I came here looking for a grownup tool like a hammer drill or miter saw. all I found were home tools
Prices of the optional attachments are insane. Look before you leap - you can buy “purpose built” tools for less than the cost of the accessories…
The Hitachi cordless drills are very good.
Have to give props to the Woot dude who wrote the blurb on this one. I had to look up “ronin” on that internet search engine beginning with a G. Are we allowed to say Google? Anyway, I thought Ronin was that big guy on Stargate Atlantis. Now I know where they came up with his name. “Ronin” is a historical term meaning “(in feudal Japan) a wandering samurai who had no lord or master.”
The chain saw is only $10 more expensive on Amazon, with a much simpler return procedure. Also, this price is getting close to Stihl and Husqvarna.
If you’re referring to the available attachments for the trimmer, look at Home Depot’s or Lowe’s prices for a “stand-alone,” gas-powered edger ($230-500) and you’ll think Hitachi’s conversion option ain’t so expensive after all…
I was just at a Lowe’s today… they had gas trimmers anywhere from $80 - $200 displayed (I was there looking for a cordless model, so I did actually look)… FAR from the $500 you claim. And the rest of the range, too.
These prices aren’t deals.
I own both the Hitachi 12V Driver and Rotary Tool. I bought them separately, first buying the drill because of it’s compact size and handiness for general around the house use then the rotary for the workbench because it’s cordless. Because they’re so handy, I use them all the time now and my “pro” Milwaukee drill and Dremmel haven’t seen the light of day in over a year. Lifetime Hitachi warranty makes this an awesome buy in my humble opinion.
I love hitachi tools. They’ve got the power and durability of other big brands with a lifetime warranty thats easy to use. I have both this 12V impact driver and the 18V. Both are great tools the 18V has unmatched torque. These prices are great if you want a great tool with a great warranty.
I am interested in the Hitachi Chainsaw, but where in the heck are the reviews for this thing???
Here’s mine 
Well, I ordered this chainsaw during the previous woot and just got a chance to use it today. I obviously have no input on long term reliability, though this is a Tanaka chainsaw under the skin and the Tanakas I grew up with were grand quality and seemed to last pretty much indefinitely if you kept the premix oily and cleaned the cooling fins. (grew up on 150 acres of woodland in a big 'old house heated primarily by wood. You could say I have a passing familiarity with chainsaws and axes shudder )
It started for me on the 2nd pull from brand new, the cylinder decompressor works a treat. It restarts from hot just fine (a common problem) It cut cleanly and easily. It’s reasonably fast, even with the low-kickback safety chain it comes with (great for beginners but disguises the true performance of the power head, this saw is capable of much faster work with the right chain if you know what you’re doing) the muffler is good, the exhaust note isn’t half as nasty as many saws I’ve used. The chain oiler didn’t over-oil and it is adjustable (lovely feature!) Nicely vibration-isolated handles, though it has a funny kinda thunk when you move it certain ways, this seems to be down to a cool sort of rubber bumper-with-a-pin-in-it mechanism they have used that allows them to use much softer springs in the handle suspension. Technology has moved on since I was a kid I guess. Works very well though, pretty much no wrist-killer vibration. I dont know what power output it’s ultimately capable of, chainsaws generally takes 15+ hours of work to break them in for full power, but it’s got quite enough to ring up 30" diameter tree trunks I’ve been hoarding since the last storm here, so long as you’re a little patient (back in the day I’d have been using a 80cc+ saw for that sort of work, which would be a fair bit quicker but also much harder work and more dangerous). Takes nice standard Oregon chain and comes I think with an Oregon bar from the factory.
50cc/20" is the biggest chainsaw you should ever consider starting with, and even then this is a big heavy saw (they all are from this size up). I’m 6’2" and 250lbs, have a bit of experience, and it still takes a fair bit of effort to wield effectively. This is no limbing and light garden work saw, you want something maybe 30cc with a 16" bar for that, and you’ll be much happier.
As regards durability, hear ye, hear ye; this is no professional saw. To buy a true professional saw of this capacity will set you back ~$700+, and it’ll be a thing of beauty and maybe last 1000 hours. However, if you’re reading this review all the way to the end, I can basically guarantee that you don’t need it. This unit is contractor/pro-ish grade. It has a 300 hour emissions rating, meaning it’s rated for at least 300 hours work before the engine is worn to the point that it goes out of emissions spec. That’s the longest rating available. I seem to remember that 50 hour is home user grade, 125 hour is intermediate and 300 is ‘pro’ and the highest rating they have. This is Chinese made for a Japanese company (the Tanakas of my youth will have been Japanese made, for what that’s worth) though that comes with the territory for this price. Make no mistake, this is plenty of saw for the money.
Bottom line, I’m delighted with it. Quality feels just as high as the low end Stihls, Echos and Husquavarnas I’ve used recently, but for a couple hundred bucks less initial outlay. Of course, I don’t plan on cutting myself 10 cords a season either. Though I get the feeling I probably could with relative ease.
Oh, and the best advice anyone will ever give you in these days of ethanol polluted petrol; always (ALWAYS) use fuel stabilizer and high quality synthetic 2-stroke oil, I prefer to mix slightly stronger at 40-1 than the official 50-1 recommended, but that’s just my late father screaming in my ear about being careful, and when you’re done cutting, unless you know you’ll be picking the saw up tomorrow to continue the job, always empty the tank of petrol and run the saw till the carb is dry. Always. Every. Single. Time.
You’ll thank me
Dermot.