Skil Brushless 12V Drill Driver & Impact Driver Kit

First impressions and setup

I’ve been reaching for compact 12V tools more often lately, and this Skil 12V kit slid into my workflow without fuss. Out of the bag you get the brushless 1/2-inch drill/driver, a brushless 1/4-inch hex impact, one 2.0Ah PWRCORE 12 battery, a standard charger, a pair of belt clips, and a couple of PH2 bits. I clipped the battery on, weighed, and measured before putting them to work: the impact came in at about 2 lb 11 oz with the 2.0Ah pack, and the drill just shy of 3 lb. Lengths are compact—roughly 6 inches for the impact and a hair over 7 inches for the drill—so they pack neatly into tight cabinets and between studs.

Both tools are built around digital brushless motors, which matters here. The size-to-power ratio is the main story, and the smooth trigger modulation you get from a brushless setup makes small, delicate tasks easier while still keeping enough headroom for real work.

Ergonomics and design details

Skil got a lot right on the human side. The handles are slim without feeling sharp, the overmold is grippy but not tacky, and balance is neutral with the 2.0Ah pack—no nose dive. The belt clips are stout, sit at the right angle for quick holstering, and don’t end up poking your palm while operating. The LED lighting is effective and actually illuminates the fastener rather than your knuckles; on the impact driver it casts an even wash around the collet, which helps when you’re predrilling inside a dark cabinet box.

Two details stand out:

• The drill’s 1/2-inch hybrid chuck accepts standard round-shank bits like any other, but it also locks 1/4-inch hex bits without having to tighten the jaws. If you bounce between drilling and driving frequently, that little convenience adds up.
• The impact driver has a two-speed selection. Low is tuned for control; high brings the torque.

Nothing here screams “premium vanity feature,” and that’s a compliment. It’s a clean, practical design.

The drill/driver in use

On paper the drill is rated at 350 in·lb with a two-speed gearbox (0–450 and 0–1700 rpm) and 17 clutch positions plus drill mode. In practice, low speed has the grunt to run a 1-inch spade bit through SPF studs without drama, and a 1-1/2-inch self-feed in softwood is possible if you ease it and keep the bit sharp. High speed is crisp for small pilot holes and clean holes in cabinet plywood with brad-points. The clutch ring clicks positively into place, and torque consistency is good—useful when you’re setting hinges or driving pocket-hole screws where repeatability matters.

Bit retention is solid. With hex bits, that hybrid chuck locks them without fiddling; with round shanks, the metal jaws center easily and hold without loosening. I didn’t notice chuck wobble beyond what I’d consider normal for this class.

Noise and vibration are low for a 12V. Trigger response is smooth enough to place screws flush without ramping past them, and I didn’t run into thermal throttling during typical household cycles of drilling and driving.

The impact driver in use

Skil rates the impact driver at up to 1100 in·lb, with 0–1600/0–2600 rpm and 0–2500/0–3500 ipm across its two modes. It’s a strong 12V driver. In high, it happily drives 3-1/2-inch deck screws into pressure-treated lumber and seats structural screws like 5/16-inch equivalents with a proper pilot. It won’t replace an 18V impact for large lags into dense stock, but it got me through ledger blocking and a handful of 5/16 x 3-1/2 fasteners without bogging.

Mode 1 is dialed in for control—great for cabinet assembly, hardware installs, and sheet-metal self-tappers where you want to walk fasteners in without snapping them. Mode 2 is the “get it done” setting. The size helps as much as the power; at under 6 inches in length, it slips between joists and gets square on a fastener where longer drivers have you fighting the angle.

I did encounter one quirk on day one: feathering the trigger extremely gently produced a slight twitch in the wrong direction once or twice before the motor engaged forward properly. Power cycling cleared it, and I couldn’t reproduce it during subsequent use. It didn’t affect work, but it’s worth noting for folks who feather triggers habitually.

Battery, runtime, and charging

Skil’s 2.0Ah PWRCORE 12 pack includes a USB output, which proved handy more often than I expected—topping up a phone on a site visit, powering a laser, even juicing a headlamp. The cells are wrapped with a cooling material; the claim is longer runtime and battery life. I can’t validate the percentages, but the pack stayed noticeably cooler than some older 12V batteries I’ve used when driving longer screws in succession. With mixed drilling and driving, a single 2.0Ah pack gets you through a typical punch list or a morning of cabinet work. Plan on a spare for uninterrupted deck or framing tasks.

The included standard charger isn’t a rapid unit, but it’s not sluggish either. From one bar to full took about an hour in my shop at room temperature. The charger’s USB port mirrors the pack’s convenience—nice for a compact kit you might stash in a service van or carry to small jobs.

My only real gripe is that the kit ships with one battery. Given how capable these tools are, you’ll outpace a single 2.0Ah pack if you’re doing sustained work. Budget for a second pack (or a higher-capacity one) and this becomes a much more flexible setup.

Build quality and durability

Fit and finish are tight, molding lines are clean, and nothing rattles. The selector switches on both tools engage with a positive click and haven’t loosened. The motors remain quiet under load, and there’s no noticeable play in the anvils or chuck after a few weeks of steady use. The five-year limited warranty (with registration) is a confidence signal, and generally I judge warranties less by length and more by whether the tool’s design suggests it won’t need service in the first place. Here, the design choices—brushless motors, conservative gearing, sensible thermal management—are the right ones for longevity.

Where the 12V kit fits in a lineup

This kit doesn’t try to be your only solution for heavy construction. If you’re hanging ledger boards or sinking large lags daily, you’ll want an 18V/20V-class setup. But as a grab-and-go pair for residential service work, cabinetry, punch lists, furniture assembly, light framing adjustments, electrical rough-ins, and general DIY, it punches above its weight. The impact’s torque rating edges into territory that used to be reserved for larger platforms, and the drill’s hybrid chuck is a genuine timesaver.

For pros, this makes an excellent second set—small enough to keep in a dedicated case for finish days or service calls, powerful enough that you won’t miss the big guns for 80% of tasks. For homeowners and DIYers, it’s a capable primary kit that won’t wear you out.

What I’d change

• Include a second battery. The tools are strong enough to invite heavier use; one pack is the bottleneck.
• Offer an option with a higher-capacity pack for those who want longer runtime without swapping.
• Refine the impact driver’s ultra-low trigger behavior. It’s a minor edge case, but smoothing it would be welcome.

The bottom line

The Skil 12V kit hits a sweet spot: compact, genuinely powerful for its class, and thoughtfully featured. The drill/driver is accurate, predictable, and made better by the hybrid chuck. The impact driver is compact and strong, with two useful modes that cover delicate work and heavier driving. The battery’s USB output and cooler-running design are practical touches, and the overall ergonomics make long sessions easy.

Recommendation: I recommend this kit for DIYers looking for a versatile, affordable setup that doesn’t feel compromised, and for tradespeople who want a compact, reliable pair for everyday tasks. Add a second battery, and you’ll have a light, capable combo that handles most of what a workday throws at it without the bulk of a larger platform.