Skil Brushless 20V 1/2 IN. Heavy Duty Hammer Drill Kit

First impressions and setup

Out of the box, the Skil 20V hammer drill feels like a do‑it‑all cordless workhorse meant to live on a belt or in a truck, not on a shelf. The kit is straightforward: the drill, a 5.0Ah battery, the rapid charger, a side handle, belt clip, and a double‑ended PH2 bit. There’s no case or bag included, which I noticed immediately—more on that later—but setup is otherwise quick. The single‑sleeve metal ratcheting chuck opens wide, the side handle clamps on securely, and the battery slides home with a solid click.

Skil’s brushless motor is the headline feature, and it shows in the drill’s response. The trigger is easy to feather with excellent low‑speed control, and the two gears give you a meaningful spread: a slow, torquey low range and a fast, breezy high range. Factory specs rate it at 0–550/0–2000 rpm, with hammer impacts at 0–8800/0–32000 bpm, which matches how it behaves under load.

Build and ergonomics

This is a compact, modern jobsite drill—plenty of plastic in the housing, but the right parts are metal. The 1/2‑inch keyless ratcheting chuck is metal and inspires confidence; it tightens with a crisp click and held smooth‑shank bits without wandering. The side handle is a must for masonry work and installs easily, though it’s a basic clamp design without a depth rod.

Bare weight is listed at 3.28 lbs; with the included 5.0Ah pack it’s not ultralight, but the balance is good and doesn’t feel top‑heavy. The grip is comfortable and the rubber overmold keeps it planted in the hand, even with gloves. I appreciated the belt clip for quick holstering while moving ladders or grabbing anchors.

Three modes, one tool

The mode selector makes the drill’s intent clear. You get:
- Drill mode for wood and metal
- Driver mode with a 24‑position clutch
- Hammer mode for masonry

Switching is positive and fast, and there’s no mystery about what you’re in. The clutch ring clicks distinctly through the 24 settings, and clutch breakaway is consistent—helpful when running mixed fasteners where you don’t want to bury the head.

Wood and metal performance

In wood, the drill is strong in low gear and pleasantly quick in high. I bored clean holes with spade bits and augers in studs and treated 2x without drama in low gear, and flipped to high for clean pilot holes and countersinks. For metal, with a quality cobalt bit and cutting fluid, the low range maintained steady, controllable torque through angle iron and aluminum plate. Trigger modulation is excellent; it’s easy to ease into a hole and avoid skating.

Bit changes are fast and reliable. The ratcheting chuck holds hex‑shank and round‑shank bits evenly, and my test sample had minimal runout—good enough for clean, straight drilling with longer bits.

Masonry: capable within its class

Hammer mode is where the side handle earns its keep. I used the drill to set Tapcon anchors in cured concrete block and brick with carbide bits up to 3/8 inch. In low gear, it kept a steady cadence and cleared dust well enough that hole times were respectable for a cordless hammer drill in this category. High gear is faster in softer masonry but can lag in dense concrete; I generally stayed in low for consistency.

If your day is primarily boring larger holes in hard concrete or drilling overhead into dense slabs, an SDS‑Plus rotary hammer is the better choice. But for mixed work—hanging ledger boards, mounting electrical boxes, anchoring sill plates—this drill is absolutely serviceable and, for many users, all you need on the truck.

Driving screws and fasteners

As a driver, the Skil 20V hammer drill is confidence‑inspiring. The 24‑position clutch gives fine control over smaller screws, and the low gear has the grunt to sink 3‑inch construction screws into framing without cam‑out, provided you use quality bits. The variable speed trigger is smooth, with a predictable ramp that avoids that “on/off” feeling some drills have. I like that the clutch is bypassed in drill/hammer modes and engages only in driver mode—simple and predictable.

Battery, charging, and heat management

The included 5.0Ah pack is a smart choice here. It gives the drill meaningful run time, even in hammer mode, and Skil’s rapid charger is genuinely useful in the field. The 5‑minute “boost” top‑off got me back to work more than once, and a full charge in roughly an hour reduces the need for a second battery on smaller jobs.

Skil wraps the cells in a cooling material, and I did notice the pack stayed a touch cooler than some competing packs during repeated hammer drilling. I never hit a thermal cutout in my masonry tests; after a string of holes the pack was warm, not hot, and recovered quickly while I laid out the next set.

Light and controls

The LED is better than average. It comes on before the chuck spins and lingers after you release the trigger, which is great for aligning fasteners or double‑checking hole location in crawlspaces or closets. It illuminates the work area without a hard hot spot directly in the center, and the pre‑light/after‑glow behavior makes it genuinely useful rather than a gimmick.

Switches and selectors feel positive. The two‑speed gear selector slides firmly without accidental shifts, and the mode selector ring doesn’t wander. Nothing on my test unit felt loose or vague.

Durability and maintenance

After a mix of framing, hardware installation, and masonry, the drill shows normal scuffs but no meaningful wear. The chuck still ratchets tightly, the gearbox hasn’t developed any noise, and the side handle clamp hasn’t stretched. As with any hammer drill, a quick wipe‑down and occasional compressed air around the vents helps keep dust from packing in. Stick to sharp masonry bits and clear dust frequently for the best hammer drilling speed and to keep heat down.

What could be better

• No case or bag in the kit. For a “kit,” storage would be welcome.
• The housing is plastic‑forward. The important interfaces are metal, but this isn’t a tank. It’s jobsite‑ready, just not bombproof.
• Hammer mode is capable but not a rotary hammer replacement. Larger diameter holes in hard concrete will be slow.
• The side handle is basic. It works fine, but a depth stop would improve repeatability for anchors.

None of these are deal‑breakers, but they’re worth noting depending on your expectations and the work you do.

Value and who it’s for

This drill lands in a sweet spot for serious DIYers, tradespeople who want a solid secondary/compact hammer drill, and anyone building out a 20V platform with one tool that covers drilling, driving, and occasional masonry. The brushless motor, 1/2‑inch metal ratcheting chuck, and the inclusion of a 5.0Ah battery and rapid charger make the kit feel complete—even if the lack of a case means you’ll want to add a bag.

If you live in wood and metal with occasional trips into brick and block, this tool is easy to recommend. If you’re anchoring steel plates into 4,000‑psi concrete all day, step up to SDS‑Plus and keep this Skil as a versatile backup/driver.

Recommendation

I recommend the Skil 20V hammer drill for users who want a balanced, capable drill/driver that can also handle masonry without moving to a different tool. It’s fast in wood and metal, consistent as a driver, and competent in brick and concrete block. The brushless motor, metal ratcheting chuck, and thoughtful LED behavior add up to a drill that’s easy to use well. The included 5.0Ah battery and rapid charger minimize downtime, and the side handle makes hammer mode manageable.

The downsides—no case, a largely plastic housing, and hammer performance that tops out short of a rotary hammer—are reasonable tradeoffs for the price and feature set. For most mixed‑material users, this is a dependable, efficient choice that earns a place on the belt.