I am a remodeler. I have had this drill for about two months, and use it all the time. I had a panasonic 15.6V before and was very happy with it, but it was time for a new drill. I switched to the Hitachi because it was Lithium-Ion, had 570 inch pounds of torque (versus 390 on the Panasonic), the Hitachi Ni-Cad version was very well rated, and I wanted to have one that I could have interchangable batteries between my drill and my Impact driver. (Panasonic doesnt make a 15.6 Impact driver)
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br /The drill body itself is fairly heavy, I guess they needed it to get that much power out of it. The battery weighs almost nothing. It seems like it should be top heavy, but it has very good balance. It balances standing up very well, and feels good in your hand. Overall it weighs 4.9 pounds, just more than the 15.6V. Well done.
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br /Power is good, speed is excellent, hammer drill works well, and I am happy to have switched to Lithium batteries.

Let's get the visual appearance out of the way first, shall we? Not everyone is going to like the high tech look of this tool (although I personally happen to love it). If you look at other Japanese power tool manufacturers such as Makita and Panasonic you'll see they are also using similar styling cues albeit in more subdued colors. It seems like Hitachi has started a trend and the others are following.
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br /So with that out of the way let's get to the important stuff. This is one "monster" of a hammer drill. It has an incredible amount of power and should be able to tackle the toughest jobs. The motor housing and chuck are angled back from the handle and battery giving this tool an excellent balance. The grip feels "just right" and the forward/reverse/lock selector is easy to reach as is the power/savings switch. By the way that switch does nothing more than limit the trigger from being pulled all the way when it's in savings mode. It should be noted that while Hitachi advertises this tool as having four speeds, some may disagree with that specification. It has a two speed transmission via a high/low switch on top of the housing like most other drills but the other two "speeds" come from limiting the trigger and not from additional gears in the transmission. DeWalt for instance offers a true three speed transmission in their XRP models although many owners of those tools will readily admit that the third speed isn't necessary. The fact that the Hitachi is not a "true" four speed model doesn't bother me at all but I thought this should be pointed out in detail so that prospective buyers can make a fully informed purchase decision.
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br /Speaking of DeWalt, I was considering buying their new Lithium Ion (Nano Technology) 18 volt hammer drill instead of the Hitachi. I went to the "Blue" home center store that sells both so I could compare them side by side. I have to admit they both feel great in the hand and DeWalt's offering probably has a little more power but it was priced at a whopping $120.00 more than the Hitachi and didn't even have an on-board LED work light. I'll admit that at first I thought the LED work light was a gimmick but you'll be surprised how much you come to appreciate it once you have a few tools with them. I was also concerned about the latest DeWalt reviews. It seems their quality control is slipping a bit.
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br /So I went with Hitachi and I'm very glad I that did. This hammer drill is everything I've wanted and more. The clutch ring operates smoothly and the settings are very useful throughout the entire range. The hammer mode is smooth to engage and doesn't have that nasty vibration that some other tools exhibit. The easy-to-replace brushes are an excellent feature as well. Dremel has had this feature on their rotary tools for decades now. It's about time that the full-size tool manufacturers caught on. On the top of the drill is the high/low transmission selector which is easy to operate and makes a very obvious difference in rotational speed.
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br /Getting back to that LED work light I mentioned above, Hitachi has taken a different approach than other manufacturers. The light is located near the bottom of the tool and can be adjusted in 5 different positions! Also unique, it doesn't use the tools main battery; it has its own set of regular disposable batteries that powers it. To conserve those batteries Hitachi has a small circuit within the work light that turns it off automatically after 15 minutes. I wish the LED was white instead of yellow but that's a minor complaint. It still does an excellent job of lighting the work area and the low placement near the bottom of the tool eliminates the shadows cast by the chuck and whatever bits are in it.
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br /The carrying case is very nicely made of tough plastic and has several compartments that neatly hold the drill, the battery charger, the second battery (included), the auxiliary handle, the instruction manual and warrantee card. The only accessory that comes with the tool is a double ended screwdriver bit and that stores neatly on the tool just above the battery. There is room in the case for other bits and accessories if you wish to store them in there.
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br /The battery charger is extremely well thought out and will charge anything from a 7.2 volt all the way to an 18 volt battery in NiCd, NiMH or Lithium Ion formulas. The unit is fan cooled. A small duct at the top of the unit mates with another duct in the battery when inserted. This allows air to be circulated inside the battery housing during charging. This is very effective! Yes, it's a little noisy but considering how fast the batteries charge and the fact that they are being cooled while charging, I'm more than willing to put up with a little extra noise.
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br /Finally, let me address the issue of power tools being made in China. It's difficult to find tools that aren't made in China these days. Even Bosch and Hilti who used to produce their tools in Switzerland have now gone to China for the production of their latest offerings. DeWalt is made in Mexico. That's about as close to the USA as it gets anymore. My own experience with Chinese production is that it depends on who is designing the product and who brokering the manufacturing. It seems that the Japanese can get a better product out of China than us Americans or the Europeans. I need not remind you that the Japanese and Chinese are TWO VERY DIFFERENT CULTURES and should never be directly compared with one another but they do reside in the same part of the world and perhaps that lends itself to a better working relationship. Whatever your opinion regarding Chinese made products, the Hitachi DV18DL is a very well made tool and should be strongly considered by anyone in the market for a professional grade 18 volt cordless hammer drill.
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Totaly awesome drilldriver. All the functions on it are very useful. I like that it has a low and high speed switch and a power selector switch which lets you lower the power used when dealing with lighter jobs to save energy. If you're looking at a drill driver that competes with Milwaukee, this is it.

This unit was one of the few that offered full size Lithium Ion batteries for a reasonable price and it delivers on nearly all fronts. You can't touch this unit in terms of price in any of the other pro models; even the Sears consumer units cost a lot more and deliver much less in terms of build and performance.
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br /Pros:
br /Power - it has tons
br /Build quality - every bit as good build and materials as MKE
br /Batteries - full size 3 amp hour not the 'slim' you see on a lot of others
br /Charger - universal for all battery types and uses a fan to force air through the battery to keep it cooler during a fast charge
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br /Cons:
br /The 'speed' switch on the side of the unit really just limits how far you can pull the trigger.
br /The fan on the charger is noticeable in quieter environments
br /Batteries don't have a power meter or wear meter ala lap top batteries. I am sure that would add to the cost a bit it would be helpful.

Look no further...this is the best cordless on the market. I did all the research. I just built a deck with it and it took the punishment and asked for more. Plenty of torque. You also have the ability to do mason drilling with this model...just in case you have a basement project.

This 18 volt lithium-ion hammer drill is awesome. Had to charge the battery in my Sears cordless drill 4 times doing the same work as the Hitachi, and only had to charge it just once. Also all the torque you need, but very nice torgue setting - stops at correct torque like a good torque wrench.

I got this drill last Spring as a replacement for my old hammer drill, I do most of the maintenance and repair work in a 3 story commercial building. It's a good "heavy-weight" tool and has alot of power to handle tough jobs such as drilling into thick concrete yet is light enough and easy to use for putting in a quick hole or driving just about any size screw, tapcon, etc.
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br /The batteries charge within about 30 minutes so with 2 batteries I don't need to worry about not being without a charged battery in the middle of a job. It's durable and has survived a couple of drops when I knocked it off of a ladder.
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br /A quick tip about pricing. Check our [...]. They are an authorized Hitachi dealer and sell reconditioned tools at deeply discounted prices. The tools are in exceptional, like-new condition, no noticeable scrathes, dents, etc and come with a 1 year Factory Warranty. I picked up this drill from them in a kit that included 2 batteries, quick charger, work lantern, reciprocating saw and a nylon bag for about [...].
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br /I was a bit leary anout buying a reconditioned power tool but I haven't had the slighest problem with this hammer drill, and the saw is a nice bonus for when I don't have an outlet around for my corder saw.

I purchased this to replace a DeWalt that finally surrendered after a lot of abuse. First, this tool packs a wallop, very torquey and the hammer function works very well. It is also very well balanced and the batteries are light. I've never felt like the battery end was fighting me for control of the tool. The teenage mutant ninja turtle look put me off a bit, but now the tool is so grungy its not so bad. I have owned mine for a little less than a year and have had no complaints or problems. You get what you pay for. In this case, I think every dime spent on this tool was money well spent.

In two words...... BUY IT. This drill will make it an entire day on a single battery with fairly heavy use. It blows the Dewalt away.....period. It also has one of the highest (or highest) torque ratings of any drill in it's class. I will now get their Sawsall as well.

Item recieved as described. Had an issue with UPC code, but the quickly responded and resolved the issue. Great customer service, quick in responding and resolving any issues that may arise.

In use at my work for years and the batteries still hold a charge well. Has tons of power and easy to use.

I just got this drill last week, and it's awesome! The power and performance is amazing considering the weight which cuts down on fatigue considerably. This drill has plenty of power, and the belt clip is great for ladder work. The charger has a built in fan to keep the battery cool while charging, and they charge in no time.
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br /Hitachi seems to be focusing on making tools lighter. I also have a Hitachi framing air nailer, and it's the lightest I've held. This may not be a big deal if you only use these tools for short periods, but after several hours, most would be less productive with heavier tools. Very impressed.

I have heard this is an excellent drill. If the price from mytoolplace looks too good it probably is. I purchased this drill for what looked like a great price from mytoolplace. The purchase went through and an estimated delivery date was shown on my e-mail. I even called the site and talked to customer service to check on what was included in the price, and they confirmed it. The next day I recieved an e-mail saying my order had been cancelled because they were out of stock. I checked on their site and it was still in stock but for a higher price. They must have made a mistake on the listing. They found their mistake and instead of telling me the truth they lied and said they were out of stock. Amazon would not back me up on this because mytoolplace is an outside seller. I would be careful on dealing with them because who knows what else they might lie about. In my book they practice bad business, and I will not purchase anything more from them. Maybe not even amazon.

I purchased this hammer drill based on favorable reviews at Amazon and favorable reviews of similar models in Consumer Reports. However, after less than 1 hour of total use, the selectors for hi/lo speed and hammer/drill only have become stiff and require excessive force to operate. This tool, which is made in China, does not seem adequate for professional use and should not be advertised as a "professional" tool.