I bought a Black & Decker and *gasp* Im happy with it...

[John Cavanaugh]

Ive been trying to keep up with my New Years resolution of "Less glowing rectangles & more 3D activities" by spending more time in the shop.

After giving up on my cordless drills for pocket holes, I pulled out my only corded drill, a monster Dewalt 1/2 hammer drill. Well it didnt take long to get tired from holding that.

I decided I wanted a small corded drill to use around the shop. Some searching indicated none of the big names (Dewalt, PorterCable, etc) make small corded drills anymore.

I ended up going with a Black & Decker (http://www.blackanddecker.com/power-tools/DR340B.aspx) that I got for $35 at Lowes. My only complaint was the short cord, which was quickly rectified by rewiring in a 20ft extension cable from HF.

Its only been a few weeks, but Ive thus far been darn happy with it. The corded power is great and the weight is very low. I just hope it lasts over time.

Gotta admit, Ive always had a bit of a negative impression of Black Decker, and this is the first B&D tool in my shop, but Im satisfied with it, I cant believe it...

--
John Cavanaugh

[John Grossi]

John, thanks for the heads up on that corded drill. I too have the same problems with using a cordless drill with pocket screws. I've been thinking of getting a new corded one and I'll check out your suggestion. Last year I bought my first B&D tool, a corded electric scissor for my wife. It is amazing. It cuts right thru those plastic package containers that you can't open by hand. This fall I got a really small B&D lithium drill that so far works pretty good.

[Justin Jones RDH]

If you are not using it on a regular basis it may serve you just fine. I gave up on black and decker a long time ago as the durability is just not there. As with all tools you ultimately get what you pay for. I too purchased my latest corded drill for pocket screws as its first and main project. Good call on a lighter weight one. I ended up going with this one however. http://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-0234-6-Magnum-2-Inch-Drill/dp/B0000223HF/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1294660795&sr=8-4

[Van Huskey]

Not knocking your choice, if it works it works, but I am curious when you looked at Dewalt for instance what was wrong with this one:

http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DWD110K-8-Inch-Pistol-Keyless/dp/B0012KN1I0/ref=sr_1_5?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1294661004&sr=1-5

It is what I use for a corded drill, also mainly for pocket holes.

[Jay Maiers]

Slight threadjack:
I'm new to pocket holes. What kind of problems are you having with cordless drills?
Thanks,
Jay

[John Shuk]

I have the same Dewalt as Van and it is a good drill. I have a Black and Decker cordless screwdriver that is fabulous. It uses one of those cylindrical batteries and it has worked for about nine or ten years on reasonably few charges. It is always there for me.

[Van Huskey]

Slight threadjack:
I'm new to pocket holes. What kind of problems are you having with cordless drills?
Thanks,
Jay

Nothing and everything. :) Kreg recommends a drill running (I think) 2,000+ rpm, I have yet to see a cordless that runs this fast. I don't remember the logic as to why but it seems like it had something to do with breaking or dulling bits. I have drilled quit a few pocket holes with a cordless without issue but it is nicer and quicker with a corded drill and you aren't chewing up expensive batteries. Plus you are standing in one place to do them so corded is a non-issue.

[glenn bradley]

Glad that one is working for you and what a great price. I found the 2500RPM on the DeWalt that Van mentions to be the key to quick, clean pocket holes. The main downside of cordless is that they just don't go fast enough to do a really clean job at this.

[Matt Day]

Drilling pocket holes can suck the battery life out of a cordless drill very quickly too.

[Ken Deckelman]

You get much cleaner holes with a higher RPM drill. Same reason a router makes much better pin holes for shelves.

[John Cavanaugh]

Not knocking your choice, if it works it works, but I am curious when you looked at Dewalt for instance what was wrong with this one:

http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DWD110K-8-Inch-Pistol-Keyless/dp/B0012KN1I0/ref=sr_1_5?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1294661004&sr=1-5

It is what I use for a corded drill, also mainly for pocket holes.

I looked at the Dewalt, and in fact looked very hard at the predecessor to the 110K as well (it was .5 lbs lighter). Ultimately I decided on weight, the 110K was 4.1lbs, the B&D was 2.7lbs and had a better balance (IMO) for drill holes in vertical surfaces.

I did trade off the higher RPM of the Dewalt (2500rpm) vs the B&D (only 1500rpm). Thus far the 1500rpm has been adequate for my needs.

[Rick Potter]

Higher speed also cleans out the chips better. I got a cheap DeWalt on sale just for this.

Rick Potter

[Rich Engelhardt]

Gotta admit, Ive always had a bit of a negative impression of Black Decker, and this is the first B&D tool in my shop, but Im satisfied with it, I cant believe it...

Personally, I'd buy anything made by Black and Decker, on name alone, before I'd buy anything made by Grex, Hitachi or Delta.

I've been "burned" by those supposed "name brands" in the past.

I have yet to buy anything made by B&D that hasn't worked to my expectations - or beyond.

B&D, IMHO, offers substancial value.

[Brett Robson]

I too have had positive experiences with B&D's drills. I had one of their Firestorm cordless drills I bought probably about 10 years ago. I abused the heck out of that drill. I overheated it so bad one day drilling out waste using a 1" spade bit, it had smoke pouring out of the vents!

After I let the smoke out and it cooled down, that old drill went back to work and survived several more years of abuse before finally being retired. I replaced it with another one 5 years ago, which has also had a hard life but is still going strong!

[Phil Thien]

Another option:

http://www.skiltools.com/en/AllTools/Category/Product/default.html?pid=6238-02&cid=44

I don't have one, I still use my old Craftsman corded.

BTW, do these newer corded drills have brakes? I don't like the brakes for high-speed drilling because they can loosen-up the chuck. My old Craftsman doesn't have a brake.

[Dave Lehnert]

If anyone is looking for a corded drill to do pocket screws this Ryobi is given high marks. It has a clutch much like a cordless drill has.
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100485417/h_d2/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&keyword=D47CK&locStoreNum=3844&jspStoreDir=hdus&Nu=P_PARENT_ID&navFlow=3&catalogId=10053&langId=-1&ddkey=Navigation

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[Keith Westfall]

My first drill ever was a B & D 3/8 corded VS reversible. Almost 40 years ago...

It was almost indestructible - lasted for many years of abuse, falls, cheapy portable drill press (remember those!?!) sander, etc and what ever else I needed a drill for. When you only have one power tool, you have to make it work for you!

It finally got replaced a few years ago with a Dewalt, but severed me well. Quality probably isn't as good these days but it did a lot for me.

I'm one that thinks you don't need a $300 drill just to make a hole.

Production work? That is a different story...