Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2017/06/15/good-deal-on-a-black-decker.html
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A few things that I know:
You can’t find a cordless drill worth a damn for less than $75, Corded drills will always be more powerful.
I haven’t seen a good Black + Decker product in over 25 years, and I’ve tried quite a few of them.
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A good deal on a Black and Decker drill doesn’t necessarily mean that a Black and Decker drill is a good deal. 
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Landfill in 36 months
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I gave up on B&D 20 years ago along with most Craftsman power tools. They are truly the crappiest quality now.
Makita, Dewalt & Milwaukee are worth the investment.
hell…more like 6 months.
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This drill’s not bad for the low price; my dad’s been using it fairly regularly for a few years with no troubles.
But I bought this B&D cordless screwdriver and it’s the worst, most laughable hunk of junk. It doesn’t have enough power to turn a screw into drywall, much less wood.
I’m not sure i have this exact drill model but i do have one that i paid about 80 bucks for and came with a decent kit. I also have a spare 20V battery i’m not using because i misplaced the original battery (and then found).
Batteries last forever on standby, the drill is good enough for casual home use. I’ve used it for a few easy projects but nothing too intensive thus far. No complaints.
I got burned by B&D when they changed their battery form factor. Ryobi has gone through 3 different battery systems since I bought my first cordless tool from them but since they kept the form factor all of my cordless tools work with the new batteries. That’s kept me from having to buy new tools every time the battery tech changes
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I got one of these and am pleased with it. As people have mentioned, if you want a good, powerful drill, this ain’t it. If you want a cheap drill that isn’t terrible, this one’s nice.
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A good deal on a cordless drill is a Milwaukee for $100.
Agree. I wouldn’t use it to build a large deck, but for typical around the house work it’s above average.
Back when we moved across town I bought an el cheapo electric screwdriver (ever been to Ollies?) so that I’d have one within reach at each house. The plastic screws that held the janky one together were falling out in less than a week. The B&D has held up just fine for over four years, and its battery still holds a good charge. You’re not going to find one nearly as good for twice the money.
A few years ago I got a good deal on a DeWalt cordless drill and impact driver combo set. I feel like it’s better to spend the money once on DeWalt than two or three or four times on Black and Decker.
I owned a B&D cordless screwdriver once that was less useful than a regular screwdriver. At least you can drive screws with a regular screwdriver.
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Still, at 1 or 6 bucks a month, maybe not a horrible deal for a drill to do simple household stuff. Or even let his kids use.
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B&D is still a great brand for the vast majority of homeowners who will never do a major project in their life. It’s all about buying what’s best suited to your needs. Just be sure to buy the version that uses Lithium batteries, not Ni-Cad which will die long before the tool will.
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Cheap crap is more trouble than it’s worth even for simple stuff IMHO. I’m at a stage in my life that I can afford it now and I’m willing to spend the money for something that will last year after year.
A drill is one of those things that really warrant the investment as the uses are far and wide. I can’t even guess as to the number of times I’ve needed my drill. A quality drill with a decent set of bits should be standard equipment in every home.
My frustration is it is increasingly difficult to find quality even though I’m willing to pay for it. Even so-called “professional” brands are being made with cheap, plastic parts that break with just basic use. A lot of the old brands like Craftsman that used to be known for its quality and reliability are just crap now.
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I bought DeWalt for years. I finally got tired of buying new batteries and switched to Fein.
Didn’t the decline in Craftsman quality begin with its ties to Sears back in the 90s, and that lifetime guarantee they were offering?
I’ve never even heard of Fein. Will have to look it up.
I had to replace the batteries on the DeWalt I had before this one, but I’m three years into the combo set and the batteries are going strong.
The only issues I have with batteries is the lack of modern interchangeability. Given the cheap prices of power converters there is little reason a Milwaukee M12 shouldn’t be able to work with an M18 battery, or even vice versa in a pinch. As far as life span…well outside of cheap packs made with cheap cells, li-ion has a shelf life. You’ll be hard pressed to get 10 years our of a pack, I’d consider 5 good, and 2-3 with heavy use.
So I had in the shop two full size DeWalt drills, and a couple of smaller ones. Probably five batteries for the big drills. Three of the batteries have completely failed, one is going strong, and one holds most of a charge. One of the drills started shooting sparks when operating. I changed the bearings and brushes, but that did not help. So I was at the point where I was going to have to buy more DeWalt batteries, or go with a whole new system. I have used the Fein Multimaster and vacuums before, and they are fabulously well built. I got a good deal on one of their models from last year, and I am completely sold.
As bonus trivia, Fein was the first company to market an electric drill, in 1895.
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