Craftsman C3 19.2V AM / FM / Weather Radio

Craftsman C3 19.2V AM / FM / Weather Radio

Have any tools in the Craftsman C3 line?  If so, the Craftsman C3 19.2V AM / FM / Weather Radio could be a functional add-on tool for you.  Before getting this tool to test and review, I didn’t have a weather radio, and I’ve always thought that it’s wise to have one on hand when a storm comes knocking.  If this describes you too, and you already have the batteries and maybe a couple of other tools in the Craftsman C3 19.2V line, then this radio is a smart purchase.  There are some pros and cons you might want to know about before you decide to head to Sears and make the purchase.

Before we get started on the pros and cons, you need to know a “just is” (neither a pro or a con).  The radio is sold as “tool only” which means you don’t get a battery or charger with it.  Some reviews I’ve read on the Craftsman site were negative where this is concerned.  But I have to point out, I don’t think those people are really familiar with “tool lines” like this and / or with Lithium Ion battery technology.  You’ll be hard pressed to find a Lithium Ion battery sold alone for under $30, which is the price point of this radio at the time of this review.   If you do find the battery for that price, you’ll have to buy the charger separately, which will bring your costs to above $30.  This tool is designed to be an “add-on” tool for consumers that already own other tools in the line and can use the batteries from those tools with this radio.  In some cases, Craftsman puts the radio in a package deal with a drill or another Craftsman C3 tool, which makes it a great “bonus”.   Use any of the batteries that work with the rest of the Craftsman C3 line, and you’re good to go.  I’ve shown it below with the Craftsman XCP High Capacity Lithium Ion battery and the XCP Compact Lithium Ion battery.

Here are the things I definitely like about the Craftsman C3 19.V AM/FM/Weather Radio.   As the title of this review indicates, you can play AM radio stations, FM radio stations, Weather Stations, and what is NOT indicated above is that you can also use your MP3 player with this radio using the auxiliary port.

Personally, I’m not one that uses my MP3 player much unless I’m on a plane or walking, but I can see it being used while working outside or in the shop with this radio.  For me, I’ll be using this primarily as a weather radio. I found it relatively easy to find the weather radio station nearest me, and just for testing purposes, I left it running with the High Capacity battery, and it ran for almost 36 solid hours.  Hopefully, you’ll not ever need to run it that consistently, but if you are in a super storm, that’s a distinct possibility.   I also liked that this radio was very lightweight and exceptionally portable.  That’s also handy in a storm, or when you need to take it with you camping.

Here are a few cons that either I found, or I wanted to point out from others who bought this tool and reviewed it:

• I thought that reception was a bit spotty for AM and FM, and you really had to work the antenna to get all the stations you want.
• I personally don’t care that there aren’t any pre-set settings for favorite stations, but some consumers did mention that.  Let me point out again, that they often compared this to other radios (like the job site radios from Bosch and DEWALT) and those radios are priced significantly higher.
• Several people mentioned the material choice for the antenna, and that after some use it broke, making it exceptionally hard to tune into certain stations.  I have not broken the antenna on the radio I’m testing, but I agree that it would have been better to use the rubber, flexible antenna.  What I say to people who consider purchasing this radio, is when not in use, remember to put the antenna down and tuck it into the slots on the back to keep it as safe as possible.
• There is no power cord.  It has to be used with the 19.2V battery.  I agree with consumers that this may not have been the wisest choice.
• My personal complaint comes with the clip for the MP3 player.  I have an iPod touch and the clip will not hold that.  It’s designed for smaller iPods or other brands of MP3 player, but that’s not a deal breaker for me.

Bottom Line Review of the Craftsman C3 19.2V AM / FM / Weather Radio:  For a $30 (or less) add-on tool the Craftsman C3 line, I like this, especially as a weather radio to use in emergency situations.  I consider it more of a radio for DIYers rather than comparing it to the job site radios made by the companies who make “pro” tools.  Biggest pro for me is the battery life for weather emergencies.

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