Hitachi DS18DSAL 18-Volt 1/2-Inch Drill/Driver
- Compact and lightweight at 3.3-pounds
- 1/2-inch 18-volt driver/drill
- Provides 460-inch-pounds of torque
- Uses lithium ion battery technology
- Includes super-bright flashlight
Product Description
Lithium Ion slide battery technology. Includes flashlight. 460 inch lbs of torque for the toughest jobs. Improved ergonomics, balance and controll. 22 stage clutch with dedicated drill mode. Get 3 times the battery life at half the weight of other batteries.Amazon.com Product Description
Powered by a long-lasting 1.5Ah lithium ion slide battery, the Hitachi DS18DSAL 18-Volt Compact Pro Lithium Ion Drill/Driver packs a powerful punch. Efficient and easy to handle, this variable-speed tool provides professional power in the most compact, lightweight, and ergonomically designed body currently available. For added convenience, it comes with Hitachi’s UB18DAL Lithium Ion Flashlight..caption {font-family: Verdana, Helvetica neue, Arial, serif;font-size: 10px;font-weight: bold;font-style: italic;}ul.indent {list-style: inside disc;text-indent: 20px;}table.callout {font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, serif;margin: 10px;width: 250;}td.callout3-c2… More >>
Hitachi DS18DSAL 18-Volt 1/2-Inch Drill/Driver
My rating of five stars is actually a solid four stars in order to help make up for the undeserved two-star rating, which one reviewer gave.
I did a lot of research before buying this drill. It is well balanced, easy to control, and will drive just about any screw into anything and do it for a long, long time on each battery. It is a powerhouse with more torque (460 lbs.) for the buck than any other drill in its class. I have found that, for me, two 1.5 amp-hour batteries are better than one 3.0 amp-hour battery (which is available) in that the smaller battery is much lighter; and if you are working with the drill all day long, you will appreciate not having to carry around the extra weight. The 1.5 ah battery charges in less than half an hour (not in 15 minutes as claimed), so you are always ready to go.
However, there are a few minor cons: 1) No drill bit holder (You can install one yourself…I prefer a magnet.) 2) The kit comes with a useless flashlight, not even l.e.d. It would have been better to have added a few doo-dads to the drill, such as a level, instead of wasting the money on a flashlight. 3) No battery meter. 4) Comes with a belt holder, which is very sturdy; but I wouldn’t trust what one might hang it on to…and then there is always the possibility of drilling a hole in your leg. I removed it. 5) The case for the kit measures 16″ x 18″ x 4″ and would do justice as designer luggage or as an overnight airline carry-on …another waste; and when was the last time you lugged around (or even kept) your work drill in its case? However, it is recyclable. 6) The charging light on the bare-bones charger is recessed in the top of the charger and can only be viewed by looking down on it. The charger also has a rather cryptic light readout.
With all these complaints, I wouldn’t trade it for any of the other 9 drills (for under $200) I tried out. Why? It outperformed every one of them.
For the past two weeks, we have been reconstructing a small country house. I included the Hitachi and a good corded drill (just in case)in my tool kit. So far, I have yet to plug in the corded drill.
I’ve been wanting this combination for a while now, especially for the lithium-ion batteries; recently, I’ve been using a Hitachi DS18DMR, but it has NiCd batteries. I picked this up at Lowe’s yesterday for $169… it’s not so great, the drill/driver is of a lower quality than the other “pro” tools that Hitachi makes (especially in comparison to the DS18DMR).
The clutch is made of plastic instead of metal and the clutch settings are very weak, #1 slips very readily, the #22 and drill settings will slip while driving a #8-2″ screw into hardwood (oak, pre-drilled). Its direction switch is marginal, not feeling very solid or secure when toggling back and forth between the L and R directions.
In my eyes, though, the biggest problem is the battery–it’s 1.5Ah and not compatible with any other Hitachi tools that I know of. Hitachi does make LiOn batteries that are compatible with the entire range of DMR and DVF3 tools, they’re also 3.0Ah to boot.
This kit comes with a light, and is of a similar build quality. The light is an incandescent light in a cheap flashlight-head housing, its light quality is not very good for work area lighting as the light is very directed with more of a spot rather than a flood beam. It’s basically a $5 cheapie that works off of the same battery.
I think I’m going to take a step up in quality and try ordering the Hitachi KC18DBL 4-Tool Lithium-Ion Combo Kit that includes 3 tools plus a flashlight, larger (3.0Ah) LiOn batteries and, hopefully, a much more solid build.
Keep in mind, all of the above is just a 1-day impression. I don’t know how long the tool will hold up, however, it does have a 5-year warranty giving peace of mind.
This tool is my first foray into the world of Hitachi. What attracted me most is the feel of the grip and the way the tool doesn’t cant forward or backward very much when using it. It’s well-balanced, and the motor housing is short which is helpful in tight spaces. The design is different from most other drills. The battery doesn’t project into the handle, but instead, slides in like a sled. I do like the “press and drop” battery design of other tools, but this “press and slide” design is easy to get used to. The clutch settings do seem a bit lighter than other drills, but on the other hand, the lighter settings on the drill are very nice for doing delicate work like setting #6 pan head screws to 1/8-inch oak plywood without imbedding the pan into the plywood. I haven’t tried driving #10 screws into oak without a pilot hole. Personally, I like to drill a pilot in hardwoods so I don’t risk breaking the head off of the screw. A #10 of any length will go in hardwood just fine with a pilot hole drilled first.
Positives: light weight, small for tight spaces, ergonomic, lithium ion batteries, ease of drill bit lock-up in the chuck, LED work light, and a very nice carrying case.
Minus(?). My only concern is to echo a previous review…I had no idea when I bought the tool that it is the only one Hitachi makes at this time with this battery design. It is new. Though lithium ion batteries last a long time and they have no charge “memory,” at some point (1,000 charge cycles or so) they need to be replaced. It would be more comforting if the battery was universal to the product line.
One more thing…why the flashlight? The carrying case could be made smaller without it.
THIS DRILL IS AWSOME I DON’T KNOW ABOUT THE LAST REVIEW BUT I TOTALLY DISAGREE THIS DRILL HANDLES GREAT I USE IT FOR MASONARY DRILLING WICH IS CONCRETE AND IT WORKS AWSOME I’VE HAD IT FOR MORE THAN 3 MONTHS NOW AND IT IS STILL RUNNING STRONG THE LIFE IN THE BATTERIES ARE INCREADIBLE THEY SEEM TO LAST FOREVER I KNOW DRILLING THROUGH MASONARY HAS GOT TO BE TOUGHER THAN OAK AND THATS WHY I TOTALLY DISAGREE WITH THE LAST REVIEW ALL I COULD SAY IS THAT FOR AS SMALL AND AS LIGHT AS IT IS BOY DOES IT PACK SOME POWER…