Black & Decker VPX Starter Set Review

Tools are the one of the things that we all need around the home or office at one time or another. Black & Decker is one of the most popular makers of tools and today we are going to look at the new Black & Decker VPX Starter Kit. The kit includes three tools that are all powered by the same small, compact lithium-ion battery pack. Read the full review for all the details.

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Benchmarks

Features & Specifications
The Black & Decker VPX Starter Set includes a screwdriver, cutsaw and flashlight that all use one VPX battery pack. The VPX battery pack and the battery pack charger are included as well. There are several other tool sin the VPX collection and some require two VPX battery packs to operate. To keep from taking up all the AC outlets with chargers, the VPX charger features a daisy chain port that allows you to charge multiple VPX battery packs from one AC outlet.

The VPX1101X screwdriver that is included with the kit has a two-speed transmission with a 195 rpm speed for screws and a 625 rpm speed for drilling. The VPX1301X cutsaw has a ½-inch stroke length and runs at 1950 stroke/min. The final tool in the collection is the VPX1401 is a three LED flashlight that can run for up to five hours on a single VPX battery pack. The VPX battery pack itself is a 7V lithium-ion battery designed to hold a charge for an extended period so it is ready to work when you are.

Tools in Use
The VPX1101X screwdriver oddly lacks a clutch. I used it to put together several things around my home including a ready to assemble desk for my son. The lack of a clutch is a big problem in my eyes for something aimed specifically at driving screws. The amount of torque that the VPX1101X has even on low speed is impressive. While that is a good thing, it’s bad when you couple lots of torque with no clutch. It is very easy to over tighten screws, which can lead to split wood.

The other thing I was disappointed to see was that when the BPX1101X is packaged in the starter kit, it includes no accessories. That means you get no bits or anything, just the screwdriver itself, whereas if you buy the same item outside of the kit you get a ten piece accessory kit.

The VPX1401 triple LED flashlight is impressively bright for a small flashlight and has a lanyard to attach the light to your hand or a belt. The third item in the kit is the VPX1301X cutsaw. Just like the screwdriver, the cutsaw doesn’t include any accessories. The saw has a tooless blade changing system and has plenty of power for light cutting tasks like pruning trees, cutting smaller boards and such.

The entire starter kit is very handy and works well. The only things I found lacking were the lack of any accessories for the included tools from driver bits to saw blades and the lack of a clutch on the screwdriver. I found during my testing that I was unable to tighten the screws all the way to keep from splitting the wood accidentally and finish the tightening with a normal screwdriver.

Verdict

Conclusion

Pros

• Lightweight but powerful tools
• One battery pack powers them all
• Easy to use

Cons

• Not one single accessory for the tools is included
• No clutch on the screwdriver

Verdict
I found the tools included in the Black & Decker VPX Starter Set to be functional and useful. For an item to be billed as a starter set, I would expect it to be ready to work out of the box with drill bits and saw blades, but the kit lacked any additional accessories. The lack of a clutch on the screwdriver bothered me as well. Overall, the tools are high quality and with careful use, the faults in the screwdriver can be overlooked. This Black & Decker VPX Starter Set will make a great gift for the holidays for men and women alike.

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