review of Rockwell 12v drill

I recently purchased a Rockwell 12 volt drill, my first impression even before the purchase was the thought that it seemed a little on the cheaply made side.

I paid a little too much for it, I was in need and got it from a local Mom and Pop building supply, a better price could have been had by driving 50 miles but I was in a hurry and travel isn't cheap.

After owning the drill for a month now, I feel that it has performed well, battery life is good, it drilled 75 5/16 holes in sets of 25 without letting up on the trigger through 2.5 inch material, before the need to change the battery became obvious.

It also has good torque, I used it to drive 4 inch deck screws into the batts on board and batten siding, each screw being fully engaged for about

2.5 inches. These screws are large, #10 I think.

I don't like the location of the forward/reverse button, but I have the same objection to most of the drills I own, so maybe it's me.

The drill has two speeds that are a good compromise for drilling and driving screws, the high speed is a little slow for drilling holes 1/8 and smaller.

One selling point that I was attracted to, was the batteries have a lifetime warranty with the requirement that you send in the registration card.

Overall, I am pleased with the drill and would purchase another if the need arose.

basilisk

Reply to
basilisk
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I thought the same about my Triton router and yet it still performs like new.

If it makes you feel any better, the government allows you 50 plus cents per mile driven for business. You can rest assured that factoring in the cost of the vehicle, fuel, maintaince, and insurance, it coats you more. So by buying local you over all saved at least $25 by not going on that 50 mile trip.

So where is that button, typically they are located where you can dirrection with the hand holding the drill, with out letting go of the drill.

What kind of battery does it use, charge time, quantity of batteries?

Reply to
Leon

Looks like a nice drill, but...

My favorite cordless drill was my very first cordless drill, which was a B&D Versa drill. This drill had/has about everything I want in a cordless. It is light weight and doesn't have that giant bulge at the bottom like most other cordless drills. It feels perfectly balanced in your hand. It has a regular Jacobs chuck, a variable speed trigger and a clutch with forward and reverse. About the only thing wrong was the batteries suck big time, by todays standards... B&D should make the exact same drill, but instead of the two screwed up, worthless batteries, they should put the largest, state of the art Lithium-ion battery that they could squeeze into the handle. Instead, far as I know, they quit making, the best designed drill around.

Oh, the reverse switch is right by the trigger and easy to find and use.

Reply to
Jack Stein

I have handled a couple of them now, and the rounded edges and placement of the soft grippy inserts make it feel different than my other tools. It is almost too comfortable. Then add in the strange color combination of their plastic tool cases with the black trim, and it looks like a casual homeowner tool.

I can see your thoughts on the reverse button as it seems a bit too far back. Probably after a couple of months of use though, you could get used to it.

BUT - I could get used to anything if it performed well on site that didn't break the bank when I bought it.

That seems to be getting more important as the price of batteries keep marching up. I was told by the Miwaukee tool rep that there >>could Overall, I am pleased with the drill and would purchase another if the need

I can't find anyone except the local lumberyard manager that has Rockwell tools, and he swears by them. He also told me that they haven't had but one tool come back in the 9 months they have had them on the shelf.

Pretty good really. They carry an entire isle of drills, saws, hammer drills, recip saws, the Sonic crafter, etc. I didn't even know Rockwell was making that many different tools.

Thanks for the review.

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41

It is located above and slightly behind the trigger, it is easily accessible but I frequently bump it by accident, one thing is that I am somewhat ambidextrous and will swap hands with a tool a lot especially when on a ladder.

The drill comes with two 12v ni-cad batteries, charging time is about 25 mins for a warm battery and a little longer for a cold battery, I have not been able to run a battery down before the other was ready for use.

basilisk

Reply to
basilisk

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