortable and controllable. It also has a small switch that allows you to decrease speed and power. This is handy for jobs like installing outlet covers, where you need more control and less power.

1/2 inch Metal Chuck - The chuck is way more durable than the plastic ones on most cordless drills. It also give incredible gripping power very easily. The locking spindle keeps the chuck from spinning and allows the extra torque needed when locking large, non-hex shank bits. (*note that the current description lists a 3/8" chuck - not sure if this has been changed?)

Hammer Drill - Having the ability to hammer drill increases versatility. It's nice to be able to switch quickly between hammer drilling and screw driving in the same cordless tool.

Durability - Within months of owning this drill, I dropped it off a ladder, about 6' onto concrete. It did break one of the tabs that holds the battery in place, but the battery still clicked in and held. The fact that it held up so well is impressive. What really surprises me is that the grips have held so well. I've seen so many other high-torque drills that the grips were pulled loose & falling off.



Cons:
Weight - Although much lighter than most of the 18V & 19.2V drills out there, the hammer feature does add some weight. Not so heavy as to be uncomfortable, but if you don't need high torque & hammer capability, I'm sure there are lighter Li-Ion drills out there.

LED light - This thing is pretty worthless. It's just too dim to really be useful. It's nice that it doubles as a belt clip, though.



All in all, this drill performs right up there with the several hundred dollar name brands. The value is excellent and it has everything that most would need.

This is the first hammer drill that I have purchased based on the excellent recommendations for Hitachi drills on Amazon.com. I have tested it on brick siding and drywall as well as for assembling furniture. It works like a charm. It comes with two batteries so that you can have a charged extra battery on hand if you plan to use it over a long period of time. For the usual chores around the house, I have never found it lacking.

The only slight negative is that it is a little bit on the heavy side, but don't let it hold you back from purchasing this. The other negative is that it comes with just one bit with both ends being phillips type. So you will have to pony up for more bits. As a novice, I found through trial and error that one needs special bits for drilling through bricks and concrete!

If you don't have to drill into bricks or concrete, you may get by with less powerful drills than this one. If you ever need to drill into brick or concrete, I would heartily recommend this 14 V one. There is also an 18 V version. I am very satisfied with this purchase.

its a good product. Just need to buy all the drill bits. came only one with it. i used only on wood so far. worked as expected. didn't try on metal sheets. i think torque is little less than dewalt 18v product.

I bought this tool because I need to put some shelving up in a storage area made of concrete block. Since it is winter where I am when I bought the drill, I haven't used the drill. However, when I received the drill it was ready to use out of the box. The batteries were charged and it was ready to go. I gave only four stars because I haven't used the drill for the purpose I intend to use it which is drilling into concrete block. Anyway, the drill is very sturdy and it comes at a great price.

Read the reviews and the specs for this drill and , gullible as I can be somedays, purchased it. What a serious disappointment. As a semi-retired contractor I'm accustomed to owning tools that can get the job done. My drill/ driver collection has consisted of Porter-Cable 19.2 volt hammer drills for the past 10 years. I was beginning to feel the weight of the Porter Cable due to my Arthritis and believed this Hitachi would be a good replacement. NOT!!! Maximum run time on the batteries is less than 1 hour, charging time is longer than run time. The claim of torque is a fallacy. I can get more torque from a handheld screwdriver or a $29 B&D hobby drill. If you're interested in 'CUTE', this might be a good choice. However, if you're looking to make any productivity, look elsewhere (Porter Cable is a true workhorse, this doesn't even qualify as a pony).