BLACK+DECKER 20V MAX 4-Tool Cordless Combo Kit

Everything seems to work fine, but the drill that came with it is not what I expected. I had a Black and Decker drill before and was expecting a drill like the one I have with a high speed switch. This one is much smaller and does not have that high speed switch for drilling which is a big disappointment making it useless for drilling much of anything without taking for ever.

Update: After just completing a major building project on my off grid cabin, I changed my mind on these tools and upgraded my rating to four stars. First the drill that I bashed. Well actually the smaller size made it perfect for carrying on my tool belt and it was also perfect for screwing, and I drove hundreds if not thousands of screws with it. I was using my old drill for drilling though and this smaller one for all the driving work. That sped things up. The circular saw is OK, but the small blade limits it and the guide for cutting is pretty useless. You have to look at the blade when sawing to get any accuracy on cuts. I ended up just using it for quick small cuts, and used a generator driven Skill circular saw for 95% of my other cuts. The Sawsall was just excellent. No complaints there. I used it a lot for all sorts of jobs. The light is not super bright, but will likely last a long time on a charge. I’ll use it a lot at my cabin. I also bought a B&D jig saw at the same time as I bought these tools. It was far better than any other corded jig saw I’ve ever used.

This was my first set of tools. I now own (and have owned for some time) a Makita 7 tool set as well, which would make this set my back up set now, or so you would think.

First off, you need to accept these tools for what they are, you arent going to be building houses and starting a construction business. But they will do a lot more than you think.

Drill: probably the weakest point of the set at only around 600 rpm. But it will work just fine for most homeowner applications. Soft wood or even thin metal should be fine as long as you take your time and use stepping sizes on bits. Its very light and compact, and anytime its practical to do so, i will use this over my 3x heavier makita. Also, it does come with a handy light.

Circular Saw: so the first thing you need to do when you open the package is take out the stock blade it comes with, calmly inspect it, then throw it in the trash. Pick yourself up a diablo blade and this saw will do anything you need it to do.

Reciprocating Saw: you wont be cutting down 10″ trees or 6″ posts, but for any reasonable metal or wood you would need to cut, this saw will do just fine. Again, i recommend upgrading the blade.

Light: most of the time, i would scoff at included worklights, but this thing is actually really nice and high quality. Extremely compact and has a mainstay in my tool bag. As i can use my makitas on a bigger job without taking up a battery. The makita light is junk anyway, i would use this one anyway.

Batteries: the set comes with 2) 1.5 Ah batteries that we have used to operate each of the tools for a good long while before they would run out of juice. Small in size but work great for this set.

Battery charger: junk, they need to just throw this out and move on to using the fast charger system only. 4 hours to charge a 1.5 Ah battery is not only disruptive, but borderline infuriating. Do yourself a favor and pick up a fast charger for $30 bucks

I purchased this set off sale for $99 and i will say it was 100% worth that. It has appeared to have since raised some. I would probably wait for a sale. As for the current price range, you could get a craftsman, or a porter cable set and save a few bucks. But this set might surprise you. I have really enjoyed owning these tools as they are all light, and effective. My mother also owns the matrix system by black + decker and i have a jigsaw as well. So we get a lot of use out of the set.

Personally I’m a fan of the black and decker line of power tools. I’ve had the Firestorm 14.4v series for over a decade and I still have 1 of the original batteries that still holds a charge for over 30 minutes of use.

So, looking for an upgrade, and not being in construction, this was a perfect package for a great price.

I actually only wanted the 5.5 rotary saw, it’s the gem in the package, with a 20v battery, angle adjustment, depth adjustment, and easily interchangeable blades, if you got better blades.

Second best is the the drill, this would be my second drill, but a nice addition, as this one is lighter than my first one and more powerful. I love the adjustable “resistance” dial, perfect for the amount of pressure while drilling or screwing in something. I also like the added light at the tip for easy visibility while drilling.

The adjustable light was a nice addition. Even with a low battery this light is so bright that in a light room you still see a beam of light shooting in the direction you angled the light.

The reciprocating saw is nothing special, but at least it’s an added feature. It’s actually the largest piece besides the circular saw. I don’t really see myself using this reciprocating saw, but I got one just in case.

I was very happy that the package came with two working 20v lithium batteries that I could charge fully. I would have preferred a fast charger stand than the charger clip provided, but you can’t get everything. Also the package didn’t come with a utility bag.

Overall, I’m excited to get started on my future projects with my new tools and some accessories I picked up to go along with these tools.