When we went to Kobaltโs Press Event in New York, where they debuted the new line of 18V Li-ion tools, one of the things we were most impressed with was the Compact Drill Driver. This was a tool that, while not perfect, took a lot of cues from successful products that had come before it. Kobaltโs first foray into the world of Cordless Power Tools didnโt appear to be so introductory as some other manufacturersโ have been. They more or less leapt right into the second-generation tools, making themselves more competitive than if they had debuted a product lacking many of the features and qualities we now come to expect.
Kobalt KT200A 18V Compact Drill Driver Build Quality
This Kobalt KT200A 18V compact drill driverย is very similar to the one included with their 18V 4-Tool Li-ion Combo Kit, but itโs slightly different. For one, being a โCompactโ model, itโs about a 1/2โณ shorter. It also adds 50 RPM to the top speed. Other than that, itโs almost business-as-usual and comes with the standard 2-speed switch and variable speed trigger. The two speeds top out at 450 RPM (highย torque mode) and 0-1650 RPM (high speed mode), respectively.
And the torque on this tool is actually quite impressive. The K18LD 16A puts out a full 455 in-lbs (peak), which makes this tool competitive with a lot of other tools at this price point. While Kobalt is priced alongside Ryobi and Porter-Cable, they have indicated they are really trying to take on the likes of Ridgid. Some specs, like torque, are even specifically geared to topple the numbers put out by the likes of Makita and Milwaukee.
Kobaltโs 18V Li-ion Drill/Driver uses a standard 1/2โณ all-metal, ratchetingย keyless chuck that seems to be a bit larger (and further forward) than some of the competition, though we liked how easy it was to change out bits.ย The ratcheting action really gives you a secure feel that the bit isย seated, and itโs easy on the hands. The clutch goes through 24 stop positions before terminating in drill mode.
On the outside,ย the drill features gray and black rubber overmold with the Kobalt Blue accent colors used onย the front and back of the handle. These brighter color areas are actually rubberized to give users a solid grip through the use of micro-hexagons (whichย are oddly similar to a competitorโs Hex Grip pattern). In either case, the tool didnโt tend to slip, even with bare hands. The drill has an older angle to it, instead of the more modern parallel design implemented by most manufacturers to give their tools a smaller footprint.
The tool feels good, and it has a decent power-to-weight ratio, so you get a lot of oomph for that weight. The drill seems really well-balanced, and the driver feels likeย you could hold it overhead for a considerable amount of time beforeย getting fatigued.
The trigger-activated LED is momentary โ it doesnโt stay on when you release the trigger, but it can be engaged prior to the drill spinning, which is great. This is fine, but youโll need to expend a little effort if youโre using this drill to light up a work area. The LED is positioned right above the trigger, and it seemed to do a really good job of illuminating the work area without casting a dramaticย shadow. Itโs also quite bright and was a handy feature when the placeย youโre drilling or fastening isnโt well-lit. The sled-style battery slips into the tool from the front, and we found that it was fairly easy to remove and reinstall.
Theย Kobalt KT200A 18V compact drill driverย includes a 2-bitย storage adapter and a belt clip that can be fastened to either side of theย tool. The angle of the toolโs drivetrain is a tad old-school, optingย for the up-angled alignment as opposed to the more popular (and moreย compact-looking) design where the drivetrain is parallel to the ground.
In the Field
We used this tool on several projects, including building the set for our upcoming video reviews. When pre-drilling and then driving 3-inch lag boltsย into 2x4s to secure casters to a set base, it didnโt seem to have any difficulty powering through (we pre-drilled the holes to avoid splitting the wood). Using low speed, the tool did a great job of driving the bolts home. Overall, we felt that the drill performed confidently at most tasks we threw at it. Kobaltโs new 1/2โณ drill feelsโฆ comfortable. We attributed most of this to the balance of the tool as well as its speed, which got our varied tasks completed quickly and precisely.
During heavy loads, drilling through PT with a spade bit, for example, torque seemed to drop off somewhat with the compactย battery, and even more after it had drained down to two bars. For high torque applications, weโd recommend picking up one of the high-capacity extended-run batteries; they will actually raise the maximum performance potential of the tool.
Whatโs cool about the new โMulti Chemistryโ charging system isย that it works with Lithium-ion AND NiCd, so regardless of which platform or battery you pick up, youโll be good to go. In addition, it includes an LCD screen that tells you how long youโve got left until the battery is done charging. Of course,ย due to the nature of how this lithium-ion system works, the Kobaltย charger will take 20 minutes to charge a slim pack regardless of whether the battery is completely empty,ย half empty, or 3/4 of the way full.
In that way, itโs sort of a fancy eggย timer, but a timer is nice nonetheless. We like it and it worked well โ and 20 minutes to recharge a battery is excellent, not to mention you can get a quick charge in just a few minutes to get those last few screws driven in (this is what we refer to as an โundocumentedโ feature.
All of Kobaltโs tools are compatibleย with Kobalt 18V Lithium-ion AND 18V NiCd batteries. Itโs not just the charger thatโs cool, itโs also the whole system. Battery, charger, tool โ they are all interchangeable. The NiCd tools will take the Lithium-ion batteries, and theย Li-ion tools will take NiCd batteries. Kobalt pulls this off because, while the Lithium-ion tools are not blessed with tons of โsmartโย electronics inside, the batteries are smart.
The Li-ion batteries themselves perform the duty of monitoring both power draw and heat. When you put aย Li-ion battery onto a โdumbโ NiCd tool, it can keep the tool from, wellโฆ blowing up the battery. Instead, the batteriesย can tell if they are being pushed too hard or getting too hot, shutting downย the tool if necessary and forcing you to reset the system by ejecting andย re-seating the battery.
If thatโs not good enough for you, consider that Loweโs includes a 5-year โhassle-freeโ guarantee on theย power tools and a 3-year โhassle-freeโ guarantee on the batteries andย charger. That means that if you bring inย a malfunctioning power tool to Loweโs, the company willย swap it out, no questions asked, for 5 years. The same warranty is in place for theย batteries, but for 3 years.
Conclusion
After using theย Kobalt KT200A 18Vย compactย drill a good bit there seem to be several apparent ups and downs. In terms of features, we are impressed with Kobaltโs debut into the cordless power tool world. This is an impressive โfirst-generationโ tool. There are higher-end manufacturers who are debuting tools at much higher prices, who donโt have things such as battery level indicators and bit storage. Still, going after Ridgid and other high-performance manufacturers is going to be a tough pill for Kobalt, and theyโve got their work cut out for them.
