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Average Customer Review
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The most helpful favorable review
The most helpful critical review
37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
Nice Little Drill
This drill is a champ, I had an old stick type 9.6v Makita that served me well for 8 years. When I finally lost the last battery I decided to buy a new drill. I never really wanted more power than the 9.6v Makita delivered so I didn't see the point in getting a huge cordless drill. This drill is light, incredibly comfortable, all the power I need in a cordless and for...
Published on November 14, 2005 by Eli
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13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
One Big Problem
All in all, it's a decent drill: lightweight, good power and a good value. My only complaint is the chuck. I've never had such a hard time keeping bits tight enough so as not to spin loose in the chuck. I mean, you really have to crank it down, often several times, before you finish what you're doing. I never (or very seldom) had that problem with my Dewalt.
Published on November 5, 2006 by E. Scolforo
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37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
Nice Little Drill, November 14, 2005
This review is from: Hitachi DS12DVF3 12-Volt Ni-Cad 3/8-Inch Cordless Drill/Driver Kit (Tools & Hardware)
This drill is a champ, I had an old stick type 9.6v Makita that served me well for 8 years. When I finally lost the last battery I decided to buy a new drill. I never really wanted more power than the 9.6v Makita delivered so I didn't see the point in getting a huge cordless drill. This drill is light, incredibly comfortable, all the power I need in a cordless and for $80 with a flashlight and a rebate for a third battery it was a no brainer.
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33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
Drill, December 8, 2005
This review is from: Hitachi DS12DVF3 12-Volt Ni-Cad 3/8-Inch Cordless Drill/Driver Kit (Tools & Hardware)
This drill is remarkedly comfortable to use. It is smaller and more powerful that an older DeWalt 9.6 volt drill I have. The major draw back is the battery charging system. With the DeWalt you put a battery in the charger and leave it until you need it. Not with the Hitachi. It says to take it out when charged. Therefore you got to watch it. Also, if you are using the drill alot and the battery gets low on power, it is also warm and the charger will not charge it until it cools off. Can't get the battery to charge until it cools off???? If you need to charge right away, you are out of luck.
I guess for the price, I can live with this flaw. But sure like the DeWalt charging system much better.
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26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
A surprisingly powerful little drill, July 29, 2007
This review is from: Hitachi DS12DVF3 12-Volt Ni-Cad 3/8-Inch Cordless Drill/Driver Kit (Tools & Hardware)
I have two of these drills now. The first was originally purchased for use at my lake home. I also had a Dewalt 14.4 that I lugged back and forth, just in case I needed to do anything heavier duty.
It turns out, this little drill can go head to head with that Dewalt, and now I much prefer it over the bigger and heavier Dewalt. (The Dewalt was 3 or 4 times more expensive originally as well).
What surprises me about the Hitachi is the torque it has. Its fortunate that it has such a good adjustable clutch because this little thing has the power to twist off screw heads if you're not careful. Amazing for such a light and handy drill.
The trigger has a great feel to it as well. One can feather it on and off to screw in something delicate and it responds exactly as you would expect. It doesn't keep spinning like the Dewalt tends to.
I ended up buying the second drill for home here, and leaving the Dewalt up at the cabin "just in case". The Hitachi is the first one I reach for now.
If Hitachi is listening, my only disappointment in this drill is the lack of two bit holders. The Dewalt gives me storage for a flat bit, a phillips and a square drive. With the Hitachi, I've had to leave the flat bit in the shop. Also, the bit holder that is there isn't very reliable. If you drop the drill, you better check the ground and make sure your second bit isn't laying there. But this isn't a show stopper.
Also, the magnetic bit holder included with the kit remains in the shop as well. If you use something like this primarily wandering around outside your shop (as I do up at the lake), you'll almost certainly want a quick change bit holder with a more positive action to it (Dewalt's are VERY good). If you rely on the Hitachi bit holder, you'll lose bits. The bit holder plus a bit is also way too long to feel like you can get any leverage with it.
I never use the flashlight, so can't really comment on it. I also don't use it all day every day, so can't really comment on battery life. It always seems to have enough juice when I need it. If not, the battery is quick to change, and doesn't "stick" like the Dewalt tends to do.
All in all, I would definitely recommend this drill. I think it is one of the best bargains for the price. I have a Hitachi reciprocating saw as well that I really like, and will give Hitachi a shot for my other tools as they wear out and need replacing.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
Perfect "in between" drill, September 5, 2007
This review is from: Hitachi DS12DVF3 12-Volt Ni-Cad 3/8-Inch Cordless Drill/Driver Kit (Tools & Hardware)
I spent a lot of time researching a light-weight drill to use for my small duty tasks and projects. The Hitachi 12v fit the bill perfectly. I teach school and have my summers off. I've put a lot of time and money over the last four summers into an addition, a new kitchen, and a new bathroom that I've done most of by myself. I've been using my 18v Makita for everything and it has never failed, but I have always cursed the thing when working in tight quarters or above my head for long periods of time (ceiling fans and drywalling ceilings). I finally decided that a lighter drill was necessary and I debated over getting a big cordless screwdriver (Dewalt, Ridgid, Bosch "Pocket Driver")or a small drill. After comparing many brands, I found the Hitachi to be the most powerful drill for its' size and price: 230lbs torque and 3.5lbs in weight. It is also nice to have a chuck and not a hex head. At $80 it's hard to beat, and it comes with a flashlight. The Dewalt (80lb torque) and Ridgid (100lb torque) screwdrivers are the most powerful, but their weight is the same as the Hitachi 12v drill. The super-light Bosch was very tempting but I was afraid that it would be underpowered. I know that cordless screwdrivers and 12v drills are not the same, but seriously consider your needs and power requirements and you might just find as I did: this drill is the perfect tool to bridge cordless screwdrivers and drills (run-on sentence).
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
Great 12v drill, August 3, 2008
This review is from: Hitachi DS12DVF3 12-Volt Ni-Cad 3/8-Inch Cordless Drill/Driver Kit (Tools & Hardware)
This is my second Hitachi 12v drill and my fifth cordless drill overall. Needless to say I am sold on the quality of this drill. Right sized and powerful enough for most projects it is value priced and will provide several years of reliable service. My batteries eventually gave out on my previous drill; otherwise it is still 100% serviceable. Which brings me to a pet peeve; Hitachi and all other cordless tool manufactures please listen up! It is more expensive to replace or rebuild the two battery packs than it is to buy the drill with it's two battery packs, charger, flashlight, bits, and the case! Why is that? Why be green and recycle when manufactures price this way? It just does not make sense if you(manufactures) are even in the least bit environmentally responsible to support this type of pricing. This is just another fine example of the throw it away and buy new, even when the old product is fully serviceable, mentality endorsed by most manufacturers.
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13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
One Big Problem, November 5, 2006
This review is from: Hitachi DS12DVF3 12-Volt Ni-Cad 3/8-Inch Cordless Drill/Driver Kit (Tools & Hardware)
All in all, it's a decent drill: lightweight, good power and a good value. My only complaint is the chuck. I've never had such a hard time keeping bits tight enough so as not to spin loose in the chuck. I mean, you really have to crank it down, often several times, before you finish what you're doing. I never (or very seldom) had that problem with my Dewalt.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Hitachi drill chuck, September 21, 2009
This review is from: Hitachi DS12DVF3 12-Volt Ni-Cad 3/8-Inch Cordless Drill/Driver Kit (Tools & Hardware)
I agree with the person that has had chuck problems. This drill is a nice all around drill for average every day tasks but the chuck is extremely annoying. I am constantly trying to tighten the chuck and it still falls out on occasion. If it wasn't for this weak spot the drill would be a five star product.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
one awesome drill, February 20, 2009
This review is from: Hitachi DS12DVF3 12-Volt Ni-Cad 3/8-Inch Cordless Drill/Driver Kit (Tools & Hardware)
This drill is a real winner. I love the power of this drill. in fact, it is so powerful that I broke the Philips bit that came with it. I have yet to use even one battery til it was dead and I've been remodeling a trailer with it. Though I was told that it is not good to run the battery til it is dead. At 1st I figured the flashlight was just an extra, I didn't care about it my main need was the drill, but I've found that I use the flashlight more than I use the drill. Now, why I rated this 4 instead of 5... 1st, I don't like the fact that the bit it comes with is a 2 sided Phillips bit, I'd rather have a Phillips and a flat bit combo, its just more convenient. The belt hanger that comes with it is cumbersome and makes it hard to grab quickly when needed (I removed it on mine) and any bit you use that is round instead of hex you will have to really tighten the chuck to keep it from slipping. (a simple 10 seconds on a grinder to flatten one side of your bit works) plus the flashlight would be better if it has more preset angles, perhaps a screw to tighten it at any angle (like a T bevel) would be better. and lastly I think the flashlight would be 10 times better if it used led's instead of a normal flashlight bulb. But all in all these things are minor and easy to work around. I love the quick charger, the fact that it has 2 batteries, and the case (though it would be better if the case had one more section for the other battery as I don't like to keep the battery in the drill) I do love this drill combo, and since I got it on sale for $50 it makes it that much better. I don't think I'd have gotten it at the normal $75. oh and one more issue that I almost forgot...While it only takes about 30 minutes or so to charge a battery, and it takes a good 30 minutes of heavy use to wear a battery down, you cannot just swap out the battery and continue to work. The charger will not charge if the battery is warm. While this is a good safety feature, it is kind of annoying. If you had just 1 more battery (total of 3) this would completely eliminate this issue. (one in use, one cooling down and one charging)
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Dangerous, February 4, 2010
This review is from: Hitachi DS12DVF3 12-Volt Ni-Cad 3/8-Inch Cordless Drill/Driver Kit (Tools & Hardware)
I work on Microwave Stations. I take care of my tools exceptionally well; I don't drop them, mistreat them or abuse them. A spare can quite often be 1200 feet below and the effort needed to achieve work position necessitates the minimum load during tower acsention. The problem with Hitachi drill is the way the battery is locked in the place. Two very small tabs along side the batteries break very easy during insertion. The broken tabs allow the battery to fall loose from the tool endangering anyone or anything beneath the work area, be it 3 feet or 1200 feet. Anything impacted by the falling battery is subject to injury or damage. The tool works very well and is comfortable but be cautious.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Best in class, January 1, 2009
This review is from: Hitachi DS12DVF3 12-Volt Ni-Cad 3/8-Inch Cordless Drill/Driver Kit (Tools & Hardware)
Very good kit, tool has quality feel, kind of odd styling, the carry case is solid. The batteries are easy to change. Flashlight is useful, runs 2 hours plus, very bright. Drill has plenty of power to shear a screw, 22 clutch settings to prevent doing that. Long battery life even under high use commercial type application. Drill trigger is very responsive and easy to feather. Battery charger is the UC18YG universal 7.2-18v. Battery charges in 30-45 minutes, about the time in use battery under heavy load runs out, so you can keep swapping and working. I bought the 12v version to replace an older 9.6v Hitachi drill that has been in constant use for many years, the batteries have grown tired. The 9.6v batteries can be used in the 12v, the 12v cannot be used in the 9.6v.
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