Are you a handyman who likes to get things done on his own? Do you work on your own car or do you let mechanics replace your suspension or even your own tires?

Are a mechanic yourself? Depending on your answer to that, you may or may not want to consider the Craftsman C3 cordless impact wrench.

Features

• 200 ft-lb of Torque
• A handle designed for comfort and steady grip
• A built in LED light
• Compact and easily transportable
• Includes a 19-volt battery and charger
• variable speed motor
• An ergonomically designed handle for firm and comfortable grip

Benefits

The Craftsman C3 is a cordless impact wrench that promises 200 ft-lbs of torque for a price range of close to or even under $130. It has a variable speed motor for more control in delivering power when you need it.

It also has a built-in LED light to help you work in the dark. It’s relatively cheap; for the price you’ll get the impact wrench, the battery and the charger, unlike other models like the Dewalt DC820B.

All in all, the Craftsman C3 is small and easy to use, making it a good portable impact wrench for beginners and for the do-it-yourself kind of guy.

This impact wrench can be used mostly for replacing tires, lawn mower blades, and in the occasional car maintenance.

Things to be Aware Of:

This tool is not for you if you’re into really heavy duty stuff. Despite its 200 ft-lbs of torque, the Craftsman C3 is not reputed for being a powerful portable impact wrench. It is reputed, however, for being too weak to be beneficial to a serious mechanic.

You might be able to work with this on some 10-12 mm bolts, but when it comes to some really big nuts and bolts, especially rusted ones, this may not be your number one or even number two choice.

If you’re a mechanic, you may probably end up just buying a Dewalt 820B, 823B, or an 825B. Better yet, you may even just buy a Milwaukee cordless impact wrench – that is if you don’t mind shelling out some extra cash.

Another thing is that the batteries die too quickly, which is perhaps that is why they come with the power tool (no pun intended). The Craftsman C3 comes with a 19.2 volt NiCad battery. This battery, although less expensive than a lithium ion battery, has a considerably shorter life.

One thing you should do, if you are really into buying this cordless impact wrench, is seriously consider buying your own lithium-ion batteries.

They have a longer life, require very little maintenance, can be charged at any time, can handle a wider range of temperature, have a shorter charging time, are often more compact than NiCad batteries, and do not suffer from memory loss, all of which can be expected from NiCad batteries.

“Memory loss” is a wear and tear issue that causes NiCad batteries to hold less of a charge over time. However, using lithium-ion batteries does not mean an increase in torque or power in your power tools.

Bottom Line

The Craftsman C3 cordless impact wrench seems to have come up short when it comes to the most important attribute of a power tool: power. It just doesn’t seem to be the cordless impact wrench you would want for mechanic work, which is, most of the time, unavoidable heavy duty work.

Although it’s good for beginners, a beginner will not remain a beginner.

There is also the risk of this cordless impact wrench being a redundant tool because of the presence of cheaper, more powerful cordless impact wrenches out there that can do what the Craftsman C3 can do, and more.

The inclusion of the NiCad batteries, rather than the more reliable lithium-ion batteries, also somewhat defeats the purpose of the Craftsman C3’s nature as a portable impact wrench.

What’s the point of having a cordless impact wrench if you have to charge it every 20 or 30 bolts? It’s like a laptop that you can’t unplug from the wall.

There are conflicting claims about this cordless impact wrench. Some say this impact wrench did a good job on their Jeep, that it does the job and more, or someone’s husband loves it. Some people describe it with pessimistic conviction, and some say it is simply junk.

It’s a possibility that the people complaining about this impact wrench either have a defective one or a worn-out battery.

Regardless, whether or not you’ll be satisfied with this impact wrench or not still depends on your needs and your expectations. To be safe, be sure to test it (if you can) before you buy it.

Overall, the Craftsman C3 was found kind of lacking; if you are a professional it’s probably best if you buy a more expensive cordless impact wrench with a lithium-ion battery. It’s a 5 out of 10.