Just How Good is the Black & Decker Drill and Impact Driver BD2KITCDDI Setup?
Are you among those wondering if the Black & Decker MAX Drill Driver/Impact Combo is as good as it has been advertised? There are several other drill and impact tools to choose from, not to mention driver and drill combos which make the same claims of value, so is there anything here that is different?
Is this drill driver impact combo the real deal or not? Don’t allow yourself to walk blindly into the store or click haphazardly on just any old, useless website. We decided to get to the bottom of this by examining the MAX impact drill up close. This is what we learned.
Features
- The 20-volt motor on the MAX is smaller than those on other drill impact combos. However, it still possesses the same amount of power. This means you’ll be able to carry out the same workload but on a lighter machine
- At only 5 pounds, the Bosch is lighter than other drill impact combos
- The no-load RPM is good for up to 3,000
- The MAX drill impact wrench has a maximum BPM of 3,900
- The package comes with detailed instructions for easy use, regardless of experience level
- The combo impact drill includes the LDX drill driver, a charger and the hex impact driver
Things We Like About This Setup:
- Just as with most B&D tools we’ve used before, this kit has tools that are definitely easy to operate
- Somewhat surprisingly to some (but not us), these drills have the same or similar power as larger impact drills
- Included with this case is what we consider to be almost synonymous with Black & Decker–it comes with useful accessories
- Especially given the excellent price, these power tools provide consistent performance and results
Items We Found to be More on the Downside:
- For some strange reason we haven’t been able to figure out yet, this kit doesn’t actually come with a carrying case. An oddity for any combo kit in general, but especially so for this brand. I’ve personally used a couple of combo kits from B&D over the years and each of them sported a nice hard-shell case.
- As much as we like the overall kit, these tools are not really suited or built for non-stop, heavy-duty applications.
Performance and usage
Despite the lack of a carrying case or bag, the MAX drill impact is well-packaged and organized, with a manual which is easy to follow. After you charge the battery up to full steam, the tool is ready and rearing to go. The specs indicate that these battery-powered drills are for light, medium, and heavy-duty work alike, and the tools deliver from excellent to good performance within these applications.
It might not be walking on air like the Greatest American Hero, but one of the things you will definitely and quickly notice with the MAX is how light it is compared to other drills or impact tools in its class. Black & Decker has trumpeted this in their ads and it really makes a difference when you’re using it, especially for many hours at a time. The small size also helps to make it more manageable as well as lighter, so it’s easier to use in narrow, tight locations.
The drill impact included with this kit isn’t the most powerful tool on the market, but we do consider it one of the best in its class. The speed is impressive enough and makes short work of many drilling tasks. One of the most common criticisms with most drill impact tools is inconsistency, but there’s no such problem here. To read up on how to choose the best impact wrench for YOU, then can check out our article of the same name.
To add to its usefulness and adaptability, you can adjust the MAX spin rate to suit your needs, but even at low speed, the tool still provides quite a bit of force. You can work with the most popular sized screws, and you can also depend on its long battery life to accomplish a reasonable amount of work.
The battery isn’t going to last forever, of course, and needs to be recharged occasionally, but it does have some lasting power for a while and definitely allows you to get a lot of projects knocked out.
We also have to take note of the LED work light as it really helps when you’re trying to focus on a particular area. The light placement isn’t necessarily bad, though your hand could block some of the light depending on the angle. For the most part, the LED light is a big help especially if you’re working in a dimly lit environment. It’s rather common and, in our honest opinion, should be standard-issue these days on similar tools. However, we still love the 3-light setup that some brands are offering, such as the Ryobi impact wrench we reviewed.
Should you buy it?
There are, as always, so very many drills, drivers, and impacts to choose from, and the MAX drill impact from B&D is definitely for the user who wants a good value for their hard-earned cashola. Power or torque isn’t always what a person is looking for–some drill impact tools can actually have too much power, which can cause them to be difficult to use. With the MAX, you’ve got a lightweight tool that has the same amount of power as many of its competitors.
We have already gone through many of the MAX impact drill features, but we feel that we need to add that the chuck is strikes us as very durable and provides a better torque transfer. It is also more robust and easy to use than the typical impact drill, so there’s greater productivity. There are quite a bit of drills out there which boast great power, balance, or battery life, but due to inherently cruddy chuck design, are quite the pain to work with. Not with this model!
The MAX is also suitable for those who want full control over their varying projects. One of the speed settings is 0 to 300 RPM and aimed at high torque. For applications that need high-speed drilling you can switch to 0 to 3900 IPM.
This kind of power is sufficient for most all home uses and DIY projects. However, there is also power within for construction contractors and installers alike. When it comes to fastening and drilling applications, the MAX can meet the needs of many users–it’s not just for grandpa.
The tools’ designs also means they are practical for a lot of overhead work or holding the tools for extended periods of time. With their ergonomic design and light build, you can hold them up and work on a wide range of applications in narrow spaces. It also helps that the learning curve is slight, so for those of you who have little to no experience with a drill, driver, or impact wrench, then this one could be for you. It was, after all, the first brand I personally purchased, even after using DeWALT drills in my work place for years.
Verdict
All-in-all, we find the MAX drill impact combo is well-rounded tool set. It is not perfect of course, but no power tool is, no matter who says so–and you do get a lot of out of it in terms of cost-to-performance value. For a long time now, the problem with most compact drill impact combos was that they lacked power, but Black and Decker, like some other brands recently, have done a terrific job giving this tool setup some muscle.
For overall power and performance, we give the MAX the thumbs-up.
Our Rating: 4.3 out of 5
Further Information:
To see Black & Decker drills in action, you can check out their main page on Youtube, which includes some informative “how-to” videos, as well as information about their varied line of impact wrenches, drivers, and power tools.