This drill is a champ, I had an old stick type 9.6v Makita that served me well for 8 years. When I finally lost the last battery I decided to buy a new drill. I never really wanted more power than the 9.6v Makita delivered so I didn't see the point in getting a huge cordless drill. This drill is light, incredibly comfortable, all the power I need in a cordless and for $80 with a flashlight and a rebate for a third battery it was a no brainer.

This drill is remarkedly comfortable to use. It is smaller and more powerful that an older DeWalt 9.6 volt drill I have. The major draw back is the battery charging system. With the DeWalt you put a battery in the charger and leave it until you need it. Not with the Hitachi. It says to take it out when charged. Therefore you got to watch it. Also, if you are using the drill alot and the battery gets low on power, it is also warm and the charger will not charge it until it cools off. Can't get the battery to charge until it cools off???? If you need to charge right away, you are out of luck.
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br /I guess for the price, I can live with this flaw. But sure like the DeWalt charging system much better.

I have two of these drills now. The first was originally purchased for use at my lake home. I also had a Dewalt 14.4 that I lugged back and forth, just in case I needed to do anything heavier duty.
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br /It turns out, this little drill can go head to head with that Dewalt, and now I much prefer it over the bigger and heavier Dewalt. (The Dewalt was 3 or 4 times more expensive originally as well).
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br /What surprises me about the Hitachi is the torque it has. Its fortunate that it has such a good adjustable clutch because this little thing has the power to twist off screw heads if you're not careful. Amazing for such a light and handy drill.
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br /The trigger has a great feel to it as well. One can feather it on and off to screw in something delicate and it responds exactly as you would expect. It doesn't keep spinning like the Dewalt tends to.
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br /I ended up buying the second drill for home here, and leaving the Dewalt up at the cabin "just in case". The Hitachi is the first one I reach for now.
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br /If Hitachi is listening, my only disappointment in this drill is the lack of two bit holders. The Dewalt gives me storage for a flat bit, a phillips and a square drive. With the Hitachi, I've had to leave the flat bit in the shop. Also, the bit holder that is there isn't very reliable. If you drop the drill, you better check the ground and make sure your second bit isn't laying there. But this isn't a show stopper.
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br /Also, the magnetic bit holder included with the kit remains in the shop as well. If you use something like this primarily wandering around outside your shop (as I do up at the lake), you'll almost certainly want a quick change bit holder with a more positive action to it (Dewalt's are VERY good). If you rely on the Hitachi bit holder, you'll lose bits. The bit holder plus a bit is also way too long to feel like you can get any leverage with it.
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br /I never use the flashlight, so can't really comment on it. I also don't use it all day every day, so can't really comment on battery life. It always seems to have enough juice when I need it. If not, the battery is quick to change, and doesn't "stick" like the Dewalt tends to do.
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br /All in all, I would definitely recommend this drill. I think it is one of the best bargains for the price. I have a Hitachi reciprocating saw as well that I really like, and will give Hitachi a shot for my other tools as they wear out and need replacing.

I spent a lot of time researching a light-weight drill to use for my small duty tasks and projects. The Hitachi 12v fit the bill perfectly. I teach school and have my summers off. I've put a lot of time and money over the last four summers into an addition, a new kitchen, and a new bathroom that I've done most of by myself. I've been using my 18v Makita for everything and it has never failed, but I have always cursed the thing when working in tight quarters or above my head for long periods of time (ceiling fans and drywalling ceilings). I finally decided that a lighter drill was necessary and I debated over getting a big cordless screwdriver (Dewalt, Ridgid, Bosch "Pocket Driver")or a small drill. After comparing many brands, I found the Hitachi to be the most powerful drill for its' size and price: 230lbs torque and 3.5lbs in weight. It is also nice to have a chuck and not a hex head. At $80 it's hard to beat, and it comes with a flashlight. The Dewalt (80lb torque) and Ridgid (100lb torque) screwdrivers are the most powerful, but their weight is the same as the Hitachi 12v drill. The super-light Bosch was very tempting but I was afraid that it would be underpowered. I know that cordless screwdrivers and 12v drills are not the same, but seriously consider your needs and power requirements and you might just find as I did: this drill is the perfect tool to bridge cordless screwdrivers and drills (run-on sentence).

All in all, it's a decent drill: lightweight, good power and a good value. My only complaint is the chuck. I've never had such a hard time keeping bits tight enough so as not to spin loose in the chuck. I mean, you really have to crank it down, often several times, before you finish what you're doing. I never (or very seldom) had that problem with my Dewalt.

Sold me power drill that died after 2 light uses. Stay away from Reconditioned Sales! BAD SUPPLIER!

This 12v Drill performs better than most 18v drills.
br /I have had dewalt, makita, and some other high-end brands and this one meets or surpasses all of them yet is 1/2 the price.
br /Hitachi in general has good products, this is definitely one of them.
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br /I highly reccomend the hitachi brand, currently owning several different hitachi tools including 2 tablesaws, routers, miter saw, Electric Drill, Drill press, etc.... I have been replacing/growing my shop tools over the past few years with Hitachi and I have not been dissapointed.
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br /If this is not the drill for you, maybe you were looking for Lithium-Ion or a different voltage then check this link out, it will show you a good list of high quality Cordless drills here on Amazon.com:
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br /Sorry you will have to cut 7 paste this, I can't make this a real link since it is not to any single product:
br /http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=%74a%67%3dcjh%2d20url=search-alias%3Dtoolsfield-keywords=hitachi+cordless+drill
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This product is made by one of the finest Japanese firm. It is working very good, but as a DIY customer I use it rarely. Two months past and one battery produces 9.6 Volts instead of 12 Volts. Tried to contact with Amazone service people but the computerized answering system is very deaf to you if your purchase is older then 30 days. So I was corresponding few times with the machine and gave up. Better talk to the wall. Amazone should do something to correct their attitude to their customer.

It is small and light and that's the best part. I can get into tight spots where my Dewalt doesn't fit. It comes with 2 batterys but I find has enough power for most jobs. I like the flashlite too. Really nice and bright.

The drill works well, the extra battery is great and the charger goes to trickle charge when the battery is charged so it does not overheat it. I like the drill.

This is my second Hitachi 12v drill and my fifth cordless drill overall. Needless to say I am sold on the quality of this drill. Right sized and powerful enough for most projects it is value priced and will provide several years of reliable service. My batteries eventually gave out on my previous drill; otherwise it is still 100% serviceable. Which brings me to a pet peeve; Hitachi and all other cordless tool manufactures please listen up! It is more expensive to replace or rebuild the two battery packs than it is to buy the drill with it's two battery packs, charger, flashlight, bits, and the case! Why is that? Why be green and recycle when manufactures price this way? It just does not make sense if you(manufactures) are even in the least bit environmentally responsible to support this type of pricing. This is just another fine example of the throw it away and buy new, even when the old product is fully serviceable, mentality endorsed by most manufacturers.

Its small enough to reach into alots of different places but can drive 3 inch screws into building wood. it not a ratching chuck but its also under 80$ so i wouldn't expect a ratching chuck, especially since its only 3/8. it comes with a flash light, at time it can be really important to get a light into deep places. the case also comes with some screw driving bits not too exciting but still. i just keep it at low speed so i can drive screws into wood. i havent tried it on metal but expect it would drill fine. you cant compare this to an 18v because its a whole different tool class. in the 12v drill class this thing does well.
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My toughest decision when shopping for this drill was whether to get this Hitachi or a DeWalt. Let me say that so far, I am not disappointed in the least. This little bugger is powerful, well-balanced, extremely compact, and a pleasure to use. I wasn't excited about the light, but it has been a real helper, too. This is a great drill at a great price.

I have owned this drill combo since last december(2007) and i am very impressed with it! for the price you cant beat it! i have owned dewalt,ryobi and panisonic cordless drills in the past. all costing more except the ryobi. this drill really stands out! very easy to use,comfortable and powerful.works harder than my previous dewalt(14v),ryobi (12v) and stands up well against the panisonic (15.9v?). the panisonic had a little more power but cost almost 3 times as much! it was taken from my truck or i would still be using it! This hitachi is a great cordless drill for any homeowner,handyman, even a contractor will like this drill. contractors might not have all the power a 18-24v drill has but this hitachi is great quality and good power that cant be beat for the money. oh yeah one other thing i love about it is the size! small compact and not too heavy! great for tight spots. i would buy again!

this combo kit is great! just like everyone says, and the free shipping certainly doesnt hurt either!

This drill is light weight, yet very powerful. When you have to hold a drill all day, you want to make sure it's as light as possible and the battery lasts. The fact that it recharges in 30 minutes is another great feature. Highly recommended.

I got this as my indoor drill, for jobs typically in smaller places or working in tight spaces. The drill is nice and light and very well balanced. The battery doesn't last ultra long, but I have to remind myself its just a 12V battery, not my 19.2V.