Customer Reviews

Black & Decker VPX1212X Li-Ion 14.4-Volt VPX Drill Driver

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

No, I don't work for B&D. My garage is full of Makita and Ryobi, as it happens, but I bought the VPX 1201 (light, single battery, 2 fixed speeds) for my wife's household use because battery charge is a year or more - if she picks it up, it RUNS! We liked it so much that I bought the 1212 (dual battery, higher speed, variable) for myself to replace a Makita with dying NiCD cells that would have cost the price of the 1212 to replace.

I'd recommend both of these to anyone - the 1201 for modest jobs, the 1212 for more serious work. Tons of torque, ample speed, and excellent battery life. I understand the lithium-nanophosphate cells retain virtually 100% charge for more than a year, but obviously haven't tested that. Charge time in the dual charger is faster than it was for NiCD on the Makita. Weight is about the same, and the B&D feels just as solid and durable as any tool in my shop.

The 1212 kit is elegant, but the accessories are typical low-grade bits, etc. Okay for trivial stuff but I replaced them for serious work.

These are fine products - B&D has screwed up a few things, but not this time.

This was a Christmas gift and was put to use on the 26th without even charging the batteries it completed the task at hand, installing overhead storage in the garage, with ease. I have recomended this drill to freinds. I was also lucky enough to get the VPX starter system as well and having the combination of a separate drill and power screwdriver was great. I can't say enough about these tools. Black and Decker really got it right with this offering. The tool are light yet don't feel cheap and the power to weight ratio is amazing.

I love this VPX Black and Decker cordless drill it does just what I bought it for and for a vey reasonable price. I would definitely buy this item again withou question.

I loaned my cordless to a neighbor and he lost it. Since he couldn't find the same brand locally (Hitachi) he bought me the Black and Decker VPX1212 to replace it. I'm satisfied. I spent the weekend building a foundation for a greenhouse and put up some fencing around the new building. The drill worked well for driving screws. I even joined 4x4's with 5 1/2" screws without pre-drilling. This baby has serious torque, as much as my middle aged wrists can handle.

The drill seems well made and well balanced. It is reasonably light too, for the amount of driving power it offers. The only down side is how fast I use up batteries. I went through the first pair, put them in the charger and used up the second set before the first was fully charged. The two sets were what the neighbor got to replace my old drill. I'll pick up another set.

On the plus side, a new pair is only $26 at WalMart. That's the cheapest I've seen for any cordless drill batteries.

Oh, my wife thinks the three color design looks like it was done by Nike. She has a point; though I like the small amount of orange, enough to find the drill easily but not obnoxious.

I bought the VPX1212x and ran it through its paces. The drill felt like it had a little more torque than the drill it is replacing, my trusty Makita 12v NiMH. Run time was reasonable, able to drive as many 3" screws as my Makita - about 90.

I was rather alarmed by a visible spark when I released the trigger in low gear. It is all contained in the unit, and all drills spark, but this seemed out of the ordinary. The performance was even more questionable when I ran the drill in high gear - the drill would stop with an unpleasantly loud metallic clank as the drill stopped quickly. All this has me questioning the designed life-span of the tool, and I do not perceive that this unit is intended for more than infrequent use for lighter-duty jobs.

Another problem I have with the drill is the charger. I depleted the batteries, allowed them to cool (they were just a little warm), placed them in the charger, and they have not yet recharged some 4 hours later. With my Makita I can recharge one battery pack with using the other battery (1-hour charger), and unless I am building a deck I have never out-paced the charger. The 1212X comes with one set of batteries, so there is no using the drill when the batteries charge. By the time one would buy a second set of batteries to increase the drill's run time one might be better off with a stronger tool.

Bottom line, I can see this drill being used effectively for light duty applications but it does not appear to be a workhorse.

Jim

This new technology drill has plenty of power at a reasonable price. I've only used it a couple of times so far, but I'm very pleased with it, and with the service I received from Amazon.

My father-in-law got this drill and at first impression I was a little reluctant. The thing looks like a space age drill/toy. However, after actually using it, I'm buying one for myself. These things have more torque then any DeWalt up to 18v I've used, and this thing is about half the price. It comes with two batteries and a dual charger. Batteries are pretty cheap, and my father-in-law was able to get free batteries from B&D through some mail in thing they have in the box (not sure if that's still available). I also got the starter kit for $60, which I thought was a steal for all you get. Great tools, just hope the grade of plastic doesn't become a problem...it doesn't feel like tool grade plastic, but I could be wrong.

I purchased this for my husband and he just loves it. It had everything he was looking for and the price was the best at Amazon. Good product.

I love this drill. I haven't used it too much, but I like it so far. It is compact and surprisingly stronger than I expected. It has a higher torque setting to use for drilling and that helps a lot.

Buy it, you'll like it.

I like this drill very much. it looks great and works great. I particularly wanted a poweful yet light weight drill. I believe I got one.

It looks very stylish. The case is is well designed. I particularly liked the idea of a set of tools that share the same battery system.