Hitachi DS18DSAL 18-Volt Lithium Ion Compact Pro Driver Drill with Flashlight

I bought this to replace my trusty old DeWalt drill that got stolen recently. Having had mixed experience with batteries on cordless devlces, I was concerned about whether this would have enough power. I was also worried about the added weight of the battery in a hand-held device like this. Happy to say i think this is actually lighter than my old corded drill, and it is certainly easier to maneuver. No more lugging extension cords around or trying to find an outlet near by. It holds a charge for a long time. It has lots of power too, but is easier to control the torque, so I don't strip as many screws as I used to. That's good since these days everything seems to come with cheap screws that must be made of silver-colored sawdust. I've only had the Hitachi for a couple months, so don't know how the battery life will be, but so far I am loving this thing. Starting to wish someone had stolen my old DeWalt years ago! I am even using the goofy light that came with it. I thought it would be useless, but it actually comes in pretty handy.I have only one complaint, and it is about the case. It comes with a nice, sturdy plastic carrying case that holds the drill with battery attached, light, extra battery and charger. But that's it. I can't fit my little plastic case of drill bits in there anywhere, and it is annoying to have to store that separately and remember to grab it when I'm heading off to fix something. It is also annoying that I have to remove the second battery from the light to fit it in the case, but that's not a big deal. There is a lot of extra space in the case, but it is carved up with plastic divider/support pieces so it is impossible to use that space to store anything. I may try to modify it so I can at least fit the pack of bits in there. If the case was more functional, this would be a perfect combo.

While this drill doesn't have as much power or battery life as the makita drill I use at work, this kit is less than half the price so definitely worth it. I bought this primarily because the railing for my stairs in my house was falling apart. It was basically held together by hopes and dreams to begin with so i wanted to take it apart and put it back together with screws. Got the whole job done on one battery, and this thing has plenty of torque for working with wood. I was even able to drill some 2 1/4" inch holes in my 3/4" particle board desk without any problems. Obviously you may want to look elsewhere if you need a heavy duty industrial strength drill, but for small projects this is a fantastic tool and a great deal too.When the batteries do die, however, they just stop instantly. The drill doesn't slow down at all when nearing the end of its charge, it stops without warning. Not a terrible problem since it comes with 2 batteries though, one will always be charged. The flashlight was helpful when i was under my desk drilling holes, but I have a feeling it will just be my extra battery holder most of the time, if I had a choice it would have been nice to save a few bucks and not get the flashlight. Also the lack of a bit holder is a bit disappointing but still not the end of the world.I saw a lot of reviews saying that the batteries aren't compatible with other hitachi tools. Hopefully these are old reviews, because after a few minutes of google searching i found this list of compatible tools: C 18DSL C18DSLP4 CG 18DSDL CJ 18DSL CJ 18DSLP4 CR 18DSAL CR 18DSL CR 18DSLP4 DH 18DSL DS 18DBL DS 18DSAL DS 18DSL DV 18DSFL DV 18DSL FCG 18DAL FCG 18DL G 18DSL RB 18DSL UB18DAL WH 18DSAL WH 18DSLSo, maybe if you already have hitachi tools you should double check on your batteries, but if i'm not mistaken these are the batteries that all newer hitachi tools are using. You also have the option of buying "330067" batteries, which are the same thing, but 3.0 mAh instead of 1.5 and still compatible with all the tools listed above. Hope this helps!

Bought the drill to build a raised garden out of pressure treated wood. One thing I noticed, was in the 50 some reviews, no one really indicated the power of the drill, just what they like or would change. My only concern was can this thing screw into pressure treated wood. There was another Hitachi I was looking at, but again, wasn't sure if it could do pressure treated wood, so went with this one because it was stronger and lighter.I first used the flashlight. Don't know why it gets such a bum rap. It's very nice and quite handy, and I can spot my black dog at the back of the yard, not too shabby. The major issue I had with it was that I was going to use it to illuminate my crawlspace, but I moved a bag of donation clothes and bumped the flashlight, and that slight bump from a bag of clothes, caused the bulb to blow :-( But, as long as you don't bump it, it's a wonderful thing!Now, the drill. I was able to assemble a complete raised garden out of pressure treated wood with this thing. Took the torque of 22 to do it, but all but 1 screw, went right in, and that one could have hit a knot or something. And the drill's still working on the same battery, no need to charge yet. I also used it to hang a shade in the house and hang a valance, only took 11 torque for that, still going on the same battery charge. Very nicely balanced and not too heavy. My only complaint is that I'm used to Black and Decker, which has an arrow pointing away from the wall on one side, and an arrow pointing toward the wall on the other, that tell you which side to push to make it go the direction you want, nice, simple, easy, idiot proof. This one has left and right. I'm trying to remember lefty loosy, righty tighty...