Customer Reviews

Black & Decker DR501 6-Amp 1/2-Inch Drill

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The drill works fine, however I couldn't reverse it. I called Black & Decker, & they told me to push it very firmly, & that when it had worn in it would work well.

I purchased this drill about 4 yrs ago, i think. It's been a while. I needed a drill with enough power to rebuild my kitchen floor with new treated 2x12's, and 3/4" treated plywood subfloor. I was going to be using it alot for 2 1/2" screws. It worked tirelessly throughout the whole process. I then built a half pipe skateboard ramp for my son out of the same material. The drill consistently had enough power to pull 3/4" treated plywood flush with the transition beams on the ramp. Never had a problem with this drill. Ever. I use it in my woodturning business as well. It works well with some 2" sanding pads while the wood is still mounted on the lathe. You can really sand down the rough wood left from a power carver with this drill. The detachable handle makes it really versatile.

AND FOR THE RECORD: in another review, this part of the description was in question

(1) the detachable handle has a screw cap on the end for bit storage

(2) it does have a small fairly useless little level bubble at the back end

Gutless wonder. I bought it because it was cheap. My 3/8" drill is faster, has more torque, and takes longer to overheat. It still works after three years, but that's because I don't use it. If you're a serious fabricator, spend some money.

I received this as a gift and have been pretty happy with it. It has plenty of power for my needs; only when drilling into masonry do I wish it had a little more, but even so, it gets the job done. As others noted, the reverse switch may be stiff out of the box. Mine was, to the point where I considered returning it, but after forcing it I realized it was just sticky. Before long it was sliding smoothly.

Beware the Amazon blurb which says it has "on-board bit storage and built-in two-way level" -- I don't know what they're smoking but as far as I can tell, it has neither of these.

Honestly my biggest complaint (aside from the sticky switch, which resolved itself) is the chuck-key holder, which is just a little flap of rubber with a star-shaped hole in it. The rubber is too stiff and/or the hole is too small, so it's very hard to force the key in, which means I don't bother, which mean I'll probably lose the key someday and be up a creek.

Update Dec. 2009: This drill is still going strong. No problems with it. I find myself wishing it was a little lighter sometimes, and its bulky body makes it awkward in a tight spot, but otherwise for general purpose drilling it's served me just fine.

My husband wanted a drill and I found this on Amazon. It had a better price than buying it at any big box store and the shipping was free!

The last time I bought a drill there was at least one bit and sometimes one for steel, wood. So I received my drill two days ago and can not use it because I had to order bits and wait for them to come but I most likely would have given this drill 5 stars if I had got one bit with it.

Works fine at 1 speed.. reverse switch is inop.!