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Hands On Review: Sears Craftsman 16 v Homeowner Drill

Description: 

You can read a description of the Drill on the Sears website by clicking Here 

Introduction:

I regularly ask my drills to do much more than they were designed to do and I have burnt out Dewalt 18 volt cordless drills by stalling them out trying to tighten or loosen screws.

I don’t abuse my tools, but occasionally my drills get dropped off the table or left outside overnight.  A lot of my projects require I drill dozens of holes, and screw 100’s of screws to complete them.  I want the battery to last thru the entire job. 

I have a problem with the larger drills.  I have a little carpal tunnel in my right hand and using a normal 1/2 inch drill all day can be really painful. 

So when Sears came out with Sears Craftsman 16 volt Lithium-Ion 3/8 in. Drill/Driver Combo I thought I would try it out and see if the drill would do the job for me.  The drill is a homeowner drill.

What makes the perfect homeowner drill?

The average homeowner needs a drill to hang curtain rods, run cable, hang a mailbox, make a birdhouse with the kids.  You may also need to hang some drywall, repair your deck, remodel a room. 

You want a drill that is strong enough to handle these tasks, yet lightweight so anyone in your household can use it.  Women especially want a drill that is lightweight enough so you can use it with one hand.

It would be nice if the drill doesn’t need recharging every time you go to use it and has enough capacity to drill more than a dozen screws without recharging.

Has built in protection from overloads.  I have had much more expensive drills than these smoke and fail from overloading them.  It would be nice if the drill will last longer than the warranty. 

I’m not an average homeowner so by using a homeowner drill I can really put it to the test.  

I bought two of these drills in January 2008.  So far I have drilled 5 lbs of 4 inch screws, 20 lbs 2 and 3 inch screws.  15 lbs of 1 to 1 1/2 inch screws.  2 lbs of 1/4 diameter 4 inch decking screws.  I also drilled the pilot holes for most of these screws with the drivers.  I also drilled 60 1 inch and 1 1/2 inch holes for birdhouses using a Forstner Bit.   I’ve drilled in Oak, aluminum, steel, treated lumber, pine and hard maple.

The Tests.  

I specifically performed three tests to see the true capabilities of the drills.  Here are my results.

Test One: Built eight foot potter’s bench.  For this test I used approximately 300 1 1/2 inch deck screws, 50 3 inch deck screws, 50 4 inch deck screws.  

Result:  Both drills performed flawlessly.  The drill’s light weight is really nice.  My hands did not cramp up once during the 4 days it took me to design and assemble the bench.  This is the first drill I’ve owned with a built in LED light and the light came in really handy when I had to work inside the cabinets.  I charged each drill every night and I always had at least 1/2 a charge left in them at the end of the day.  You can easily see how much of a charge you have left by pushing the button on the battery.  There are red LED lights that indicate how much of a charge is left.  

Pilot drilling was a snap.  Being light weight I could spot the drill on the mark without having to use two hands to steady the drill.   I used both of the drills on high speed for all of the  tasks except putting in the 1/4 inch deck screws.  The screws are big and the drill’s built in overload protection would stop the drill about half way through the screw.  I switched to low speed and the drill handled the screws well. 

Test Two:  Removed 100 3 and 4 inch deck screws.  I tore apart a pine workbench that I no longer needed.  I had been using the bench for about three years so the screws were set and it took some effort to break them free and unscrew them from the wood. 

Result:  I used one drill to see how long the battery lasted and it removed about 75 screws in one charge.  The initial effort it took to break the screws lose from the wood was what took most of the drain on the battery.  The drill was strong enough that I broke four screws.  If the screws were not stuck I feel I could have removed all 100 screws on one charge. 

Test Three: 60 1 inch and 1 1/2 inch holes for birdhouses using a Forstner Bit.

Result:  This test finally reached the limits of the drill.  Using a Forstner Bit in pine can really tax a drill because the bit wants to grab in the soft wood and it is easy to stall the drill.   The drill would only drill 12 to 15 holes on one battery charge.   It had plenty of power on low speed and the current limiter did not shut the drill off but it really was not designed for this large of bit.  If you are going to regularly use a drill for large holes this is not the drill for you.

Summary:

The Craftsman 16 v homeowner drill is lightweight and easy to use.  Balanced well, Lithium, two batteries.  The Lithium-ion batteries are the best for the homeowner.  They stay charged, you can leave them for 12 months or longer and they will still have the same charge as when you left them.  They don’t get a memory like other drill batteries.  You can use them 15 minutes and put them back on the charger and do this a hundred times without affecting the battery.  Unlike a normal battery in a homeowner drill the lithium-ions are good for 1000 cycles (charge-discharge) or more.

This drill comes with the normal Sears one year power tool warranty and you have the option of extending the warranty through the Sears Protection Plan for one additional year.

This is a great homeowner drill and I feel the best one for the money on the market today but it is not right for everyone.  If you regulary use your drill with large bits like 3/4 inch or larger spade bits, concrete bits or ships augers this not the drill for you.  If you want a lightweight drill but need more power I would suggest the 16 v Craftsman Professional drill or the Milwaukee 18v Lithim  instead. 

I like this drill and it is a good value at $139.00.  It is often on sale in the $120 range.  You can buy it at your local Sears or order it online by clicking here

If you are looking for other new and used Craftsman Tools don’t forget to visit www.toolboxhero.com for the best selection of Craftsman tools on the web.