hitachi 1/2" cordless drill

[mechanic]

I see Lowes has this drill on sale for $99. Has anyone used this drill and really like it. There's nothing like buying something and wishing you hadn't done it. I'm going to look at this sale more closely. Any advise?

[MAC702]

I had a Hitachi 12V 1/2" cordless for several years from 1997 to 2001. It was my favorite drill out of all the ones I'd used, including Makitas and DeWalts at the time. The only reason I retired it was because I dropped it off a ladder and bent it inside the transmission. I wound up getting DeWalt 18Vs after that for the variety, but I still remember how much I liked that Hitachi.

[Sberry]

At 99$ it is probably a bargain. A premium screw gun drill is 200 plus another 120 or so a piece for batteries. I grabbed my friends Makita 14.4 the other day and use it for a couple minutes, it worked and my friend has a Dewalt 18 but they reach for a corded drill doing heavy installation work, mine is twice the unit those were the day they were new, I cant recall the last time I use a corded drill. My Dad come in looking for an old one to take on the road, ha, they long gone. At homeowner/hobby level these ones like the Hitachi will do a lot of work and in comparison how hard is it to go wrong at 99$? My first Makita 9.6 probably cost twice that back then and it did a lot of work. However, the newest generation of professional tools are absolutely awesome. I could use a couple more, extra circ saw and sawzall but they are so good we dream up new uses every day. The flashlights are great and even this small farming thing runs the snot out of 4 battery drills pretty much every day, I drill a LOT of holes, almost all hand drill, I be long gone done punching a couple 1/4 or 3/8, holes in a plate or angle while someone was still fiddling with a drill press setup.

[Sberry]

I drill on the bench or in vise where I can spin things around any angle or flip the piece. I drill some rounds in pins for keepers, 3/4 and 1 inch, I usually just walk over to the bench and do it with a battery drill, I am finished before the setup could done about any other way. These battery drills are about flawless for drilling on machines.

[Broccoli1]

I'm a big fan of the Ryobi 18v in this class-

I've been kickin' the crap out of my set for the past 5 years.

$99.00
p200 Drill
Flashlight
5-1/2" Circ saw
2-batteries
1- 1 hour diagnostic charger

$159.00
p201 drill instead
add a recipricating saw
and a vac

I have both drills and actually like the P200 better but they only sell it in the stupid kit now and the P201 individually if you want.


For all we know now a days it's probably the same dern drill- one is just painted green and one is just painted blue

[whateg0]

I drill on the bench or in vise where I can spin things around any angle or flip the piece. I drill some rounds in pins for keepers, 3/4 and 1 inch, I usually just walk over to the bench and do it with a battery drill, I am finished before the setup could done about any other way. These battery drills are about flawless for drilling on machines.

Cary, is that a corded drill under the bench??? Looks like it's even plugged in.

Dave

[macmetalworks]

I've had alot of luck with the 18v RIGID.

You can get the Multi tool pack: Circular Saw, Recip., Flashlight, Drill, Two Batteries and a Dual charger for $400

[Broccoli1]

I've had alot of luck with the 18v RIGID.

You can get the Multi tool pack: Circular Saw, Recip., Flashlight, Drill, Two Batteries and a Dual charger for $400

That's only $301.00 over budget

[1990notch]

I'm a big fan of the Ryobi 18v in this class-

I've been kickin' the crap out of my set for the past 5 years.

$99.00
p200 Drill
Flashlight
5-1/2" Circ saw
2-batteries
1- 1 hour diagnostic charger

$159.00
p201 drill instead
add a recipricating saw
and a vac

I have both drills and actually like the P200 better but they only sell it in the stupid kit now and the P201 individually if you want.


For all we know now a days it's probably the same dern drill- one is just painted green and one is just painted blue

I bought a nice Dewalt 18v set quite a few years ago for $250. Came with two batteries that only lasted about a year. New Dewalt 18v batteries are $100 for 2. I decided not to buy any yet.

Meanwhile, a friend at work brought in a Ryobi that he bought for cheap at Home Depot. I expected it would be junk compared to my Dewalt. Not only did the drill hold up very well, but his batteries outlasted mine by a long ways.

A few years later I went and bought that $99 Ryobi set you mentioned. Came with a little finish sander too. I don't use this stuff at work anymore, it's for home use and projects, so it should be more than tough enough. I even bought the spiral cutter and right angle cordless drill. Best of all is 2 new batteries are $40 or so. It's all made in China, but so is the Dewalt and just about all the others these days.

Great deal and good quality too.

[MAC702]

... two batteries that only lasted about a year. New Dewalt 18v batteries are $100 for 2. I decided not to buy any yet.

Meanwhile, a friend at work brought in a Ryobi that he bought for cheap at Home Depot. I expected it would be junk compared to my Dewalt. Not only did the drill hold up very well, but his batteries outlasted mine by a long ways.

A few years later I went and bought that $99 Ryobi set you mentioned. Came with a little finish sander too. I don't use this stuff at work anymore, it's for home use ....

You don't list your location, so I don't know what climate you're in, but if you carried those DeWalt batteries around in your truck, there's a good chance you cooked them. I lost my first two batteries that way, too. After that, I got a bag to keep the batteries in, and they came indoors with me every chance I got.

[1990notch]

You don't list your location, so I don't know what climate you're in, but if you carried those DeWalt batteries around in your truck, there's a good chance you cooked them. I lost my first two batteries that way, too. After that, I got a bag to keep the batteries in, and they came indoors with me every chance I got.

I'm in Los Angeles. I didn't keep it in the truck. But it wasn't usually in an air conditioned environment either. Maybe the heat is what killed them. I didn't doubt the Dewalt quality, I have 5 other Dewalt corded tools, all about 8 years old and appreciate the quality.

[Blacksmith]

I have the Hitachi 14.4 volt 3/8 inch cordless and am satisfied. If the 1/2 inch is built the same ... Plenty of power and reasonable battery life, but then when I bought it they were offering a "rebate" of a third battery free, so unless I forget to charge them as they go down and cool off, I'm not likely to run out of battery. BTW, every cordless tool I've ever owned, regardless of brand, said to NOT charge the batteries if they were hot from just being used; let them cool first, so there must be something to that.

[macmetalworks]

I had similar battery problem with Dewalt in addition to Chuck key issues, we switched to Rigid. I know its out of your price range, but a cordless Hammer-Drill is well worth the extra money. From tapping anchor bolts in concrete at a remote job site to quickly switching to a cordless saw to plunge cut a vent opening three stories up, the set has more than payed for itself. What kind of work do you plan on doing?

[Broccoli1]

What kind of work do you plan on doing?

Occupation:
retired

From his profile I imagine NONE

[mechanic]

I had similar battery problem with Dewalt in addition to Chuck key issues, we switched to Rigid. I know its out of your price range, but a cordless Hammer-Drill is well worth the extra money. From tapping anchor bolts in concrete at a remote job site to quickly switching to a cordless saw to plunge cut a vent opening three stories up, the set has more than payed for itself. What kind of work do you plan on doing?

Just to use in my shop and have something with a little power that is better than my makita 3/8 drill. Always runs out when I need it.