I Can't Live Without My Black & Decker Cordless Swivel Drill

When I need to do light drilling or screwing, I always choose my Black & Decker cordless drill. It's the model XD1200K that incorporates a five position, swivel head. Unlike my heavier Sears Craftsman cordless drill, the Black & Decker allows me the accessibility into tight spaces that a standard 18-volt drill won't.

I finished by basement last year and was constantly buying materials and tools from the big box stores like Home Depot and Lowes. Being a regular at those stores, I would always browse the tool section for useful ideas. It's pretty much a "guy" thing, but hey, I'm contributing to the local economy! One day I spotted a Black & Decker display stand that showcased this handy 12-volt cordless drill. When I saw the low price at $49, I just had to buy it.

The drill comes in a hard shell plastic carrying case that snaps shut securely, and also includes 15 quick-connect accessories (screw heads and drill bits). It also has a battery charger for the 12-volt battery. All of this easily fits snugly into the storage case.

You might ask, "why not just use your larger (and heavier!) 18-volt drill?" I'm glad you asked. The Black & Decker drill allowed me to get into a very tight spot when placing wood screws in my basement's suspended ceiling. My big drill wouldn't even fit in the confined space I had to work in. But even better than that, the Black & Decker drill is adjustable in five different positions, from a straight drill to four other angled positions. A normal cordless drill is permanently stuck in a 90-degree angle. That's fine for routine work, but not in this case.

The B&D drill also is much lighter than my big drill, causing much less fatigue when doing a lot of screwing or drilling work. But, just because it's light in weight doesn't mean it's a wimpy drill. It has 105 in-lbs of torque, which is more than adequate for any light drilling tasks. Another great ergonomic feature is its 3-finger trigger. This also reduces hand fatigue, as you are not pressing on a small button that a standard drill would have.

When you change from screwing in small screws to larger ones or larger drill bits, the 24-position chuck gives you the correct control flexibility for whatever hardware you are working with. Simply turn the chuck knob on the end of the drill to match the sample picture icons. If you need to screw in small wood screws, just adjust the chuck to match the small screw representation on the knob. Simple as that -- no confusing torque numbers involved.

If you've used other drills, whether corded or cordless, you know how much of a pain changing drill bits can be. The Black & Decker has the Quick Connect bit change system that is the quickest and easiest bit change system available. I really love that feature, as I was constantly changing from drill bits to screw bits and back again when drilling pilot holes and then screwing in the ceiling suspension system.

I don't know how I got along without this before, and now I can't live without it!