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A few years ago I needed a 3/8" corded drill for a specific job. I purchased an Hitachi at Lowes for about $35. When I got it home and began to use it I had problems with vibration and the chuck coming loose. I was in a rush, so I pushed through and, when the job was done, tossed the drill in a drawer and forgot about it. During my recent cleaning and re-org of the shop I pulled the drill out to give it another try. Same issues.
I took a closer look and found, what I believe to be, a manufacturing defect in the jaws of the chuck. (I have to assume the protrusion in the one jaw should not be there.) I contacted Hitachi support and described my problem (I told them I had pictures but the form did not allow for attachments). To Hitachi's credit I received a response in about 30 min. However, it simply told me what the part number was for the chuck and where it could be purchased.
I responded to the email, attaching the pictures, and explained that I felt that this was an obvious manufacturing issue and wouldn't it be nice if Hitachi made good on it and sent me a new chuck. Less than 20 min later I received a response. Not gonna happen. They gave me a bit of a run around about taking the drill to a service center with the original receipt and it MIGHT be covered IF the purchase was less than 5 years ago.
Oh well. I tried.
My response was three fold:
So, here are the pics, you decide. I think they could have been a bit more forthcoming. Even if they could not supply the chuck the least they could have done was be a bit more understanding and less cold in their response.
I took a closer look and found, what I believe to be, a manufacturing defect in the jaws of the chuck. (I have to assume the protrusion in the one jaw should not be there.) I contacted Hitachi support and described my problem (I told them I had pictures but the form did not allow for attachments). To Hitachi's credit I received a response in about 30 min. However, it simply told me what the part number was for the chuck and where it could be purchased.
I responded to the email, attaching the pictures, and explained that I felt that this was an obvious manufacturing issue and wouldn't it be nice if Hitachi made good on it and sent me a new chuck. Less than 20 min later I received a response. Not gonna happen. They gave me a bit of a run around about taking the drill to a service center with the original receipt and it MIGHT be covered IF the purchase was less than 5 years ago.
Oh well. I tried.
My response was three fold:
- The cost of the chuck alone is more than the entire drill can be purchased for on Amazon.So I would not purchase the chuck, but rather purchase a new drill from another manufacturer
- Take into consideration Hitachi's response when considering power tool purchases in the future
- Relay my experience to those on the woodworking forums in which I participate.
So, here are the pics, you decide. I think they could have been a bit more forthcoming. Even if they could not supply the chuck the least they could have done was be a bit more understanding and less cold in their response.