The Drill That Tells You When the Job is Done
Written: Nov 21 '00
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Great motor, useful variable speeds, lightweight
Cons: Sloppy keyless chuck, inspires little confidence in craftsmanship
|
|
|
| anecdoter's Full Review: Black & Decker 3/8" VSR Drill 7157 |
I must admit, sometimes... quite often really, I think I'm smarter than I actually am. Fortunately for me, this drill tells me the task at hand is done. Whenever this Black and Decker thinks that it is finished, it pops whatever attachment is in the keyless chuck out and onto the floor.
Recently, I had to use a space to drill several starter holes through some very thick hardwood floors in the kitchen. These tounge and groove boards were nearly an inch thick and and I had to drill four of them to cut out a square for a dishwasher drain pipe. Halfway down each hole, the spade would wiggle and the chatter and finally be spat out from the drill. No matter how tightly I closed the keyless chuck, this never failed to happen; needless to say the drilling took twice as long.
When the attachment actually stays in the drill, the drilling is fast and smooth with the drill's 4.5 amp motor kicking more than enough power. Despite using the drill only for several months, I have used it in a variety of situations.
When sanding down spackle, with the proper attachment (I use a fiber based circular paint remover) this drill works wonders. I had large sections of walls smoothed down twice as fast as it would have taken with my previous drill - which finally burnt out after many years of faithful service. Curiously, the stripping disk never popped out once, which leads me to believe that vibrations from chewing through thick wood causes the keyless chuck to slowly loosen.
The more than adequate motor can handle nearly everything I throw at it without even shrugging. Even when spading through thick joists, this drill just hums along, barely noticing the increased load. The variable speed trigger mechanism is excellent and extremely helpful, allowing for any speed between a half-dead snail's crawl to blisteringly fast. The slower speeds come to much use when using the including bits to use the drill as a screwdriver. While I do not do this often, I prefer a manual screwdriver, I have found that single speed drills can mangle a screw if you're not very careful. Using a pair of pliers to remove a chewed up screw does not sound like much fun to me.
The plastic housing, which does not get as hot as metal - thus fewer scalds - feels flimsy. This Black and Decker is very lightweight, which should please your wrists, but it does not feel durable - it is hard to feel confident in a tool if it feels like it made by Fisher-Price. Also, the all plastic chuck and case head are more prone to scuffs and scracthes than their metal peers. Harboring dust in hard to clean crevices, the non-slip, textured plastic gets, and stays very dirty - the only effective way I have found to clean the case is with a damp rag - make sure the drill is unplugged!
The Black & Decker 3/8" VSR Drill 7157 comes in a plastic carrying case with enough pockets to hold most of your drill and screw bits. Also included is a pack of screw bits that are nothing but a small consellation prize; I would trade all of these for a decent chuck mechanism. The product registration card is a joke and I encourage everyone to throw theirs away. One should not have to fill out all their personal information (which Black and Decker will sell to advertisers) to obtain the warranty they deserve.
I cannot honestly recommend the drill - the weak chuck is an unexcusable disappointment. A good drill is supposed to aid its user, not hinder by forcing them to insert the attachment again and again. Blad and Decker would be wise to mate the excellent motor and variable speed trigger with a more durable case and a good chuck that won't loosen under vibrations. My last drill was a Black and Decker that was over fifteen years old (used by my father, and then myself for quite awhile), somehow I do not feel that this drill will last that long.
Recommended:
No
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
anecdoter
|
|
Member: Steve
Location: Toledo, OH
Reviews written: 40
Trusted by: 3 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.