BLACK+DECKER Cordless Screwdriver (AS6NG)

Not the fastest of screwdrivers but it comes in handy on repetitious jobs where you don't need or want to fire up a man-size drill/driver. It handles most low torque jobs with relative ease but for the tougher jobs you might need to use the clutch lock and revert to manual. Ergonomically the design is clever, with the switches for forward and back on two sides (unlike a previous model I used which had just one rocker switch for both actions). Also different to models with an in-built rechargeable battery is the ability to change the batteries when they run down. The four AAs are swapped very easily through a clip-on cover in the base, which means that if you keep a fully charged set in reserve, you don't have to plug in and wait, as you would with a built-in battery. Incidentally, this driver came with a set of alkaline batteries fitted, so you're good to go as soon as you unwrap it. My plan is to move to rechargeables once these have run out (which certainly wasn't at the end of its first outing with about two hours of intermittent use). The body is quite solid but made from the sort of plastic that might crack if dropped to a solid stone floor, so I'm being protective in these early days until I'm sure it's up to the job. The supplied bits (one flat, one cross head) are standard fitment and can be replaced with a variety of other bits if needed. Speed prevents this from being used as a drill but it certainly could be used to start holes as an awl in softer materials with the right fitment. Overall I'm pleased so far, but more importantly, if this one is durable in all other respects, I can look forward to not having to throw it away like the built-in rechargeable versions I've owned, just because their batteries have given up the ghost!

I have bigger and more powerful screwdrivers but I find I use this one most. I like the fact that it is not rechargeable, which means no more going to do a job and finding that it needs recharging (so far I have not needed to change the batteries). Like a lot of people I have loads of screw bits floating around, so the lack of bits was not an issue. If I could change anything then I would like it to be a little smaller.

Good product and well priced, but not very powerful and only really suitable for easy tasks. Probably good for putting flat pack furniture together, but nothing much else.

Having seen mixed reviews about this tool, I was a little apprehensive as to whether it would be up to the job, but thought for £15ish if it can only do flat packs it's still worth it.However, I have found it to have plenty of power. Alright it can't do the first turn of getting a very tight screw out of a wall, but would you expect it to? Just lock the gearing and do that first, controlled turn manually, then switch it into gear and it powers through the next few turns and then speeds through the rest.As with others, I have plenty of bits from other sets, so the fact that it had just two was no problem. Only sad thing is that the socket is not deep enough to take the double ended-bits, which are useful when you are dismantling randomly constructed things, and have to constantly change between slot and Philips bits, but it's not a huge problem.A bonus for me is that it fits into the previous Black & Decker screwdriver case I had.

Good does the job but eats batteries after 12 screws batteries need replacing

This was good to start with, but its ability to screw/unscrew diminished quite quickly regardless of the battery charge, even the manual mode failed as something inside became too loose to turn screws (the handle would turn whilst the driver would stay stationary, even on weak screws).I decided to disassemble the screwdriver to figure out what had gone wrong.The issue is the gearbox is made of soft nylon gears with the head of the screwdriver pushed through the end gear. Applying force to the screwdriver whilst in manual mode causes the metal parts to carve a smooth hole in the plastic parts causing it to spin freely and stop functioning in either mode.Would not recommend buying, tough screws will quickly wear this down and break it.

Pretty much useless except for light work - assembling an MDF cabinet was way beyond its capabilities.

Useful tools if you just move to an new house and purchase a lot of ikea, or you have mistakenly putting the pieces that should be the last, unscrew it will help you from the hell. Me and my hubby love it.