Black & Decker 17 pc. Screwdriver Set, Magnetic, Color-Coded Handles

Why I reached for this set

A good screwdriver set should disappear into the background of your day: the right tip always at hand, the screw held in place, no drama. That’s what I was looking for when I put this 17-piece Black & Decker set into service around the house and garage. After a couple weeks of assembling furniture, tightening cabinet pulls, swapping out outlet covers, and tinkering under the hood, I have a clear sense of where this kit shines and where it shows its price point.

What’s in the set

This is a straightforward, homeowner-friendly assortment built around the fasteners you’re most likely to encounter:

• Three dedicated Phillips drivers: #2 x 4 in., #1 x 4 in., and a stubby #2 x 1.5 in.
• Three dedicated slotted drivers: 1/4 in. x 4 in., 3/16 in. x 4 in., and a stubby 1/4 in. x 1.5 in.
• One multi-bit driver
• Ten 1-inch bits: Phillips #0, #1, #2, #3; Slotted 1/8, 3/16, 1/4; Square S1, S2, S3

At 1.5 lb for the whole kit, it’s light and compact. The color-coded handle caps make it easy to grab the right style (Phillips vs. slotted) without reading the shank, and the hang holes are handy if you live by a pegboard.

Build quality and ergonomics

The dedicated screwdrivers use chrome-plated shafts and black-oxide tips. The chrome cleans easily and has held up well against the sweaty, damp conditions of my basement shop—no spotting so far. The black oxide tips are evenly applied on my set, with crisp edges on the Phillips and slotted profiles. That finish does seem to cut glare and provides a touch more bite than plain polished steel.

The handles are medium-diameter and rounded, leaning more toward compact than “torque monster.” If you’ve got large hands and expect to bust loose stubborn, corroded screws regularly, you’ll want a fatter handle with aggressive contours. For everyday household tasks, these strike a reasonable balance: comfortable for repeated use, not bulky in a drawer, and the stubby drivers are genuinely short enough to sneak into tight HVAC closets and behind appliance panels.

A small quirk: on my slotted stubby, the blade had a hair of side-to-side play at the handle when torqued hard. It never caused a functional issue, but it’s a reminder that this is a value-focused set.

Magnetic tips that actually help

Every tip in the set is magnetic, and that’s one of the big reasons I kept reaching for it. The magnets aren’t so strong that they fight you during removal, but they’re strong enough to hang onto a 1-1/4" wood screw at arm’s length while you position a hinge or bracket. On ladder work—installing smoke detector plates and curtain brackets—the magnets were the difference between a smooth job and a parade of dropped fasteners.

The multi-bit driver’s bit retention is tight and positive. There’s minimal wobble with the Phillips #2 bit, which is what I used most for cabinet hardware and furniture assembly. The hex bore held up fine; I didn’t see any rounding or chipping in the bit holder after a week of use.

Tip fit and cam-out resistance

You don’t realize how much time a poorly-ground tip can cost you until you try to snug down a brass hinge screw and it cams out at the last quarter turn. The Phillips tips here—both the dedicated drivers and the bits—fit cleanly into standard #2 and #1 screw heads. On soft brass and painted fasteners, I still had to be mindful, but the black-oxide finish and decent machining meant fewer slips than I’d expect at this price. The #0 and #3 bits are nice to have for odd jobs: the #0 for tiny cabinet latches and the #3 for beefier construction screws.

The slotted blades are flat, square, and true. The 3/16" is my go-to for electrical faceplates; it fit snugly in the slot and the black oxide gave a little extra bite without chewing up the screw. I did find a tiny burr on the 1/8" slotted bit out of the box, which I knocked down with a file in seconds. Nothing show-stopping, but worth noting if you care about pristine fit on very small fasteners.

The square-drive bits (S1, S2, S3) are a thoughtful inclusion. If you live in a region where square-drive screws are common (a lot of deck screws and some hinges), you’ll appreciate that you don’t have to go digging for a separate bit set.

Real-world use

• Furniture assembly: The Phillips #2 driver and multi-bit driver handled cam locks and standard screws easily. Magnets kept the hardware in place even when I worked one-handed.
• Electrical and wall plates: The slotted 3/16" driver offered good control. The shaft length gave enough reach without tipping the driver into the wall.
• Tight spaces: The stubby #2 Phillips earned its keep under a sink and behind a dryer. It’s truly stubby—short enough to turn where a standard driver won’t.
• Garage tasks: I tightened hose clamps and battery terminal connections with the slotted 1/4" blade. The handles provided enough torque for these light-to-medium jobs, though they’re not meant for seized fasteners.

Durability so far

After a couple of weeks of steady use, the chrome shows no rust or flaking, and the black-oxide tips haven’t rounded or chipped. The magnetic strength hasn’t diminished. I wouldn’t hesitate to keep this kit in a humid basement or garage, especially if you wipe down the shafts after particularly dirty work.

If you’re planning on daily, professional use, you’ll eventually want heavier-duty drivers with through-shafts and strike caps, or torque-optimized handles. This set isn’t that. It’s a sensible, general-purpose kit designed for household maintenance.

Organization and storage

The color-coded handle caps are more than a gimmick—it’s faster to spot the right driver at a glance. I hung the six dedicated drivers on a pegboard using the built-in holes, and the multi-bit driver plus the ten bits live in a small caddy in my toolbox. The set doesn’t come with a dedicated case; that might be a downside if you prefer all-in-one storage. For me, pegboard plus a bit rail was a better fit.

What could be better

• No Torx or hex bits: The bit assortment covers Phillips, slotted, and square, but you won’t find Torx (T10–T25) or common metric hex sizes. If your home has a lot of European hardware or modern appliances, you’ll want to supplement with a small Torx/hex kit.
• Not a precision set: There are no micro drivers for electronics or eyeglasses. You’ll need a separate precision kit for those tasks.
• Handle diameter: Fine for most jobs, but if you regularly deal with stubborn, large fasteners, a larger handle will be more comfortable and deliver more torque.
• Occasional QC rough edges: A minor burr on one bit and a touch of play on a stubby driver in my sample suggest this isn’t manufactured to the tightest tolerances. Both were manageable in practice.

Value and who it’s for

This Black & Decker set hits the sweet spot for homeowners, renters, and anyone assembling furniture, hanging shelves, and keeping a house running. The magnetic tips, sensible size range, and the inclusion of both dedicated drivers and a multi-bit option cover most daily needs without clutter. It’s light enough to store in a kitchen drawer yet complete enough to keep you from hunting for that one missing size.

DIYers with growing tool collections will likely keep using the dedicated drivers even after they graduate to more specialized kits. Pros and heavy users will treat this as a backup or a household set, not a jobsite mainstay.

Recommendation

I recommend this set for general household and garage tasks. It’s a practical mix of drivers and bits with genuinely useful magnetic tips, corrosion-resistant shafts, and easy-to-identify handles. The performance is consistent for light-to-medium duty work, the stubby drivers add real versatility in tight spaces, and the square bits are a welcome bonus.

It’s not a pro-grade kit, and it’s not a precision set—nor does it pretend to be. If you need Torx or hex coverage, high-torque handles, or micro drivers, plan to supplement. But as a compact, reliable, and affordable screwdriver set to keep in a drawer or toolbox, this one earns its spot.