Craftsman is coming out with a new gyroscopic-action cordless screwdriver (CMCF604), and it looks amazing.
A couple of years ago, Black & Decker launched their Gyro cordless screwdriver, which turned fasteners in the same direction you turned your hand. A year later, Dewalt came out with a pivoting-handle 8V Max gyro screwdriver. Dewalt later released two more inline-style screwdrivers.
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The new Craftsman gryo screwdriver looks to pack similar technologies in an even more compact package. It’s powered by a built-in rechargeable 4V Max Li-ion battery pack, which helps to keep the size.
Craftsman says that their new gyro cordless screwdriver feels like a manual screwdriver. It features a spindle lock, and so it could also be used like a manual screwdriver.
The new Craftsman cordless screwdriver is intended to tackle repetitive fastening tasks, and not high torque applications. It tops out at 5.5 Nm in powered mode, which converts to ~49 in-lbs. In my opinion and experience, that’s about right for 4V Max Li-ion cordless screwdrivers.
The Craftsman gyro screwdriver is said to be a great fit for working with cabinet hardware, switch plates, light fixtures, furniture assembly, and other similar tasks.
Gyroscopic Action? Hold the screwdriver in your hand. Twist it to the right (clockwise), as if you were turning a fastener, and the shaft turns the fastener to the right, using motor power. Turn your wrist to the left, and the motor rotates in the counterclockwise direction .
Past gyro-action cordless screwdrivers had a speed controller that was tied to your hand action. Twist the handle further, and the motor rotates faster. A more gentle hand rotation would result in slower motor speeds.
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Controlling motor speed and direction using gyroscopic sensing and the motion of your wrist is a lot quicker and easier to get used to than you might think. Looking at the new Craftsman CMCF604 screwdriver, I think that it has the *perfect* form factor for something like this.
The Craftsman gyroscopic screwdriver can drive up to 325 screws on a single battery charge, and an LED fuel gauge shows you the battery power status.
Previous Stanley Black & Decker tools had an activation switch, and this one is no different. Gripping the screwdriver activates the gyro sensor and motor, and there’s a small lock-off switch that lets you use the screwdriver in manual mode.
There’s a micro USB charging port at the rear of the tool, and a charger is included with the screwdriver.
Features & Specs
- Built-in 4V Max rechargeable battery
- 200 RPM
- 5.5 Nm (~49 in-lbs) max torque
- Drives up to 325 screws (#6 x 1″ into 1.5″ pine) on a single battery charge
- Manual screwdriver size and feel
- Lock-off switch (for unpowered use)
- Spindle lock allows for manual use
- Micro USB charging
- LED fuel gauge
- LED ring light
The screwdriver comes with an assortment of bits: Phillips #0, #1, #2, Torx T20, T25, Slotted #4, #6, Hex 5mm, and Robertson (square) #1, #2.
Price: $39
ETA: Q4 2019
Discussion
As I titled the post, I think that this screwdriver will be a big hit. (In other words, I can’t wait to get my hands on one, it looks awesome!)
I know that gyro-sensing cordless power tool motor control is sometimes seen as a gimmick, but it’s a gimmick that works, and it works well.
With this tool, Craftsman came out with a cordless gyro screwdriver that looks like a regular screwdriver. I don’t have one in-hand yet, but in the product images the screwdriver handle looks just a little wider than I would expect for a manual driver. I could live with that.
The new Craftsman gyro screwdriver is said to feel like a manual screwdriver, and from the product images, it looks like they got the size and user interface just right.
This kind of tool isn’t for everyone. But based on my experiences with the Black & Decker Gyro screwdriver and Dewalt gyro screwdrivers, and what I know and think about the new Craftsman gyro screwdriver, I have high expectations.
Update (9/18/2019): The Craftsman gyroscopic screwdriver also has a built-in LED ring light at the front.
Jim Felt
I dunno. Looks kind of gimmicky. But if one already is carpal tunnel inclined I guess this might be useful.
Maybe I’m just not loving the “new” Craftsman branding colors…
Matt
Folks have complained about the toy like appearance of the new stuff for awhile. I think it’s the ultra bright red color they used. If you look at some of the V20 ads on Menard’s website, the red is toned down a shade or two and it does look a bit more professional. I miss the black myself but the new bright red has grown on me a bit.
I think this will be a big seller for the homeowner crowd though. My wife would love it… I’m sure we’ll end up with a couple.
Joseph
I agree about the uber-bright red; it makes some things look like they are toys. Are SBD’s Craftsman tool chests also brighter red than that of Sears? I kept looking at it in Lowe’s and something about it keep making me think that it just looks “cheap.” Did they change something?
aerodawg
I’ve got issues with my ulnar nerve which manifest when squeezing, especially stuff like screwdrivers. The DeWalt version of this has been a life saver for me.
CraftsmanForever
Wow! I want one. Right price range. I have been looking at the Dewalt screwdriver and was planning to buy one this weekend. I guess I will wait a while longer. Thanks for the post.
Jeremiah McKenna
I can see this working well in tight spaces where you can’t twist your hand or wrist without scraping your skin or knuckles. However I don’t know if this is really any better than a typical electric screwdriver with a fwd/rev button.
Marty
I have a few of the 8v Dewalts for electrical work, but this would be great if it is that much smaller and will fit in my pouch.
Kizzle
Yesssss! I have the DeWalt. Love it. Also have the Dremel Go that I added a pushbutton switch to instead of having “push to go.” Problem is, both of these are too large. I cannot wait to buy this.
Gordon
I really like it. I liked the DeWalt version that HD had last holiday season but it was just a little big and “unnatural”. My wife hated it so it wouldn’t be worth keeping in the house.
I hope it comes with a nice bit holder too. It doesn’t look like there is onboard storage. I’d like something that you can just grab and go.
$40 is pretty reasonable, but it would be cool to see a holiday price too. I’d buy two for me, and maybe some for presents.
BobM
FYI, Harbor Freight sells a pivoting one (similar to the DeWalt) under their “Bauer” line for only $20. I picked it up the other week to throw in the kitchen drawer for little odd jobs. So far it’s been great. I guess time will tell if it holds up.
Pete
Finally! Some info on this lil’ guy. I work in multi-family housing and I’ve got the Dewalt gyro screwdriver… I’ve found it to be perfect for stripping electrical cover plates, cabinet hardware, and doorknobs when prepping vacant apartments and townhomes for paint. I’m really interested in trying out the Craftsman version, especially since the longer shaft on the screwdriver will make it a lot easier to get in to hard to reach areas.
Wayne R.
Fits in a tool pouch better too (over the others like this I’ve seen).
Kizzle
BTW: Stuart, where did you find this? Information about it seems to be scarce. Did Craftsman give you a heads up? Length, width, and weight specs would be awesome. Thanks!
Stuart
I asked my Dewalt/Craftsman contact about new tools coming out, and so it’s “straight from the horse’s mouth.”
I’ll pool up the next batch of questions to ask at once, though dimensions and weight specs might not be immediately available.
ktash
How does it charge? Especially is there a wall-wart type charger. I have a couple of the Black and Decker models and use them all the time. They are perfect for driving pockethole screws, for instance, or drawer slide screws. There’s quite a bit of control with that gyro mechanism, and I’ve never stripped one out or cracked the wood using it. I don’t like the charger for the B&D one, though. I think the ergonomics might be better on the B&D pistol type as opposed to the traditional screwdriver shape.
Having it in a nice kit with an assortment of bits and a good charging system might induce me to buy one, but I’m pretty happy with the B&D’s performance. I use it in woodworking all the time.
ktash
oops, for some reason I missed the micro usb charger part in the original post. Still, the details of this would be good to know.
Stuart
They’re still finalizing the charging time, which usually means they’re waiting for legal to approve any claims.
aaron
this is basically perfect for a couple of my applications, but too late and way too pricey. I picked up 4 of the skil 4v usb charged screwdrivers last year for $14 each. I have the B&D gyro but I like the screwdriver form factor better.
now if milwaukee put out similar using their redlithium usb system I’d be into that at some unreasonable price.
Rich
I owned the original Dewalt version and loved it. Thought it was going to be really gimmicky, but it turned out to be a very nice screwdriver to use. I couldn’t stand that I had an entirely separate battery platform on my bench just for that and a flashlight, the only two items offered for the 8V Max platform, so I ultimately ditched it, but it was still nice to use. The new Craftsman looks like it will be just as nice, but I really wish someone would just make a small voltage battery platform and bring out some decent tools for them instead of playing it safe with internal battery packs.
Jeremiah McKenna
I can see this working well in tight spaces where you can’t twist your hand or wrist without scraping your skin or knuckles. However I don’t know if this is really any better than a typical electric screwdriver with a fwd/rev button.
Nate B
That’s exactly the reason I’ve avoided the DeWalt unit too; it’s a dead-end battery platform and overpriced given that the batteries are effectively useless. The guys at work swear by ’em for repetitive assembly and I’ve borrowed their tools, but I can’t justify owning one of my own, not given the crap ecosystem it’s part of.
I had thought about cannibalizing the DeWalt guts and building it onto a Milwaukee M12 base, hoping that the 8v power electronics would handle 12v without too much smoke. And then throw away the 8v charger….
But now I don’t have to! USB is a perfect amount of power for this little guy, and at half the price, it’s right where it should be.
Sort of shameful to be bringing out a new-design USB tool with the godawful micro port which should really be USB-C these days, but I know better than to expect today’s Craftsman to make a power tool I’ll enjoy owning five years down the road, much less twenty.
Rich
It’s really too bad because it was a good screwdriver. I was hoping to see Milwaukee’s M4 and Dewalt’s V8 Max lines explode with light duty tools, but I guess that’s just not going to be the case. I feel like a low voltage platform would be amazing, but I guess none of the bigs out there agree. Oh well.
Adam
I know Craftsman isn’t the one to lead the …err, charge, but really would like to see ANY new device that is going to charge by USB, to make it USB-C, even if it isn’t to its full potential.
I think Milwaukee pooped on the design phase of the M12 USB Power Source / Charger, by not having it charge over USB-C. Not like it is charging AA batteries.
Rich
To be fair, Milwaukee made that thing nearly 3 years ago when USB-C didn’t have the penetration rate it does now (even though it’s still pretty small). But, still, I agree with you.
Stuart
I don’t know…
My current phone has USB C, and its port has been a huge frustration, with dust and debris compaction issues that I never had with micro USB.
USB C is on more devices, but it isn’t ubiquitous yet, at least nowhere as much as micro USB.
I’m just happy it charges via USB and not another barrel jack or proprietary connection.
Wayne R.
I’ve got a company laptop whose doc has two 4K DP ports, HDMI, Ethernet, power, USB3, USB-C – and the only connection to the laptop is USB-C. The laptop itself is stashed upright like a book, well out of the way.
In this setup, USB-C is spectacular
Stacey
Hmm it’s not bad, but I think the Hammerhead 4v I’ve got is already better, so I don’t see the advantage of this…
Toolfreak
I had the B&D version for a short while, while it lasted. It didn’t last very long.
The main thing with these cordless screwdrivers is they are usually s…l…o…w, in fact slower than spinning a regular screwdriver by hand, if you know how. It actually is quite annoying having to hold a heavy powered screwdriver up for 20-30 seconds to slowly turn a screw when I can do it with a lightweight regular screwdriver in 2-3 seconds, max.
Like a LOT of others, I just use a drill or, these days, dedicated cordless bit drivers to turn most screws where a manual screwdriver would be impractical. My Bosch 12V drivers spin plenty fast and don’t leave me wanting to reach for a screwdriver instead.
I also don’t like designs that have integrated batteries that you can’t get replacements for. Inevitably, the battery is going to weaken and no longer hold a charge. I don’t want to keep having to buy new tools because a battery needs to be replaced. Either make the battery fairly easy to replace and actually sell it for what it costs, which should be a lot less than the whole tool, or just make it part of a 12V tool lineup with batteries, chargers, etc.
Kizzle
You can spin a manual driver at 250 rpm? That’s impressive. I’m willing to bet the battery in there is your run of the mill 3.6v cylindrical lithium ion battery. Take apart the screwdriver, desolder the old one, solder in the new one. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Toolfreak
All the powered screwdrivers seem to have a “slow start”, where they initally go r-e-a-l-l-y s–l—o–w for the first few seconds, presumably to make it easier to start screws or get the bit set in correctly, then they get faster. Just by spinning the shaft of a screwdriver between my fingers, I can usually zip out screws faster than one of those things and it seems a manual driver is what you want for torquing down screws, too.
I just haven’t had any positive experiences with these. I just use the drill/driver if I want speed or am driving enough screws I don’t want to use a regular screwdriver.
I might give one of a try if there are demos out in a store, but I doubt I will buy one just to see how well it works since I have my drills/drivers and plenty of screwdrivers. Perhaps it’ll be interesting to see the reviews.
mizzourob
In looking this up after reading your post I see it has miraculously already won what I consider a bogus pay-to-play tool award. Sad to see SBD/Craftsman stoop to that level.
Stuart
You know my stance on product awards in general. https://toolguyd.com/pay-to-enter-product-awards/
The “will you review our product? It doesn’t exist yet, but look it won an award so it must be good” emails are the worst.
There are even greater frustrations these days, but that’s a story for another time.
mizzourob
It’s positions like that, that make ToolGuyd the most trustworthy source for tool news. Thanks Stuart for always being honest and true to the readers!
Pete
They’re definitely bogus. Not only is the Craftsman gyro screwdriver on there, but a Milwaukee Fastback utility knife that doesn’t even exist yet.
Altan
When the battery is dead you cannot use it, I don’t like built in batteries.
James C
Well unlike the pistol grip style, at least you could use this comfortably un-powered as a manual screwdriver. I agree though, I don’t like non-replaceable batteries. We can’t tell from the pic but it’s possible that the case could be opened and the battery replaced with an off the shelf lithium battery. It would be a hassle and not an ideal situation of course.
Kizzle
Bet that end cap and fore cap pops off that allows disassembly.
Joe H
If an item has a built in battery that I can’t easily replace with common batteries or a 18650 or 16340 then I pretty much won’t buy it because after some time when the battery loses most of it’s capacity, then the whole thing needs to be recycled somewhere and replaced with a whole new tool.
Bill Strobel
Looks like a winner. If only it had an LED light as well.
Dustin
It does.
RCWARD
40 dollars is a good price?
Stuart
It’s what I would have expected based on historical B&D 3.6V and 4V cordless screwdrivers.
It’s possible we’ll see holiday pricing at $29 or a different price point that’s less than $39. $35? It’s impossible to predict these things without enough precedent.
Frank D
Can the user replace the battery?
Or are we to recycle the whole thing and buy a new one, when the battery inevitably starts to go?
Kizzle
Is the user supposed to replace the battery according to SB&D? No, probably not. Can the user replace the battery? Yes…. probably….. maybe….
Thom
For $40 it worth a shot
Joatman
It looks like a tool that would leave me wondering if it would apply enough torque to seat the screw whenever I’d go to grab it. I’d feel that I would need to carry along a good old fashioned screwdriver just to finish it off in case I was screwing into anything harder than jello. Just a novelty imo.
David Zeller
The article states that this has a mechanism to let you use it as a normal screwdriver as well.
Joatman
David you are absolutely right. I failed to see that in the description. That does change my opinion somewhat, however, I’d still probably never buy one for the fact that the battery cannot be easily replaced. Also, I cannot justify spending $40 for another screwdriver-functioning gadget, such as a ratcheting screwdriver. This is probably a useful tool in light applications…..just not for me. Thanks for pointing out the manual feature and not being a jerk about it.
JoeM
I wonder how much of this glowing positivity over this item has to do with Nostalgia for the old Craftsman from 30+ years ago.
DeWALT Gyroscopic screwdrivers “Meh, okay.”
Bosch/Dremel GO Screwdrivers “Gimmicky stocking stuffer, don’t like the enclosed battery.”
Craftsman Gyroscopic 4V USB Charged Screwdriver with Enclosed Battery “OMG!!! I’M SO EXCITED!!!”
The only difference between THIS Screwdriver and the “Gimmicks” of the other two is the length of the shaft, and a “Locking Mechanism” which isn’t even guaranteed to be very strong. Craftsman of 30 years ago MIGHT have built it strong enough, but SBD has been known to make mistakes here. And on BOTH the others, that difference in shaft and lock is replaced with a bit driver shaft to cover that length. This one is weak on the torque, has a well-known inconvenience of a built-in battery, and is from a newly reformed brand that is actually a new colour scheme for a rather maligned company in this niche market. This looks more like a Black and Decker gadget than it does a Stanley/DeWALT Pro Tool, so I wouldn’t get my hopes so high about such a tiny line between “Gimmick” and “Hit”… It’s really uncomfortable to see this happen.
That is horribly suspicious to me. Hypocritical even.
Stuart
For me, I don’t see this as a Craftsman product, I see it as a Stanley Black & Decker product.
Any nostalgia is based on sentiments stemming from experiences with the B&D Gyro and Dewalt 8V Max gyro screwdrivers.
4V screwdrivers are ALWAYS relatively weak on torque.
What would you prefer, a built-in battery or a proprietary battery that increased costs and required its own separate charger?
For the target audience, a built-in battery will do just fine. Remember, this isn’t SBD’s first 4V cordless screwdriver. If screwdrivers with built-in batteries didn’t sell well enough, they wouldn’t keep doing it. Neither would other brands.
Why won’t the locking mechanism be strong? It has to be strong enough for manual unpowered use. There’s no hex bolster which you can use a wrench on.
Your nit-picking seems to be more of an emotional bias against the screwdriver. The built-in battery is a valid and common criticism, but for a tool like this, it’s the lesser of two compromising options. I would have made the same choice and gone with a built-in battery. If you were making the calls at Craftsman, what would you have done differently?
Now, if I were Craftsman/SBD, I would ensure that every Lowes store had one or two of these in a “try me” demo station come late-November.
JoeM
Don’t get me wrong, I rather hope it IS as good as the hype. I don’t want Craftsman to be relegated to what Black & Decker ended up being, a Gadget Company. But, to already be at the excitement level I’m seeing in this thread… it just seems premature. And considering how much the form factor, AND the Gyroscopic action has been maligned by similar users in the past… it just seems hypocritical from the same group to suddenly go fanboy on this item. The only real differences are the Craftsman name, and the length of the shaft.
Now, the Locking mechanism should, if everything goes right, be exactly as strong as it should be. But, remember that SBD also made the DeWALT DCT419 Radar Scanner, and DCT418 Wall Scanner. Look how THEY failed. I still want one, yes. But they DO make mistakes sometimes, for new products. The B&D Gyro was a flat version, the DeWALT Gyro was Pistol Grip Ergonomic/Inline Switchback. This Craftsman is a new formfactor for SBD, so it DOES fall into the category of “Maybe they did something wrong” this early into the release.
I LITERALLY wonder how much of this excitement, throughout the thread, is based more on the Nostalgia of Craftsman tools from 30+ years ago. I’m not accusing anyone of this with certainty, simply surprised that the form factor and feature this new tool offer are both complained about in other tools. So I wonder how much of the excitement is based purely in the fact that it’s Craftsman. A kind of… Youth Bias, I believe it’s called. When something is a throwback to one’s youth, an individual can react much like they are that youth again? Whatever that bias is called? That. I wonder, in earnest, just how much giddy joy for an active Craftsman tools is skewing the positivity in the thread.
As to what I’d prefer? I’d prefer a screw bottom, and a standard 18650 Li-Ion battery dropped out, to be put on a standard charger you can buy on Amazon or AliExpress for those batteries. You can find them to charge up to 10 at once, last I checked. That would extend the life of the tool, even beyond the potential shut down of the line by the manufacturer. After all, the tools may contain special circuitry, but standard Lithium Ion and Lithium Polymer batteries are becoming ubiquitous across the entire spectrum of electronic devices. Forget AA and AAA packs, you can find massive numbers of these cells all over the place in bulk and electronic supply stores. For a tool this small? I’d want more than an internal charger for blind trust it will last. If you didn’t have to build in the charger, it could be slimmer, and contain more sturdy components in the same space. PLUS you could sell it with or without cells of its own, giving you the chance to drop it down to the $16 and below market range, without compromising its $40+ quality value. It would actually be MORE profitable to make these cheaper using replaceable cells, because it would open up both the upper, AND lower ends of the market range for the driver.
Now… IF it gets torture tested, this version, and that LOCKING mechanism is, indeed, Old Craftsman worthy… Then, awesome. Great melding of the technologies. But I can see the validity in complaining over the internal battery, when a screw back, ejectable cell, is a far more efficient way to go with this. And I can see where this new generation of “Baby Gyro” type screwdrivers will be a GIANT hit out there. Maybe they’ll release one with a Precision 4mm class shaft next time? I dunno. I do know this desperation for proprietary battery systems is getting to be insane, when it’s in a SCREWDRIVER sized device. At some point, the tool users WILL stop buying tools, when they have to start paying environmental fees for recycling all these enclosed batteries, on tools that would be still in use if they could just pop in a fresh cell.
And… Just between you and me? Being Canadian, I don’t care what Lowe’s does. They decimated one of our proudest, longest serving, Canadian hardware chains, simply to get a bigger presence in our country, and sell a sub-standard set of products than the chain they replaced were selling. If “Craftsman” is going to be their brand? I’m happy to stick to DeWALT, Stanley, and their OEM Mastercraft sold at Canadian Tire. If EVERYONE gets Craftsman in Canada, with no exclusives or replacements of other brands? Then I’m happy Craftsman is no longer in Sears’ toxic hands. Simple as that.
Altan
I have seen DeWALT 3.6V (probably 4V in the US)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dewalt-Dc600-Position-Screwdriver-3-6V/dp/B000C754VG
They have a separate charger, some would use that, but I like the design of the new Craftsman USB screwdriver, would be better if the batteries were not built in. They could have made it with the USB charger in the handle (so you don’t need to carry a separate charger) but with removable/replaceable batteries, the logic here is that you can not use it if the battery charge is gone, what will you do in the middle of work? A second battery might be needed for some. I would not mind if the price was higher.
JoeM
Yeah, Altan, that’s the old style NiCD batteries. Belongs in the line of the 9.6V and 14.4V tools. Came out JUST before the Max series Lithium Ion families. It is “Unavailable” because the Max series came out so soon after, replacing many of the tools about to be widely released.
I don’t know if it counts as a “Failure” or a “Stillborn” product, to be honest. It wasn’t given any time to exist, and that one there is probably a Marketplace item from some back inventory in Europe… Germany by the looks of it, but… selling to the UK.
I’d LOVE the new design of this Craftsman, if it didn’t have a charger inside, or a USB connector. A screw back, like a flashlight, that dropped out a used standard cell of whatever size it takes, and you can carry a bunch in a battery holder as backup. That is what I’d prefer. Power stops, twist, drop, drop fresh one in, screw back on, keep going. Charge in a standard cell charger when you’re done for the day. No proprietary battery for something this small.
Once you’ve done that, you could make one of these for every SBD brand, and they’d be equally well done. The TTI companies could follow suit with their own designs, without the possibility of lawsuits standing in their way, because, I believe the Cells are patented by Panasonic or one of the other battery makers. But, this would only really work for this tiny form factor.
The new-ish Dremel PC-10 Versa has a built-in 4 Volt battery, and is Micro-USB charged… and it, too, is a NEARLY perfect tool for what it is. But it suffers from USB charge wait time. The ENTIRE tool is waiting to be charged, and it puts it out of commission for hours on end, up to 4 if you’ve managed to drain it to the point of stopping all together. I fear that may be true for this Craftsman as well, and EVERY 4 Volt USB Charged Internal Battery tool. Dremel even released a new full-sized 4V ROTARY TOOL with one of these horrible systems in place. And if you want more power in the tool, you have to step up to something like the DeWALT 680 Gyro, and that 8V Battery system is just two of these side by side in a clip. Hence the much-maligned “Extra Size” it has. It’s big enough for two of these, with the only difference being the shaft length… and even that can be fixed by buying a shaft extension/bit holder/etc.
I want, DESPERATELY, for tools like these 4V tools to get a bucket load of common sense poured on them. 18650 cells can be bought elsewhere, and they’re almost all made in the same places, so there’s VERY little variation. These tools would work best WITHOUT an installed battery of any kind, and the adoption of Cells in the Tool market becoming more standardized, dare I say it, like in Asia. They have multi-unit, multi-sized cell chargers by the truckload there. It would be nothing to be able to charge 2, 4, even 10 of these kinds of tools with a single charger, regardless of brand. There are physically smaller, similarly powered battery cells that would make a PRECISION version of this Craftsman possible. They make Piezoelectric Servos for Arduino controllers that are made to be incredibly small, and all it would take is the gyro-controlled circuit in the handle to make nearly any size of these you might want, including the possibility of a STUBBY form.
But, we’d have to swallow our Westerner pride, and admit we need to drop the Proprietary Battery standard for small tools. And that would also mean we’d have to acknowledge that Battery Cells are made *Le Ghasp* OVERSEAS. They’re the same cells in EVERY Lithium Ion powered tool right now, just not soldered down. And there are a huge number of devices in the East that use them that way. The architecture is already there, and we wouldn’t have to change larger tools to do it. Just the small ones.
I want to believe we can have common sense in the Tool industry. I know that makes me the rambling idiot in our little village here, but I want to have some actual PRIDE in the design INTELLIGENCE of a tool again. I am greatly missing that, and there are a lot of these tools that are just THAT ONE ITEM away from total perfection. I want this Craftsman to be the Daddy of this new form factor, the one that proves we need the drop cell tool more than internal charging. Then all its little offspring can be of dozens of different form factors, shapes, and sizes, and build the name Craftsman up from BEFORE Sears ruined the name, and give some credit to the capacity for SBD to actually use some COMMON SENSE in the design and Marketing departments finally.
What I WANT being the key there. I’m sure there’s enough of you angry at me for typing so much, that you’d all disagree with me simply out of spite for the headaches I’ve caused you in reading. And, as the song goes, “We don’t always get what we want.”
Django
They might be able to get qualcomm quick charge on these, and that might be worth it.
Damon
C-Cells can’t supply the torque for the same number of uses. You’d be changing batterie’s constantly. I can charge this thing once and use it for weeks at home without a recharge.
The What?
The only “big hit” this cheaply made thing is going to make will be when it hits the bottom of a trash can soon after someone makes the mistake of buying it. Clunk! Ping! Pow! It hit the bottom of the can. Damn, I forgot to put in a bag. Oh well. I’ll just throw some more shit in the can and empty it on garbage day. There goes yet another sbd craftsman tool right where it belongs.
Stuart
Have you tried the B&D Gyro or Dewalt 8V Max gyroscopic cordless screwdrivers?
Here you’re not even pointing out anything you don’t like, you’re just being negative for the sake of it?
Kizzle
Have you not seen any of his comments? He is one of the toughest tool critics of all time. No tool that you will ever post will live up to his ideals. I wish I knew the tool company that he is a product development engineer at, because if his standards and commentary on every tool that these multi-billion dollar companies release is any indication; the tools must be absolutely phenomenal and without fault. I personally can’t wait to see the gyroscopic screwdriver that The What? has designed. He’s right, you know, once his driver is released you’ll hear nothing but the sound of these Craftsman screwdrivers hitting the garbage. I, personally, am of the belief that he has access to alien technology that blows our lowly earth tools out of the universe. There is no other logical explanation for his insight.
@philly_sparxy@ig
Gyroscopic driver technology is running a race right now. Contenders have been DeWalt, B&D and we just seen a crazy expensive example from German tool brand leader WiHa hit the market about 2 years ago… The race is in the packaging. Who can make it the smallest? Like a real sized driver. Once perfected, the prize will be huge. Tradesman & homeowners a like will definitely be in line & on line to order the new small, powerful, cost effective battery operated screwdriver that just needs a twist to send the screw spinning home. Unfortunately, technology just is not there yet. But it’s great to see these companies throw a horse in the race. After we have a package, the size of a regular large screwdriver that will actually work all day, durability will come into play, along with battery life, tourqe, then followed by the cheapest price as selling points. Eventually this type of tool will largely replace the small 12v impact drivers like we see with Milwaukees m12 line. I’m not expecting much out of this release from Craftsman. However each time a company releases it’s own version, we get closer to not having to carry a 12v drill with us all day. So that’s phenomenal news. Cant wait to check it out.
I agree with you here. Unfortunately I also agree with the other poster as well. Truth be told, we would not expect to see somthing that has historically been 90% gimmick, actually tackle all the issues these gyros have had in any first generation tool. From any company, especially a company that does not make its bread & butter from battery operated tools. I will remain skeptical until I see one of these tools that has some hope.
Randy Holcombe
What everyone is overlooking when they rave about the size of the tool (sounds like an over sexed girlfriend instead of a woman in love). The size of this thing isn’t what is wrong in this world of tools; It’s longevity, battery. The battery life is the problem. Not how long it last on a charge but how many charger you can put on the battery before it stops taking a charge. That’s the real problem. They will give you a driver (and they virtually do) just to sell it so you will buy another set of batteries to continue use of their tool. But, the new batteries only fit their tools and you can get the original tool and new batteries for just a few dollars more then just the batteries. The real profit is in the batteries, not the tools.
Corey Moore
That’s literally what everyone above you was pointing out lol that’s the gripe about enclosed batteries- the battery sinks the whole tool when it gives up the ghost. A little too eager to get that simile off your chest?
Carl J
I’ll reserve my ohh’s & ahh’s for when the product is actually available to buy and not a picture provided by a company sales pitchman.
One of the big drawbacks to these types of powered screwdrivers is that its not something used everyday(by most homeowners/DIY’ers). So either this tool is being (over) charged up needlessly for weeks at a time or is dead in the kitchen junk drawer from lack of charging.
Bobby
This looks really cool. After watching a video of the dewalt gyro, I want one.
Jamie Davis
I wish Craftsman well, and I hope this is a well designed tool. I have M18, M12, and V20 tools for heavy work. I also really like a good powered screwdriver ( low voltage ) that doesn’t take a lot of space. I believe we will see compact powered tools more in the future, and as such, I hope this is a well designed tool that gives way to even better compact tools. I will get one!
Steve
Guys, easy USB solution, you can get a multi pack of USB Micro to C adapters on Amazon for $5-$8. I have one on the USB charging cable on my workbench, even has a little chain to tether it to the cable. Done, you can charge most anything USB made in the last few years that way.
Nathan
The fact that a tool company doesn’t jump right on to the most expensive USB connector type made for a tool doesn’t surprise me.
Yes USB-C is becoming ubiquitous. Becoming. It also costs over twice the price for the connector end and to make up the cable. I’ve got at least 3-6 micro usb cords still laying around my house somewhere and 2 devices that still use them.
I am just a touch dismayed at the battery choice and idea but I have to say I love the form factor. Now if there was a dewalt version that was brushless and had the SBD flavor of “red lithium” or whatever milwaukee calls their usb aa battery. and it was I don’t know say 60 dollars I would potentially buy it.
but for under 40 dollars I would also potentially buy this one. and it would replace my ratcheting screwdriver for most use.
Robert
BTW, these are available now. I just picked one up at my local Lowes for $24.98.
Tony
Yep, I bought one a few weeks ago at Lowe’s for a friend as a Christmas present.
Pablo
I noticed that too. Interestingly , they didn’t drop in price in my store til after Christmas .
Dave H
I know these comments are older, but is there any place to still get this?
Stuart
If it’s not in stock at Lowe’s, it might be back for the holiday season.
Mike
But why hasn’t anyone tested this tool used vertically? Does the gyro work then? Does thd tool work at all then?
Stuart
It should work at all angles.
Jake
Does anyone know if this will ever be in stock, I have reached out to craftsman with no reply. Not in stock or online anywhere. Been looking since November?? What gives. 5 star ratings everywhere??