Hitachi Reviews

I have owned this vacuum for four months. It has been used continuously since the purchase. The vacuum is relatively quiet and the suction is strong. I have owned dozens of shop vacuums and none have approached the quality and workmanship of this unit. I would give it five stars without hesitation were it not for the fact that getting accessories or replacement bags has proved elusive. The Hitachi website is useless...no, it is a joke. Amazon.com will not respond to emails about the availability of replacement parts, bags, or accessories. Let the buyer BEWARE. Eventually you will have a great vacuum that needs a part or bag. What are you going to do? If you are thinking of purchasing this product try finding a source of parts and accessories BEFORE you buy this product. Maybe you will have more success than I have. It has been discouraging.

...sucks - quietly!!
After a few years of having to wear hearing protection just to do clean-up work, I can now almost carry on a conversation while vacuuming. I truly think this beast is quieter than our "home" unit (A Hoover I think) - I will put it to a big test this weekend as I prepare to hook it up to my finish sander (REALLY small particles) and do the final sanding on 180 feet of cedar.
Overall - very satisfied.

This is a great vaccuum for low noise and great suction. It's casters are much better than others, and is quality built.
The 10' hose is very flexible and is nice to work with.
It's true that you don't get the crevice tool, little brush, and uphostery nozzle. This can't be found at amazon at this time, but can be ordered easily at toolpartsdirect.com or other part centers. You can use the parts # that come in the owners manual, the total for the three items where very reasonable. For the price they should of come with it but this vaccuum is a commercial grade and they have lots of accessories for tool dust control. They probably had to draw the line some where. I would recommend it to anyone who wanted this type of quality. Hope this is helpful.

Hello to those interested,
I feel it necessary to alert those interested in purchasing the 10" Hitachi dual compound saw. With my recent purchase and set up of this saw I was surprised to note the inability to compound to the left of any more than 30 degrees. With the addition of a tightening nut on the side of the chip guard which hits the fence when sliding!!! I believe this is an addition to the saw of recent months and may not be a problem on older models. I hope Hitachi will rectify this probblem ASAP.

Sincerely,

Richard W. Grieves d.b.a.
Cape Shorew Woodworking

This is a great saw. The cuts produced are as smooth as glass and really do not need any sanding. This beats all the other miter saws I have ever used and with its sliding capability it nearly eliminates the need for a radial arm saw. I use mine for general woodworking and home repair and have found it to be indispensable. Great saw and well worth the investment.

We have used the Hitachi 8 1/2" saw at work for a five or six years now. We have never had any problems at all with it. But when I decided to buy my own saw, I check out other brands, too. The Makita was a close second, but since I know of at least 3 people that have the Hitachi 10" and haven't had a single problem, that is what I chose. It has every feature that I would possibly need. It even has positive stops that aren't even listed on the specs. The saw that I received came with 2 blades... a 40 tooth and a 72 tooth. I highly recommend the Hitachi.

FOUND THIS TO BE AN EXCELLENT TOOL FOR THE PRICE, I USE IT ALMOST EVERY DAY. GOOD SPEED ANN CONTROL!

The review title says it all.

I was overwhelmed by my 9.6 volt Hitachi drill,it has never let me down.I have remodeled two of my homes with the 9.6,now I have the 12 volt model which is even better than the 9.6.It seems to hold a charge longer than any other drill I own(DeWalt,Porter Cable,Makita,Panasonic,Craftsman and Ryobi Professional),I've put them all thru the paces and this drill does it better.It's great for overhead drilling because of it's light weight.The price was great,too.The flashlight is very similiar to my 9.6,exceptional quality.I recommend this drill/driver.

I just put away my auto body tools after fixing the damage to my new (?) miter saw station. I'm inclined to believe the stand was conveyed to UPS in damaged condition: It only came from Carlisle to Bucks Co., PA; and I get at least two undamaged UPS packages every week.
Was the weak link the poor Hitachi.TracRac packaging, or Amazon's disregard for customer satisfaction?? Either way, I need the stand, so I'm stuck with damaged goods and an unsatisfactory shopping experience.
Now that it's back to its intended shape, the UU610 is a great stand - well designed - well constructed - made in the USA.
If you're looking for a stand, buy this one. BUT, buy it somewhere where you can open the package and inspect it for damage (not Amazon).
If you know anyone at Hitachi/TracRac, tell them it's time to send their packaging engineer to assisted living.

No worries about packaging and the components were in excellent shape. The assembly of the stand was almost complete except for the wheels and miter saw attachment. I torqued the stand a little too much when attaching the miter saw to the stand and broke the base of my saw. So, this should tell you how strong the stand is.

I am a weekend hack and this stand is more than anything I will need but I hate buying junk and always try to the best I can afford. The wheels don't really come in handy because I disconnect the saw when transporting it (too awkward).

Also, this stand looks exactly like the Bosch TracRac. If you can get a better deal on the Bosch, you are probably getting the same stand.

I purchased the Hitachi UU610 for $149 @ Lowe's (They are discounted from $199).

I had to have a second one shipped because the first one was damaged. Replacement service was great. As with the Hitachi miter saw, packaging leaves something to be desired. Once all was put up it really works nicely.

This is a very good buy at the price. It has been being used by my one of my finish crews and is used almost daily. I have had it for about 2 months and have had no problems with it at all.

This is a great planer I inherited the one I own from my dad. Overall the one that I own is probably about 20 years old and it has never had any problems with it. The blades are easy to change and are realtively inexpensive. The nice thing about having solid steel blades is that they can be resharpened and reused, if you have the right equipment you can do it yourself or they can be sharpened by anyone you sharpens sawblades. It is nice to have several sharp sets of blades on hand. Compared to the makita n1900 make of similar size the plane compares well, when the blades are sharp this plane cuts like no other!

TODAY (7/11/00) I USED MY PLANER FOR THE FIRST TIME AND WAS REALLY PLEASED HOW VIBRATION FREE IT WAS AND WHAT A SMOOTH CUT IT MADE. THE FURNISHED GUIDE WAS A BIG HELP IN KEEPING THE PLANER AT A NINTY DEGREE ANGLE WHILE RUNNING A EDGE. THERE MAY BE BETTER PLANERS ON THE MARKET BUT FOR WHAT I PAID I DO NOT BELIEVE YOU COULD BUY ONE BETTER FOR THE PRICE. I HAVE OTHER HITACHI TOOLS AND NEVER BEEN DISPLEASED WITH ANY OF THEM.

These are functional, but not very tough. They seem to be a little softer than some other brads I have used, which lets them deflect fairly easily at this long length. Therefore, keep your fingers out of range! They do hold well and are difficult to remove if you make a boo-boo.

I used these in a Senco brad nailer to install 3/4" cedar in a walk in closet as well as to install 2400 square feet of 3/4" pine v-groove in the ceiling of my dome home and they worked perfectly. Although I tried to avoid knots there were some situations where I had no choice but to go through them and the brads worked fine when using the turbo setting. I have a finish nailer and a pin nailer as well and B&C Eagle is the only brand I use because I know for a fact that when I use them there will not be any problems.

Just finished the casing on the closet door frames in my daughters' room. These were flawless in my Accuset 200BN.
Never a jam with the 2" brads or the 1 1/4" brads!

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.

This is truly a gift to anyone involved in bending and cutting. One of my helpers wants to own one before he dies! This is the mans life wish to own one. I bought the VB 16 Y when it first came out and never once thought about the price once I started turning out consistent bends in 3 seconds.You can cut a ton of steel w/o breaking a sweat! This machine is durable, strong, and reliable. I hope you also get the chance to "play" with one some day.

If you work with rebar up to #5 grade 60 this is a great tool.

I work with tons of rebar on every job.
The price is definetly worth it.
pays for itself in labor.....quickly.
Cuts quick and does precise preset or custom bends.
has no problem doing #5.

Well egineered and a joy to use.
easy to carry around.
HITACHI really thought this one out.
I can't see anything that would make it better.

The VB16Y is a remarkable tool. I'm building my own home and there are few significant tasks I can get a 5 ft. tall 105 lb. wife to do. But with the VB16Y I can set up an assembly line and my wife now cuts and bends rebar. It's really that simple. The tool is light enough (around 45 lb.) I can bring it down to the job site. It's bends are repeatable and the tool is remarkably rugged. I bought mine used for our construction but if you are in the business you need this tool and I wouldn't be scared off by the price.

worked fine no jams. best for toe nailing. length will penetrate and stick out through doubled 2x lumber so if that's an issue go for 3" nails. eye proteciton is a must as plastic collating flies in every direction and is sharp. you'll find out if you kneel on a piece by accident like i did. you do save on bulk purchase though as a 4,000 nail box of similar nails is around $45.00 at home depot(less than half the price).

If you have a Porter Cable FR350, for some reason finding nails can be a slight problem. The mega home store with the orange sign has them, but not consistently. So these are a good stop-gap until you can find more.

They drive well and seem to hold well.

I have used these in an old Senco gun that I get to borrow once in a while. I have never had a jam or feed problem with them. They are a plain shank, but are glue coated. The heat generated by the friction of driving them in at a rapid rate sets the glue and makes them difficult to pull without a longer prybar. You can get them out with a claw hammer, but I always like the easy way - a cat's paw to start and a 30" prybar to finish the job. That's the long way of saying these nails have some real holding power. Try a box on your next big project.

While I am impressed with the overall performance of the saw,its light weight, plenty of power for ripping, its easy to see where the blade is,and is very smooth in the startup, it does have one very serious flaw...the thumb screw and the mounting plate , where it screws into on the saw, (so that you can set the saw on a bevel) are made of aluminum, and with very much use or any over tightening, they both strip out and render the saw near useless.This is both frustrating and annoying to the saw owner, not to mention costly. I have purchased two of these saws so far and this has happened to both of them.Currently I have become quite disenchanted with this and have gone to purchasing a more reliable brand.

I went to the big box with all intentions of purchasing the much renowned PC 743-K (blade on left) circular saw, but I just didn't like the way it felt, so I started looking at their other saws. They must have had 20. I tried them all and then my wife said, hey look at this one, it was the Hitachi C7SBK and it was light weight and it just felt right. It was on clearance also... which helped make my decision a little easier. I figured if I didn't like it I could always return it for the PC, but when I got home and cut some plywood, it cut like a dream and you can actually see what you are cutting. If you are looking for a good circular saw for under $100 you will not be sorry with this one.

I read with intrest the comments of roscoe4 concerning his Hitachi C78BK circular saw.I too like the saw for the very same reasons that he likes his i.e. light weight, powerful, easy-to-see blade at all angles etc. but to become disenchanted with an otherwise above average saw because a thumbscrew strips out is something I wouldn't admit. I have also had this very same problem and the solution is quite simple. First tap the hole with the next size fine thread metric tap, screw a wing nut on a 1 1/4" bolt corresponding to the tap, bush with a few flat washers, screw this assembly into the new hole and you're back in business. Total time:10 minutes....Total cost: approx. $1.00. I have owned my saw for over four years now and have used it every day,mostly for framing,and aside from the above mentioned "problem" have only replaced the brushes and power cord. My saw has been dropped off ladders, rained on countless times and still comes back for more. When I do finally lay it to rest I'll definetly buy another one just like it.