Drills Reviews

I'm a commercial electrician and depend on a good cordless drill every day of the week.
This one was on sale and the selling points that put me over the edge was the LED light/belt hook. That's so handy for climbing ladders etc that I'll never want a drill without a hook again.

First the good news. It's powerful. Pull the trigger and the green machine revs like a Porche. It's also got a very solid feel to it. Makes a DeWalt feel like a Yugo in comparison. So really the thing is strong and solid and that counts for the most points when I choose a drill.

And the bad.....Batteries. Why Hitachi is only providing 2 Amp Hour Ni-Cd batteries
In the year 2005 is beyond me. They do make better ones- I've seen them. Then why don't include them with a tool clearly aimed at professionals? As a homeowner I'd be more than happy but I'm taking this tool places far away from my service van and charger. The last thing I want is for my drill to die when a better battery that SHOULD have been included in the first place would still have juice. Give us the good stuff, Hitachi. I would have gladly paid $20 more for much better batts. Anything less than 2.5 Ah Ni-MH cells these days is simply unexcusable. Panasonic's offering 3.5 Ah units, why can't Hitachi do better? Also I've had the charger refuse to charge them a couple times. And no, they weren't too hot. I had to reinsert them in the charger and that solved it. But it would be a real problem if a guy stuck the battery in to rechage in a hurry and returned to find the charger was having a bad day. Now you have TWO dead batteries. These things need to be bulletproof.

The chuck I have mixed feelings about. Some people like the drills where the spindle locks when no power is applied. I don't care too much about that because I always tighten my bit/tool with the spindle spinning and my left hand gripping it. Much faster that way. But this chuck tends to improperly seat itself on hex-shaped driver bits. The little ridges that help it grip drill bits very well(a good thing) can also bite driver bits on the ridges of the bit instead of the flat spots. (a bad thing) When this happens, sometimes the chuck can loosen and out comes the bit. I never had this problem with my older 18v Makita. So I have to guide the bit into the chuck making sure it seats properly before torquing it down in there. Annoying. And it also makes chucking up stepper drill bits a hassle too. A chuck should be designed to bite a tool where it is supposed to and not be prone to misload. To it's credit I like the large metal grippy ring it has for holding on to. Nicer than the plastic type many manufacturers put on their drills.

The carry case is a bit on the large side but it does provide a good place to store bits/drivers/holesaws.

And perhaps the tool is a tad heavy but as I said before it feels solid as a rock and should not pose any fatigue problems except maybe during electrical rough-in. In which case any old 12v should do anyhow. (Unless you get your hands on the new Makita Lithium-Ion 18v model. 560 in-lbs of torque, weighs less than many 12v drills. drool...stare...covet. But it IS $300+ and not yet available.)

Bottom line for me..For my line of work I'd really prefer a longer lasting battery. The other stuff isn't really a deal breaker. From the handle up it's a clear winner. But with the crummy included batteries I'd probably look elsewhere before making this purchase again.

I've been looking around for some time to replace my 18v DeWalt XRP with something that would be more comfortable to use with plenty of power to handle multiple jobs. I come from a family of builders and everyone has their preference. In my opinion, brands aside, the 3 tools to look at are: Hitachi DS14DMR (14.4v w/2.0 Ah Ni-Cd battery), Panasonic EY6432NQKW (15.6v w/3.0 Ah Ni-Mh battery), and Bosch Brute 33614-2G (14.4v w/2.0 Ah Ni-Cd battery).

All drills are excellent. Panasonic has the mojo on battery life, Bosch on torque, and Hitachi on overall comfort. The Hitachi works well, holds bits well, and comes with a well-designed belt clip with integrated light, and good bit storage on the base. The power is there if and when you need it and the battery wear is okay. If you're like me and want something that'll be comfortable to use, the Hitachi is a good bet. If you're like me and want something comfortable with long battery life, buy the Hitachi and order the 3.0 ah Ni-Mh battery separately when needed (part number 318371 model EB1430H).

Like most drills, if you drop it from 6 feet, it'll probably break. If you need to do allot of hole boring, get an extension cord and use a corded drill.

Good luck, great drilling!

Hitachi's new line up is amazing. The best buy in the drill department is this 14.4V Hammer drill. (if u got the extra money the 18V is nice too). All metal chuck and brake makes changing bits extremely easy and one handed. The new design looks great and i have already gotten lots of compliments on the drill in my shop. An all rubber casing make the drill feel comfortable in your hands. Its got more than enough power to handle any job. 450 lbs of torque is nice!! (550lbs on the 18V version). Hitachi also has a ton of rebates. i got a new sander and drill bit set for free after rebates. Sweet!! I love this drill. Once you go hitachi green, you'll know what i mean.

Best to use the AC plug as opposed to batteries, unless you enjoy changing batteries often (batteries are beneath the tray and it gets pretty nasty under there). It does work better than any other smokeless ashtray I've tried, but it's still too noisy for my liking. Could be there isn't really any way to get it quieter as well as the vacuum does suck up the smoke quite well.

but you can buy it at walmart for $9.99 with no s&h fees either.. :\

This is not the first Holmes Smokeless Ashtray we have had, but this one works very well. It seems much more quiet, and the shipping was very fast. I would highly recommend this product, if you smoke ;-), and the company runs a tight ship.

I purchased this Drill/Flashlight combo and have been very pleased with its performance. The drill doesn't spin as fast as a corded drill, but the quality is unsurpassed. Makita really delivers on making an easy-to-use, top-notch product.

The downside is that this drill still uses NiCad batteries which suffer from the "memory effect." To combat this, make sure that batteries are always stored uncharged. Also make sure that a battery is completely used up before you recharge it.

This drill is lightweight but provides solid power. The compact design and slim profile allow the drill to get into fairly tight places. The handle has a very good ergonomic feel to it and the forward/reverse switch is easy to use (for right-handers) with the flip of the thumb.

I have been using a older verson of this drill for 2 years. and was so happy with it I bought a second one.

I am in the trades and have owned the 1/2 inch magnum drills for years without to many problems except the notorious switch problem milwaukee has. The drills have lasted for years and have always had plenty of power and durability. I purchased a replacement drill with the new handle configuration and it just didn't hold up.The drill is now dangerous to use without a handle and it is such a hassle to get a replacement.I'm looking for a new brand.

I bought this drill based on a tool shootout of high amperage 1/2 inch drills in tools of the trade magazine. This drill came out head and shoulders above the offerings from hitatchi, makita, dewalt, portercable and bosch. The highlights of this drill are gobs of torque(It will twist your arm if you are not careful!) solid yet lightweight construction, a long, heavy gauge ruber 3 prong cord, a heavy duty keyed chuck. I picked this drill up at the home depot during a tool trade in promotion(traded in an old single speed metal bodied black and decker 3/8th drill.) I have been so impressed at the capabilities of this drill. It has driven 4 inch long 3/8ths lag screws without a problem. It will stir a paddle bit in drywall mud and drive up to a 2 and 9/16ths self feed bit. This is one incredible tool. I will be replacing the keyed chuck with a keyless though.

I bough tthis drill and it is great. The torque is enough for any job you will run into for a hand drill. It runs 2-1/2" forestner bits without any difficulty. It also offers very smooth easy to control variable speed trigger. The only thing I was disappionted in was that I like having cases for my tools and this one didn't come with one. Milwaukee will sell you one for ($$$) but I would rather make my own than pay that much for a box.

I have a few of these around. They represent a much needed update to the original cordless saws. They realy cut fast for a hand saw. That tooth design is superior. BUT I like the Japanese pulls saws even better. They have a very similar tooth design but it's reversed so they cut on the pull stroke. This enables them to have a thinner blade so you expend less energy for the same amount of work. They cut even faster than the stanley's. Check the saws from shark corp. I beleive you will find them to be superior for a very reasonable price. You can spend hundreds of dollars on a hand made Japanese saw but you don't need to.

this saw is well made and of good quality. It cuts quick and clean.I've cut a lot of wood with it in the past year and it's still sharp.If you are looking for a short cut saw, this baby is a safe bet

I've had several hand saws that have worn out over the years. While building my deck a couple years ago, the contractor that was helping me with the heavy work used this saw. He gushed over it so much that I had to get one. I bought it then and still use it today and it is absolutely as good as new.

I highly recommend this saw. Unless you work with very large lumber, no need to be a longer length .. the 15" is perfect.

It is hard to beat the value you get in this set. It contains most of the bits you would need and want. I thought it was odd however that while it contains both metric and english sockets it only has english hex keys. If your a bicyclist like me you know how important metric Allen keys are. The entire set is well layed out and labled

this set is a great value. it comes with every kind of bit you can imagine. they are not the strongest bits in the world but they are pretty tough and for the price you cant go wrong. the case is great too. all the bits have a marked spot both size and what kind of bit it is. very well thought out. if you need screwdriver bits dont wast your money buying 1 or 2 at a time get this set.

I think this is a tool that everyone must have at home, in a perfect case and well organiced.

For most ordinary household uses, this is a fine drill. It has good power and torque. However, I did have a minor problem.

I found the keyless chuck had difficulties grasping round drill bits. I had tremendous difficulties using a hole saw with this drill. Other round drill bits, such as one used to drill regular holes worked OK, but I still had problems getting the chuck tight enough (it seemed the bigger the bit, the more difficult I had). To be honest, I am not sure if the problem is with the product line or my drill only...

I was blown away by the good warranty on this drill (maybe any Black & Decker tool??). I got this same drill 14 months ago as a Christmas present. Something broke inside so I thought "oh no". But I walked into a B&D service center, (there are lots of them throughout the US), WITHOUT a receipt, the guy behind the counter looked at a date stamped on the drill (warranties are for 2 years), went in the back and brought me out a new one!! Case, bits and all! I was out of there in 4 minutes. Amazing. I'll be buying more B&D tools.

I ordered this for my husband. He loves it! The 4.5 amp power is more than enough for normal household uses. The main selling feature is the keyless chuck. No need to keep an eye on the "key". One great feature that is not mentioned above, is the drill comes with a carrying case and several screwdriver bits! I was shocked when I opened the box and saw this. My husband was so impressed! We highly recommend this drill!

My Black & Decker HPD 1402KF 14.4 volt high performance drill with flashlight works just fine. However, two days after I placed my order with Amazon, the EXACT same item appeared for sale at my local Home Depot for $30 less than the Amazon price.

Although I don't own this particluar kit, I do have the B&D cordless drill that's in this kit (when I bought mine, the drill and flashlight were seperate.)

Anyways, this drill isn't that bad for a cordless drill. I was actually quite impressed with the B&D line of cordless tools available. The best feature about this drill is the quick-change keyless chuck system. If you see in the picture, the silver keyless chuck can hold your drill bits or other bit and it can actually detatch, revealing a 1/4"-type hex bit underneath! This can allow you to switch between drilling and screwdriving modes in a snap! No 2nd drill or changing bits required. When you're ready to drill again, just snap the chuck back on and start drilling!

I've also done a fair share of wood boreing with this drill, and it's held up everytime. This product gets great battery life and continues to perform like a champ.

This drill is such a great product. It has the power and braun to handle almost any job. It's also one of the best values available. Buy this and try it and you won't be disappointed.

On the whole, I'm pleased with this drill. I only have two complaints. First, while the removable drill chuck is convenient, it throws the balance off and makes it a bit unwieldy. Second, the lowest torque setting seems to be too high. Other than that, it's a fine drill for the price. I didn't expect to use the light that came with my kit, but I have to admit it's pretty convenient.

used the drill a lot during the last week or so... going strong, the extra battery is a great time saver although I have only had to change batteries on one occasion while working. Would recomend this drill to anybody wanting a reliable cordless tool.

B&D HPD1802KF 18v High Performance Drill Flshlt Set! Nice expected Black & Decker quality performance from a higher end drill. The slip on battery packs went on smoothly and easily on both the drill and the flashlight. The charger supports both batteries has both a rapid and trickle modes built it. The drill is nicely balanced. The chuck slips off to expose a quick change bit access. It is nice to be able to drill and remove the chuck to screw in one step (had to say it that way!). The two speed selection allows for torque or high speed drilling. There is a difference. The torque clutch is nice, allowing for exact setting to properly sink the fence screws. Sudden stop braking is a little sharp and will catch your attention. I put the drill to work reattaching rewood fence slats. I tired after several hours before the battery did. The flashlight has a bright nonglare presentation. The hardshell case hold the drill, charger and flashlight with both batteries. The front of the hardshell case has storage for small hardware such as screws, bits and drivers. Nice drill. Need one for work site and home hobby activities!

In general the drill worked pretty well, considering what you pay for it. It doesn't have tremendous torque, very secure jaws, or a long pull (of the variable speed trigger) compared to an expensive drill, but again is as good or better than what you might expect in this price range. The major problems I had were ergonomic. There is a sharp ridge along the back, with especially sharp corners where the cut-out for the level is; the level is a nice thought but I didn't find it useful. The grip has a single ridge on the front, not sharp but more of a problem since it is difficult to avoid. Finally, the shape of the neck of the grip was totally unlike my hand, quickly causing a sore spot at the base of my thumb. If not for the last issue I would have kept the drill. I strongly recommend people try holding this one before buying it, especially people with smaller hands.

The DR201K is a strong and lightweight variable speed drill. It's handle is ergonomically designed to fit the hand while the trigger is designed to be depressed by two fingers making it easy to work with for long periods of time. The speed is easily controlled from its maximum down to a few rpm. When keeping it on at full speed it doesn't overheat even if its on and working against resistance for 5 minutes or more. Let's not overlook the price. At ~$30.00 it's nicely affordable. Bear in mind, it's not cordless. If that's not an impediment to your demands for a drill, I recommend the Black and Decker DR201K for your tool collection.

this is a really good drill easy to use and very powerful and priced right