Skil 2362-06 7.2-Volt Lithium-Ion Drill/Driver Kit

Comment: I purchased this drill/driver to serve as a cordless screw driver. In that capacity it's fantastic, it's got plenty of power to drive screws and the battery is large enough that it lasts me all day. It's small and light and the pressure sensitive trigger is a must.

It is not, however, in any way usable as a drill. It doesn't have the power and really struggles even going through a stud. When I need to drill I still pull out my real cordless drill: DEWALT DC730KA Heavy-Duty Cordless 14.4-Volt Compact Drill/Driver.

I don't even mind the built in battery given how long it lasts when using it as a screw driver.

-1 star for pretending to be a drill.

Comment: I was looking for a small cordless screwdriver, after much comparison, I end up buying the Skil 2362 for a few reasons:
* It has a clutch which allows me to alter the torque for different type of screws and material, 80+% of the cordless screw drivers does not have this feature.
* It has a variable speed trigger, not a on-off switch. This allows me to slow down when the screw is almost completely in (the clutch will save your screw even if I fail to do so). Most cordless screwdriver does not do this, they are just full speed forward or reverse.
* It has a hex locking chuck which ensures your driver/drill bit will stay put.
* Light weight, DeWalt has an excellent screwdriver DW920K that has the same features, but it is over 2.5 times as heavy as the Skil. I might as well pull out my DW945 for the job.
* Li-Ion battery holds the charge much longer than the Ni-Cd on the DeWalt, which is great for someone who does not use the driver on a regular basis.

By the way, the driver is on Skil's website, it is under cordless drill, about half way down the product page. I don't believe it is being phased out by Skil yet.

Now the downsides:
* Battery is built-in and not replaceable: Which means if you have a big job, the battery may run out on you and the 3-hour charger may convince you to pack up early for the day. Also, when the battery eventually dies (which it will, just a matter of time), you have to throw out the whole driver, which I thought is a waste unless the motor/gears are not designed to last longer than the battery.
* Lack of a quick charger, and I have read other reports about the charger frying the battery if you leave it plugged in after charge is complete. I don't know if the -06 after the model code may represent a product update that might have fixed this problem, but I don't plan to test that out.

As long as you use the driver for what is designed for - light duty driving/drilling around the house, I think you will be happy with its low weight and versatility. But if I intend to driver long screws into hardwood, I will probably use my DeWalt or Bosch for the job.

Comment: After some searching to replace old reliable 3.6v Craftsman and Skil stick drivers, I found this unit at an excellent price. Turns out it must have been on closeout, because it can no longer be found in any store and I've only had it a few months. I can't find it on Skil's cordless driver website either, so that leaves a person wondering.

It's 7.2v battery seems to last forever and seems to have plenty of power; I say SEEMS to have, because the only thing I find seriously wrong with this thing is that it usually quits driving when a screw gets half way into a wall stud or similar wood. What's really weird is if fenessed just right with a delicate trigger finger, it can be made to start driving the snug screw once more, and often with a smidge more pull on the trigger it will punch the screw powerfully into final tightness. But the aggravation comes in trying to find just the right spot in trigger pull to get the screw turning again, and the fact that you know it has the power to finish driving it, but you can't get it going again 80% of the time.

It has a great feeling, well designed grip, an easy to use direction button, a collet that won't drop bits (but requires notched ones to do so - several come with the unit), a versatile-mount charger base, a 10 position slip clutch plus a clutch locked position, and indicator lamps on top. They didn't bother including the useless work light some drivers and drills have - why have a light that won't activate until you pull the trigger, when you need a light mostly for lining up the bit with the screw, not so much afterwards. Leaving that worthless feature off indicated smart engineering which was a selling point for me - but then they somehow goofed things up in the power application dept. Maybe that's why it's no longer on the market. Too bad. Aside from that, this is a great driver for home projects. My old 3.6v stick drivers would bog down when the going got tough, but this 7.2v pistol driver feels like the power is there and won't come through. As mentioned, about 20% of the time I can get a screw turning again and finish it off with plenty of power to spare. Very strange. Very aggravating. Very disappointed in Skil/Bosch.

One other glitch occurred yesterday: one of the drill bits that come with the unit came apart from its base. They are 2 piece Chinese, with drills inserted in sleeves that fit in the chuck. The drill has a flattened side in its foot, and the sleeve is machine punched on that side, supposedly entrapping the drill in its sleeve. But it's poorly done, and in its first job the drill slid out of its sleeve, jamming in the stud behind the wall. Had to be pried out with pliers, and is useless because it not only won't stay in the sleeve, it rotates in the sleeve.