Hitachi DS18DMR Cordless Drill

Hi!

My Ryobi cordless drill went out a few weeks ago and I was shopping for a new one. I used Consumer Reports and they said that the Hitachi DS18DMR cordless drill was the best one out there. So, I went to Lowe's and picked one up over the weekend.

I have not opened it yet, but was wondering if I should or if I should return it. I've heard mixed reviews....more better than worse though. My main concern is that the DS18DMR at Lowe's has a Ni-Cad battery while the Consumer Reports review had a NiMH battery. I read somewhere that the 'big box' stores have to keep the prices down so they sell cheaper versions of the product. The Ni-Cd batteries are cheaper so that is why they sell it at Lowe's.

But my problem is that Lowe's is the only place I could find the drill. So, I was wondering...should I keep the DS18DMR with the Ni- Cd's or return the drill and look for a NiMH battery one...or just look for a different drill all-together.

Thanks in advanced...

Reply to
wiz561
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The 2.0 mAh batteries are pretty marginal for a tool of that size. If you only use it a few minutes here and there, it should be OK, but if you are a heavy user, I'd go to something better, like a Panasonic.

If you check out replacement cells at

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you will see that the upgrade cost difference from the ni-cad to NMH is $24 per pack.

I'd return it for two reasons: !. It is underpowered or under capacity for hte money

  1. Hitachi tools are ugly with the new color scheme
Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

It is a fine drill for home and hobby. Friend has the 14 volt version.

Reply to
Meat Plow

Thanks for the suggestions. I too, felt like it was kind of costly. I don't mind spending that much, but I want to make sure that I'm going to get my money's worth out of it.

Also, I agree... It is rather..ummmm....ugly. Not that I care about how tools look...but I could really do with something simple and not all crazy looking.

Reply to
wiz561

Ridgid has a lifetime warranty on batteries, it was enough for me to switch.

Reply to
ransley

" snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@i13g2000prf.googlegroups.com:

Just an FYI.

Costo in the northeast has been selling a Kawasaki 19v cordless for $40 lately. Comes with 2 batteries and a 2yr warranty. Lot better than pulling out my heavier Ridgid on 75% of stuff.

Reply to
Al Bundy

I was wondering, where can one find the Panasonic drills besides online? It seems like nobody carries them!

Reply to
wiz561

Arghhh... OK, I just got back from Home Depot and saw a Makita.

In your humble opinion, which drill would you choose? The Hitachi DS18DMR *or* the Makita BDF452HW?

The Makita is lighter, has a smaller battery, but it's a Li-Ion.... Both are the same price; 200 bucks. That's really what I'd like to stay around.

Thanks again for all the help!

Reply to
wiz561

I would buy either but the LION battery is interesting.

Reply to
Meat Plow

" snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@j4g2000prf.googlegroups.com:

Li-ion will hold a charge for 6 months,while NiCd or NiMH lose charge daily. You can put your Li-ion drill away for months and use it right away without having to recharge the packs. Also,Li-ion cells mean fewer cells for a given voltage,and thus a lighter pack or greater total energy content.Replacement will be more expensive,until Li-ion costs come down.

Makita has a good reputation,so does Hitachi.

Reply to
Jim Yanik

Well...thank you for all the great information. I know it's only a drill...but it is 200 bucks and I would like to get something decent.

I think that I might return the Hitachi and keep the Makita. The reason....well, the Makita is a lot lighter and has the Li-Ion battery that takes 15 minutes to charge. The salesperson at Lowe's said it took 30 minutes for the Hitachi to charge....but I don't know how much I trust him on that one. And besides, I'm a little irked that Lowe's didn't carry the 3amp Hitachi and in order to save money, they used the 1.5 or 2.0 one.

Thank you all for all of your help!!!!!

Reply to
wiz561

Just plug in your state and find a dealer at

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I got mine at Coastal Tools in CT.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

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