Reviews by mmainguy

mmainguy says "Initially I was a little skeptical, but I've been won over" about Craftsman AM/FM/Aux/Weather Radio

mmainguy — Mon, 10 May 2010 15:29:40 GMT

Frankly, I bought this because I already had a craftsman 19.2 drill and I was tired of using my non-portable old car stereo hooked to a battery charger solution in my garage. I wanted something I could take to soccer practices, out in the yard, out in the garage, and not be afraid of it getting wet/destroyed. I really wanted something like the Dewalt DC012, it looks tough and is big and manly (ugg ugg ugg ugg)...

OK, now that my grunting is done, I have to say I've used the HECK out of this radio. It is small enough that I think nothing of dragging it along and plugging it into my android phone to stream online radio while at the park.

I still really want a more beefy stereo + waterproof unit that I can also use to store my IPod/wallet/keys inside a waterproof compartment. I'll pay about $100-$120 for the bigger model, but I'll STILL probably want to keep this little guy.

No matter what, a rubber ducky antenna would be great if it wouldn't reduce the reception significantly....

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mmainguy says "A lot of torque, but that's not necessarily good" about Craftsman 29cc 4 cycle Gas Trimmer

mmainguy — Mon, 10 May 2010 15:29:35 GMT

First off, my particular unit is NOT easy to start. I had a Stihl for 10 years and it would ALWAYS start the first or second pull. This craftsman takes 10-15 pulls to start when it's cold and there's a complicated ritual you're supposed to follow.

#1 choke fully

#2 prime 10x

#3 pull 5x on starter

#4 choke 1/2

#5 pull trigger and pull 1-4x on starter

#6 (it never starts the first time so do 1-5 2-3 more times)

#7 run for a few seconds

#8 turn off choke.

For reference, my old unit required:

#1 prime 2-3x

#2 choke

#3 pull 1-2x

#4 turn of choke and start using it because it's running now

In fairness, once it's warmed up, it will start right back up... which is good because the hassle free string head requires you to shut the unit down every 5-10 minutes to replace the string (no bump and go). I already commented in the forums about the hassle-free string head.

Less than 30 minutes after using this for the first time (not counting the 10 minutes it took to get it started) the drive...

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mmainguy says "Jig saw for the common man" about Craftsman C3 19.2 volt Jig Saw with Laser Trac

mmainguy — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:18:47 GMT

My old jigsaw finally died and I went in search of a new one. I was working on a tree fort about 200 yards from my house and a cordless model certainly had appeal. Since I already had the C3 batteries from my hammer drill, the C3 jigsaw had a clear edge.

This saw gets the job done, but there are two problems related to onboard storage of the blades and the allen wrench used to adjust the base.

I cannot store ANY blades in the onboard storage compartment and it occasionally pops open on me.
The allen wrench storage mechanism is a bad joke, it routinely falls off the saw.

Overall, the saw works, but there are some design issues that need to be addressed. The C3 battery is great, but after the great experience with my drill, the jigsaw seems like it has a couple of details that could be reworked.

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mmainguy says "I like being able to use the C3 Drill battery in other tools" about Craftsman 19.2-Volt Cordless 1/2-In. Hammer Drill/Driver

mmainguy — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:03:09 GMT

Lots of torque in the low end, high end is a little bit slower speed than I was expecting, but still good. There is an automatic light which is a nice feature when working in low-light locations. The keyless chuck is very easy to tighten and loosen and doesn't require an iron grip.

One downside, I dropped the battery from about 4 feet onto a plywood floor and it cracked. Not a huge problem as it still works, but I wonder if the battery pack formula could be reworked to be a little less brittle.

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