Review: Ryobi P215K 18V Cordless Drill

The Ryobi P215K cordless drill is an affordable option for a light to medium duty drill. It uses Ryobi’s ONE+ 18V batteries so if you are already using Ryobi tools this could fit right in. Let’s take a closer look.

Drilling Power & Motor

This drill from Ryobi is powered by a brushed motor and it can generate up to 500 in lbs of torque according to available specs. The torque rating is based on using the largest ONE+ 18V battery from Ryobi, so it’s probably a little high for what you’ll actually experience with the smaller batteries. It has 2 gearing options, one for low torque/high speed and another for the opposite. The high torque setting has variable speeds from 0-500 RPM and the high speed setting has variable speeds from 0-1750 RPM.

There is a direction button above the trigger for selecting forward/reverse and it can be locked into neutral which locks the spindle for bit changes. There are 24 different positions available on the torque adjustment collar so you can dial in the right torque setting for the job at hand. The speed and torque controls are easy to use and nothing is really out of the ordinary as far as you’d expect a drill to operate.

As far as drilling power, it has enough torque and power to handle most medium duty drilling and fastening tasks around the home or shop. It can make quick work of something like putting up shelving. It can handle even tougher work such as deck building or household framing work within reason.

Keyless Chuck

This drill has a 1/2 inch keyless chuck. The keyless chuck works well and it doesn’t have any common issues that people run into.

To change a bit, you lock the switch trigger in center position and then loosen the chuck by hand. After inserting a bit, you tighten back up by hand, tightening until it ratchet clicks a few times to know it’s solidly in place. Pretty easy to use.

LED Light

This drill has an LED light and it’s located on the bottom of the handle. The location is a little different than what we tend to see on other drills but it works great and illuminates well without the chuck blocking some of the light. The LED light turns on when the drill is in operation. It turns off immediately after releasing the trigger, which is slightly annoying. This is unlike some drills where the light will stay on for 10-15 seconds after trigger release, which we prefer.

Battery Power

This drill uses Ryobi’s ONE+ line of batteries and it can fit any of the batteries from that lineup. The kit we looked at includes a single 1.5 AH battery and a charger. This is sufficient to get up and running but most people will want to get extra batteries. We recommend the 2 AH at a minimum if you get more batteries. If you will be doing larger jobs and really putting this drill to work, you might want to consider 4 AH batteries which will give you a lot more battery life and more driving power.

Ergonomics & Handling

This drill isn’t overly compact but it’s still fairly small in profile and lightweight. It weighs in at just under 4 lbs with a smaller battery attached. It has a comfortable grip and it’s easy to hold. It’s fairly lightweight for overhead work if you use the smaller batteries. The controls are easy to use and to reach. Changing bits is easy with two hands. Overall, it feels good in hand and it works without much handling fuss. The included bit clip and magnetic pad are minor features but they prove useful as well. Anything that can help hold small fasteners or bits while you work always helps with overall handling.

Safety Features

This drill is safe to use and with the nature of a drill there really aren’t any outstanding safety features to cover for this one. Most of the safety precautions with a drill like this involve safe practices such as safe handling of the battery packs and making sure the battery is removed during bit changes. Otherwise it’s good to practice typical safety precautions as with any other power tool in your lineup.

Build Quality

This drill doesn’t feel like the most heavy duty drill, but it’s still fairly solid for a cheaper drill. It has a lot of plastic in the construction. Regardless of the amount of plastic used, there aren’t any parts that really have a reputation for breaking. The brushed motor may require maintenance over time if you put this through a lot of use. Generally this drill is built well enough to stand up to medium duty use around a house or shop.

Accessories

The kit that we looked at came with a few accessories but no bag or case. It included the drill, (1) 1.5 AH battery, one charger and a two-sided bit. There are some kits out there with more batteries or different combination of batteries and charger. There is also a bare tool option for people that already have Ryobi tools and batteries.

Setup & Assembly

This drill is easy to get up and running out of the box. You’ll need to wait for the battery charge before first use, which can take up to an hour. There’s not really anything else to setup, and it’s a pretty easy tool to use.

Warranty

Ryobi offers a 3 year warranty on defective parts or workmanship for their ONE+ tools. They also include a 90 exchange policy which helps cover lemon units. This is good enough to help you out if you have quality control issues early in the life of the tool.