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No, this is not the same drill they sell at Lowe's. Battery units do not last long enough and keyless chucks eventually break. I also needed the keyed chuck and it to be corded as these are used for extended periods. This is a great drill, tons of power and a fast 3,000 rpm. We use these in production, drilling hole after hole, never a problem or hesitation. Very nice package. This drill also has a great power to RPM ratio (9 amp/ 3,000 RPM) I can't find another drill,that comes close.
The crook knew a good tool when he saw one. Evidently a lot of people need one, but it would be nice if they bought their own. In any case I would recommend it to anyone that needs a powerful 3/8 hand drill. I bought this to replace one that was stolen on the job. I hope it gives him many years of service, as I know it will. Happy drilling you SOB. It is one of the best 3/8" drills I have ever owned, and I know the guy that lifed it from me will agree and enjoy using it.that is if I don't find him first.
My Dewalt screw gun has wider grip and makes it really difficult to hold it.Rubber on grip of Hitachi drills does not allow drill to slip from palm and it makes drill stick much better to my palm. I purchased this drill from amazon instead. Torque is not impressive but this is expected from drill offering such a high RPM. Obviously, contractor grade tools require additional weight so that is fine with me.I wish that this drill had 1/2 keyed chuck.
Ultimately, I would buy Makita impact driver to drive screws in wood.EDIT 1: I purchased high torque and low RPM (450 RPM) 1/2" drill from HF tools (Yeah, I know). It works fine, is heavy and should last me long time.EDIT 2: I also purchased Makita impact driver and I enjoy driving screws with this thing (effortless and works so well). Clearly inferior Skill drill is not used much.Next time I would purchase drill with higher torque and lower RPM so I could drill large holes in lumber and could drive screws more easily. I owned Hitachi D10VH shortly and returned it to Lowes. Build quality is better too.I have pretty short fingers and not large palm but I can still hold this drill pretty well. I cannot say that about my Dewalt screw gun.Driving screw with this drill requires attention because of high RPM. I use it to drill large diameter holes using Forstner bits.
If you are a screw guy like me (meaning hardly using nails but screws only), Makita impact driver is a great tool. This drill is more powerful, has keyed chuck, which holds drill bits much better than keyless. However, torque delivered by this drill is still higher than my Dewalt deck screw gun.This drill is well balanced and a little heavy. Not cheap but definitely worth it. I might remove chuck from my Skill Slugger hammer drill and install it on this Hitachi drill.
Just looked over the Hitachi drills at Lowe's last night. (I considered just buying the less expensive VH and upgrading the chuck for $20-$30 but it doesn't appear to be a simple remove and replace - I could be mistaken on the press fit for the VH, but that's the way it appears).The VH is a 6 amp, 2500rpm/108 in/lb torque -- the VF is a 9 amp, 3000rpm/139 in/lb torque. The only 3/8" Hitachi corded drill they carry (at the Tigard/Portland, OR store) is the D10VH for about $50. The D10VH looks very similar to the above D10VF - BUT the VH's keyless chuck feels very cheap (lightweight, looseness of the workings) compared with the keyed chucks - it also appears as though the VH's keyless chuck is pressed on the spindle instead of screwed on directly or secured with an internal centered screw as has been customary for some time.
With this much torque, there is no way anything but a good keyed chuck would work - and this one fits the bill. I don't know if it was mismarked or what, but I only paid $49.99 for this Hitachi D10VF, while Amazon (and everyone else) is asking way more than that.As for the drill, it is very powerful and has a great chuck. Also, the side handle is not included and I cannot seem to find it for sale anywhere on the web. Drilling concrete, wood, steel are no problem for this baby.As for downsides, I feel that this drill is well worth the 50 bucks I paid for it, but I would be a little less enthused if I paid $100. I too picked this drill up at Lowe's for a very good price. The handle is plastic but the gear box is metal. This is the third Hitachi tool I own and I think they need to work on their parts and accessories availability.Overall, this is a very good performer and if you shop around it can be had at a very good price. Overall this tool just feels like good quality and it has performed well on every job I have used it on.
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