Avid Power 20V Max ACD316 Review

Drilling

The Avid Power 20V Max ACD316 encountered some performance issues in our drilling tests. It got off to a rocky start in our first test, and it took a full minute and 52 seconds to cut a hole in a door with a hole saw. While it completed the task, the drill housing became very hot, possibly dangerously hot, and the brushed motor produced a foul smell. A note that there was no visible smoke, but we didn't find this result particularly pleasing.

While using a spade bit, the Avid Power 20V Max ACD316 barely penetrated the wood before stalling. No amount of stopping and restarting allowed us to complete the task. The unit also produced an absurd amount of heat and the smell of burning components.

Lastly, the Avid Power 20V Max ACD316 exhibited less than impressive performance in our sheet steel metal drilling tests. For smaller holes, it was slower than the others. When we tried a larger diameter bit, it was an epic failure.

Driving

Unfortunately, the Avid Power 20V Max ACD316 was not up to the task of driving a medium-sized lag screw and failed to make progress with more than three inches of exposed screw thread to go. With no torque settings to change, our team could not advance the screw any further. However, it did do a good job of setting countersunk deck screws flush with lumber, albeit not nearly as fast as top models, and it was clear it struggled at the task.

Battery Life

In short, you won't get much mileage from the Avid Power 20V Max ACD316's 2-amp-hour battery. It is sufficient for small around-the-house tasks, like hanging a picture or two, but it is a poor choice for any tasks beyond that. Additionally, when the battery needs to be recharged, you can expect a little over three hours of downtime before returning to the task at hand with a full charge.

Convenience

The Avid Power 20V Max ACD316 didn't excel in our convenience test. A lack of speed settings and a chuck size limit of ⅜" kept this model from scoring well. While average all-around in the convenience metric, it is worth noting that the Avid Power is rather light at 1 pound 8.4 ounces, making it a nice model to handle.

Should You Buy the Avid Power 20V Max ACD316?

We can't in good conscience recommend the Avid Power 20V Max ACD316 over most other models we tested, as it is one of the poorest performing models we tested. For the price of a six-pack or two gallons of gas, it is possible to buy a handful of other better-performing models.

What Other Drill Driver Should You Consider?