zuspiel
Well-known member
Ok, the chuck on my Dewalt 18V wobbles, it's heavy, two of my batteries are shot, and I had the afternoon off...
I read the drill/driver threads here and elsewhere and then decided to drive to Lowes. I played with a few small drill/drivers (including the Bosch). As somebody else said in another thread, the Bosch handles are REALLY thick. I like the Hitachi better. Battery in the bottom gives better balance, too IMHO. I had a hard time deciding between the WH 10DL impact driver and the similar drill/driver. The impact was more expensive ($149) but the higher speed and torque (77 ft/lb!!!) won me over. I was worried that, being an impact, it would be useless for drilling, but I could always bring it back...
So, this is what I got:
Got home, unpacked it and started playing
First off, it's TINY!!! Really seems like a toy when you hold it. Weighs about 2lb. Started driving some screws into a 2x4 w/o any issues. I stopped when the head was buried 3/8 in and it showed no signs of stopping... Impact action is fairly noisy, but what do you expect...
Next, drilling: I was pleasantly surprised. Drilling pilot holes definitely won't be a problem. The thing has over 2000 rpm w/o load, so it drills pretty fast and with normal drill bits, I didn't have any issues. Then I wanted to push things a bit and tried a 1 in spade bit It kind off worked but I had to be really careful with how much pressure I put on the drill. The tiniest bit too much and it goes into impact mode, which isn't really what you want... A 3/8 in spade bit worked w/o problems, though. Bottom line is that this thing will work for most common drilling jobs.
Any cons? Well, the bits have 1/8 inch play (front to back, sideways play is ok) when inserted and locked. That bothers me quite a bit but doesn't impact the functionality. I guess it's my Teutonic analness... This driver would be perfect if it had a Wiha quick release
Verdict: Highly recommended. It's tiny, light, has tons of torque, and looks like it will get most drilling jobs done, too. The LED that lights the bits seems to be useful, too.
I read the drill/driver threads here and elsewhere and then decided to drive to Lowes. I played with a few small drill/drivers (including the Bosch). As somebody else said in another thread, the Bosch handles are REALLY thick. I like the Hitachi better. Battery in the bottom gives better balance, too IMHO. I had a hard time deciding between the WH 10DL impact driver and the similar drill/driver. The impact was more expensive ($149) but the higher speed and torque (77 ft/lb!!!) won me over. I was worried that, being an impact, it would be useless for drilling, but I could always bring it back...
So, this is what I got:
Got home, unpacked it and started playing
First off, it's TINY!!! Really seems like a toy when you hold it. Weighs about 2lb. Started driving some screws into a 2x4 w/o any issues. I stopped when the head was buried 3/8 in and it showed no signs of stopping... Impact action is fairly noisy, but what do you expect...
Next, drilling: I was pleasantly surprised. Drilling pilot holes definitely won't be a problem. The thing has over 2000 rpm w/o load, so it drills pretty fast and with normal drill bits, I didn't have any issues. Then I wanted to push things a bit and tried a 1 in spade bit
It kind off worked but I had to be really careful with how much pressure I put on the drill. The tiniest bit too much and it goes into impact mode, which isn't really what you want... A 3/8 in spade bit worked w/o problems, though. Bottom line is that this thing will work for most common drilling jobs.Any cons? Well, the bits have 1/8 inch play (front to back, sideways play is ok) when inserted and locked. That bothers me quite a bit but doesn't impact the functionality. I guess it's my Teutonic analness... This driver would be perfect if it had a Wiha quick release
Verdict: Highly recommended. It's tiny, light, has tons of torque, and looks like it will get most drilling jobs done, too. The LED that lights the bits seems to be useful, too.
