The Hitachi Micro Miracle
Written: Apr 18 '09 (Updated Apr 23 '09)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Very light, well balanced, small, comfortable, affordable, and powerful enough for most household tasks.
Cons: No on board bit storage. Not an impact driver.
The Bottom Line: The Micro is light, comfortable, and affordable. Has ample power, an LED light, long lasting Li-Ion batteries, and a 40 minute quick charger. It's absolutely my "go-to" drill!
|
|
|
| woody2's Full Review: |
When cordless battery powered drills went mainstream many moons ago, I thought they were the greatest thing since sliced bread. They've improved steadily over the years in ergonomics, runtime, weight, power, and features. The Hitachi DB10DL "Micro" driver represents a glimpse of the modern technology that's available at an affordable price. It features a 10.8 volt 1.5Ah Lithium Ion battery technology with 88 in/lbs of torque, an LED light, reversible variable speed (400 rpm max operating speed), 21 clutch settings, and weighs in at a mere 1.8 lbs. The DB10DL includes two batteries, 40 minute charger, 7 pc bit set, and a nice hard side carrying case.
While the DB10DL Micro certainly doesn't represent state-of-the-art performance in cordless drill/drivers, it does offer a lot for relatively little money. Since most earlier cordless models had Nickel Cadmium (NiCad) batteries, which tended to last two about years, I've owned quite a few over the years. Some big and powerful, some small and not so powerful, and some big and not so powerful...very few are still in service. Service life is one of the advantages of the Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) batteries over NiCads. Most manufacturers claim that Li-Ion batteries can last 3x what their NiCad counterparts do. Another advantage of the Li-Ion batteries over NiCads is that they're smaller and lighter weight for the same voltage, and they maintain nearly 100% power output until the battery is completely depleted. A NiCad battery begins to lose power gradually as soon as it's removed from the charger, and degrades steadily from there until there's barely enough power turn the spindle. Let a NiCad battery powered drill sit in the closet for 6 months, and you're likely to find a very tired drill when you squeeze the trigger whether or not it's been used. Not so with the Li-Ion technology...it'll have close to 100% of it's full charge until depleted from use. The DB10DL seems to hold a charge for a very long time while in use. Since I never run it continuously until dead, I can't offer a total run time estimate, but it'll go weeks to months for most typical uses between charges. An LED signals when the battery is getting low, then the drill simply stops working until a fresh battery is installed. Since this set comes with two batteries and the charge time is only 40 minutes, it's rare that you'll be left with two dead batteries for long, and in most cases the charge DB10DL will run longer than that per charge.
The big 24 volt monsters certainly have their place in many home and professional shops, but they can be a handful to hold onto for any length of time, and can be very difficult to aim and control for precision work. At 1.8 pounds and a handle with a 5-1/2" circumference, the Micro is really comfortable and easy to control. The best part is that it has surprising power. It isn't likely to drive long 1/4" lag bolts in hard maple for very long, but it's plenty capable of driving and removing 2" drywall screws in hardwood, deck screws, and most common sizes of threaded fasteners with relative ease, which is exactly what the majority of my needs are. Hitachi does offer a more advanced model in the Micro series that includes impact driver capability, which gives it even more driving power with less user force needed, but the DB10DL is more than adequate for most of my needs. The manual is sparse, but includes the essential basics of proper battery care. Beyond that, what self respecting DIY guy would read the instructions for a cordless drill/driver?!
The little Hitachi drill feels great, runs strong, and charges quickly, so what's not to like? Well, the exclusion of an on board bit holder is a fairly significant omission in my opinion, and easily substracts one full star from my overall rating. I often switch bits between slotted and phillips head screws, and sure do miss having both bits available somewhere on the drill. It's a common feature that's handy and cheap to include, and should have been included with the DB10DL. Also as a minor knitpick, the impact feature would be nice to have, but I was aware that it didn't have it when I bought it, and opted not to spend the extra money....no deductions against the Hitachi for that if you view it for what it is...a "non-impact" drill/driver (you want a truck, buy a truck!). The 5-year warranty is generous. Unfortunately, most warranties don't include battery coverage, but so far the batteries are going strong and showing no signs of giving up anytime soon. Hitachi claims the Li-Ion batteries can be charged up to 1000 times. It'll take me years to put even 200 cycles on them, so if I get one fifth of their claimed life I'll be satisfied.
My current cordless drill/driver arsenal includes a 14.4V Craftsman NiCad drill that's seen better days, a peppy and heavy NiCad 19.2V Craftsman drill, a NiCad 19.2V Craftsman impact driver, a 12V Hitachi NiCad drill, and a 12V NiCad Hitachi impact driver. Of all those, the little Micro is the first driver I reach for most of the time. It's so comfortable and easy to use, and has ample power for most household driving tasks. I wish the included light was a bit brighter and more focused, but it's turned out to be handier than I would have ever thought. Since the little Hitachi uses a 1/4" hex "Quick Change" chuck, bits that are compatible with it must have a 1/4" hex shaft. Most of my drill bits are the standard cylindrical type that require a standard adjustable chuck, so I tend to reach for a big Craftsman or 12V Hitachi drills for boring holes, and only use the DB10DL for driving and removing fasteners.
Overall the Hitachi DB10DL Micro is a handy little driver that's affordable and capable of driving and removing most household fasteners. Had Hitachi included on board bit storage, I'd consider it a 5-Star performer at the right price, but without it, it still gets a very solid 4-Star rating in my book.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
woody2
|
 - Top 1000 |
|
Location: Rochester, NY
Reviews written: 96
Trusted by: 19 members
About Me:
Thank God for God. Think life is tough now...try without him!
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.