Why make home remodeling harder than it has to be? Buy a good cordless electric drill right away, and "power" though those drilling, screwing, and augering jobs with ease. Let's take a look at an old favorite, the Black & Decker 14.4 V Cordless Electric Drill.
Get Your Voltages Right
The reason we qualify our review with "14.4 V" is because this makes all the difference in the world. I have used - and in many cases owned - Black & Decker cordless electric drills of varying juicepower, and found that this is the main distinguishing factor. In fact, because the Black & Decker drill is such a consumer-grade tool, you need to find factors that raise this product above competitors.
14.4 V is About Right
Generally, you will find three types: 18 V, 14.4 V, and 9.6 V. And then, of course, there are a number of Black & Decker electric screwdrivers, which we will not bother with in this review (I am not certain why anyone bothers with these). The voltage means screwing/drilling power and battery longevity. Many home renovators use cordless drills only for screwing - less juice required. They find that most cordless drills cannot handle honest-to-goodness drilling. And certainly not anything as strenuous as augering or drilling through metal. 9.6 V is too weak to do anything. 18 V is powerful, but it's a big battery to handle. Even though the Black & Decker drills are well counter-balanced with their batteries, there is only so much you can do with a big power cell like that. For me, 14.4 V has proven to be the right size.
Buy Direct - Black & Decker 14.4 V Cordless Electric Drill
Buy Direct - Black & Decker 14.4 V Cordless Electric Drill
Torque Down for Better Control
Any of the three Black & Decker cordless drills have an adjustable torque (or clutch). This is far more handy than it seems at first: it allows you to "gear down" your drill, allowing you to turn screws without stripping the heads. Perhaps this isn't so necessary with the 9.6 V model, but you will run into these issues with the 14.4 V and 18 V models. Long gone are the days of keyed chucks - all models have keyless chucks.
Adequate Consumer-Grade Cordless Drill
Get more juice than you think you will use. If you're considering a cordless screwdriver, get a 9.6 V drill. If you're considering the 9.6 V drill, get the 14.4 V drill. You will soon outgrow whatever you think you should have. And batteries are not interchangable. So, if you buy the 14.4 V model, you are stuck with the 14.4 V model - that is, until you buy a new drill.
The Black & Decker cordless electric drill is what I like to call "the usual suspect." So many home remodelers bought one the first time around, before going on to buy a more pro-grade DeWalt. Given the attractive price point of the Black & Deckers, it's hard to go wrong. Even the top-line Black & Decker cordless drills come in at less than $100.
The Black & Decker cordless electric drill is what I like to call "the usual suspect." So many home remodelers bought one the first time around, before going on to buy a more pro-grade DeWalt. Given the attractive price point of the Black & Deckers, it's hard to go wrong. Even the top-line Black & Decker cordless drills come in at less than $100.
