Product Review: BlackZero Drill & Tool Kit

As an experienced woodworker, my first look at the BlackZero drill and its associated tool kit left me thinking it was a toy. The clean lines and packaging seemed designed for a young adult wanting a “pretty” toolbox to prove they know how to fix things.

However, I couldn’t have been more wrong. As I spent time testing and working with the BlackZero tools, especially the drill, I came to realize that the folks at BlackZero had reimagined the cordless drill, redesigning it to get more power out of a smaller package.

The Drill at Center Stage

The cordless drill is clearly the centerpiece of this tool kit. It’s sleek style and smooth surface stands in stark contrast to most cordless drills.

But even though some might think it looks like a toy, it’s much more powerful than anyone would expect. I compared it to the Milwaukee drill every day, and found that it had more torque. Considering it operates at a lower voltage and that Milwaukee is known for squeezing extra torque from their motors, this was a huge surprise.

During my personal testing, the drill was able to drive up to 3 ½” drywall screws into a 4”x 4”, without any lubricant. Typically, I use soap to lubricate screws longer than 2”. The drill also managed a hole saw up to 2 ½”, though a 2 ¾” hole saw caused it to bog down.

While a drill is a drill is a drill, there are several design innovations in this drill, such as an electronic torque control (clutch) that is managed through a touch screen on the back of the drill. There are three different torque/speed settings, as well as a drill setting and an automatic setting that allows the tool to operate as seems best for the situation.

The drill is variable-speed, though not in the conventional sense. The standard dual-button control for forward and reverse has been replaced with a single button. You can quickly and easily tell which way the drill is set to turn, as it is indicated on the same touch screen.

The drill is quickly and easily charged with a standard Type-C USB connection, with the battery either in the tool or removed. Unfortunately, spare batteries and external chargers are not yet available, though the Type-C connection eliminates much of the need for an external charger anyway.

One thing that concerned me about all the electronics built into this tool was the risk that it might reduce the durability of the tool. Anyone who has worked on projects around the home knows that tools get hard used, misused and fall off ladders. So, I dropped it from the top of a ladder.

While the touch screen and battery came loose, they snapped back into place and the drill kept working.

The drill tier of the set comes with an assortment of drill and driver bits. The larger diameter drill bits are brad point, rather than the more common twist drills. This is perfect for woodworking and home repair. Driver bits come in both long and short varieties, along with nut drivers and magnetic extensions. These bits will handle most jobs, including some that one might not expect.

The Second Tier: Hand Tools

The second tier of the kit contains a range of common hand tools, though there’s little that is truly “common” about them.

The best way to gauge the quality of any hand tool is by the quality of the steel, something that manufacturers don’t bother to share. But that doesn’t leave us without anything to go by. Fit and finish, along with attention to detail will tell us a lot about the efforts that manufacturers put into making quality tools.

The fit and finish of these tools are excellent, with rubberized plastic handles and smoothly polished surfaces. But it’s the attention to detail that makes these tools stand out. Let me give you a few examples:

• The hammer has a magnetic nail holder, making it easier to start nails. It also has a fitted rubber cap, which allows the hammer to also be used as a mallet.
• The adjustable crescent wrench has a graduated scale showing how far it’s open—a feature I’ve never seen on any adjustable wrench.
• The needle-nose pliers have a wire stripper built into the wire cutter, as well as crimpers for wire lugs.

There are also two screwdriver handles in the kit (standard and short) which accept ¼” hex bits, a tape measure, and a utility knife with a snap-off blade.

The Third Tier: Accesories

The third and final tier is referred to as an accessory tier.

This has dividers, splitting the available area to 12 separate, but adjoining compartments, filled with screws, electrical lug fasteners, picture hangers and other useful hardware. While I probably would have created a different mix, that’s a matter of opinion. There’s plenty of room to reorganize and add some other items.

I wills ay that the quality of the hardware included in this tier is excellent; far above what is typically included in hardware assortments. Some of the fasteners included are of the more expensive variety, rather than just filling the box with cheap stuff.

My Final Word

I don’t expect to see any professional carpenters or handymen replacing their existing tool sets for this one. For one thing, they have no need to.

However, if a young couple starting out asked me what to buy for basic home repairs and maintenance, I would definitely recommend BlackZero’s drill and tool kit. It offers a solid starting point, housed in a rugged case that’s both easy to store and practical to use.