Power drills are awesome, turning an erstwhile laborious chore into a relatively easy affair. The drawback? If you’re the clumsy sort of pseudo-handyman around the house, it’s not that uncommon to crack drywalls, splinter wood, and strip screws from keeping your finger on the switch just a little too long. The Black & Decker AutoSense is designed to ensure that never happens again.
Fitted with the company’s AutoSense technology, the cordless drill incorporates an electronic clutch and a microprocessor that analyzes the rate of change in torque, enabling it to detect whenever a screw is already flush in place. Rather than keep running when that happens, it automatically hits the brakes, shutting down operation even with your finger still firmly on the trigger.
The Black & Decker AutoSense separates its operation into two modes: drill and drive. In drill mode, it works like regular power drills, boring holes onto surfaces using the onboard 800 RPM motor. In drive mode, the automatic sensing facility is activated, halting the drill operation as soon as it detects that a screw is driven flush. Do note, the tech is not 100 percent accurate, so it will, occasionally, stop before a driving job is done. In that case, just release and press the trigger again to resume operation until it finishes. Features include an integrated LED worklight that’s angled to illuminate the work surface area, 3/8-inch chuck size, a double-ended bit, and a lithium ion battery that can hold a charge for up to 18 months.
Want one? The Black Decker AutoSense Drill/Driver is priced at $74.