Cordless Drill Review | Black and Decker LDX112C 12V Lithium

This is a consumer review of the Black & Decker LDX112C 12-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless drill/driver. I previously owned a Ryobi 14Volt drill/driver for years until it finally quit and after doing a bit of research and limiting myself to around a $50-60 price range I purchased this drill.

In a nutshell, as a household drill and screwdriver this B&D is a great little tool and I've been impressed by just how much power and battery life it has. It easily outperforms my old Ryobi and is about half the size (again, granted my old drill was about 8 years old and not Lithium Ion). I've done some light framing with 2x4s and some other projects using mostly 1x2, 1x1, and plywood and it's handled all the hole drilling and screw driving I needed it to do. At this size, voltage, and price point, however, you should not expect this drill to stand up to any serious construction projects or daily use for construction. It might be capable of handling it but I've not tested it under those conditions and if you need a work drill you're probably going to need to spend around $100 and get a nice DeWalt or Makita.

This Black & Decker LDX112C would make a great drill and screw driver for any household do-it-yourself'er or anyone that might need it once a week or a few times a month. It would especially make a great gift for anyone that does not have a cordless drill/driver already. I gave a small Makita to my dad a few years ago for Christmas and he still raves about how much he loves it.

Recommended For: Home owners, DIYers, Craft makers

Key Features:

• 12V Max lithium-ion battery
• 0 - 600 RPM
• 100 in/lbs torque
• 3/8" keyless chuck
• LED work light
• 11-position clutch
• 2 year warranty
• Includes: (1) 12V battery, charger, double ended bit

Get all specs and info at the Black & Decker website here...

PROS:

1. Lightweight and Small. Very helpful for getting into tight spaces and easy on the arms when holding over head.
2. Lithium-Ion Battery: For a variety of reasons (light weight, increased cycle times, fast charging) the Li-Ion batteries are all the rage in cordless tools nowadays and this drill has one.
3. Cheap and easily available replacement (or extra) batteries. This is HUGE. Ask yourself, what will you do in a 2 or 3 years if/when one of your batteries goes bad? Your drill is useless without them so having a reasonably priced and easy to find replacement battery is a major consideration for deciding which drill to buy.
4. Price: For about $40 you can hardly go wrong and if you don't have a cordless drill for putting that occasional project together or driving screws you'll love having this around.

CONS:

1. Not heavy weight drill, not really for contruction projects
2. Some reports of chuck slippage. While I have not experienced this problem myself I have seen reports that the chuck slips when holding round drill bits during drilling regardless of how tight the chuck is. Not a problem I have experienced and it could easily be solved by using hex base drill bits.