Cordless Tools Reviews

I bought this item because i needed two more 18v batteries and it is a better deal to get two tools with the batteries instead of buying the batteries separately, it works out to spending $50 and getting a second hammer drill and cut out tool. The hammer drill is great I now have two. it is a bit heavy so expect your wrist to give out after a long day. Also the drill has more kickback and recoil then it should. I'm a bit dissatisfied with the cut out tool, there is no variable speed control, and the tool is physically large so it not good for detailed work.

The tools are great! The service from Amazon is by far the worst you will ever experience in YOUR LIFE!!! AMAZON STILL OWES ME OVER $500.00 and if I cannot get it back to my credit card I will have to sew the company!

Nice functionality on drill and hammer function.
Lots of torque and battery life is remarkable.
I am right-handed and have large hands which means that I have to use care to fully depress "forward" button when changing from "reverse" to "forward" (it is a little awkwardly positioned). I did have difficulty engaging the hammer function one time, which sorted itself out after switching from "forward" to "reverse" and back again...

The saw is a dream with regards to weight, balance and power.
It does however, as everyone says, use up the batteries quite quickly (more than 4 long diagonal cuts of a 2x10 will kill a battery). But remember, it isn't expected to compete with a normal AC power tool...

I would recommend that Dewalt sell this kit with one of the normal heavy duty 18V batteries and one of the extra heavy duty batteries to make the kit even better.

This is an excellent combo with more power than most people will need for the job. The drill is the heart of the deal with the drill alone retailing for only $100 less than this kit. It has 450 inch-pounds of torque, which is enough to ripe the head off an unsuspecting dry-wall screw (this is great! nice power). The chuck and grip are well designed. If these tools have a draw back it would be the price (a bit on the high side) and weight (there are not light...which feels good, but what about the end of the day?), but ultimately these tools are comfortable, powerful, and really loveable.

I didn't want a heavier drill so I got this one especially because it had a 1/2" chuck. It is nice and light as you would expect of a 12 volt. The test was going to be how much torgue it had. I used it for a project requiring running 1-1/4, 2 and 3" screws into wood studs. The drill did not hesitate and ran the screws in better than I had figured. You can tell this is a professional drill. I only have it for a few weeks so this review doesn't address long term use. Also, it is interesting how Panasonic and Makita are going to what is supposed to be the better NiMh batteries instead of the NiCd batteries which this drill has. The plastic exterior of the drill seems a little cheap but overall good.

Bought 2 batteries with this drill. Drill is super, great, powerful, reliable. BUT, one of the 2 batteries never did hold a charge for long. NOW, I can't locate another to replace it! What's with Hitachi??

For the price, this 12-volt cordless drill by Hitachi cannot be matched. It is reliable, durable, lightweight, comfortable in its use, and the battery life is well above average.

I am a professional auto mechanic, and use it on a daily basis as a light-duty electric nut driver. My only criticism is that the self-locking chuck is too quick to release when challenged by the laws of physics...which was easily cured by an extra twist with a pair of channel locks.

I use an 18-volt Ryobi for most of my home projects, and the 12-volt Hitachi is a far superior tool, and at considerably less expense - more compact, superior battery life, and lighter weight give it a clear advantage over the heavier, bulkier Ryobi.

This tool is a must for non-professional home-improvement types, and professionals may be surprised by the overall versatility and usability of this tool.

Weight and price lured me to this drill. I work in a cabinet shop and found the 18 volt yellow and 14.4 volt red drills the other blokes had a bit bulky and heavy for all-day use (plus, I have access to their drills and our electric ones, as well). For screw and glue assembly this drill is a gem--it delivers just enough torque to sink everything home and won't break the heads off coarse drywall screws. Pre-drilling / Countersinking operations take a little longer than with more powerful models (and since time is money, I often keep a second, more powerful drill handy for the pre-drilling. I've drilled pocket holes with this Hitachi from time to time, but prefer to use an electric drill (or a heavy cordless drill on a jobsite) with the Kreg jig. I've also drilled dowel holes in 1 3/4 Mahogany with this drill--not without some effort, though. The light weight and compact size of this drill have come in handy for all of us--several corners in a recent kitchen remodel could only be reached with this drill, not with the larger cordless units.

My purchase of this drill prompted one shop member to purchase an even lighter 9.6 volt yellow brand. Initial impressions are that the two are about equal. One disadvantage to the yellow 9.6 volt is that it cannot be stood upright on its base. Since each falls in the same price range, I'd recommend the Hitachi for this one reason.

Battery expenditure is fairly frequent, and perhaps a negative for some reviewers / readers. But keeping the spare in the charger has never left me without juice. Just remember to take the charger to the job site!

I can't comment yet on the longevity of the batteries (still going strong after a year of daily use). When they do finally die, I'll be able to get two for 70 bucks by purchasing another drill! (not bad, since some brands charge 70 bucks for one battery alone). Also worth noting is that Hitachi makes a 12 volt hammer drill that uses the same batteries.

I really don't use the flashlight, but it is nifty in that the head angles and it is free-standing. Rather, I use the flashlight's space in the case for bits and so on The case, by the way, is not as rugged as other brands (especially the sliding hinges). My assumption is that Hitachi has eliminated the frills of a great case to keep the price low.

For the price and performance, this little Hitachi is a great buy. It probably all a home do-it-yourselfer needs, and again, it works for 90% of the jobs in the shop. It has taken some abuse and suffered some job site falls, but has not been damaged. Yes, eventually, I will be buying a second, heavier duty drill--probably the red 14.4 workhorse (now that it has been beefed up to well over 400 lbs. of torque), but a second drill will simply complement, not retire this drill. I highly recommend this little Hitachi.

My company uses dozens of these screwdrivers in production of electrical power system protection products. The screwdrivers are used collectively hundreds of times daily. The drivers theirselves are usually very reliable. The problem these have is centered around the batteries and chargers. We have had a fair amount of failures where the charger malfunctions and over charges the batteries causing failure of the batteries. Due to the heavy use of these units the chargers are in use continually as the batteries get discharged more often, sometimes as many as five times a day per driver. The problem here is the replacement cost of the charger is nearly as much as buying a complete kit.

I can't tell you how many B&D power screwdrivers I've purchased for roughly $30 just to have them fail after 1 1/2 years to 2 years of routine, home use. The last time, I had it for about a year and the thing called it quits. The first thing I realized was that I was going to have to spend around $100 for a decent contractor grade screwdriver. This seemed like a lot at first, but after realizing that I had already spent over $100 in cheaper screwdrivers that simply did not last, I accepted the amount.

So, I want to get a new power screwdriver, but which one? Initial research reduced the number of brands to three which wasn't too bad: DeW..., Pana... and Milwaukee. I must tell you that although I like the look and specifications of DeW... tools, they tend to be a fifty-fifty hit with quality overall. They're great for certain tools like drills and circular saws, but I didn't find great reviews on the screwdriver. The one thing that made me stay away from the DeW... was the design of the bit chuck. Owners wrote that the chuck is pulled back to lock the bit in place, but complained of bits falling out when inserting the tool in a workbelt or when the screwdriver was accidentally dropped. Having a bit fall out when up in the attic with hands full really doesn't sound too cool to me.

The Pana... had excellent reviews and people wrote of them lasting 10 to 15 years. Sounds great, but I'm not aware of many Pana... power tools so finding service or additional parts might be difficult. So I went for the Milwaukee.

I purchased the Milwaukee 6547-22 Kit, 2.4 Volt, 2 Speed cordless screwdriver for $110 from Amazon. The kit comes with two batteries, a charger, a chuck, a few bits (including a few drill bits), and the screwdriver. It's works well for light drilling such as when mounting wall anchors and such, but it doesn't replace a drill. I didn't expect that since I bought it for driving screws (hence the name). It's also very light and easily fits in a workbelt.

It's nice to be able to do all light work such as mounting raceway or putting together furniture with just one tool. So far, it has been excellent and it's the first tool I grab when having to do any work that involves screws. I also had to install a threshold in the patio and this is where it really shined. I adjusted the torque to its maximum and set the speed to low and was able to drive the screws two inches into the concrete (holes were predrilled of course). Not a problem and it stopped exactly where I wanted it too. This was after my 18 Volt drill ripped the head off the center screw, though. Oh well, you live and you learn.

I definitely like the screwdriver, but it would be nice if it had just a little more power. For this reason, I'd give it four stars in an ideal world, but compared to the other power screwdrivers in the market I'll give it five. Being that it is for home use, I expect it to last quite some time.

I've owned a Panasonic 15.6V cordless drill for a couple of years now; it's a fantastic drill, the best I've seen or used. The Ni-Mh batteries are state-of-the-art; the feel and function of the tool is just about perfect. So I decided to get another along with with the cordless circular saw.

The saw is pretty good, kind of rinky-dink as far as rigidity of the saw base, but typical of these tools and it does everything I could want as long as I don't expect it to be a fine finish carpenter's saw.

So why don't I rate this kit 5 stars? Well, the blow-molded cases are worthless. If I pay $360 for a pair of good tools, I expect the case to be good too. This combo case is a huge, very inefficient storage unit with little room left over to easily store driver/drill bits, spare saw blades, etc. So minus one star for that.

And the saw has a 20mm arbor, which means you are pretty much stuck with buying Panasonic blades for the saw. You can't just go to your local hardware or Big Box store and get the typical sawblade that has a 1/2" arbor. Poor thinking, worth taking off another star.

It's too bad, I think. Panasonic definitely has the jump on every other cordless manufacturer as far as battery technology and ergonomics. They just need to work on a couple of details, and they'd be King.

Some of these manufacturer's oversights make me wonder just who does any "real-world" testing of this stuff before it reaches the marketplace. It can't be working tradespeople, or maybe Panasonic doesn't care much for the feedback?

I managed a national-scope tool store for six years and have been working in construction trade full time for the last three years. The Panasonic drill and saw have proven to be physically tougher, batteries last longer, and have more power than DeWalt, Porter-Cable, and Makita, or any other drill I ever used, sold, or recieved customer feedback on. In our shop, the saw positively humbles our Makita and DeWalt cordless saws for power and battery life ( like 4-5 times the run time - no joke). Our 5 Panasonic 15.6v drills outpower and outlast all the drills we have ever used, including out 18V Makita and 19.2V Porter Cable, while being much lighter. If you try one of these, you will not be dissapointed. Only tip - pick up a few extra blades, they are a bit hard to come by.
Other companies may do a better job marketing, but Panasonic does a better job buiding quality tools that perform better than the others in a hard use setting such as my cabinet shop.

While I liked the torque offered by this tool; I am compelled to warn people of its 2 most frustrating flaws.
1) The batteries discharge in two days with no use- just sitting in the case.
2) It takes hours for them to recharge.
If you are using this tool around your house you will probably like it, but if you are trying to make a living with it, I strongly recommend that you look somewhere else.

Justa quickie, since Amazon says out of stock:

I went to HD looking for a cordless set. Thought $250 would do it, and I was hoping for $180-200.

There was a display on the floor with this set. $100. Sold.

I've since picked up a new set of batteries as long work around the house and property tends to leave you waiting for a recharge. However, for convenience, ease and simplicity, this is it. No cords. No bringing tons of crap to the site. Just grab a cordless and go.

Well worth $100. Worth more to you? That would depend on your budget. Is it worth a $300 savings over a Rigid or Makita? I think so.

i am a reseller in Germany, we sell Produktcs to repair and remove autoglass. This caulking gun is needed for polyurethan.
we sold in the last year round about 120 other guns. but they are to expensive. we need a cheeper but a better one.

I hate squeezing a caulking gun. The pain in my wrist makes my hands wobble and a bad job just gets worse. Needless to say I was pleased to discover that Wagner had a cordless gun on the market. A friend at the marina where I work on my antique cruiser had purchased one and recommended it.

I purchased one on the Internet and ten days later it arrived. My task involved scraping the bottom, then raking the cotton seam caulking out of several planks on my 30' mahogany sedan cruiser, then re-caulking with cotton. Two days of this and I was ready to seal the bottom with butyll on the cottoned seams, and good old roofing tar on the others.

Butyll is very hard to squeeze out of a tube, and I had to make four, flawless, continuous, 30' beads while lying on my back in the mud. The Wagner did the job much more effectively than a hand gun.

The roofing tar went onto the upper seams (keeping well clear of the white topsides). It squeezes out as the planks soak up and compensates for the increasing pressure. It went on really easily, though there were many seams to do.

The first charge ran out after three tubes. The butyll was very thick, though. I was impressed that the Wagner had the power to squirt it at all.

The rest of the tar went on without another charge, so I don't know how many tubes of normal viscosity the batteries can manage.
Five would be a good guess, I'd think. The charge takes three hours, by the way.

Two of us have these machines. What we'd really like is access to extra battery packs in case the Wagners play out before we do.

All in all, I found the cordless caulking gun an excellent addition to my toolbox. It is definitely not a toy.

This is a great light, i recommend anyone who does outdoor activity. I have 2 of these in my car, and i plan to get 2 more for my business. The spotlight is not intended for use as a reading lamp, but this unit comes with a smaller lamp built into the handle, i used it alot while we were camping for reading.

the DC 12 Volt port ROCKS, I was able to run a portable tv and camera off it for a good couple hours when our movile power genrator bit the big one on us. It also comes in handy in the woods when your GPS runs out battery.

great little saw for jobs you wouldn't want to break out a big saw for. Also it is virtually silent to use. only drawback is not alot of battery life. I would definately suggest purchase of additional battery or two, that's what I did.