Hitachi DS12DVF3 12-Volt, Nice Little Drill

Overall Rating55555

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 $80 with a flashlight and a rebate for a third battery it was a no brainer.

Update (2/6/2012): I also found some auctions for this item here.

The featured review for this product, Hitachi DS12DVF3 12-Volt Ni-Cad 3/8-Inch Cordless Drill/Driver Kit Tools & Hardware, was written by Eli.

The average rating for this item is 4.7 out of 5 stars, according to 3 reviews.

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Reviews (2)

Eli

May 2nd, 2010 at 4:59 am    


Overall Rating55555

Nice Little Drill
Rated 5 stars.


Douglas Ahmann

May 11th, 2010 at 6:57 pm    


Overall Rating55555

A surprisingly powerful little drill
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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