First things first, I’m not sure I like the headline I chose for this post. Is this truly the most powerful and advanced 18V cordless brushless drill ever? It could be, and if not, it certainly comes very, very close.
Milwaukee’s 2nd-gen M18 Fuel drills are about as powerful on paper, and if the on-paper specs are apples-to-apples comparable, we’re talking about marginal differences.
And in terms of “most advanced,” I think that Milwaukee’s One-Key smart tool technology might reflect greater advancement. It comes down to a matter of opinion.
That all said, Hitachi has incorporated some very impressive technologies into their new 18V brushless hammer drill, model DV18DBXL/JX.
Power
To start, the new Hitachi DV18DBXL/JX is said to deliver 136 Nm of torque. That’s 1203.7 in-lbs, which is barely higher than Milwaukee’s 1200 in-lbs rating.
Hitachi says that their new drills offer class leading hard torque of 136Nm.
Reactive Force Control
The Hitachi DV18DBXL/JX also features a safety feature that they’re calling Reactive Force Control (RFC), which sounds a lot like the Electronic Rotation Control and Active Response Technology found in Bosch’s heavy duty drills.
According to the user manual (PDF), the Reactive Force Control feature is designed to reduce the potential for harm when a drill jams or binds in a hole. Normally, such an occurrence would twist the drill, and your wrists and arms.
The RFC feature kicks into action when the drill is suddenly overburdened. Instead of the drill twisting in the opposite direction, the built-in sensors detect the reactive forces and turns off the motor. The LED light will blink to indicate that the RFC safety feature has activated.
They warn that the RFC feature might not activate depending on certain situations or operational conditions, and so users should still take proper precautions.
High Capacity and Super Fast Charging Batteries
Oh, and the kit comes with a 6.0Ah battery and fan-cooled charger (model UC18YSL3) that fully recharges the battery pack in just 38 minutes. Yes, that’s right – 38 minutes!
According to the manual, the charger will fully recharge a 3.0Ah battery in just 20 minutes, a 4.0Ah battery in 26 minutes, and 5.0Ah battery in 32 minutes.
I have found more details of the hammer drill (DV18DBXL), but there will also be a regular drill/driver as well, model DS18DBXL.
Features & Specs
- 136 Nm/~1200 in-lbs torque
- Rohm drill chuck with spindle lock
- 22 position clutch
- Brushless motor
- Aluminum gear case
- Low battery indicator
- LED worklight
- Kits come with 18V BSL1860 6.0Ah battery packs
- Super-fast UC18YSL3 fan-cooled charger
- 6.0Ah battery recharges in 38 mins
- 0-500, 0-2100 no-load RPM
- 0-31,500 IPM (hammer drill)
- Weighs 2.5 kg with battery (~5.51 lbs)
- 204 mm length (~8.03″)
- Comes with an auxiliary handle
This is just the start. Hitachi has launched the new brushless drills alongside some other 6.0Ah-powered tools, including the brushless oscillating multi-tool and brushless angle grinder we previously wrote about.
It looks like the new Hitachi brushless drills are launching in the UK, and hopefully they’ll be available here in the USA as well.
I also spotted some wild new products, including a cordless pressure washer, and Systainer-like tool box system.
Price: £299 (~$415 USD) for the 2-battery kit
More Info(PDF via Hitachi UK)
First Thoughts
Hitachi has surprised me again with their thoughtful features.
I was recently surprised about the new grinder’s auto mode option that slows motor RPMs when the tool is not under load. They also have new worklights out, and an awesome Bluetooth radio.
Leading the category in terms of power, or at least matching up with Milwaukee and beating Makita? I didn’t think that’s something Hitachi would have been interested in.
There’s the Reactive Force Control feature, which I imagine might involve an accelerometer or gyroscope for anti-kickback control. Or maybe it’s current-based. If the tool senses a spike in motor power draw, that could indicate an “overburden” condition, as they described it.
Bosch’s safety feature works well, Milwaukee’s One-Key drill has an adjustable kickback control setting that is based on current draw, and it too works well.
Then there’s the fan-cooled charger that offers super fast recharges.
Most brands’ 3.0Ah batteries and standard charges take 60 mins to recharge a fully drained battery pack. Hitachi’s new charger can recharge a much higher capacity battery pack in less than 2/3 the time. 2x the capacity in less than 2/3 the time. We need more brands doing this.