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By Mike Garrison
LiveRC.com
Whether it's wheel nuts, wings, tools, tracks, trinkets and/or anything in between, the LiveRC staff gives their testimonial and review of each every Thursday morning!
When I first started racing R/C cars I was the guy who collected and used the tiny “L” wrenches that were included in every kit. At the time, I didn’t realize how much of a hassle and frustration I was creating for myself by not purchasing a quality set of tools. Have you ever tried to build an entire kit using free “L” shaped allen wrenches that are sized to fit a baby’s hand with the strength of a toothpick? Don’t – just don’t.
Needless to say, it didn’t take long before I bought my first set of real tools, and have never looked back. Since then, battery powered drivers have become quite popular among a lot of racers. Aside from dabbling with them here and there, I have never really felt the need for one for me personally until now. As more and more cars are being manufactured with harder plastic parts to eliminate flex for high traction conditions, basic maintenance and kit building is becoming physically harder and harder to do with standard hand-powered tools. The harder plastics can make it very difficult to thread screws into entirely, especially when building a new kit. After more cramps and calluses than I could handle, I purchased myself the Hitachi DB3DL2 3.6 Volt Lithium Ion Dual-Position Cordless Screwdriver Kit.
DISCLAIMER: Before I even get started, I want to make one thing clear – this is NOT a new item to the market. I am not claiming this item to be new to you, but it is new to me. This is simply my personal review after recently purchasing this item. I am far from being the first racer to use the Hitachi DBDL32, but I am also far from being the last who has never used it, may be interested in purchasing it, and/or is curious if it is worth the money spent. Therefore, save your keyboard war missiles for something else, as I already know I am “behind the times” to some of you who have purchased this tool years ago.
Hitachi DB3DL2 3.6 Volt Lithium Ion Dual-Position Cordless Screwdriver Kit
$57.79
www.amazon.com
When you begin shopping for battery powered screwdrivers, there are a lot to choose from. Some cheap, some way too expensive, and some right in the middle. I chose the Hitachi DB3DL2 all because of my pal Hunter Holmberg. Hunter and I were pit table neighbors at the TLR Cup earlier this year, and in a frantic rush to finish building my car before round one of qualifying, he lent a helping hand – or his Hitachi cordless screwdriver rather.
The Hitachi DB3DL2 is powered by a 1.5Ah Li-Ion battery pack, in which the kit includes two for non-stop working. The handle of the DB3DL2 converts from straight to pistol grip style, and also includes a built-in LED light for hard to see places. This driver also includes 21 clutch settings and one drill setting, forward/reverse switch for changing directions, spindle lock for manual screw tightening, and it weighs less than 1lb.
When you purchase the kit, as I did from Amazon.com, you receive the cordless driver, two batteries, a wall charger, one Phillip’s bit, and a plastic carrying case. The DB3DL2 features a ¼” hex chuck, and is covered by Hitachi’s Lifetime Lithium Ion tool warranty & 2-year Lithium Ion battery warranty.
The Test
First and foremost, the Hitachi DB3DL2 does not include hex bits. For this test I used the hex bits included with the Team Associated FT 8-Piece 1/4 in Hex Driver Set, however, since then I have also used and highly recommend the MIP Speed Tip Hex Driver Sets. The initial purchase of the cordless driver will cost you $60, plus the cost of ¼” hex drive tips which ranges from an additional $30-40. All-in-all to get completely setup you are looking at close to, if not a little more with shipping, $100. Is it worth it? I put the DB3DL2 to the test to find out.
Out of the box I was surprised to find that the battery pre-installed in the driver was semi-charged. Enough that I could start working while the other battery charged up. Total charge time for the batteries is approximately 30 minutes and will last on average 1 ½ hours of use – that means 90 minutes of holding down the button and actually making the tool work. At 15 seconds per screw (which is generous on time) that is approximately 360 screws on a battery. When it runs out, pop out the dead battery and fire up the one that has been charging.
The number one concern I have when using a cordless driver is over tightening screws, stripping out screws holes, and/or breaking screws. The Hitachi DB3DL2 has several features that take care of those worries.
Clutch Setting – The Hitachi features 21 clutch settings and one drill setting. The lower the number, the sooner it slips and stops tightening based upon how much resistance the screw you are driving gives back. Setting #1 slips at the slightest resistance, #21 is strong enough to strip almost any plastic screw hole on an R/C car. If you are building a house, the drill mode which offers absolutely no slip is a nice touch too.
Spindle Lock – The clutch is awesome, but I still question how loose or tight a screw gets using a power driver. I like to tighten down screw almost all the way and then proceed to finish up by hand tightening them to get a good feel for how tight they are. The DB3DL2 offers a spindle lock feature which means when you release the drive button the spindle locks in place, allowing you to hand tighten the final few threads for the exact amount of tight that you feel your screw needs.
Pivoting Handle – Some cordless drivers are fixed straight, others are fixed at a 90-degree angle. The Hitachi pivots and will lock into either position. I found the 90-degree handle to be most comfortable and what I preferred most of the time, but there are certain tight spaces and angles that require a straight angle – in which a quick flick of the driver had me dialed in.
In addition to that the Hitachi features a High and Low speed button. High speed goes fast, but I don't recommend it, as the chances of stripping screws is much higher if the hex were to slip or you aren't lined up good.
To finish off the package, Hitachi includes a durable plastic case which carries the driver, charger, and both batteries. While the carrying case is probably unfavorable to use for racers traveling regularly by plane due to its size, it makes keeping it all organized and safe from damage at home and during normal travel very easy.
I personally have been a huge fan of the Hitachi DB3DL2 cordless driver. It has saved me considerable amounts of time, it is easy to use, it eliminates the struggle of hard plastic vs. tight screws, and it has held up fantastic. I have zero complaints, however, with an item like this I felt it required one final test for this week’s Thursday Testimonials.
The final test was handing it over to “The Boss” to use, and by “The Boss” I mean my wife Britani. Britani went straight to work with it on building a new kit. It’s no secret that the new TLR Stiffezel plastic is just that – “Stiff as Hell” (hints the name). With that being said, driving screws into the plastic for the first time can be a pain – literally. She has built one 22 4.0 by hand, and has now built the second 22 4.0 using the Hitachi cordless driver.
Following the completion of her second build using the Hitachi, her exact words to me were, “You better start saving up some money to buy yourself one of these, because this one is MINE.” Since that time, I have yet to see my Hitachi cordless driver as it is locked away in her pit bag, however, aside from R/C use, I have noticed an increase of household decorations hanging around since she tooked possession of it. Not to mention she even used it to fix the door trim our chew-happy puppy son so kindly removed for us.
Pros:
Cons:
Final word:
The final word on the Hitachi DB3DL2 Li-Ion Cordless Screwdriver Kit is simply, “Hashtag winning.” I have never felt the need for a cordless driver, and the cheap versions I have owned or used in the past were more of a headache than they were a help. This is far from the cheapest on the market, however, in my opinion when you combine all of its features, its light-weight design, and its long-lasting/fast-charging Li-Ion batteries; it is absolutely the best there is for R/C car enthusiasts. If you are working construction check out the Dewalt – it’s big, gnarly, and has a battery that is claimed to last twice as long with its size. If you are building birdhouses check out the Ryobi – it’s cheap, comfy, and has the basics necessary to drive a screw. If you want the ultimate R/C car cordless screwdriver that if I didn’t know better I would say is designed with R/C racers specifically in mind – look no further than the Hitachi DB3DL2. It’s even R/C wife approved, so you know it's good.
Rating: 5 out of 5
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