Latest reviews about Craftsman Auto Switch

dvad says "Works as advertised" about Craftsman Auto Switch

dvad — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 01:06:29 GMT

The only thing I would like to see changes is the delay at turn off. That is when the powered equimpment is turned off (table saw) the controlled unit (dust collection) needs to run for at least 10 seconds after the table saw is turned off. The current delay is maybe two seconds at best.

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RedAvenger says "Auto Switch Modification" about Craftsman Auto Switch

RedAvenger — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 16:02:14 GMT

I bought the auto switch about 2 years ago and it still work great. I use it with my shop saw and my sander to run a Sears shop vacuum with a cyclone seperator attached. It works great, but it used to takes up the whole outlet. You can run an extension cord and plug into the back of the autoswitch, however that arrangement is awkwards because the switch sits at an angle on its side and the extension cord has a tendence to come loose. My solution was to remove the plug prongs from the back of the unit, drill a hole in the side, and solder 15' of heavy duty extension cord to the auto switch. Now the switch sits flat and can be easily moved close to the the work area. I can easily plug in various tools that turn on the vacuum. It works great, but unfortunately voids the warranty. Don't attempt this modification unless you are comfortable working with wiring and understand it voids the warranty. Perhaps Sears could offer the switch with the extension cord attached, that would make a great......

Gene27514 says "Auto Switch - EXCELLENT" about Craftsman Auto Switch

Gene27514 — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:50:17 GMT

I've had one on my miter box that turns on the shop vac for over 10 years, and it still works great! There are 4 employees in this shop.

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gwlinn says "Works Well, Cheap Price" about Craftsman Auto Switch

gwlinn — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 20:09:18 GMT

This is actually the second one of these that I have purchased. The first is several years old and still works well. I have a garage workshop with a table saw and several other sawdust-generating machines. In a previous house, I had run vacuum hoses around and collected all the sawdust in a common vacuum. But now, I have decided that it is simpler to just have two vacuums, one for the table saw and one for everything else. I did research the net to see if there is anything newer on the market that may be better, cheaper. I could not find anything, especially for the price. I noted that the unit is big, consuming the entire outlet. I work around this with a small extension. A possible concern with any such unit is that it may start both the power tool and the vacuum at the same time causing a circuit breaker to trip. This does not happen with this unit. Furthermore, the vacuum will continue to run for a few seconds after the power tool shuts down. This is probably a plus as it...

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PMPM says "Not Sensitive Enough for TV" about Craftsman Auto Switch

PMPM — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 17:28:26 GMT

This could have been just the perfect device for me if it were either more sensitive to the current draw or adjustable. All I was trying to do was use my 19' TV as the master to turn on the amp for the TV speakers. I had read in other comments this worked and that is why I bought this device. Not in my case. I did hook it up to my drill press and with that motor draw, the switch operated correctly. Too bad that nowhere in the product description does it indicate minimum electoral draw required to trip the relay. Oh well - my search continues.

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JMTNH says "Craftsman Auto Switch" about Craftsman Auto Switch

JMTNH — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 20:45:20 GMT

This gadget is a must. It is a must for the diyer or the contractor. You can run for example a miter saw and shop vac togeteher, when the miter saws turns on to cut the vac turns on to vac the dust away. It is well worth the money and it is very reasonable.

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RWBumper says "Works great for garage tools or computer accessories" about Craftsman Auto Switch

RWBumper — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 16:39:47 GMT

I have owned 2 of these and plan to buy another.

The first worked great for years until I unplugged an accessory item when the power was on and fried the who thing.

Always power the switch down first before unplugging the cords and I will keep on working.

I bough this for my garage power tools to turn on a shop vac when using a chop saw, but I discovered I needed it more for my home computer to turn on the monitor and printer when I turn on my computer, and turn them off automatically when I turn my computer off.

I works great, no problems does just what you would expect.

I now want another for my gargage tools.

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sterla97 says "Auto Switch" about Craftsman Auto Switch

sears-feed — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 07:15:10 GMT

After 2-3 months of intermittent use (and well within recommended)guidelines it stopped working. Though the top outlet still works, the bottom two plugs are useless. It's fairly obvious that Craftsman has a product that is performing less than desired as per other consumer ratings on this site. For this reason I cannot recommend this product. Too bad, as this item has great potential!...

DocFred says "Dental Lathe" about Craftsman Auto Switch

sears-feed — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:00:05 GMT

We have this craftsman auto-switch connected to a shop vac and light which turn on when the 1/3 Hp Baldor dental lathe is switched on. We have been using this about 30 times a day, 5 days a week for over 3 years without a problem. The first shop vac lasted 2 years, but the switch continues to function. The switch is well worth the money. My son uses another one to turn computer accessories on with his computer. Dr Fred, Seminole, FL....

HairyS says "Not reliable" about Craftsman Auto Switch

sears-feed — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:45:05 GMT

I have purchased 3 of these to control an external fan for an electric heater. After about 2 months of operation, all 3 have failed. I am operating the switches within well their specs. Now I am looking for a more reliable switch....

matt500 says "mine dosent work" about Craftsman Auto Switch

sears-feed — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 02:30:05 GMT

the switch worked fitfully and now not at all very disapointing as i ordered it on line and paid shipping on it sorry i cant recommend...

brimcgin says "Solid product" about Craftsman Auto Switch

sears-feed — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:00:23 GMT

I purchased the device a few years ago and use it as a dedicated switch for my router table. It stays on for a few extra seconds after switching off the router in order to clear the hose of any dust and chips. Works great. Well worth the price. I just recommended to friends on the Fine WoodWorking site....

Anonymous says "Great Product" about Craftsman Auto Switch

sears-feed — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 16:30:14 GMT

I purchased this product for use in my MAME arcade cabinet. I wanted to be able to turn everything on and off with a single button, and thanks to this device, now I can. I press an arcade button on top of the cabinet that is wired as the PC power button, the computer boots up and this wonderful device powers up my speakers, monitor, and marquee lights. When i shut the PC down, everything else turns back off. It works great, I couldn't be happier with it. and at $20, it is a great value. I highly recommend it to anyone building their own arcade gaming system....

MEAJ says "Many Uses" about Craftsman Auto Switch

sears-feed — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 06:14:47 GMT

I primarily use this switch to switch peripheral computer components on when the PC they are sued with is turned on. It works well. I have used several for over 3 years. Yes, it also works well for turning on a vacuum when used with power tools. Connection for a third switched outlet are hidden behind the plastic housing between the other two 110 VAC ports....

tsuma says "Great for computers and Home Theater setups" about Craftsman Auto Switch

sears-feed — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 16:58:29 GMT

I have used this in the past with my computer plugged in, and all my other peripherals (external drives, scanners, printers, etc) powered up and down just fine over the years. Currently I'm using it with my rear projection DLP home theater TV. My peripheral equipment, including a back light (Ideal-Lume) actually stays on a bit longer after I shut off the TV because the TV has a cool down mode. Once that's done, the rest of the equipment shuts off....

Roccoman says "Remote your equipment" about Craftsman Auto Switch

sears-feed — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 17:18:33 GMT

This switch can obviously be used to turn on anything. So I plugged in my TV so it would turn on the rest of my equipment. It worked most of the time but then today, it clacked for about a minute. Luckily my equipment survived. I think the TV did not function well as a trigger mechanism. Too bad they didn't provide a sensitivity adjustment. I'm sending it back. It would probably have been just fine with a power saw....

Rasconc says "Auto Switch" about Craftsman Auto Switch

sears-feed — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 15:10:50 GMT

I use this with a shop vac and various tools, mitre saw, circular saw (PC325 with dust collection), several sanders and have been very happy with it. Do not expect to run a large table saw and large vac which would exceed it's liberal 15amp capacity. Some very small tools may not trigger the secondary outlets....