A moment of insanity (I should have more like this one!)
Written: Aug 21 '03 (Updated Jan 07 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: High-quality design and construction -- really smooth to use.
Cons: Battery pack and bulb replacement could be difficult in the future.
The Bottom Line: Recommended to anyone who prefers their tools to be well designed and well made, and doesn't mind paying a small premium to meet that preference.
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| rumpel2's Full Review: Craftsman 19.2 volt Combo Kit 11348 with Tool Bag |
It started when my old Black & Decker cordless screwdriver decided that it would no longer take a charge. (No surprise -- it was more than 10 years old). So I started keeping an eye on local offerings, and it wasn't long before I saw a Sears flyer offering a Craftsman cordless screwdriver as part of a package that also included a 19.2v cordless drill, a worklight, two 19.2v batteries, and the charger -- marked down by $50 to CDN$149.95. (That was about US$102 then, more now.)
That's when the insanity set in. Somehow, it suddenly became very easy to realize that my present cordless drill (also a Black & Decker) was seriously underpowered for all but the lightest jobs, and was pretty basic anyway. Besides, its battery was also threatening to refuse to hold a charge. Then I saw badbonz0007's review of a package that looked to be identical. All resistance failed me then, and I made sure I got to the Sears outlet before they sold out their stock.
Well, that was last April. I've been delighted with it ever since. Sometimes I find myself looking for excuses to use it. While the part numbers are not the same, I have not found any differences in the specs from the package badbonz0007 reviewed.
At just over 5 lbs (with battery attached), the drill/driver is quite a bit heavier than my old Black & Decker, but at a max torque of 400 inch-pounds, it packs a much heavier punch. It also offers two speed ranges in both forward and reverse (0-400 rpm in low, 0-1400 rpm in high), and a 3/8" keyless chuck with a variable-torque clutch. But these specs by themselves are not what makes the drill such a pleasure to use -- it's the finishing touches. Like the trigger, which allows smooth and easy control of the drill's speed in both speed ranges. And the direction control switch that locks the trigger (and prevents accidental operation of the drill when changing bits) when half-way between the forward and reverse positions and which can be reached with an index finger or thumb without removing one's hand from the grip. And the highly visible and easily operated speed range switch on the top of the drill housing. And the keyless chuck that eliminates the need to fumble with (or lose) a chuck key, yet holds a twist drill bit securely. And the two spirit levels that make it so much easier to be sure that the drill bit is reasonably close to horizontal or vertical when needed. And the motor brake that stops the drill bit almost instantly (and arcs mightily) when you release the trigger quickly. And the overall smooth feel and balance of the drill -- the nicely molded handle with a rubber overlay contributes heavily there.
The worklight produces a bright circular beam with a spread of about 2 feet at a range of 6 feet. The central "hot spot" in the beam is about half the width of the beam. While the brightness of the hot spot isn't entirely even across its width, there were no really dark rings to make life uncomfortable. The light uses the same battery as the drill, and also has a nicely molded handle that connects the battery and the lens housing. But here it doesn't work as well, because the battery is significantly heavier than the lens housing. But the lack of balance is not a serious problem, and the battery provides a stable base for the light to stand on. One nice feature is the rotatable lens housing that allows the beam to swing through a vertical angle of something like 45 degrees with the light standing on its battery. The lens housing also projects well beyond the lens, giving the lens some protection against damage if the worklight should happen to fall on its face. The recessed lens also gives the user some protection against accidental contact with the lens after the light has been on for a while. The lens gets hot enough that Craftsman saw fit to attach a warning label.
One disadvantage of using the drill's battery to power the flashlight is that when you have to replace the bulb, you're looking for a 19.2v bulb. Your standard 3v flashlight bulb will burn up almost instantly if you try to use one. And I'm not sure how readily available 19.2v bulbs are. Which may be a problem, because I had to replace a bulb after maybe a half-hour's use of the worklight. (However, I haven't had to replace one since.) There is a holder behind the reflector inside the lens housing that holds a spare bulb securely until you need it.
The casings are plastic, but now that I've baptized the drill by dropping it onto concrete with no damage other than a slight scuff on the plastic, I can vouch for its toughness. The batteries disengage from both the drill and the light very easily, but engage smoothly and solidly. You don't have to fight the pieces to get them to behave. The same goes for the lens housing when you have to replace a bulb.
The battery charger is quite substantial, but has keyhole recesses in its underside for wall mounting if desired. It charges the Ni-Cd battery in one hour. Then it switches to a trickle charge, protecting the battery from being overcharged. The manual says you should take the battery off the charger at this point -- and as a general rule, Ni-Cd batteries don't deal well with being left on a trickle charge indefinitely. Three status lights give a clear indication of the state of charge and what the charger is doing.
I've noticed that Craftsman provides quite a range of voltages in these batteries -- I counted 10 different voltages on Epinions and Sears, ranging between 9.6v and 24.0v. This makes for a large, expensive inventory and reduced production of any one particular voltage -- neither of which augurs well for long-term availability of replacement batteries. So be sure that you observe and follow the battery care instructions so as to get the best possible life out of your batteries -- replacements might not be available when you wear out the originals, and the drill itself can probably be expected to wear well enough that the lack of replacement batteries would be irritating, to say the least. To be fair though, I doubt that you can get a guarantee of available replacement batteries from any manufacturer that far down the road.
Oh, yes -- the reason for all this. The cordless screwdriver.
Again, this tool is not unusual in terms of its basic specs. It has an internal (non-removable) battery that charges in 3-6 hours and supplies 2.4v to the motor, which turns the standard 1/4" hex collet at 150 rpm in either direction and delivers 30 inch-pounds of torque. But again, the use and feel of this tool was another delightful discovery. My old cordless screwdriver was adequate, but this one let me know what I had been missing. Features like the automatic collet lock, which locks the collet whenever power is not being applied. (My old Black & Decker had a manual lock, which meant that I had to disengage the bit from the work and change the lock setting if I wanted to use the driver like a manual screwdriver. And of course, having locked the collet, I would always forget to unlock it before applying power, which had no effect other than overheating the motor.)
Another feature I'm still getting used to is the variable clutch on the collet. I'm still learning to trust it, instead of holding the screwdriver in such a way that it can twist in my hand instead of burring the screw head when the screw locks up because it's been driven in as far as it will go.
The manuals for all three products are reasonably detailed and in good English, with appropriate safety cautions and warnings. Understanding what is meant is not a problem. Unlike all previous manuals I have seen, the Craftsman manuals are clear as to how the batteries should be looked after when they are not in regular use -- i.e., put them on the charger every month or so to keep them from going flat.
(Ni-Cd batteries won't hold their charge for years like an alkaline or mercury cell. They have a relatively high self-discharge rate -- some Ni-Cd's lose their charge at up to 2% per day. And allowing a multi-cell Ni-Cd battery pack (i.e., 2.4v or more) to self-discharge to exhaustion is likely to kill one or more cells within the pack. A dead cell destroys the usefulness of the pack, and usually cannot be repaired.)
An unexpected surprise in the package I bought was the nylon carry-all bag. It's solidly built, with lots of generous pockets of various sizes both inside and out. It's sized to carry the drill, the worklight, the batteries and the charger, and the screwdriver, with room left over for other stuff such as a box of drill bits and other attachments. Again, the attention to usability is obvious -- like the wire frame around the mouth of the bag so that it stays open when you want it open, and aligns the zipper when you close it. Should you want to use it as a shoulder bag, a strap is supplied.
All in all, it's the thoughtfulness of design and high quality of construction in this combo package that makes all of its components a pleasure to use. That level of quality isn't essential and does add to the cost of the package -- but without it, you get a tool that you'd really prefer to avoid once you have experienced the difference.
January, 2006
An update: Somewhat disappointingly, the battery in the cordless screwdriver is failing. It has lasted less than three years. I had expected better than that, as I have gotten close to 10 years service out of some Ni-Cd battery packs.
The good news is that the 19.2 battery packs for the drill/driver seem to be still in good shape -- and are still available and much less expensive to replace than I had feared.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
rumpel2
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Member: Rob M.
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
Eclectic public servant into choral music, computers and DIY.
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