Black & Decker FSC718K-2 18 Volt 7-Tool Combo Kit

List Price: $378.57

Features:

• 18-Volt 7 Tool Mobile Workshop with storage system
• Power Pak tool bag features a power strip with six outlets and a 15' power cord for versatilty
• Mobile Workshop helps you cut, drill, drive, line, find studs, light your project area and clean up
• Mobile Workshop keeps your tools in one place where you can charge them as well
• The Mobile Workshop includes a Workmate 375, Power Pack tool bag, FireStorm 18 Volt Drill, 18 Volt Circular Saw, 18 Volt Cut Saw, 18 Volt Vacuum, 18 Volt Work Light, Bulls Eye Laser Level & Stud Finder, two 18 Volt batteries and a charger

Accessories:

Franklin International Titebond II Premium Wood Glue, 16-Ounces #5004

Customer Reviews:

Very good value. [Posted on 2004-09-29]
Price and quality all the way. The only negative item would be no rip fence came with the cordless circular saw and I was unable to find it at any of the local hardware stores that I shop at. Other than that it is a very good value.

Don't Buy Firestorm! [Posted on 2005-07-23]
I sold tools at Sears for three years and I have never had a satisfied Firestorm customer. These tools are crap! Sure, they will do small projects. If you are putting together shelves or hanging pictures you will be fine. Build a deck or remodel the bathroom and I gaurantee you will be hating your cheap Firestorm.

Before buying this, look at the description of each tool. They don't list all the specifications with this item, so search Amazon for each separate item. You might get 150 in/lbs. of torque out of the drill. It has a 3-6 hour charging time. The entire casing for each tool is plastic. They are cheap for a reason.

Now, take those statistics and compare them to any other brand tool. A cheap Craftsman, Ryobi, or Skil is a little more expensive, but will give you far greater performance.

After working maintenance in a food processing plant, building garages, remodeling bathrooms and basements, and selling the tools I use, I could never recommend a Firestorm. Do the research, don't listen to the hype or focus on the price. Power tools are not paper towels or televisions where cheaper means it might takes more towels to clean a spill or the picture quality isn't perfect. With tools you need something that will do what you need it to. Drive some 3" screws into a wet 4X4. Drill a 1/2" hole through a double plate on a garage frame. You will find that the Firestorm won't do it.

Pay a little extra money for something that you can use time and again. Find a tool other people would like to borrow. My 18V Milwaukee has been with me for 6 years and still runs like a champ. I can outpower airtools when driving lag screws. Good luck with your Firestorm if you bought one!

Cost Effective for the Home User [Posted on 2005-08-07]
As with most things, you generally get what you pay for with power tools. It is annoying when reviews appear to have some ax to grind. Black and Decker is a decent brand, but people I know who happen to be contractors or in the "tool business" will tend to turn up their noses and say Dewalt or some comparable brand is the only thing they will touch. So be it...if I were them, I'd probably feel the same way. If you are a professional and use tools for a living, you probably want to invest in something more substantial. If you need something to drive a screw or cut something in half around the house, it seems a bit stupid to pay $400-$600 (or more) for a combo set. I bought a set similar to the above for around $150 and all the tools have turned out to be very effective.

Don't buy this [Posted on 2005-08-08]
If you really want a cheap set of tools, buy a Ryobi 18V kit. They may not be the greatest in the world but they get the job done even in a contracting setting (a couple guys I work with have them). The same cannot be said for B&D in my experience (not very reliable, and very cheap).

Personally I can't stand cheap tools (thus I own a $600 18V Dewalt set) but if you aren't willing to pay that much, than I recommend Ryobi.

Awesome kit for Home Projects [Posted on 2006-04-02]
I bought an old house that I'm remodeling and started from scratch with nil for power tools. Picked up this kit for the value. I've re done a kitchen and now deep into the second project. Working with 100 yr old timbers and other challenges and these tools have perfomed great. No issues with the drill chucks and the circular saw is a great little trim saw. As with most things now the casings on these tools is plastic. Every one in my seven tool kit has been dropped and dropped on several times, and I can tell you they are tough enough. This may not be a kit for a profesional contractor or commercial application, but for most of us average Joe's out there doing home projects, I would highly recommend.

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