After getting into pocket hole joinery and discovering flat batteries in my favorite cordless shop drill, I decided to buy a basic corded drill for around the workshop. I wanted something relatively inexpensive, but a brand name with a good reputation. I found the Hitachi D10VH. At around US$60 and offering a 5 year warranty it was hard to pass up.
This 6 Amp corded drill features a 3/8” keyless chuck (suitable for drill bits with shank sizes up to 3/8”), accommodating to most drilling tasks and drill bit sizes just fine. Its power to weight ratio (delivering up to 108 in lbs), and its power to size ratio are good. There is plenty of grunt “under the hood” to spin even large spade and forstner drilling bits. Its smaller size also allows it to get into places other large drills cannot.
Interestingly, the drill offers both a forward and reverse setting, which can be great, especially when clearing debris from deep holes (use reverse) or un-jamming a drill bit in a stubborn piece of material. Variable speed is offered via the dial on the trigger itself, and you can also lock the trigger on for extended/continuous drilling tasks.
The drill is comfortable to hold and rubber overmolds on the back of the gripping surfaces add to the control factor. One thing that is missing however is an auxiliary handle. There are holes to screw one in on each side of the drill body, however, a handle is not included in the kit. You may have another handle from a drill that will fit however.
In use the drill works very well. It seems to have plenty of power for light to medium duty drilling tasks and handles boring pocket holes with relative ease (usually a task that can be hard on a drill). It is a handy corded drill to have around the home or workshop, especially when a cordless drill doesn’t have the power for the task at hand, or if you are using the drill constantly and don’t have to worry about batteries running down.
For the price, and the length of warranty on offer, I don’t think you can go wrong with the Hitachi Reversible Keyless Chuck Drill (D10VH).
–Dean Bielanowski
