Customer Reviews

Black & Decker DR550 7 Amp 1/2-Inch VSR Drill/Driver

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Before owning this Black & Decker drill, I got a couple Craftsman cordless drills as a gift. With some planning, the larger cordless drill was handy. But ultimately the irony was that the cordless drill and its advantage of convienince was actually inconvienient since it was never charged when I wanted to use it immediately. I began to realize that I had to have a corded drill.

I bought this drill at a local big-box home improvement store for at Amazon's price and brought it home.

Out of the box it includes the drill, a chuck, small instruction manual and the registration card. This is certainly a no-frills drill, but its got it where it counts.

7 amps of power rocks. Plus it has a great handle for the other hand when you really need to control the drill or want to apply more pressure. The cord length will require an extension cord (like all drills), but the drill chassis seems like it is built rock solid. This is my new favorite toy! It comes with a two-year warranty, and given the price/name brand, I wouldn't recommend this unit for commercial use (go with DeWalt, Hilti, or something of that ilk). But for occasional around-the-house use, it can't be beat.

You could spend more for a household drill, but you don't need to.

This works great as a driver and as a drill. The power is controlled by the pressure on the trigger. I use it with an extension cord to make up for the short cord. After having bought other drivers, this will probably be the final drill or electric driver I will ever buy.

I have had several cordless drill drivers. Even with modest use (less than once a month) the charging has failed after a few years, and there is no recourse at that point.

I ordered this because it is wall-powered. With a 20 foot high quality cord, I am able to use it anywhere on my property.

I am able to use it where it fits; most places a cordless would fit.

The only down side is that the finger speed control, while good, is not as fine as on a cordless.

For now, I stay with this one.

Let me be brief. I used this on the day I bought it for drilling twelve 5/8" holes and it had great power. but three and a half weeks later as I used this for the third time to screw in four long screws, the trigger lock got depressed inadvertently and now it does not unlock. But the funny thing is, the unit does not stay on like you would expect of a trigger lock. Rather, when the variable speed trigger is depressed, it goes straight to high speed bypassing all the lower speeds. ARRG! I have to take this in to the factory repair shop now which is quite inconvenient and then I have to go pick it up in a week. Since I had this less than a month, you think B&D would just exchange it for a new one and fix this thing on their own time, but the service center rep that I talked to on the phone said they would not do that.

More than enough power to do any job I will ever take on, it's not heavy or bulkey and like I said plenty of power, I do wish you could get it with a keyless chuck
I would recomend this drill to anyone that has a need for a 1/2'' drill.

Eddie P
Texas

Well made powerful 1/2" drill. Exceptional value. Only weaknesses...the foregrip feels like a weak spot and the retainer for the chuck key is annoying. Minor issues. I'm very happy with this tool.

I have owned rental properties for 20 years, so I have done numerous light and moderate construction tasks. I bought this drill a month ago, and have used it every day since then. Except for a "reverse button" on the drill handle which is easy to mistakenly push, I have found this drill to be sufficiently powerful and convenient. For the price, I am very pleased.

I got tired of the cordless drills always losing power in mid-project. When the batteries stopped taking a charge after a couple of years, it would have cost more to replace the batteries than to get a new drill. Since I do little drilling outside civilization, I can always find an electric outlet. Back to the good old corded drill. This one has all the power you need for tough jobs, and I do like the extra handle up by the drill; it allows me to steady the drill very safely. The price was competitive, and I will be using this drill around the house for many years.

This drill gives you that extra power you often need but never have around the house.
Well balanced and handles well.

I was hesitant to buy this because I generally go with the better rated "pro-line" brands. Even though I'm just a do-it-yourselfer and hobbyist, I like to buy things just once. However, considering I only do a few projects a year, $100 or more seemed like a lot for a power drill. I have purchased Black & Decker household appliances in the past and been disappointed with the quality, but this model got great reviews, so I decided to take a chance.

My primary purpose was for drilling screws into wood. My old drill, which I inherited from a friend, was an old 3 AMP B&D. The thing was reliable, and decent for drilling holes into wood, but just didn't have the juice to drive a screw. I always had to torque the screws by hand, which could take hours on a big project and cause cramps and blisters.

I can say this tool will not only drive screws into hard wood, it can drive them in too far and too fast, even breaking screws from too much torque if I'm not careful. This does bring up one minor problem. The variable speed trigger switch is a bit sensitive (which is how I snapped the first screw), but after a couple hours of use I got used to it. That said, it would be nice to have a little slower and smoother acceleration. I wasn't sure if 7 AMPs would be enough, but it certainly is (and the triple gear reduction makes a difference). I can only imagine what type of torque you get out of a 10 AMP+ power drill.

Will this product hold up for years to come? I cannot say, but if you are a professional or person who would use it on a daily basis, my guess is you want to stick with something like a Milwaukee or DeWalt (although this B&D model is built like a tank). However, if you are a do-it-yourselfer on a budget, but still want a heavy duty hand drill with some real power, this is probably the best at this price point. The most comparable DeWalt would be the DW235G 1/2" drill with 7.8 AMPs for about $90.

I rate this 5 stars based on the combination of features, quality, and value.

PROS

- Great features at a bargain price (7 AMP, 1/2-Inch, variable speed, triple gears, etc.)
- Incredible power, enough for just about any home improvement project
- Built like a tank, all metal gear housing with hard rubber grips
- Triple Gear Reduction, provides extremely powerful torque
- Excellent chuck, does not slip
- Removable 360-degree side handle (this part is plastic)
- Corded-electric, no battery required; full power and always ready to go (perfect for use around the house)
- 2 year warranty

CONS

- Variable speed power switch (trigger) can be sensitive, accelerate too quickly
- Loud motor
- Heavy (almost 1 lb heavier than the corded DeWalt DW235G with similar power; 6.1 lbs versus 5.3)
- Corded (cannot be used for some offsite projects)
- Requires a chuck key; rubber key holder on unit is cumbersome; keys attached to the cord are faster to get at and more convenient
- B&D is primarily a consumer brand (may not hold up for professional/daily use)
- Removable side handle is plastic; this optional product feature is not required for operation, but may not support heavy force (would not require service to replace)
- No carry/storage case