With a myriad of different manufacturers coming out with 12V lithium-ion powered cordless tools, it can be hard to determine what ones are the best to pick. If you are on the market for a 12V lithium-ion combo set, we think that the Rockwell RK1001K2 Drill and Impact Driver Combo Kit is worth a look. These tools offer performance that is comparable to many leading brands and, as a bonus, they come with a full three year warranty and a program where they offer free replacement batteries for life if you register your tools.

The Rockwell RK1001K2 Drill and Impact Driver Combo Kit comes packaged in a compact sized retail-ready cardboard box. Individually packaged inside is the RK2510 Drill, RK2512 Impact Driver, 30 minute quick charger, two 12V lithium-ion batteries, soft-sided carry bag, some bits, and the user manuals. Both of the cordless power tools have a compact footprint and follow form factors that many are familiar with. I will discuss each tool individually later, but there are a lot of features that are present on both tools. The 12V batteries follow the design where three cells are coupled together in a triangular shape and they fit into the base of the handles much like we see from Bosch, Milwaukee, Makita and Craftsman (among others). The difference with the Rockwell batteries is that when you register your tools, you are then eligible for the Rockwell 'Free for Life' battery replacement guarantee (which has been in effect since 2007). This program allows the original tool owner to send in their dead or damaged batteries and receive a new one from Rockwell on an exchange basis. Shipping is paid only one way and Rockwell reserves the right (technically) to charge a processing fee.

Rockwell RK1001K2 12V Drill & Impact Driver Combo Kit

The included charger is dedicated to charging only Rockwell 12V batteries and it does it in only 30 minutes - pretty standard for this type of battery. If you are in a hurry and need your tool up and running more quickly, the batteries are 75% charged after only 15 minutes. On the front of the charger there are LED light indicators that give the charging status as well as battery information. Another unique feature built into this charger is a USB port where you can plug in your electronics via a USB cord for charging. This is the first time we've seen this included in a battery charger and it's very practical and, dare we say, thoughtful. The nylon carry case is more then adequate for the storage and transport of the combo set, but does not leave a ton of extra space should you expand your Rockwell 12V tool collection in the future. We do like it better than the flat zippered cases you get for similar tools from the likes of Bosch and Craftsman. The combo kit is covered with a full three year warranty as well.

RK2510 LithiumTech 12V Drill

• Voltage: 12V lithium-ion
• Chuck Size: 3/8" keyless
• No-Load Speed: 0-350 / 0-1300 rpm
• Torque Settings: 16
• Max Torque: 210 in-lbs
• Weight: 2.2 lbs

RK2510 LithiumTech 12V Drill

With the Rockwell RK2510 LithiumTech 12V Drill you will have 210 in-lbs of torque in your hands which should make it easy to tackle may different jobs. There is a two-speed transmission that is shifted by a sliding lever on the top of the body. Overall, the entire tool is made of a plastic compound with black rubber overmold. Now one thing that we did notice with the rubber overmold is that it was actually pretty thick and offered what we felt was more cushioning than many of the competing products out there. The trigger offered variable speed control of the motor and was smooth to operate. Forward and reverse buttons were in the usual spot just above the trigger and within easy reach of your pointer or thumb. There are 15 torque settings with one additional position for drilling and the torque adjustment ring moved freely, yet with just enough resistance to make it feel sturdy. The 3/8" chuck was probably our least favorite part of the drill because, depending on how clean or dirty our hands were, in some instances it proved a little tricky to get a good grip. The overall size of the drill is pretty compact but not quite as compact as some of the 12V drills we have reviewed. This seem to be, in part, due to by how large the torque ring is and the chuck not being recessed deeply into it. All in all, as far as actually performance, this drill proved more than adequate for the drilling and driving tasks that we enlisted it to do. In the photo we were using a 1/2" spade bit to bore though a 1" piece of oak. It blasted right through without slowing down once. The chuck did a fine job of holding round drill bits and never once did one come loose once we tightened it down. The built-in LED worklight is also a nice touch that makes working in dim areas easier. While there is no built-in battery level indicators, the LED worklight will start to blink once the battery charge gets low.

RK2512 LithiumTech 12V Impact Driver

• Voltage: 12V lithium-ion
• Impact Rate: 0-3000bpm
• No-Load Speed: 0-2400 rpm
• Max Torque: 800 in-lbs
• Weight: 2.2 lbs

RK2512 LithiumTech 12V Impact Driver

While drills are good, impact drivers are better and the Rockwell RK2512 Impact Driver is no slouch. Weighing in at only a tad over 2 pounds, it packs in 800 in-lbs of torque. The impact mechanism is housed inside an aluminum gear box with the remainder of the tool's body made of plastic with plenty of rubber overmold. The chuck is the standard 1/4" quick-change type and the motor is variable speed that spins up to a no-load speed of 2400 rpm. The overall size of the tool is comparable to many that are on the market. The built-in LED worklight is helpful and, like the drill, also blinks to alert the user when the battery charge is getting low. The appeal of impact drivers is that they take all that torque and apply almost all of it to the fastener or bit you are using. Almost none of the torque is transferred to the user which makes for driving screws a much more enjoyable experience (your hands and arm will thank you). Probably the only downside to using an impact driver of any brand is that they do make quite a racket once the hammering mechanism kicks in. If you have a lot of screws to put in, it might be a good idea to wear some hearing protection. We used the Rockwell Impact driver to install some wire rack shelving in our shop. Having predetermined where the studs in the wall were located, we used 1-5/8" coarse drywall screws to install all the shelving hardware and supports. The Rockwell RK2512 Impact Driver provided to be a great performer with no noticeable shortcomings.

Conclusion

In our testing and review of the Rockwell RK1001K2 12V Drill & Impact Driver Combo Kit, we found it to offer a good combination of both value and performance. The three year warranty and the free battery replacement guarantee for life alone makes this combo kit a compelling choice which is why we gave this set a Value rating of 7/10. Raw tool performance was on par with many higher priced competitors with just a few small things missing that we would have liked to see like LED battery level meters and a slightly better chuck on the drill. Given this, we scored this tool set a Performance rating of 6/10 which is still above average. We would have no problem recommending this combo kit to anyone that is looking for a good balance of bang for the buck and features.