DeWalt Reviews

Got two Black and Decker tools for Christmas and had to take them both back. One was a recepercating saw and only one of the blades would go in. The other one was the NaviGator powered handsaw/jigsaw. Used it one time and could not get blade out to replace with another blade. The idea of this saw is very good, I just wish some other company made one. I have never had much luck with Black and Decker tools.

The tool idea is good, however the power and quality of materials is inferior. Mine is already making an awful noise and "freezing". I used it to cut 2x4's during a room's renovation. I'll never buy black & Decker garbage again.

We bought this saw for tree trimming. First time we used it it worked great, sawed right through tree limbs 3" and smaller, also worked great trimming the fronds off the palm trees. But during the second use an internal part broke and the blade no longer stays in place, making the saw useless. Can't find the receipt, so we are stuck with it. Our next saw will probably not be a Black & Decker.

The description is misleading. It states that you get a pair, when actually they only send one.

I love DeWalt tools and generally think they are worth the price, however - this is going a little overboard. I believe (as many others do) that this should have come with the DW705. It is overpriced and actually doesn't work that well. I've installed it correctly (with a little help from Customer Service) and yet it still doesn't sit properly. I think I'll go back to my own rigged contraption - it worked better than this does! I expect better from DeWalt.

Expensive? Yeah. but NOT as costly as cutting off a thumb or a kicked back 2 X 4. This is designed to support whatever you're cutting, so you can SAFELY keep material under control. It is well made (albeit in Taiwan) with heavy- duty parts - rods, plates and hardware. Mine came with STANDARD 1/2" SAE nuts. Try using adjustable wrenches to install the rods to the plate and the screws underneath. Also if you leave just a little looseness in the installation hardware under your saw, you can easily slide the extension in and out to accomodate your lumber. You may want to lightly lubricate the rods. If I had a complaint, it would be that this should come WITH your DeWalt miter saw instead of as an extra.

I am a retired bricklayer. I do many odd jobs now to keep me busy. I bought this toolbecause I thought it would be a help in my line of work. It performed miserably. I used it to mix some grout for a tile floor. On the second pail of grout, the drill burned out. Don't buy this item. You will be totally disappointed. Go with the bosch SDS hammer. It is a much better item.

I purchased this tool last March using it ocassionally. On one ocassion I chipped mortar off some cinder block so I could frame a door opening. Then I used it to drill 5/16" x 2" deep holes in brick to install shutters. The other day I used it to hammer-drill 15, 1/2" holes in concrete to assist with cutting out a slot in 8" concrete to allow underground power to go up a wall to the main panel on a new house. I used it for about 45 minutes, with a few breaks for me to rest. Then I pulled out the chisel for this tool and used the hammer selection along with a sledge hammer to bust out the concrete. It did great until I started smelling something burning. The black oil started showing up in the chuck on the drill bits. Now it is off to DeWalt for repair. Should last longer than this. Dissappointing.

I have a hammer drill that I have used for several years with disappointing results. After researching several rotary hammers, I selected the DeWalt based on rated power, bit capacity, D style handle, overall length and cost (I must admit I also like the bright yellow color). I used the chisel mode to remove tile from two bathroom shower/tubs and stubborn thinset from floor tile. The tool worked great. I can now also sink holes into aged concrete with ease. I like it; it is a good tool for jobs involving aged concrete.

The major problem I got with my planer is that it does'n have a base for stationary use. Bosch does! I would like to know when DeWalt will design one?

I have got a lot of use out of this tool. Used it to turn a bunch of construction grade lumber into dimensional lumber for about 60 feet of porch railing on a restoration house. Never could get a hand planer to work and this is my first power planer so my opinion is limited, but it does everything I expect. After planing four sides of a 2x2 you need to soften the edges because they are so sharp. It snipes 1-2 inches at the end of the cut -- ? This may be normal for power planers, I don't know. GREAT storage case. Manual/instructions only big complaint -- twenty pages and after the safety instructions (don't use tool in the bathtub) and five translations I still have no idea what I am supposed to do with a 1x3 piece of metal that came with the kit.

After reading the one and only review I can only assume that I got lucky with a square Dewalt hand planer. To start off I wish all my power tools (some of which cost hundreds more) came with the high class storage case the planer did. For flattening large areas or truing up and squaring long stock this planner makes loads of wood chips fast. I wouldn't use this plane for finish work on cabinets or furniture because it moves so fast that with one mistake your project would be toast. Norm probably wouldn't have this type of plane in his shop preferring the craftsmanship of the hand planes. However for those of us who work and don't have the luxury of spending hours making a large table top flat this is a real time and labor saver.

I bought the Avenger 21361 Dual Line Laser Guide Kit for my Dewalt 705 compound miter saw. The product comes in two parts: an inner laser and an outer laser. 1st problem: the outer laser is too big for the arbor fitting -- and not just a little bit, it's at least 1/8" top and bottom and 1/4" side to side. 2nd problem: I decided to install only the inside laser. 20 minutes of use and it no longer puts a guide line on the work piece. I changed the batteries -- still no satisfaction. I wish it had worked, it would have made all of those cuts a LOT easier.

This is a nice unit and I do not know if there different tolerances on dewalt arbors are to be considered. The supplied bushings were to sloppy to center the blade on the arbor,this would result in the blade not runing true.I made a new bushing. The laser beams are exactly on target,almost cant make a mistake.
I did bring this to the attention of Avenger but did not get a positive reply. Perhaps having been a machinist I am a bit fussy.
I am not knocking this product, it is not a factory installed product and is reasonably priced.

I don't know that it improves my cutting all that much. Recieved this as a gift for xmas along with a card commenting on "tired old eyes". After thirty years of aligning my saw blade to the cut line with the "touch down" method, I am pretty accurate with my chop saw. The light was fairly easy to install, had to remove my blade stabilizer, not enough room for both devices. The light comes on when you fire up the saw...very startling at first. Its bright and shows up on the wood well. It does tend to "wash" out your pencil line unless you make it very dark to begin with. I've had it on the saw a couple weeks now and still do the "touch down" alignment method first (very hard to break the habit), then when the light comes on I find myself second guessing the alignment..haven't seriously messed up any cuts but it is irratating. I also miss my blade stabilizer as it does cut down on the noise and vibration when using thin kerf blades. I rated this light 4 stars because it does do what it is suppose to do, but I don't think it is for me. I'm too much a creature of habit I guess. I'm going to remove the light, give it back to the jokester and let him use it or return it.

I bought this sander at Lowes because it was inexpensive,
about $50, and I also thought that Black and Decker was
still a good name. Used the sander to sand old floor
adhesive off of plywood. The floor was approximately 4'X 6'.
For a brief moment I thought this tool purchase was going
to be worth the price. This is the first belt sander I have
ever used. I went through 4 belts in about 1 hour.
The belts would track true and sand good for a short time.
Then the belts would go off track and cut into the plastic
housing. I could turn it off and manually adjust the belt
back into the proper position but they would just go off track
even quicker after the first time. One of B&D's big selling
points is automtic belt tracking, no adjustment neccesary. It
did not work for me. I returned it to Lowes the next day no
problem.

I was going to buy the variable speed Dewalt until I read the
reviews about it on this site. I was cheap before so I thought
if I spent $200 on a sander I could pretty much expect to get a
good machine but now I am not so sure. I really like the idea
of being able to mount the Dewalt on it's stand and use it as
a fixed sander. Not sure what I am going to do now.

I got this sander as a youth beginner and at that time I was unimpressed. If you use this type of sander very infrequently or you are buying this for a person that has a BEGINNING interest in woodworking this is the tool for you to buy. If you plan on going in any way beyond that plan on being disappointed and plan on buying a higher quality sander. I was told this same thing and didn't listen at a younger age. Oh well small price mistake I guess.

Can anyone help me? I need information on a 3" X 24"Black & Decker Sander, a B-245, TYPE AB. Specificaly the size and description if the Drive Gears. Thanks.

Let me start by saying that I have LOVED all my Dewalt tools. But, this sander sucks! At least the one I received. I have an eight year old DW 421 ROS that has served me well with my only complaints being the rubber sealed switch that has always been tempermental and it being underpowered. I have been shopping for a new ROS for a while now with variable speed and more power being two requirements. The highly rated Porter Cables never quite felt right in my hands and the Bosch sanders seemed to have too much vibration when in use. I was excited to see the ad about the new Dewalt sanders- bigger motor, cool new look, and it is a Dewalt!...I was on the list to receive one of the first ones. It finally came, it looked a little plasticy, but still cool. I plugged it in and turned it on (same lame sealed switch but not worn out like my old one) and the sander came to life- it had a wierd high pitched kazoo-like sound that had me concerned but I was going to see how it sounded in action. The variable speed control was really hard to turn, but I suspect that would get easier as it wears.

I put on a new 150 grit sheet and tested it out. It didn't feel good in my hands, the top was big and odd shaped. The high pitched vibration sound was still there. It sanded as well as my old sander but not better. I decided to do a three way comparison with my old DW421 2.0 amp, my friends Bosch 1295 DVS 2.2 amp, and the new D26453K. The Bosch had both Dewalts beat on build quality and power when sanding but without the CFS it just doesn't sand as well (I think what I'm sensing is consistent pad speed on and off the wood that the CFS provides for the Dewalts) The Bosch had more vibration than my old Dewalt but less than the new one.
The pad on the new Dewalt stalled as easily as my old one and as I previously mentioned I couldn't tell that this sander was more powerful. I could not rotate the variable speed switch with my thumb while operating it- too stiff. And that horrible sound!!
I'm sure I got a less than perfect copy, but I am still disappointed in Dewalt for either poor quality control or if they are all like that, for a sucky new ROS.

I was disapointed b/c in all the stores the sander comes with a case.. I had to order the case in addition to the sander which after shipping made it about 25.00 more than the local store.. just not happy

I bought this sander to replace my DW421k which had started to show the signs of aging after 5 years of hard use. I usually check out all the reviews on Amazon before buying but this was a new release and had seen positive reviews so I went for it. After having it for almost 2 months, I've used it just about every weekend and this is what I think:

Pros:
Improved dust collection
Has the power to remove lots of material
Variable speed allows an excellent finish

Cons:
Extra torque makes it harder to control than the 421
Larger grip makes it harder to hold

That's all for now, will update after I've had it for a year.

my largest problem with this jigsaw is that the variable speed is..get this..a dial from 1 to 7 on the rear end of the handle...you cannot safely dial in the variable speed unless you remove a hand and set the speed..i wish i had researced jigsaws a little more thoroughly before purchasing.

I used this jigsaw for about 30 minutes and immediately realized it has a major fault. I returned it (...) and plan to replace it with a Bosch or Milwaukee.

The blade change mechanism is very awkward. You have to pull up on a black knob and twist to release or grip the blade. Unfortunately, as you twist to lock the blade, the blade arm goes out of alignment. The blade arm actually turned clockwise on me as I turned the black knob to lock the blade.

To straighten out the blade arm so that the blade points straight, it appears you would need a 1/4" wrench. However, there is no mention about blade alignment in the poorly written instruction manual. I didn't want to try this and just returned the whole thing for a refund.

The jig saw didn't feel balanced to me, maybe because the handle is too thin.

I too had been looking at reviews posted here. I am a BIG DeWalt fan I was quite disapointed to read about all the problems. I decided to buy one anyway and give it a try. The first thing I was nervous about was the blade installation/change. My first try was a dud, the blade came off as I started to cut. After close examination of the locking mechanism I discovered that I just had stoped tightening the knob too soon. If I turn the knob one half a turn past the handle it will click and the blade will lock securely. I have cut though 4 inch PT lumber like if it was butter. The saw has plenty of power and if I do my part the blade stays true. The only thing missing from this saw is a dust collection tube. I sure am happy I bought this saw.

I read Christopher's review that said the blade guard was overpriced (he was right!), but I decided to get one anyway because my DeWalt grinder's manual seemed to make such a big deal about the safety reasons for needing this special guard when using a diamond blade. The guard does have the advantage of covering both sides of the blade, and the ability to control the depth of cut is important. However, the threaded studs used to adjust the depth of cut are welded to the guard in such a way that there is a big lump of weld at the base of each stud. When the two parts of the guard are assembled, the lumps prevent the parts from mounting squarely, and that prevents making a true 90 degree cut.

Today I was in a Harbor Freight store and saw their item #45921. It is the equivalent of the DW4705, and it doesn't have the poorly welded studs. Best of all it was only $5.99. I have never seen one of these in a Harbor Freight catalog, and their web site does not recognize the 45921 item number. However, I would guess that you can order one over the phone.

What a worthless tool. You can find a lot better for your money than this overpriced excuse for an accessory. Dewalt should be ashamed for putting this on the market.

Although expensive for what at first it seems you get, this is a sturdy, well manufactured and functional device, that has been invaluable for my purpose of safely and accurately cutting flagstone from thin veneer to 3" thickness. Pricey, but a required accessory for using the grinder for precision cutting of hard materials.

I've read the instructions ten times, and I still can't figure out how to install this contraption. The rack and pinion depth adjuster on the 621 is fast and accurate. Save your money.

What it does is very simple. It hooks up to the longest plunge stop screw on DW621. As you turn the knob, it rotates the screw. As the screw is inserting or releasing from the base, the router body is raised or lowered. The problem is

1) Range of height adjust is only 1+ inch.
2) If you raise to the end, the screw will jam and if you lower to the other end, the screw will come off from the base.
3)There are three screw joints along the line of connection. Thus, often you end up unscrewing the knob instead of lowering the bit.
4) The knob is too close to the dust collection port making it hard to turn.
5) In order to raise 1 inch, you got to turn the knob 30 times with your two fingers.

They could have provided 1) a hookup for the stop screw and the existing fine adjuster. 2) An extension handle for the existing fine adjuster hex hole. Then, they would do a better job than this adjuster.

I have one of these for my DW621 that I use when it is in the table. Precise adjustment of cutter depth is virtually impossible without this device. It replaces the standard plunge depth guide and allows you to fine tune the depth of cut with a simple screw mechanism rather than "bump & hope." You can't get by without this if you plan on using your DW621 in a table and want to do precise work!