I was looking for something cheap as my first drill. From checking many different stores and drills, this was the best choice for the money. I used this successfully for installing 3 over-the-range microwaves. I bought large Irwin drill bits to cut big holes through drywall and cabinetry, and this drill performed fine. This also
saves you a ton of time having to use a screwdriver to assemble something.
FYI: The 20 accessories that come with this drill are drill bits and screwdriver bits. They are of good quality and that alone saves you some $10-$15 bucks from having to buy it separately with another drill.
This is not a hammer drill so you will not be able to drill through concrete or other strong material. Some places of drywall was difficult for me to drill through, but with maximum drill power and forward-force I was able to make it through.
The battery lasts well for me, one thing that is good is to keep charging it in between working, or while you are taking 30mins for a lunch break. It held its charge for over 2 weeks when I had it in storage between uses.
One suggestion is to have some kind of indicator to let you know when it's fully charged. There are no lights whatsoever to tell you it's charging or it's got a charge. But if you do it like me and plug it in the night before working then you're fine.
Again, for $50 bucks shipped you can't beat this drill. If you're looking for the best then go for DeWalt, but if you need something around the house, or maybe helping out a neighbor install whatever, this is an excellent choice. Black & Decker CDC180ASB 18-volt Compact Drill with 20 Accessories
I picked this up for $40 on sale in a local store. It's adequate for most tasks, but no better.
The battery can only be charged when it's plugged into the drill, so you can't alternate between two to keep working. It doesn't have a variable speed setting, so controlling the speed when driving screws is hard. The battery capacity seems small, plus there's no charge level indicator on the device or charger, so you don't know when it's fully recharged. Finally, the RPM is very low compared to equivalents--getting through steel is going to take you a while.
If you can get it on sale for a reasonable price, and don't want to do too many adventurous things with a power drill, consider giving it a look.
It may be 18v, but it has nowhere near the power of my old Black & Decker 18v drill. The a/c adapter is also a fraction of the size, which makes me wonder. Build quality seems on par.
After shopping to replace my old one, I came home with a sears craftsman C3 19.2v ($90) and this B&D 18v model. The difference is like night and day. While at Sears, I also tried the Dewalt 18v drills which even more powerful than the craftsman. You can feel the torque on these yanking the unit in your hand; you cannot feel anything on this B&D.
Obviously, the voltage rating is not a good indicator of performance. Frustratingly, price is turning out to be a better indicator.
I asked for this particular drill (battery powered) for Christmas - and got it :-) I have several Black & Decker items and am pleased with all of them. Jig saw, two electric drills, weed whacker, tiller, small work bench, wall paper steamer (yes, B&D doesn't make them anymore, but I loved my original one that I had for 20 years, which finally gave out after many hours of use not only by me, but also by some of my office colleagues. But I found a "brand-new/old" one, never used, on e-bay.) Some of those tools might not be suitable for a professional handyman, but for a do-it-yourself woman (or some of the more clumsy, helpless do-it-yourself men!), they are wonderful, reliable products.
For an 81 year-old woman, this drill is so heavy as to be almost unusable. In fact, it may be unusable. I've had it out twice and couldn't deal with the weight. I'm keeping it because there are younger people in the house who can use it and, besides, although Amazon makes it easy, I hate messing with sending stuff back. As a drill for someone stronger it will be fine..
As a older, single woman, I wanted something I could easily use, but yet it would be good enough to put together furniture, mount shelving, etc. This drill is a thrill! I am so happy with it that I have told all my friends about it. Now I'm looking for things to use it on!
I needed a drill to put up some plywood to winterize a breezeway. This model worked fine to drill holes and set the deck screws, but in the spring when I tried to remove the screws, there just was not enough power to remove the screws. I had to go back to a power drill and an extension cord.
Save you money and buy a real drill. I tried to save a few bucks and am very sorry. Now I will have to pay more for a drill that holds its charge and has some power. Don't go by the volt comparison.
This does plenty of work around the house. The 18V motor has all the torque I need for most jobs (note from an EE: higher voltage makes it easier to get more motor power from a battery of given capacity). Having two batteries makes life a lot easier - one working while the other charges. And, as an added convenience, the batteries are interchangeable with batteries in other B&D tool suite, like their lawn trimmer. I haven't needed the extra batteries and charger yet, but I'm sure some job will come up where they're more than handy.
My only complaint, a minor one, is that the charger doesn't let you know when the battery is full. I know the extra indicator would have added a little to the cost, but would have been a big improvement.
-- wiredweird - Black And Decker - Power Tools - Drill - Cordless Tools'
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