Customer Reviews

Craftsman 12 Volt Lithium-Ion Auto Hammer

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

"I have arthritis in my hands and I thought this would be a great way to hammer nails without the pain. This was my present to myself and I could hardly wait to get it home to nail up some crown molding in my kitchen. It worked great for about 10 minutes then it shut down. I charged and recharged the battery to no avail. So back it went and I exchanged it for a new one. Same deal--got it home and all it would do is make a buzzing noise, so back it goes tomorrow. This is a real lemon and for $100 I guess I will return to my hammer and forget the gimmicks."

Big dissapointment. Will only drive box nails. It will not make it through a single 2x4 with an 8d or 10d common nail. Even then it is more work on the user than just using a hammer.

When driving a finish nail it will slide to the side and dent the material and the nail is not driven to the point where using a set is safe. The same is true of the Ryobi hammer which is the same product. Unless you like testing tools and don't mind the gas to return it. Do not purchase this tool.

This is perfect for those hard to reach places that you can't get to with a normal hammer. I love not having to fight with the tiny hammer strikes anymore, especially when working between ceiling rafters. I was able to put in 10d framing nails without a problem and the battery lasted long enough to complete any job.

This probably won't replace my hammer but it's perfect for the occasion when you can't get a hammer into a tight space.

I own this tool, and it's not bad for simple jobs. An air powered palm nailer is a much more powerful tool. But then that requires a compressor and dragging an air line. I used to under my house, tight crawl space, no room for the big stuff. Now I've got a dead battery, the tool's over a year old, will have to buy a replacement. The battery is $20 from Sears.

It's a terrific tool if you have to do a lot of finish carpentry. I picked up a reconditioned one to use for tongue & groove pine siding and crown molding on the perpetual DYI home remodeling job. I've never drained the battery until it quit and have used it for up to 4 hours at a time. I probably would have got a palm nailer and a compressor had I not been able to find this for under $70. Getting a compressor is a big negative for me, as they're a pain to drag around and store, and I would end up spending tons of money on other pneumatic tools. Of course then I'd be able to drive bigger nails! Actually I'd love a compressor and all those air tools, the wife won't allow it. If you're planning on driving more than 2-1/2" 8d common nails you'll have to go pneumatic or do it the old fashioned way. For driving up to 2" finishing nails this tool is great. I imagine it handles most roofing nails easily, but I can do those faster with a hammer. It doesn't hurt anything if you miss except your thumb. It's as loud or louder than a palm nailer so you should wear a good set of headphones with your favorite music cranked up to maximum volume. Safety first! According to reviews I've seen in tool magazines the Ryobi Autohammer is almost identical to this. It has the same limitations, but it can be purchased for quite a bit less on Amazon. They should call these things Finish Auto Hammers. Then less people would buy and return them when they discover they can't use them as frame hammers.

6-3-10 Update

Still no complaints and I found a great new use for it. I was trying to remove hinge pins from old doors and after an hours of pounding with a normal hammer and enough WD-40 to attract the EPA wasn't making much progress unless we're counting bruised thumbs. Out of desperation I decided to use the auto hammer. The pins came right out. I think the vibration did it. Just use a short fat nail, screw, old drill bit, smaller diameter hinge pin, etc. and drive it into the hinge pin from the bottom. It's especially useful for tight spots; bottom hinges or where they're against another wall.

Im not sure why people are giving this tool such a low rating! This thing makes household projects 100x easier! Its small and compact yet packs a pretty mean punch! The battery last a very long time and doesnt take long to charge back up! Its not made to build a house with and im not sure why anyone would think it was, but im sure it would be great for roofing! Its excellent for around the house jobs is certainly more than powerful enough for the average DIY'er! I recently finished my basement and this thing was my MVP! It made hanging crown molding and securing baseboards a breeze! Plus its made by Craftsman so you know the warranty is good!! Worth every penny!!

I've read mixed reviews about this auto hammer so I wasn't sure what to think or whether I should buy it. After working for 8 or so hours hammering nails, my arm was like jelly and I thought it would be better to give it a shot than to become more sore and wonder if it could help. The description of the product both on Sears' site and here states it is recommended for nails 3.5" and less but when I bought the product, the instruction manual stated it was suggested for nails 2.5" and less in the main description and it went into detail of what type of nail and what was recommended and it stated galvanized should only go up to 3 inches while all others should only go up to 2" at the most. That was the information I was looking for before I bought it. It would have saved me time and money if I would have had access to that earlier. This may be the main reason people are complaining about this product. It doesn't appear to have the power people are expecting, especially if they have worked with air nailers.

Well, I don't have much of a choice. I'm too sore not to try this. I'll go out once it gets done charging and put it to the test on 2x12 beams with 16d, twisted, galvanized nails. If it will work for that, they've got me sold. If it doesn't, I don't have much faith in the other things I'd use it for, especially since they show demonstrations with framing and that's mainly what I need it for.

You might be better off using small drywall screws and a cordless screwdriver instead of this beast. The drywall screws, which are self-tapping, hold better, and the cordless screwdriver is usually quieter and faster!

First of all this unit is OVERPRICED...Especially on the Amazon site. Are you crazy? You can get them at SEARS for $99, EVERY DAY..Even at that price it is expensive and could be considered more afforadable if it came with 2 batteries..

I bought this for my son for Christmas. He was just thrilled with it. Now I will get my new deck built