Don't know why I'm reviewing this drill. I guess it's because after reading all the other reviews prior to buying, I'm somewhat conflicted since mostly, people either seem to love or hate this drill and I'd like to get my two cents worth in. After reading about a bazillion reviews (small exaggeration) I didn't know what to think and, I thought perhaps I could help my fellow Amazonians (is that a word?) make a buying decision based upon my own, hopefully informed opinion. While I am not an expert, I do build and sell hardwood furniture and am familiar with most of the tools that you would find in a working woodshop.

I was surprised by all the negative reviews. It seems that a lot of folks are having problems with this drill; chuck failing or not holding bits properly, overheating and smoking, charging issues or battery not holding charge for very long, etc. One of the reasons I bought this drill was because I was somewhat titilated wondering if it was a worthwhile purchase or not. Since Amazon has return priviliges I figured I could examine the product thoroughly upon receipt and decide for myself if it was a good buy.

I thought that this drill looked interesting. To me it looks kind of "cartoony" (there he goes again; making up words). With its bright colors and swirly lines it looks like something Roger Rabbit would use (or, if you're in my generation; Bullwinkle). If you'll note in the first photo below, the barrel is somewhat shorter than the average cordless drill. It is attractive; I like the look of the new flat battery packs as opposed to the older, clunky "stick-type" batteries. I noted that this drill is 20V which, you would think would make it more powerful but, in looking at the torque rating, it's not necessarily so.

Now, just to make a comment on one of the most frequent complaints in other reviews. A lot of reviewers are complaining about the bit not being held tightly in the chuck. Firstly, take a look at the the second photo below. Please note that the icon of the screw is uppermost on the barrel. This is important when chucking in a bit as it ensures maximum torque and tightness. If you have "10" or any other number at the top of the barrel, you are in a "torque setting" which is used when driving screws. This means that when you achieve a certain tension, the clutch will slip and fail to tighten the chuck further. If you hear a clicking sound when tightening the chuck around a bit, then you need to adjust the ring so the screw icon is on top. Also, note in the photo, that I am wearing leather gloves. Frequently, when hand-tightening the chuck, it will escape your grip (after all, we're not as strong as gorillas) and spin, burning your hand. Because of this, most of us don't exert all the pressure we're capable of. With gloves protecting your hands, if it slips, you don't get burned and you're capable of tightening your grip and getting maximum holding power between the chuck/bit. The holding power of the chuck is dependent entirely upon the tightness of "YOUR" grip when inserting the bit and holding the chuck ring. I think that the majority of the complaints pertaining to this problem would be solved if the above two suggestions were followed. Nothing in the construction of the drill I received would lead me to believe that it is some kind of manufacturing deficiency.

Upon unboxing this drill at a friends house his wife thought it looked "cute" and felt it would be a good addition to their kit (they frequently go to numerous flea markets throughout Texas and carry basic tools with them). Being smaller, it would take up less room in their trailer. You might have noted that I mentioned this is a good womans drill in my title blurb. The reason for this is the drill handle being smaller than a normal battery operated drill. It's still big enough for a man but, being smaller, it will be easier for the average female to handle than most drills. It is also lighter than the average drill which, I think most women could appreciate.

I decided I would test this drill for both overall power and battery life. To do this I decided upon a series of tests of what I felt were of gradually escalating difficulty. While these tests may be pertinent to my particular situation, only you can decide if they are a "fit" to your situation and expected usage of the product.

Incidentally, for my tests, even though I typically use hardwood, I felt that since White Pine is the lumber that most homeowners commonly use, it would be more appropriate for my tests and, since 3/4" stock is far and away the most common lumber that I would utilize this thickness. My results were as follows:

Drill Three 1/4" holes through 3/4" stock with a brad point bit - Accomplished

Drill Three 1/2" holes through 3/4" stock with a brad point bit - Accomplished

Drive Three 3/8" Lag Bolts through previous 1/4" holes in 3/4" stock - Accomplished

Drill Three 5/8" holes through 3/4" stock with Forstner Bit - Accomplished

Drill Three 7/8" holes through 3/4" stock with Spade Bit - Accomplished

At this point, I was expecting the charge to be gone from the batteries. Using a spade bit is difficult and draining on any drill. So, I decided to up the ante; I increased the size of the spade bit to 1 3/8" (a very large hole indeed) and the stock thickness to 2" stock (nomimal 1 5/8", a two by four). My intention was to continue to drill holes to the point of refusal of the battery to rotate the drill. Results as follows:

Drill 1 3/8" holes through 1 5/8 " stock til failure - 3 1/2 holes Accomplished

Now, to be truthful, when I stopped, the battery was still rotating the chuck and bit but, it was starting to bog down. In other words, battery failure was imminent. Could I have finished the 4th hole? Yeah, probably I could have abused the tool and forced it to finish but, it didn't have much left. Also, even though I was wearing leather gloves, I could feel a lot of heat at the barrel (after all, these tests were done with no interruptions) and it was apparent to me that to continue, I would probably smoke the motor, which made no sense to me. You can take my word for it; This drill would not have finished a 5th hole without catastrophic failure. By the way, I do not recommend using spade bits with a hand-held drill. They are particularly hard on a drill and, although I rarely use them, I only use them in my drill press. The only reason I utilized them in this testing was because I knew they would put a substantial drain on the battery. Especially using a large diameter bit like the 1 3/8" comes very close to the definition of abusing your tools so, if you can avoid it, I suggest not subjecting your drill to loads such as this..

Conclusions: I believe that this is drill that is well suited to the home handyman. Would it be a good drill for a professional that needed it for use daily? Probably not, although it might last a while. I also think a pro would want a drill with a little more torque and definitely more drilling speed. However, even though the listed torque is low, while I was drilling the largest holes with the spade bit, when it caught in the hole it had enough torque to spin my wrist around (and I'm 6'4" and 210 lbs) so, it should be adequate for most of us. I also think that because of it's reduced weight it would be an ideal drill for a woman and I think the manufacturers did a good job of "splitting the difference" in designing a grip that is both large enough for a big man (though just barely) and small enough to be comfortable for the average woman.

Caveat: As I told you earlier, one of the reasons I got this drill was because of all the contradictory reviews (it piqued my curiousity). I think almost 20% of the reviews have some complaint about this product. If you do decide to purchase, make sure that you do test and inspect your drill closely to make sure that none of the issues mentioned in other reviews are present in your purchase. Based upon the product I received, it is apparent to me that Black & Decker is capable of making a quality product however, DO inspect yours prior to the expiration of the return window. With this caveat, I can recommend this cordless drill.

I hope that this review, since it addresses issues outside of others comments, was of some help to you.

You get what you pay for here. I just got this to replace my 10 year old Black & Decker (B&D) 12V Firestorm which still works great but I'm tired of always charging the dying old NiCad batteries that don't last very long. I was way overdue for a Lithium Ion driver and I finally settled on this. At this price point nothing touches it but I really wish I could leave it half a star less and I'll get into that in a bit. This is all the drill you should should ever need around your home and I'm fine with that. It has all the features of the more expensive brands I was looking at in the $100 price range such as the entry level Makita and Bosch cordless drills but at half the price. What's the difference? You won't see B&D products on a jobsite laboring day in and day out.

CONS: Why do I wish there was a 3.5 star option? The body of the drill is a cheap plastic that looks like it's toy grade and there's no carrying/storage case included.

PROS: Good value at this price point and compatibility of the battery with a good selection of other affordable, readily available B&D products such as their string trimmer, hedge clippers, leaf blower, etc.

It was really the compatibility of the battery with the other B&D tools that tilted me in favor to buy this as a homeowner. The other brands I was looking at don't make any other cordless products I would buy or easily afford. Ryobi is a great alternative too for the same reason but I went with B&D since I can find their products in many more stores including here on Amazon while Ryobi means a trip down to Home Depot where they also carry B&D. This a great, small and powerful drill at the end of the day as long as your livelihood doesn't depend on it. I had to be honest with myself and accept that this will serve me well around the house as my 10 year old B&D (pictured for comparison) since 95% of my tasks are light duty like hanging a picture frame or assembling Ikea furniture.

Very powerful little drill. Have used this to build a large deck. I've driven over 2000 screws with it. Surprisingly it drove SureLOK 6" bolts with no problem, even though my old corded drill didn't have enough torque. It lasts over a half hour of continuous use on a single battery. It does get a little hot when using it that long. I thought for sure I would've burned it up by now, but it's still working great. The only thing I would question is the torque adjustment. I've only used the drill setting and 10, the highest. Anything less seems to spin before the screw is flush, but perhaps that's because I'm driving 2-1/2" and 4" screws, and the lower settings may be appropriate for smaller screws. Very happy with this drill.