One of the first things we noticed about the Skil 2895LI-02 18V Cordless Drill/Driver was how lightweight it felt in our hands. Now some might take this as a negative point, but we liked what we saw because the tool had good balance, was easy to hang onto and appeared to be well made. The main body of the tool is made of tough ABS plastic with black rubber overmold in the places that you usually require an extra grip. To keep all your tool parts organized, the set comes with a nylon carrying case – though one that is reminiscent of a school lunch box. We like the more sturdy blow molded tool cases for impact drivers, but this solution certainly provides enough space to throw in those extra accessories that go with the tool.
Check out our review of the Skil 18V Lithium Ion Cordless 4-Tool Combo Kit
Skil 2895LI-02 18V Drill Driver Features
One of the other interesting features of this drill is the PowerPlus battery system that makes this tool both Lithium-ion and NiCd battery compatible. Unlike some other manufacturers that have introduced new battery technology with redesigned battery styles that are not compatible with the older tools, the SKIL 18V drill driver is backwards compatible with previous SKIL 18V NiCd tools. The new lithium-ion battery that comes with the kit is supposed to be able to hold a charge for up to 18 months (of course we haven’t tested this claim and for the time being we’ll have to trust the folks over at SKIL on this one). One of the things that we really like was the LED battery level meter, this is one feature we wish more companies would provide. How many times do you grab a drill, test it real quick to see if it has power, and then head out behind the house to fix this or that. Two minutes later you find you have to come back to look for another battery because there really was not enough juice left to complete the task. To satisfy the “green” consumers, the charger for the batteries is Energy Star rated which means it meets the arbitrary US government standards for being labeled as energy efficient.
We started our look at the 2895LI-02 Cordless Drill/Driver, noticing the all-metal gear train, 1/2″ keyless chuck and 400 in/lbs of torque. These specs were on par with our independent testing results – at least within 15-25 in/lbs. In addition to the power, there are over 20 settings in the clutch and a two-speed transmission that will allow you to adjust from driving the smallest screws up to drilling with big 1/2″ drill bits. There is a removable side handle that can be fit on either side of the drill for when you need that extra stability and accuracy (though we typically only use handles on heavier duty hammer drills). On the top of the drill is a nifty bit storage area with a built-in level. This little unit is removable with the backside having a screw and bit index so you will know what size drill bit to use.
Skil 2895LI-02 18V Drill Driver in the Field
The drill has good balance and weighs a good bit less than most other 1/2″ full size cordless drills on the market. To test our drill, we used it for a few small jobs like drilling pilot holes in plywood so that we could do some jigsaw cutouts and also for installing some 3-1/2″ deck screws while we were making repairs and alternations to a backyard swing set. In our swing set repairs, one of the tasks was to use a 3/8″ ship auger bit to bore though a 2×4 and a 4×4 so we could add on some new monkey bars. We drilled 4 holes for the carriage bolts and did not have any trouble. The drill had more than enough power and torque to send the bit through. We did all our alterations with just a single battery; this helped us demonstrate that not only was the drill capable, but it also had the battery capacity to handle our project.
The SKIL 2895LI-02 18V Lithium Ion Cordless Drill/Driver Kit delivers a very good bang for the buck – and this matters a lot for homeowners and construction workers looking for a great tool at a great price. We liked the many quality features that were packed into a very value targeted tool – but the power, battery life and consistency impressed us overall. While many heavy duty homeowners will like this tool, we think that many budget conscious contractors can also benefit from its no-nonsense approach to driving and drilling. For our Performance rating we gave it an 8/10 because of all the quality features that brought the drill/driver closer to what a professional might expect and for our Value rating we gave it an 8/10 because we think it will be hard to get a better deal for your money!
