Hitachi 18V Review – Kit KC18DCL
September 26, 2008 by toolman
Filed under Our Reviews, Tool Reviews
This review is for the hitachi 18V lithium Ion combo kit model number KC18DCL. After we did our shopping we found prices starting at $289 and up. Amazon was selling this kit for $420. We ended up buying this kit through tylertool.com for the cheapest price $289, and received free shipping. We have always had a good experience with tylertool, so since they had the lowest price and free shipping we couldn’t go wrong.
The Hitachi kit comes with a hammer drill, impact driver, two batteries (3.oAh), charger, and a tool bag. One item to note is Hitachi sells two different kits that are identical, except for the batteries. One kit comes with a 1.5 amp and another is a 3 amp. This review is for the 3 amp battery. You can also buy the power tools indivdually. The hammer drill is model number DV18Dl, and the impact driver is WH18DL.
When ever we pick up a tool, one feature we always want is balance. We want our tools to have good balance so our arms and hands do not tire out while working. Another item we noticed was how light both tools are. The hammer drill is only 4.9lbs. while the impact driver weighs in at 3.5lbs.
The Hitachi hammer drill seems like a very nice drill. As we said, it is very light, has a nice feel, and good balance. What’s amazing is this drill puts out a whopping 570lbs. of torque. Another nice feature is the command you have over this drill. While most drills have a high and low, the Hitachi has a high, plus another switch for power and save. The trigger is variable speed, so depending upon the adjustments, the drill can operate from 0-200/400/900/1800 rpm. Not that we change the brushes a lot on our drill, but Hitachi built in a nice feature in case we need to. Towards the back of the drill there is a place where you can access the brush for any reason. In regrads to the motor, Hitachi uses a rare earth magnet motor which they say provides better durabilty and more power.
The Hitachi impact driver is also a very nice power tool. When you pick this tool up, it is very light. This bad boy provides an incrediable 1,330 lbs of torque. If you have been reading our website, one thing we really stress is heat build up and how this tears a tool a part. Hitachi has a unique cool flow system to provide a steady stream of air to the motor. As with the drill, Hitachi has a built in feature that allows the user to access the brushes very easily.
This Hitachi uses an 18V 3 amp Lithium Ion battery for power. We have all had the problem of running our tools hard, which causes the batteries to heat up. Hitachi has a nice feature built in the charger that has a cooling fan to help disipate the heat build up, so charging can start sooner.
The Hitachi tool bag is strong with lots of room. On the outside there are some pockets to store tools you access often. On the inside there is a pocket for the charger and another pocket for other tools. The bag offers more than enough room to store the tools in this kit, plus other tools you want to carry around.
Over all we like the features, balance and feel of the Hitachi tool kit. From the start, we wii give this a 5 blade rating, but we still need to run the tools through our test.
Related Articles
- Hitachi Impact Driver Review – WH 18DL
- Hitachi Hammer Drill Review – DV 18DL
- Milwaukee Introduced New M18 Line
- Power Tool Buying Guide for Impact Driver
- Hitachi 12V Lithium Ion Line
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Interested to see your reviews for this kit. I was looking at buying, but I know people like Hitachi, just don’t know that much about Hitachi.
Intersting. Personally I don’t like Hitachi. Never had good luck with them and they seem to bog down. Not my first, second or third choice.
have tried dewalt xrp and hitachi and hitachi is much better value.
I bought this set a while back after reading your review and a couple on Amazon and this system is great. I don’t need all the other stuff in some of these kits. Awesome and great review.
i do sheetmetal work and the pros are that the drill and screw gun is very light… even lighter than the makita suprisingly! it has plenty of power and the drill has so much power id like to see you hold the chuck and pull the trigger….. the batteries charge remarkably fast and hold a good charge….
the cons are that it dosent give you much of a warning when the battery needs to be switched out it just dies….. then if you thought you were ready ….. you come to find out you gotta climb down and get a fresh battery. the clips are nice that they come with but they just got in the way for me esspeacialy when i needed to use my left hand and the stup hook was in the way.
wellllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
all and all i like my purchase and you shouldnt pay more than $180.00 cause they arent that exspencive and its kinda a new tool and hitachi is still trying to promtoe their battery opperated tools. scince thats the case a sales rep could probably cut you a great deal and through in a sawzall or something…..
good luck!