Black and Decker 18v cordless drill set

[byrdman]

So my 6-8 year old Black and Decker cordless drill died on me. Actually, the battery charger died, no output. So I go to Lowe's to replace the charger and they are 30 bucks or so. Well, for $99, they had a 18v Black and Decker "Firestorm" cordless drill set- a little circular saw, a flashlight, a drill, two batteries and the charger in a carrying case. "Cool", said I, and I bought it.

The charger that came with my new set lasted about 3 weeks and died, it had zero output. I returned the entire mess and exchanged for a 2nd kit.

The 2nd new charger lasted about a week. Once again, I returned it and exchanged for an identical kit. (normally I would have bought another brand at this stage, but the new charger fits my old batteries, allowing me to still use my old drill.)

The 3rd charger didn't last a week. I took it back for a refund and paid the extra money for a lithium-ion Makita.

I'll not be buying Black and Decker again...

 

[Luckydevil]

That *****. I've got an older B+D 7v cordless drill that I beat the hell out of on a daily basis and it still works great. Sounds like their new stuff has gone downhill.

 

[flozram]

Ive got a 13.2 volt firestorm
the charger went out on me this summer
I bought a universal B&D quick charger online
it is pretty cool, charges all my B&D and dewalt tools
and a lot cheaper than a new drill

 

[Gregdoo]

I bought the 18v firestorm kit you've got a couple years ago. My charger has been fine. I wonder if possibly there were some incompatibility issue between the charger and the old batteries you have?

Overall, I'd rate the kit a 7. The drill is very powerful. The circular saw is OK, but it doesn't take long for the battery to drain. The recipro saw is nice. I bought a blade for pruning trees and love not dragging a cord or using a hand saw. Again it ***** the batteries empty rather quickly. I LOVE(d) the flashlight....however, after an extended use, the plastic socket that holds the bulb melted and after getting a replacement socket it never quite fit right. Oh, and getting a spare bulb from B&D cost about $5.00 plus postage. I couldn't find a replacement anywhere else. Also, the circular saw blades are about a quarter inch smaller than the replacement blades you find on the market....so you'd probably have to order full price + shipping from B&D.

I only paid $100 at Lowes (it was an open box), so it is a decent value, considering that for similar tools sets from other (higher quality) manufacturers can cost up to $450 or so.

 

[byrdman]

I bought the 18v firestorm kit you've got a couple years ago. My charger has been fine. I wonder if possibly there were some incompatibility issue between the charger and the old batteries you have?

I wondered about that too. The batteries are both "Firestorm" 18V, but have different aH. The new chargers looked the same as the old charger.

It's really not so bad. Except for the hassle, I actually did OK. The first purchase was on sale, $99. At the time of the first return, the set was no longer on sale, so they credited me the difference, now my receipt is for $119. The 2nd return gave me the coupon for a free charger. The 3rd return involved me getting my money back(I got $119 instead of the $99 I actually paid). If the free charger works on ym old batteries I'll be golden.

 

[Gregdoo]

If nothing else, this is another example of Lowes' great customer service. Where I am, I have NEVER had a problem at Lowes. They have GREAT clearance sales. Their merchandise marked with yellow tags is all drug out on the sidewalk in front of the store about every 6 weeks and they tell the clerk standing out there to "Get rid of it all" and they will make great markdowns. I have on more than one occasion bought over $1000 worth of stuff for less than $150. If I could only install all of the materials I've bought as fast as I buy them, I'd have a LOT more rooom in my garage! Right now I have 4 Pella storm doors waiting to be installed. I paid Lowes $5 each. They retail at over $130 each. In two cases, they were missing small hardware (which Pella sent for free) and in two, there were minor scratches.

 

[ringer]

I have found cordless tools to be fickle, and a hit or miss affair for me. While I have good luck with most all Dewalt products, I have had nothing but misery out of their cordless drills. The best cordless drill I have is an old 16.8V Craftsman that I bought some years ago. I am not sure, but it looks like it is probably made by Ryobi. The oroiginal batteries still hold a charge, and it has taken a lot of abuse from my clumsy hands.

 

[Luckydevil]

I have found cordless tools to be fickle, and a hit or miss affair for me.

I completely agree, and that is why I only buy corded tools now. Corded tools are also usually less than half of the cost of the cordless equivalents, so it saves a lot of $$$ too.

I can get anywhere with my corded drill if I have a long enough extension cord.

 

[RonBou]

I'm with you Luke. I put enough outlets in my garage that I can plug in just about anywhere without an extension cord. I made a small heavy duty 4 foot extension for the one place I screwed up and didn't put an outlet. DUH!

 

[Craig Balzer]

Weeeeellllll -- -- you gys got me thinkin' now.

I have been pricing the various deWalt kits for a few pre-Christmas weeks; been eye-balling the 18v sets. I was all set to plunk down $500 to $700 on the 5 piece or 6 piece kits (circular saw, reciprocating saw, drill, cut off, impact, cut out) -- but now I have second thoughts.

Is deWalt that much better -- or do I face similar issues down the road?

Craig

 

[Fast Orange]

I've been buying DeWalt cordless tools for both personal use and for my employer for about 9 years . In my experience,the batteries are DeWalt's weak spot.With daily use and charging,the batteries last about 2 years.At this point,there is a noticable lack of power and run time .Replacing the batteries totally rejuvenates the tool. Unfortunately,with some of the lower priced drills,2 new batteries can be close to the purchase price of a new kit.
I have a 18V kit with the reciprocating(sawzall) saw and the 1/2" hammer drill.I use it almost daily,with no problems with the tools themselves,but after 2 1/2 years,it's time for batteries.From HD,they're $109 for a pair.I'm looking into Ni-Mh batteries as replacements,for both longer runtime and more longevity.These batts are $68 each from the Battery Barn.
As far as I'm concerned,B&D went downhill in the 70s when they started marketing more to the DIY crowd than to professionals.I got a B&D 3/8 drill for a gift that didn't last through a couple of 1/4" holes in 3/8" steel.I've still got my dad's old B&D aluminum case drill from the 50s that still works pretty well.

George

 

[ringer]

George,

That is pretty much the same experience I have been having with my Dewalt cordless tools; though, I am not even getting two years use out of the batteries really. It is frustrating to keep opening up the old tired wallet every year to year and a half.

I think I am going to keep 1 cordless drill around for use while on ladders and other hard to get to with a cord places and replace all my other cordless stuff with regular corded tools.

I have been selling a lot of old cordless stuff on ebay recently to get rid of it.

 

[Fast Orange]

Ringer-
Check "Replacement Batteries" thread I started in tool forum for possible answer.
I use/need my cordless stuff almost daily,primarily due to no available power or inconvenience of cords in tight spots.I'm hoping the Ni-Mh batteries will last longer.

George

 

[dboat]

I will probably get flamed for this one, but if you want to use a economy model 18 volt set. I would go with the Ryobi line, they offer a lot of options and the replacment batteries are inexpensive. If you are using the drill/driver more as a driver than anything else, buy the impact driver. It works much much better for that purpose. My wife put together a bunch of wooden shelving from IKEA and the Ryobi did a better job than the DeWalt or Hitachi drill/driver I have..
just my .02 though.
Dana

 

[Uncle Buck]

I love my 18v Ryobe stuff, especially the convenience of no cord. With that said, all cordless will die sooner or later so I never purchased a cordless tool before purchasing the corded version first.

 

[ranger_dood]

I bought my dad a Ryobi 14.4v drill/circular saw/light set over a year ago and it still works great! If I were to be buying one now, I'd go with the Ryobi 18v set, as the batteries are the same as their "One+" lineup, and are only $40 for two new batteries.

 

[Coach James]

My experience with cordless is that all my batteries lasted about 2 years. As a result, I stopped buying expensive cordless drills and just buy Ryobi or Craftsman(Ryobi with a different label).

On my corded, I buy Dewalt, makita, Bosch etc and they clearly perform better than Skil and B&D.
James

 

[oldgoat]

I have a 18V Firestorm and so far it has been OK although I still like my 12V Skill drill better. Have had it for over a year now with no problems. I hardly ever use a corded tool anymore. Stringin cords out and then getting on a ladder or under the house and have it come unplugged is a pain.

 

[mike944]

I used to have a craftsman 19.2v drill, and it was great. Batteries lasted a long time, and had good power. It got stolen, and i replaced it with a craftsman 18V, because it was significantly cheaper. The 18V is not nearly as good. it's functional, but i miss my 19.2v, it was much better.

I would reccomend the craftsman 19.2v drill, the "straight drill" part of this package (i guess they don't sell them individually anymore) http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00911548000&tab=opt#tab )
________
Honda NSR150

 

[chevy302dz]

There are to lines of the ryobi stuff the lower line is ****, the better line is as good as anything out there good batteries 1 hour charger etc.

 

[stimpy]

after my B&D 7 volt drill died in october ( batteries shorted out after 15 years) and I tried to rig up a way to power it ( hey I loved this thing ) I had to let it go , I talked to my buds and found out the bat points of cordless , as much money it would have cost me to replace all of the tools I use to cordless I could buy a small( 2500 w) generator ,a five gallon jerry/gas can and a good 14 gauge 50 foot extension cord so I did . yea my tools are bulky but If I need them on the road I can bring them and don't have to wait about charge up times and them going dead and if the lights go out .. well I have some power to keep the beer cold too..

 

[Major Ramifications]

In my experience, Dewalt tools are worth the considerable extra money over the B&D, Ryobi, Craftsman, Skil, etc. Once you use the nicer Dewalt or Milwaukee, The cheaper ones really feel like a step down. I thought that Dewalt had a 3 year warranty on their batteries, but I cannot verify this since their site seems to be down right now. Mine last about 4 years. The Ridgid lifetime warranty intrigues me, since it covers batteries, too. Also, I have not tried any of the new lithium ion tools yet, and the Craftsman li-ion line looks pretty nice.