Review: Rockwell RK2515K2 “3RILL” – 12v kit

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The 3RILL is an impressive combination power tool that tackles 3 drill/driver types: impact driver, VSR drill, and power screwdriver.

Although it’s 800 in-lbs of torque is low compared to other cordless impact drivers in the 12 volt class, the ability to turn off the impact mechanism is not often seen outside of the larger 18 volt tools.

Rockwell’s 3-in-1 offering does a decent job across the board, although it likely won’t be the choice for professionals.

Construction is solid, and it has decent balance in the hand – just a bit top heavy. There have been some complaints on the placement of the directional switch – those with larger hands may inadvertently push the button and either knock it into lock or reverse the direction. (This isn’t as big of a problem here as with the little Makita, however)

Switching between modes is through a simple 4-way switch (screwdriver mode, high/low drill modes, and impact driver mode)

It’s not entirely fair to directly compare it to single-function cordless impact-drivers. Then again, if you are looking for an impact driver first, then that’s what you should be looking at.

As a stand-alone cordless impact driver, it falls short of its competitors in the 12v class in some areas: lower torque (800 in-lbs) and higher weight (2.7 lbs) than the Milwaukee 2450-20, Bosch PS41B, and Hitachi WH10DL. While Rockwell doesn’t seem to publish exact length specs anywhere, it’s definitely on the long side, as far as impact drivers are concerned.

That being said, it performs well enough – long screws and even lags will get driven in impact mode better than just using a cordless drill. On tough jobs (long screws in hard wood), some slowdown was noted, but it was able to finish the job.

Although it’s tough to control the impact driver at slower speeds, one excellent aspect of having a multi-tool is that you don’t have to. If you need to drive a small, soft screw, instead of worrying about stripping it – like you might with a regular impact driver – you can switch to the screwdriver mode.

We are covering the remaining modes at once. Since so many cordless drills offer a torque-clutch option (which is all screw-driver mode is) we feel it’s a bit of a stretch to call them separate tools. Such is marketing.

Rockwell went with the 1/4″ hex-chuck to support the impact driver (and screw driver) bits. As such, if you want to drill you will need either a set of hex shaft drill bits, or a conversion chuck. Many people seem to be surprised by this, especially if they are buying it as a drill first. If you are looking for an impact driver, you likely expect this.

The chuck is a sloppier than some of the higher-end impact drivers, so you may not want to use it for fine construction or precision drilling. For around-the-house or yard work, however, it performs great. It’s got plenty of power and speed to handle drilling pilot holes in short order.

Screwdriver mode gives you access to 22 torque settings via a standard collar around the front of the driver.

Rockwell’s line of 12v lithium ion batteries goes by the name Lithium-Tech. Like many of the newer lithium ion lines, they employ computer chip controlled electronics in the charger and batteries to help improve the charging efficiency and optimize battery usage.

These batteries are well done – although a full charge takes 30 minutes, in 15 they are up to 75% full.

Battery life is also quite good – in medium to light duty applications, you can get through a whole day on a single battery. Heavy usage will drain them much quicker, but if you are going to be doing heavy duty work quite often, you would probably want an 18v driver anyway.

• LED light turns on when the trigger is pulled and flashes to let you know the battery is low.
• Comes with a soft bag for carrying
• Phillips driver bit included
• Lifetime tool warranty.
• The 62pc kit includes a right-angle drill adapter and a drywall screw guide, along with 50+ additional bits.

• No belt clip
• Drilling is imprecise
• Lower power and higher weight than competing impact drivers
• For those who want to drill a lot, you need to buy a separate conversion chuck adapter for round shank bits.

If you don’t want to pay for both a drill and impact driver, and just need something that is extremely versatile and can get lot of jobs DONE, then the 3RILL is a great option.

If you just want an impact driver, this probably should be passed by. The Milwaukee can be purchased for nearly the same price for more power and better construction.

Likewise, if you just want a cordless drill, you are better off getting a small dedicated drill for better precision and the ability to use all your round-shank drill bits.

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Rockwell RK2515K2 info and prices at Amazon

12v cordless impact driver, two 12-volt LithiumTech batteries, 12v charger, accessories roll-up bag, one kit storage, carrying bag, accessory kit