If you want a budget hammer drill that might be suitable for basic home projects, give the Black and Decker BCD003 a try.
Installation couldn’t be simpler; just insert your 20V battery and ensure it’s securely clicked into place. Afterward, check its charge status before proceeding with work.
Hands-On Testing and Usage
It is a convenient beginning.
Now let’s look at some of the other controls of the drill itself. Just near the chuck are torque clutch adjustments. These has a number on them which corresponds to the amount of twist needed before the clutch lets go. This is handy if you’re driving screws into something softer where they is easy to strip.
It’s confusing when you first see these numbers, but they gets second nature pretty quick.
Additionally, there are specialized modes for drilling and hammer action for masonry work. By means of a simple toggle switch you can go from normal drilling mode to full-on hammer mode for boring into masonry.
There’s also a two-speed selector behind the chuck. Speed one is for really tough jobs that require extra torque; speed two are for high speed drilling (lighter duty stuff).
You keep speed two handy for most general drilling job.
The trigger switch is located near the forward and reverse controls.
The forward and reverse control sits just above the trigger switch. The forward/backward switch is a simple lever that immediately reverses the direction of rotation. This makes it easier to back the screw out a bit or free a stuck one different than to muscle against it going in the wrong direction. After a couple of times using it you get a feel for controlling direction easy.
The operation is smooth.
Operation is smooth.
The first step in your test drive: Insert a Phillips screwdriver bit into the chuck. Tighten the chuck tightly on the bit shaft; it’s important for efficient screw driving that the bit stay put while being used. So just turn the chuck clockwise with the screwdriver bit in place until it locks down snugly.
Then flip the switch over to “forward,” hold the screw near an open panel or part of an old electronic device, and start it into a hole. When the screw bottoms out, it will stop itself as the clutch clicks to the closed position, another way to avoid forcing screws too far.
When working with delicate materials, you’ll find that a low torque is best to drive screws in. This ensures no damage to surrounding material and avoids stripped-out screw heads.
Next up is working with screws. Once they’re out of your hands, you’ll move on to making nice, neat holes in some wood.
Rather than using hammer action, you want to be in normal drilling mode here. Applying even pressure while keeping the drill straight will get you a nice, tidy hole free from any splinters on the woods surface. Just don’t mind all those wood shavings flying about as the drill bit work their way further into the plank.
And lastly, let’s test out the masonry capability. With a dedicated masonry bit made specifically for concrete surfaces, you activate hammer mode.
Immediately you can see how much faster the drill is moving while boring holes in harder surfaces such as concrete or foundation walls. It sounds different (the motor pitch) and feels different, the vibration lets you know it’s chewing its way through that stone, and drilling concrete was much more faster with this setting. Mounting the brackets were no problem at all.
As seen here in this hands-on look at the BCD003, it’s a perfect tool for most tasks we throw at it. Whether you’re screwing down small parts on electronics projects or boring into heavy-duty concrete, the tool adjusts nicely to whatever you place it against.
You’ll notice the clear modes make it easy to dial in exactly what you need with no dedicated tool for every job, while still feeling comfortable switching from wood to masonry.
That makes it more versatile.
All the necessary features are explained thoroughly in the demo. The torque setting will save you from destroying a few projects in no time. Knowing the difference between hammer mode and regular drilling is very important and will make your test session much more productive.
Overall, this is a well done drill that does surprisingly well with common materials given the price point. You should of checked the manuals first.
