Hitachi Impact Driver Review - WH 18DL

           

We reviewed the Hitachi combo kit model number  KC18DCL we bought from tylertool.com.  Inside this kit is the Hitachi Impact Driver model number WH18DL.  To learn more about impact drivers, you can see our article on impact drivers.

The Hitachi impact driver is just one of those tools that feels good in your hand.  The driver has a nice balance and is incredibly light, weighing only 3.5lbs without the battery.  This driver puts out an astounding amount of torque coming in at 1,330 in-lbs.  Hitachi put a two piece motor with heavy gauge copper to get this much power into a light weight tool.  On this driver Hitachi has a power mode which is 0-2,600 and a save mode 0-2,000 rpm.  We all know that a tool that runs hot causes more wear and tear and shortens the life of the tool.  Hitachi uses a unique cool flow system that provides a steady stream of air into the motor to help keep this driver running cooler.  Another nice feature Hitachi designed into the impact driver is easy access to the carbon brushes, which allows you to change these easily and quickly.  One last feature worth mentioning is  the tool belt clip. Hitachi has a built in light that will shine  on the area you are working  to let you see your work easier.

We wanted to test this impact driver, so there was no better place than taking it to a job site and letting them run this tool.  Impact drivers can be used for a variety of applications, such as decking and more.  One area where these impact drivers are becoming more popular is fastening metal studs to each other.  We stopped by one jobsite where we knew a lot of this was going on.  We told the workers to give this impact driver a try. They run their drivers all day long, so they will be able to see the difference right away.  We had 9 guys run this tool, some ran it for about 10 minutes while othersran it for a couple hours each. 

The overall feedback we received from the workers was positive.  They all agreed it had a great balance and best of all, it was very light.  Two guys stated they will stick with their impact driver, while six would consider buying this as their next driver.  One note is this tool was dropped numerous times from various heights.  Not one time did the battery come out, and nothing chipped on the driver.

When we ran the tool for a while, we found it very easy to work with.  We had great control for setting the depth of each screw and it didn’t take to long to get the feel down and start doing some serious work.  We were really getting into the Hitachi Impact driver until one worker wanted use to try the Makita driver.  We had a really good feel for the Hitachi, but when we picked up the Makita, I have to say the Makita felt great, great balance and very easy to work with.  We are hoping to test the Makita very soon.

 

Overall, we like the Hitachi impact driver.  Very light and good balance.  We are giving this a 4 blade rating because we liked the Makita impact driver a little more, but still have to put the Makita through some tests.   The side light didn’t provide much help, but the impact driver ran great.

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