Skil vs Ryobi vs Craftsman | Hammer Drill Test Track Video Review

With the release of Ryobi's 18V One+ HP brushless hammers, we thought now was the perfect time to test a Prosumer class hammer head-to-head on the PTR test track. In addition to Ryobi's HP model, we have Skil's HD529501 ready to show off its material, and Craftsman's CMCD721D2 impact drill, hoping to put the opponent to shame. After running these impact drills through each part of our test track, we'll rank them on our leaderboard to see how they compare to other 18/20V drills (including specialty models like Milwaukee's 2804, Makita's XPH07 How does the time compare to DeWalt's Flexvolt Advantage!

Buy it here:

• Craftsman CMCD721D2 – https://bit.ly/3bmrj3K
• RYOBI PBLHM101 – https://bit.ly/3nr2CFO
• SKIL HD529501 – https://bit.ly/38r2xOn

full transcript

You guys are more than happy to give us suggestions for more time trial tests, and many of you mentioned the Prosumer class. Not only did we bring in hammer drills from Craftsman, Ryobi and Skil, but we were able to use Ryobi's latest HP model for this test. Buckle up and place your bets!

Thank you for clicking our video – hope you enjoy it! While you're here, if you like what you see, please consider subscribing and giving us the thumbs up. After watching this video, check out the performance of the $50 Amazon impact driver for a quick comparison.

Before we dive into the test track, let's introduce our three contenders — they're very similar. Each of these impact drills uses a brushless motor with a two-speed gearbox. All three use all-metal chucks – and finally, they're all powered by 18V or 20V Max batteries.

The lengths of the three impact drills also fell within about 1/2 inch of each other, with the Ryobi being the shortest. Weight is a bit of a different story. The Craftsman features a 2.0Ah battery and is lightweight at only 3.6 lbs. The Ryobi weighs just under 4 pounds, and the Skil is the heaviest—but only around 6 ounces (4.4 pounds).

Beyond that, the Craftsman features Made in the USA from global materials.

All of this is good to know, but let's get down to business at hand. If this is your first time watching our time trial videos, the PTR Practice Test Track is designed to give us an idea of each practice's true potential. Our resident expert, Tom Gaige, is responsible for the best chance of triggering each tool.

We will start by driving 20 drywall screws, move to the 1/2" auger bit and make 10 holes, then drill another 10 holes with the 3/4" spade bit, then the 3/4" bit 10 hole drill bits. Finally, we'll wrap it with a 1" hole saw, then a 2" and 8" hole saw – and drill through a 2 x 4 stud. The clock starts on the first pull of the trigger and stops on the last hole saw breakthrough.

The artisan first serves the dish. It has a top speed of 2,000 RPM and has 400 unit watts of power. They don't list a torque value, but that's okay – that's why we tested it! The drywall screws aren't much of a challenge at this level, and Tom is smooth, but he has a dropped screw that needs to be made up.

The Craftsman V20 is very confident in its titanium drill bits. It's not the fastest we've seen, but its handling is excellent. The spade didn't shift gears as the Craftsman's brushless motor continued to keep up with the load. The auger bit seems to be a bit slow, but still looks good, now over the first of two hole saws.

The RPMs are down a bit as the Craftsman needs a little help clearing the dust – it's still at high speed though. Stepping over to the bigger hole saw, Tom quickly put the gear down. It's getting closer…he's sure to get through it any minute…and now he's done it!

Ryobi's newest impact drill carries the HP designation, making it one of its advanced high-performance tools. It has a slightly higher 2100 RPM maximum speed and an impressive 750 in-lbs of torque. Tom did a great job of getting Ryobi to start using drywall screws and the first change was a good one.

His spinning bit is smooth, and the Ryobi's brushless motor keeps those RPMs high. As the pressure builds and the spade bit appears self-contained, there is no indication that the bit is heating up. Slowing down a bit with that smoother bit, but still maintaining high speed, we got into our first hole saw.

The performance of the HP is showing because Tom can really lean in and, wow, that's a quick hole! There's one more to pass, but it's a tough one. He is still at high speed, but can he hold on? Switching to the low post, he made good progress. He breaks through – what a run Ryobi is!

Next, Skil introduced a brushless heavy-duty 20V impact drill. It puts its 2000 RPM maximum speed and 859 in-lbs of torque on the line. It started off well, but there were some glitches, and Tom might have given the Skil a second or so to get through the drywall screws. That quick bit change probably makes up for it, though, and it's a pretty good rotary bit run.

Spade bits look good…it's about as smooth as you can hope for. Just like the other two, the increased load on the auger was enough to slow the Skil down a bit. Another quick bit change, Tom was able to keep the bit up high… a little help now to remove the sawdust…drilling done. Another hole and Tom opted to start low to pull more torque. He literally leans on the driver and spins the bit to remove the dust…it's almost there now but needs another pull to clear the teeth and it's done!

None of our hammer drills had trouble running through it, which may be closer than we first thought. DeWalt's Flexvolt Advantage has a course record of 2 minutes and 19 seconds. Avid Power — an inexpensive brand sold on Amazon — propped up…the subfloor…in 9 minutes and 56 seconds of effort, requiring two breaks to cool down.

Craftsman's V20 brushless model put in a solid 2:45 and beats several Pro brands. Well done, Craftsman!

However, Ryobi's HP managed to do better, finishing with a time of 2:37. It's not a huge gap, but it's a convincing one.

Last but not least, the Skil's PWRCore 20 came in between the other two at 2:42.

It's a lot tighter than we initially expected, but there's more to the story. We also tested the Ryobi and Skil with the 4.0Ah battery, and their run times improved. Ryobi took another 11 seconds to finish in 2:26, while Skire was eight seconds behind at 2:34.

We don't have a 4.0Ah battery on hand to test the Craftsman, but we'll try again when we get one.

The big takeaway from this test is that all three impact drills are great for light and medium-duty jobs, and see how they finish compared to the Pro models we tested! If you regularly use larger drill bits, the Ryobi and Skil have significantly higher torque and are better suited for heavier jobs. The Craftsman, on the other hand, is lighter and great for general drilling and driving.

Prices are also very close. The Craftsman is $179 at Lowe's and comes with two 2.0Ah batteries. You can buy the Ryobi with a 4.0Ah high-performance battery for $179 at Home Depot. The Skil costs slightly less on Amazon at $169 and includes a 5.0Ah battery. The Skil also includes an upgraded PWRJump charger instead of the standard one.

So now that it's all said and done, which one would you choose? Let us know in the comments below, and as always, thanks for watching!