This drill was reviewed by three different Fine Homebuilding contributors, here is what they had to say:

Camp: This is one of the few drills without a mode selector, which I quickly came to view as an oversight. Low-range power was good. The grip is too large to be comfortable, and its rubber coating has numerous burrs, which quickly irritated my hand. The tool has an adjustable belt hook, but it felt insecure—not something I’d feel comfortable about when climbing up a ladder. The batteries charge quickly, the double bit holder is a nice touch, and the tool has a light than switches on separately from the trigger, which is also nice.

Beasley: The Hitachi showed above-average endurance and clutch torque, and the battery charger is backward compatible. That, however, is where the good news ends on this model. Designed to accommodate the battery and not the human hand, the handle is thicker at the bottom than at the top; it’s wearying to use. The mode selector and clutch are combined on a single collar, which means the torque setting is lost each time you switch between drilling and driving. I also found the large gap between the chuck and the clutch collar to be a magnet for dirt and debris.

Fink: This tool is a disappointment. It was roughly four times slower than competitive averages when drilling into concrete, was barely able to drill a 11/2-in.-dia. hole in pressure-treated lumber without stalling, and had a motor that whined and ground during even light-duty testing. These results indicate that I most likely received a lemon, but performance aside, the Hitachi isn’t comfortable to use, either. The stick-style battery forces the grip to be wider at the base; I have large hands and still found it uncomfortable. The auxiliary handle is also the only one that I couldn’t tighten enough to stay put under pressure.