Have drill, Will travel!
Written: Apr 02 '00 (Updated May 23 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Sturdy, easy to use, versatile, precision settings.
Cons: I didn't get it as cheaply as PWeisenberg did. (Sniff!)
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| Dinday's Full Review: Ryobi Cth1202k2 12v Cordless Drill/Driver Kit |
I bought the Ryobi 12 volt cordless drill a year ago for home handyman type work, both indoors and outdoors. I'm jealous of PWeisenberg, because he got his for $79 when I paid $99 for mine at Home Depot. Since it included two high quality batteries, I felt that was a good deal. Now I'm stewing and disconsolate due to PWeisenberg's bargain. But who can dwell on that when he is experiencing the excitement of catching his sweater on the bit while pulling the trigger? Ever hear the expression "Don't get your shorts in a twist?" Hmmmm.
I like the drill. Even indoors, there are places that my basic corded drill (also a Ryobi) won't go all that easily, and others in which dragging an electric cord is just plain dangerous, like in the crawl space under the house (wet), or in the attic, where a tangle can trip you up in close the quarters and cause you to be suddenly sitting at the dinner table with a sheet rock bib. Less amusing is when one foot goes through the sheet rock ceiling on the left side of the rafter, and the right foot...well, you get the idea. (Aaaaarrrrghhhh!)
The battery holds a charge long enough that you can finish up most jobs that a home tinkerer might do, such as screwing on fence slats, screwing down deck boards, or drilling 3,637 small holes in the wall of the bathroom trying to find the non-existent @#**&%@@^$* stud, so you can mount the tooth brush holder. Ummm, not that this ever happened to me.
On the particularly big job, it is easy as pie to slap in the fresh battery. That gives you a lot of drilling and screw driving power. I picked up a leather drill holster at Sears for less than $15, and this is convenient when you are working outdoors and will be continually putting down the tool to position fence slats, for example. You don't have to constantly stoop over to pick up the drill to fasten the board when it's in position, and of course being testosterone poisoned, I find it great for quick draw practice.
The Ryobi has good torque, meaning that it will power its way through most materials. It will drill metal, and also hard woods, or masonry (with carbide masonry bits, of course.) Should the drill get jammed in a hole, you can easily reverse the direction of the rotation to back it out, and you can do so without even removing your finger from the trigger. The balance of the drill in your hand is good, though a drill with a 12 volt battery is no feather.
Since I use mine for screw fastening quite often, the two holders on the drill for phillips and slot screw driver heads is a welcome feature. The convenience continues with this product, as you do not need a chuck key, a device whose primary purpose was always to hide when you need it. They are also adept at slipping off your work bench when the drill press is vibrating, and falling behind your work bench. No more! You just hold the knurled ring closest to the tip of the drill in one hand and then twist against the next ring with the other hand, and the bit is locked in well enough that it will not loosen.
I have not had a problem with the drill's power. I am sure that if I were a carpenter, I would need a 14 or 18 volt drill, but for a home projectarian, the Ryobi serves well.
I said I use it often for screw driving, and the drill has another feature that makes it versatile for this purpose: a torque adjustment. Let me explain. There are times you want the maximum rotational force, such as when drilling through a tough material, but what about screwing in a sheet metal screw or wood screw? If you use max force (torque), you will easily strip the screw hole, making the fastener useless. What to do? The torque adjustment makes the driving force of the drill slip when it meets the limit of twisting force you set. That way it will not strip the hole. It has a generous range of 1-23 settings of torque.
The drill is a "variable speed" model, which means that you can press the trigger only a bit and get very slow rotation, or farther and farther to increase the rotational speed gradually. This is what makes it adept at driving screws. Since the trigger does not have all that far to go, the drill divides its total range of speeds under two ranges, #1 and #2, chosen by a simple slide switch on top of the unit. Why do you want that? Soft vs. hard materials. You will just go through soft materials too fast with excessive speed, and sometimes you do NOT want to drill all the way through a piece. For example, when you are drilling a pilot hole in wood for a fastening screw, so that you do not split the wood, you don't want the hole to penetrate through to the finished surface. That's hard to control when you are drilling at top speed.
Naturally, when you are baking biscuits on the camping trail, you will want the Ryobi for stirring up the batter, so that spatula attachment really comes in... Oh, it doesn't? Well, it should.
I have found the Ryobi to be an extremely useful tool. When you are doing a lengthy job, especially outdoors, or on the roof, you will often need to customize something, whether drilling a hole, or driving a screw. It's nice to have that portable power with you so you don't have to go back down. It's even better so that you don't have to hear the spousal unit say "Why don't you bring everything up there to begin with?"
I really have no complaints about this tool. It is a pleasure to work with, and well worth the investment.
Brian Dinday
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Dinday
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Member: Brian Dinday
Location: San Francisco, CA
Reviews written: 49
Trusted by: 68 members
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