Craftsman 11541 C3 Series 19.2V Drill/Driver

[brainpause]

If you're really concerned about it, you could grind 3 small, flat surfaces on the shank for the chuck to grip. That's what they did on the Socket Genie.

That's what I did, using a bench grinder.

Larry

[wavery]

OK.....I got my new Craftsman 11541 C3 Series 19.2V Drill/Driver today :-() .

It runs the top up OK....It starts straining toward the end but I like it. It runs about half the speed of my 110v drill motor but that's a good thing.

It will be interesting to see how long the battery lasts. The good thing about this deal is that it comes with 2 batteries. The battery alone retails for $80 but if they think that I will ever buy one at that price, they're crazy :eyecrazy: . Sorta reminds me of the printer companies that sell a new printer for $100 then want you to pay $80 for a toner cartridge because you're a captive market.

I think that I will use the 110v drill at home to extend the life of the batteries. I run it up at home 3 times as much as I do while camping.

[wavery]

I used this drill for the 1st camp-out this weekend.

It ran my Bal-leveler about half way up and the battery ran out of juice. I never even considered bringing the 2nd battery.

IMHO, the battery life on this thing sucks.....big time. I charged it just before leaving so the battery was fully charged.

I ran the top up at home one time and it worked OK. I didn't get to try it on the top this time because the battery was dead  :swear: .

[beacher]

I used this drill for the 1st camp-out this weekend.

It ran my Bal-leveler about half way up and the battery ran out of juice. I never even considered bringing the 2nd battery.

IMHO, the battery life on this thing sucks.....big time. I charged it just before leaving so the battery was fully charged.

I ran the top up at home one time and it worked OK. I didn't get to try it on the top this time because the battery was dead  :swear: .

That's not supposed to happen! :confused:

While you guys were having fun at Pt. Magu, the family and I were camping at San Clemente, (we stayed in a hookup spot this time).

I brought my extra battery, but  I didn't need it.  I used the C3 for the roof, BAL, and stabilizers.  All with one battery for the weekend.  We will need to compare drivers at Lopez Lake.

Have you completely discharged and re-charged the batteries a few times?  NiMH batteries sometimes improve after their first few cycles.

.

[DobeFanatic]

Anyone that can confirm this C3 is the answer to raising the camper?
I have a Coachmen Clipper and I tried a 16 volt hammer type drill/driver but
it labored far too hard and couldn't raise the roof.

[wavery]

I used the Craftsman 11541 C3 Series 19.2V Drill/Driver again this weekend to raise the roof on my Coleman 12' roof with and AC on top.

It did the job but I had to use both (freshly charged) batteries to get the roof up. The 1st battery got it about 1/2 way. The 2nd battery just barely finished the job.

I will try lubing the whiffle tree, pulleys and corner posts before our next camp-out. I want to give this thing every benefit of the doubt.

[DobeFanatic]

I look forward to hearing the outcome of the next outing with this drill.
Does it seem to really drag while it works? How can you tell you aren't
just burning it up?

I used the Craftsman 11541 C3 Series 19.2V Drill/Driver again this weekend to raise the roof on my Coleman 12' roof with and AC on top.
 
 It did the job but I had to use both (freshly charged) batteries to get the roof up. The 1st battery got it about 1/2 way. The 2nd battery just barely finished the job.
 
 I will try lubing the whiffle tree, pulleys and corner posts before our next camp-out. I want to give this thing every benefit of the doubt.

[Johnna]

I used the Craftsman 11541 C3 Series 19.2V Drill/Driver again this weekend to raise the roof on my Coleman 12' roof with and AC on top.

It did the job but I had to use both (freshly charged) batteries to get the roof up. The 1st battery got it about 1/2 way. The 2nd battery just barely finished the job.

I will try lubing the whiffle tree, pulleys and corner posts before our next camp-out. I want to give this thing every benefit of the doubt.

We've just gotten the socket genie and a pop up. Still trying to figure out which drill would be best. You've had time to check this out and give it the benefit of the doubt :-)  How do you feel about it now? Should we look at this or go with your other recommendations?

Thank you,
j

[wavery]

We've just gotten the socket genie and a pop up. Still trying to figure out which drill would be best. You've had time to check this out and give it the benefit of the doubt :-)  How do you feel about it now? Should we look at this or go with your other recommendations?

Thank you,
j

It depends on a number of things.

We had a 12' roof with A/C. Probably one of the heaviest roofs around. This drill will lift it fine but it takes one entire battery so we would be sure to take 2 batteries or be prepared to crank the last few revs. It seems that these batteries are very low capacity for the price.

Would I buy it again? Yes, I would buy this again for $89 before I'd go out and spend $300 for a drill that I use for 1 minute, once or twice a month.