Customer Reviews

Skil 2887-05 18-Volt 2-Speed 3/8-Inch Drill/Driver Kit

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I've been using supercheap 18-Volt drills (Power-Craft, Aerotec, etc.) that you can get on other sites for $30. After going through 3 of them, I finally decided to go with a name-brand. The difference in quality is unbelievable, and the price difference isn't that significant when you factor in the extra battery. I'm sure that Skil doen't even compare in quality to Dewalt, Milwalkie, and the other big "professional" names, but those names are twice as much, and for my purposes, this thing is perfect.

I have been using this for about six months and have almost retired my 110v drill. With two batteries, I never get a break between jobs and this drill has power to spare. I have been putting up a wooden fence on top of a concrete block wall and this thing outperforms my expensive 110v B&D. After only three 3/8" x 2 1/4" deep holes in the concrete, the AC drill was getting hot. The Skil worked right through without a complaint. The Bosch masonry bit isn't bad either. Additionally, I was drilling 1/2" holes in redwood plate and 1/4" holes in eighth inch metal strap as part of the masonry drilling. When drilling the metal and the bit first pokes through, the drill almost torques out of your hand. I did three battery changes for a day's work. The batteries charge quickly but, as a hint, fully drain the battery before recharging and let it cool off before putting in the charger. This applies to all DC tool batteries. The on-board bit carrier isn't much of a feature but its there if you need it. The drill is lighter than most DC tools costing much more, is well balanced and, at the highest torque setting will drive 3 1/2" screws into studs without maxing the clutch.

EDIT: Five years since I bought this and the tool works fine but the batteries are toast. They won't hold a charge so I'm glad it came with a replacement.

For the most part I like this drill. It is comfortable in my hand, has good balance, works great, and with the two batteries, very seldom do I have to wait for a battery to charge. There is one major complaint I have with this drill and it is the design of the battery packs. To change them out is a hassle. After any significant use, and a little bit of dust accumulates on them, they are sometimes quite difficult to remove from the drill. Compared to other stab type drill packs, these are a mojor downside. If you dont use the drill a ton, it is a great drill for the price. If you use it significantly, you may want to consider another drill.

I bought the Skill 2887-03 as part of a combo set including the drill/driver, circular saw, reciprocating saw and jigsaw. Needless to say, I've been extremely pleased.

I put hardwood flooring on three floors (2000+ square feet) and used the set extensively. From cutting plywood for the subfloor and underlayment with the circular saw to making curved cuts in the hardwood with the jigsaw. The drill/driver was used to screw in over a thousand screws to secure the underlayment, drill numerous holes, stir paint, mix mortar for the tile, etc. And with two batteries, you'll be able to have one charging always ready to go. The only corded tools I used for this project were my compound miter and jamb saw. Everything else was done with the cordless Skil combo set.

I was so pleased with the tools, I bought two more sets, one for myself and one for my dad for father's day.

Highly recommended.

I have never owed a Skill product, although I have owned several Black and Decker and Dewalt and no name cordless drills over the past 10 years. They have preformed well but my biggest complaints have been the operation of the keyless chuck and the lack of a second battery (except for big buck models). The chuck invariably (even Jacobs chucks) slips under load ruining the bit or the project. This drill seems to have a no name chuck but it offers a split chuck which allows you to twist one end of the chuck tightly against the other end fully securing the bit. In terms of torque, it has plenty to spare for tough (drilling into green wood) projects and has excellent balance and 'feel/touch' allowing very positive control of speed for spinning screws. Further, the compact size makes it fit into spaces my 19.1 volt could not fit into. I would say, with a charger and second battery and the overall 'feel' of the tool, that this should be a legitimate 150 dollar product. Well done indeed!

very strong great features and is made by major manufacturer under skil name a real good buy. I use it at work and home and beats the yellow brand which I use to swear by ...

This is an excellent drill, and an excellent drill package. You get the drill, 2 batteries, a charger, a laser level, a bit-measuring device and a case to put it all in.

The drill itself has forward and reverse operation as well as high-torque and high-speed modes. These are relatively standard features as far as cordless drills go. Also, there is no need for a chuck key. You just use the grip on the end. Again, standard.

The drill is powerful and comfortable to use.

Where this drill fails is the batteries. They are Nickel Cadmium (NiCd). NiCad batteries are an old technology that suffer from memory issues. They have been largely replaced by NiMH and LiIon batteries. Apparently Skil missed the memo. These batteries will not last you long. They have no shelf-life (meaning they discharge just by sitting there), and they don't have very much energy density. They're crap.

At around $50 per replacement battery, you might as well buy an entirely new drill when one of these batteries dies. In addition, Skil does not have a LiIon or NiMH option to replace these batteries with. So, go with another drill if you want something reliable.

EDIT: Skil has since released a Li-Ion compatible battery for this model (SC118B-LI). The Li-Ion batteries are $90 a piece and you need a new charger. So you have to fork over around $100 for the battery and charger kit, then another $90 if you want a spare so you don't have to wait an hour for the battery to charge. What can one expect out of a charger that sells for $10 in the kit? Since Li-Ion batteries operate best in the 20-80% range (they don't like to be discharged all the way and they don't like to be charged all the way), you're likely to burn through your Li-Ion batteries fairly quickly with a "dumb" charger and a "dumb" drill that was originally made for NiCd batteries. By that, I mean there needs to be logic circuits in the drill that cut the power to the battery before it drains it completely and circuits in the charger that cut power before it charges it too much. Otherwise, you're not maximizing the life on your $90 batteries. Needless to say, it's hard to justify the cost of upgrading this drill to Lithium when the lithium batteries cost more than the drill itself.

Since the time I originally wrote the review for this drill, my second NiCd battery no longer holds its charge and now my drill is worthless since I can't justify upgrading it to lithium. I have since purchased a wonderful Milwaukee 12v Li-Ion impact drill with aforementioned logic circuits for preserving the battery. I cannot speak to Skil's new line of Li-ion battery-powered drills with regard to logic circuits, but I can say that upgrading this Skil drill to Li-ion is probably a giant waste of money. Take that $[...] or $[...] and put it towards a native Li-ion drill and charger that know how to treat a good battery.

I repeat: Best drill in this price range by far

I've done a lot of construction and have had the "luxury" I guess you could say, of using high-end, expensive tools. This one runs as well as any of them. Run it and run it, no burn smells, no kick backs, doesn't lose power; the feel is as sturdy as they come and the operation is flawless. You want this drill!

The drill came before the delivery date given and it is more powerful and operational than other drills that I have used. One of the main reasons I bought this drill over Dewalt and Ryobi was that it came with 2 batteries. However, it has out performed both comprable drills.

I bought my Skil several years ago. I got an excellent year out of it, then Skil replaced the batteries at the end of its warranty. Then I got another great year out of it. Since then, I had to charge the batteries immediately before each use, and now they won't charge at all.

Replacing the batteries costs as much as the new product.

So, it's an excellent disposable drill, but not a long-term tool to add to a collection.

Skil (or a 3rd party) should sell replacement batteries.