Product Test: Hitachi DH18DBL 18V Cordless SDS-Plus Rotary Hammer

For this product test Dave Peters gives us his verdict on the Hitachi DH18DBL 18V cordless SDS-Plus rotary hammer.

My first impressions of this Hitachi drill started before I’d even got my hands on the equipment as it comes with a case that is sturdy enough to have a small picnic on, ensuring the tool is protected from all of the usual bumps and dings that can occur on a busy site or when in transit.

Well balanced
Upon picking the drill up, the build quality is immediately evident; robust and resilient, but certainly not too heavy, and it feels well balanced in the hand and easy to control. The soft grip and anti-vibration technology reduces the fatigue on your arms, making using the drill a smooth process without feeling excess stress.

The 2 x 5.0Ah batteries provided in the kit offer plenty of power and, when charging, the fan cooled charger helps keep the battery and charger in top condition. Although I’m not someone who feels that an LED light is essential, it’s certainly a useful addition to help align the drill bit up with your mark in darkened areas.

The chuck takes the drill bits with ease and you can feel secure and positive that it’s locked in its position. Additionally, the controls operate with a positive action and the trigger provides a smooth control of the speed, allowing you to ramp up the speed as necessary during use.

Up to the task
Having used the DH18DBL on a variety of different materials, I found that it powers through day-to-day drilling tasks with ease. With its ratio of speed and impact blows on hammer action it hasn’t overheated or felt under- powered for what was thrown at it using different sized drill bits.

For a SDS drill in the compact class this is a powerful unit with a top speed of 1050rpm, and its power and control have made it my ‘go-to’ tool on a daily basis. It’s also received numerous complements from colleagues as, not only does it perform well, it also looks the part and has clearly been very well designed by Hitachi.

I’m confident that the Hitachi DH18DBL will provide many years of good service and will prove a worthwhile investment for serious professionals.