Black & Decker VPX903X1 Li-Ion VPX Starter Set with Power Screwdriver, Cut Saw, Flashlight, and VPX Battery with Charger
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List Price: Our Price: $49.99 You Save: $143.41 (74%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $29.99 (click here) Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Black & Decker VPX903X1 Li-Ion VPX Starter Set with Power Screwdriver, Cut Saw, Flashlight, and VPX Battery with Charger
Customer Review: Some good, some not so good.....
Summary: 3 Stars
I'm an electrician and bought this kit for basically two reasons.
1. I wanted a small compact, easy to handle saw for small project work like making a few cuts in wood or a few cuts of electrical conduit so I wouldn't have to drag out the big reciprocating saw.
2. I wanted a secondary drill/driver with good battery life and I like the new Li-ion battery technology.
The small drill driver in the kit works great with plenty of power to drive a 2" drywall screw in solid wood on low speed and battery life seems sufficient to use consistently for a reasonable amount of time. Two speeds was a good thought from their R&D dept. A small LED work light to light the bit area would be a nice addition though.
I was much more disappointed with the hand held jigsaw. What happened to all the power I had in the driver??? It was non existent and even with a full battery charge it had to really work to make even one single cut through a piece 1/2 inch dia. conduit. (using a proper blade for metal). Not very impressive. I encountered the same thing when trying to cut a rectangular hole in 1/2 inch thick OSB board.
and the light that comes with the kit? ... pretty much worthless. Why not use several LED'S to give me a light that's actually useful and energy efficient ?
OK... I know these tools weren't designed for Pro use but I think that with a little more forethought and a small amount of money, these tools could have been much better and more useful to more people at what is still a very reasonable cost.
Would I purchase again knowing what I know now?....Not so sure about that. I'd probably wait for improvements or keep searching for a different product to fill the bill for what I wanted.
Just my 2 cents worth of input.....
Customer Review: Too weak for the money!
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought a 14.4 volt black and decker set from walmart for about $40...it was on clearence but even regular price is $89....You can get much better for the money!Customer Review: Useful and powerful little set at a great price.
Summary: 4 Stars
I really like this set, and for the price (I paid fifty bucks on Amazon) you can't beat it! Only four stars because the flashlight could be brighter.
I used the saw to trim some posts on my picket fence, and the driver has come in handy numerous times. The flashlight is a pretty weak compared to my other LED flashlights, but it's not bad.
It's about what you can expect from light duty cordless power tools and at a very decent price. The battery system is pretty nifty, and a LOT more powerful that the old Flex-Charge or whatever it was that Black and Decker had several years ago for their interchangeable battery system.
I'd recommend this to my friends, for sure.
Customer Review: VPX Heaven!
Summary: 5 Stars
IMHO, VPX is a revolution in tool design. I was so excited when I saw these tools. This system has what I consider to be the best industrial design you can find in the consumer tool market. I started with the inflator and since then I've bought and tested all the different components except for the USB/Inverter.
I find the tools to have plenty of power and its very useful to have a common battery as well as one thats ready to go when you need it! They also take a lot less space than my old tool system which my wife always thought took a lot of space. My VPX setup takes half the space and does more! This one is a keeper!
Customer Review: VPX-Easy to handle, but light-duty only, not rugged tools
Summary: 1 Stars
I'm not a power tool guy, but I bought this kit last winter when I moved into a new apartment and need to get some things done. The "power screwdriver" isn't a drill at all, but can save you some time if you're assembling something. I ended up buying the actual VPX Drill and VPX Compressor separately (the drill works fine for light duty, not real construction, the compressor is convenient for inflating tires and baby pools). The flashlight lasts a long time with the lithium cell and it will probably outlive the rest of the kit.
The cutsaw was useful for cutting some drywall and some 3/8" plywood, but it really ate up batteries. I use the past tense here because the saw has broken after I tried to cut a tree branch of about 1" in diameter with it.
Basically, this kit is good for hanging pictures, very, very light-duty cutting and for assembling baby toys where a low power screw driver is helpful. Beyond that it's just not built to last, so don't expect it to do so.
I don't usually bother to write reviews, but in this case I just concluded a series of projects around the house that showed the weakness of the VPX kit. I'm probably going to buy another kit shortly and keep the VPX around until the batteries fail. It's disappointing that B&D put a good battery in such a mediocre tool kit, no wonder it was discontinued.
Given that the kit is priced for close-out now, it's probably a decent value for $50 or less, but I still can't recommend the VPX platform.