Lookin at this deal....

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=211702-79992-BD24VBFK&detail=desc&lpage=none

Good price for 24v, but I dont want some crap that's gonna die on me next month. I'm a big fan of Dewalt, but at this price, is the B&D stuff worth a shot?

11/29/2008 11:01:43 AM

u get what u pay for...

if youre using it everyday... ehh id go with something better. BD just feels cheap compared to dewalt..

but for 60 its probably not bad... imo if you're using tools just around the garage id get them corded unless you're stocking up on battrys.. but that's me. don't get me wrong.. cordless is very convinient but not when the battrys runnin low and you forgot to charge the spare.

I've only experienced drills and flashlights.. we got 3 BD drills.. but we don't use them that much and like I said they don't feel as durable as the dewalt I have and the ones we used at the shop.

11/29/2008 11:26:41 AM

its not going to be that much worse than the entry level dewalt stuff, but its not good quality

11/29/2008 12:28:39 PM

I have 2 B&D 18v drills and for what they cost new I have been amazed at the quality and durability. Also have the sander, worklight, about 5 batteries and 2 chargers, everything still works great after 3+ years.

11/29/2008 1:29:07 PM

For $60, why not?


Unless you plan on using it all the time, in which case you'd rather just spend that money on something better to begin with.

11/29/2008 1:59:15 PM

For light use, they're meh. For daily use, no way. I agree on corded vs cordless.. if you're not planning on using it places without access to a wall jack buy corded tools. They're more powerful and you don't have to worry about buying/charging batteries. I do construction for a living and I always try to use my corded drill when I can - I drag anywhere from 100-250 feet of extension cord across the site so I can use it, even though I have a dewalt dc925 cordless (320 dollar drill).

11/29/2008 2:17:12 PM

our maintenance guy at work (probably 40+ yrs in maintenance) was telling me about a brand called Ridgid you can get at Home Depot (orange in color). Lifetime warrantied. According to him, it's the only brand that carries that warranty. And it does good work. But it's ~$200
http://tinyurl.com/6cfn78
http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/R86006-Compact-Lithium-Ion-Drill/EN/index.htm

Maintenance guy said that you can replace the battery up to once a year. He trades his in every year.

11/29/2008 2:20:12 PM

I ended up picking up a Ryobi 18v Drill/circular saw/reciprocating saw at Home Depot for $109 instead. Just wasnt all that impressed with the B&D quality when I actually picked it up.

11/29/2008 3:21:16 PM

Not a fan of the Ryobi stuff. Pretty comparable to BD. I agree with the rigid. They are some of the best tools I have ever used. BD does own/make Dewalt FYI

11/29/2008 3:50:34 PM

Black&Decker is Dewault, or to put it better new B&D are the older versions of Dewalt. Same company makes/owns both, and when Dewaults are upgraded the old versions become the 'new' B&D in a diff color, tho usually without the quick chargers.

11/29/2008 5:51:59 PM

B&D and DeWalt are owned by the same company but are not made by the same people.

Black and Decker Corp is much bigger than most people know. They own Pentair, which includes Porter-Cable, Delta, DeVilbiss Air Power, Oldham Saw, and FLEX (aka, "The Tools Group"). Other names they own: Baldwin Hardware Corp, Weiser Lock Corp, DeWalt, Emhart Corporation (Kwikset, Price Pfister, Molly wall anchors, POP rivets, True Temper golf club shafts, etc), GE small household appliances, Carbide Router Company and Master Pneumatics. AND they have a cooperative arrangement with Hitachi Koki.

11/29/2008 8:00:27 PM

I got an 8 tool B&D 18v combo on closeout for $109 this time last year. It is OK for occasional use. After light use every week for a year the tools are still working but showing their age.

It did come with 3 batteries and a couple of chargers tho, so def worth what I paid but if it is something you need for work or for serious use you will probably be disappointed.

Next time around I'm going to invest in just a nice cordless drill (since that is what i use the most) and keep the cheapie B&D tools around for misc jobs.

11/29/2008 10:38:46 PM

we just got two new milwaukee 18V lithium ion drills at work and they make me

11/29/2008 10:49:18 PM

Yeah, i'm just using these around the garage at home. Didnt need anything too nice.

11/29/2008 11:43:02 PM

Black and Decker owns Dewault, but they are separate operating units.

11/30/2008 9:32:48 AM

How do you like those new Lithium Tools. Do the charges last any longer, and how do they feel compared to the traditional style?

11/30/2008 2:55:38 PM

I have a ryobi 18v lithium ion set and the battery life is really good, and the damn things charge really quickly. I wouldn't use the reciprocating saw for a lot of demolition work if you had the ability to use a corded one instead, but in the time I can run one battery down the other one can be charged up.

[Edited on November 30, 2008 at 3:01 PM. Reason : ]

11/30/2008 3:00:21 PM

i think the light weight of the li ion stuff is my favorite feature. 18v li ion is significatly lighter and smaller than it's regular (Ni-Cd maybe?) counterpart

11/30/2008 3:05:33 PM

i've heard that the li-ion tools can be killed pretty quickly if you run them down COMPLETELY, instead of swapping out batteries when they are going really slow

11/30/2008 4:53:22 PM

I picked up a "corded" reciprocating saw. Figured that'd do me more good than a cordless one.

12/1/2008 1:35:03 AM

Quote :

"i've heard that the li-ion tools can be killed pretty quickly if you run them down COMPLETELY, instead of swapping out batteries when they are going really slow"

I've got one of the Black & Decker VPX cordless drills that uses two of their 7.2v packs, and it's been a really good drill...been priceless for working on the house and everything else. It's built decently and has great battery life. The packs charge in a couple of hours. I would like to have a couple of extra packs, though.

The cool thing is is that when the batteries get low, circuitry in the device shuts it down so you don't discharge flat dead. Lil LED indicators flash, and then it's time to pop the packs out and recharge. My VPS cordless vac drains 'em a lot faster, but the drill seems to take forever. I don't know how many electrical sockets I've swapped out or how much cabinet hardware I've replaced before killing the packs. I dig mine.

12/1/2008 7:02:45 AM