Customer Reviews

Hitachi KC18DVF 18-Volt Ni-Cad Cordless 4-Tool Combo kit

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

 

 

I'd like to give this combo 5 stars, but it has a few minuses that knock it down a star.

First the positives:
- The drill is very nice. It has good power and good balance. The belt hook works fine, can be set to hang on the left or the right, and if you don't like it you can take it off.
- The saw is good. It has a LH blade which is great for us right-handers. Its 61/2" blade lets you cut 2X lumber at 45 degrees.
- The light is really nice. The little LED turns on when the battery get too low to keep the florescent bulb lit, and the LED give you enough light to change the battery. Its handle can be set to several angles and it will hang over large pipes. This light is also great for camping.
- The recip saw works fine. Plenty of power to do the kind of rough, hack it up kinda cuts you make with a recip saw. The blade chuck holds the blades securely yet you can change blades quickly.
- The bag is even good. It's very heavy duty with plenty of room to store this kit with room left over.

Now, the negatives:
- Unlike most other Hitachi 61/2" saws, this one does not have a built-in light. The light is a really nice feature of other Hitachi saws that you don't think you need until you have it.
- The drill's belt clip lacks a light; other Hitachi drills have a light in their belt clip.
- The charger included with this kit is not as good as some of the other Hitachi chargers. It charges the batteries fast enough (40 minutes), but for some reason the batteries are only rated for 300 cycles when charged by the UC18YG charger included in this kit, vs 1000 cycles when charged with the UC24YFA or UC24YJ chargers.

I've been reading a lot of Hitachi reviews that have said the batteries won't hold a charge. I have 10 Hitachi batteries: 3 are the 3AHr NiMH batteries and 7 are the 2AHr NiCads. They all seem to hold a charge just fine. The flashlight in this kit is great for discharging the batteries all the way before recharging. A battery will still light the flashlight quite a while after the battery seems to be "dead" in one of the tools.

In conclusion, it's a good kit, and a good value. Hitachi dropped a few features with the tools in this kit to save some bucks.

I haven't purchased a cordless tool in almost 15 years because the Makita 9.6v 6012HD would not die! However, I've started a kitchen renovation project and now was the time to upgrade. I purchased the Hitachi KC 18 DVF because of the overall value of the items included. The drill and the circulating saw have been used the most since this project started and have performed admirably. After several drain and recharge cycles, the NiCad batteries are performing better then expected in spite of the less then glowing assessments printed here. NiCad batteries do require a "breaking in" period when new and if you follow proper charging etiquette, you will get good performance from them. I would recommend this kit to any serious, home DIY that needs a good quality cordless tool with a budget in mind.

I am a remodeling contractor and own toold from virtually every major manufacturer. This was my first multi-tool kit purchase, and it has been worth every penny.
The drill is an excellent workhorse that has plenty of power. The circular saw has amazed me with its power and quiet operation. The recip saw does such a good job that I have almost completely retired my Dewalt corded model.
The only complaint I have about the entire kit is the light. It does a poor job of general illumination and spotlight mode. The flashlight Hitachi includes in some of their other drill kits is far better.

My Hitachi set surprised me with it's power to weight ratio. I've owned just about every Brand of cordless tools. Although it has only been a few weeks, I've tested each tool thoroughly.
1. The drill: Awesome power and torque with excellent battery time. The one down-side I have found is the comfort of the grip. After several hours of use the top of the grip seems to wear on the spot right between my index finger and thumb more than any other drill. I would still buy this drill again.
2. Circular saw: Cuts through everything. Solid Doors, P/T Wood, Vinyl window frames and solid oak flooring. The saw itself is lightweight and quiet. The noise produced is almost similar to my son's toy saw.
3. Tiger saw: Plenty of power and a decent battery life. I haven't had any problems with the quick-change blade release. After 30 or so blade changes, the adapter seems to be holding up well. The safety lock is a little annoying at first, but once I was used to it I stopped squeezing the trigger and checking the battery connection.
4. The lantern: As described, it's a lantern. It is not a flashlight or spot light. The unit's shape is a little awkward and it does provide general room lighting, I do not carry it around to Job sites. I would bring it camping though.

Overall, I was impressed with the set. Several other contractors I work with have tried the tools and they are already looking to purchase the same set.

With the exception of the low cycle count for battery use, this set constitutes a fantastic value for the entry- to mid-level user.

The set is fantastic, light weight and user friendly.

In the end, this set is addictive and you will look forward to every opportunity to use it.

They are powerful and long charged BUT the recipro broke all to pieces internally the first time I used it. The drill case broke the first time it was used and now the chuck is stripped. Of course it is warrantied but so far it has taken a long time to get the parts and what does one do while it is being fixed? Guess that is why it has a 5 year warranty!!! This has only been used at home so the use is not like a pro would subject it too.

I went cold turkey from dewalt to hitachi and couldnt be happier. overall a good buy...I could not be happier with the drill, very light for a hammer drill with sufficient power to get you through a day or two of constant use...The batteries are also light weight, charge quickly, last a long time and come with a charger that shuts itself off before overheating/ruining your batteries.

The light is more of a camp light then a work light, good for general lighting, but if you are doing work in the dark and trying to illuminate the area you are using your tools you are more likely to be blinded by the light than successfully complete your task...I ended up purchasing another "spot light" flashlight.

The first time i used the recip saw for anything more than light duty the holding mech for the blade came apart, once i put it back together i have not had additional problems.

Circulating saw work great for what I need it for.

The best advice i could give, is if your going to be using this set for more than small house work repairs, do yourself a favor and buy a couple of cheaper 1.5ah batteries to use with your light or lights. They last forever and your wont waste your time recharging or swapping batteries to the tool you need.

***after using this these items for a little over a year I have been largely dissapointed. The quick holding blade for the sawzall constantly needs to be reset, which involves takeing the entire front end of it apart. In addition the drill is constantly having parts fall off. I no longer have a trigger button. I think the largley plastic construction is mostly to blame. The battery life and power of the products a terrific, but the set just is not standing up to the wear and tear of not quite everyday use.

I'm surprised by the negative reviews. I like many other bought this set
as a factory refurb with 2Ah batteries for ~net $125 a couple of years ago.

I have been so pleased with the drill's balance and power I have purchased 6 more for work and home.
Don't expect anyones reciprocating saw or circular saw to run long on batteries, they just suck juice.

I have recommended the set as well at $250+/- and the purchaser is still pleased with it.

At the current (Oct 2008) price of $210 this represents a very good value.

let me start by saying that i am a big fan of hitachi. my miter saw is a 10" hitachi, i use a hitachi framing gun and compressor and my corded drill is a hitachi. i just bought the combo kit on saturday and used it for the first time yesterday (monday) at work.
i burned out the drill the first time i used it. i was drilling an 11/16" hole through a 4x8 beam and the drill started smoking and now it doesn't work. my porter cable 19.2 volt has no problem drilling like that so i didn't think it would be a problem with the 18 volt hitachi. i was pretty upset about that but i figure i'll just keep using my 19.2v porter cable for a drill.
the sawzall and the circ. saw are awesome. i used them all day yesterday. i was cutting through 5/8", 3/4" and 7/8" steel allthread with the sawzall and it worked great. the circ. saw was cutting osb, and 2x6's and also worked great. what i plan on doing is buying a lithium ion impact driver and using the batteries for this whole set which is the coolest thing about the hitachi's cordless tools.

This was my second purchase of Hitachi cordless tools. One of the decision points for me was the handle design. For me, they are very comfortable in the hand.