Over at the ToolGuyd forum, Jonesy asked whether Craftsman is planning to phase out its V60 line of cordless outdoor power tools. They noticed crazy clearance deals on mowers on trimmers at their local Lowes location.
I would agree with their initial assessment that the clearances are most likely end-of-season discounts and clearances.
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So to answer the question posed as the title of this post – no, I don’t think Craftsman is phasing out the V60 tools or system.
Very soon, home centers will want to start carrying fall and winter outdoor tools, such as snow blowers. It’s not quite winter tool season yet, but inventory will likely start coming in.
Mowers, trimmers, and other such cordless power tools take up a lot of space. How many mowers will be sold in late August compared to the period from March through June? Trimmers?
Craftsman just launched their V60 line of cordless power tools last year, and there’s no way I could imagine it being discontinued or phased out.
Let’s say Craftsman plans to launch new brushless motor V60 cordless power tools. That wouldn’t preclude their ability to move the brushed motor or first brushless tools that launched as part of their first phase of new tool releases. There is room in Craftsman’s catalog and retailers’ warehouses for “good, better, best” options. How many different Ego blowers does Home Depot offer in their online store? At my count, there are four models, two handheld and two with backpack power supplies.
Maybe Craftsman will make changes to their tools before next spring, that certainly is possible.
There are lots of unknowns, but I would say there is very little likelihood of the still very new Craftsman V60 cordless platform being phased out.
There are never any guarantees, but if you have your heart set on a new Craftsman V60 power tool, whether it’s been on your wishlist all along or you find a clearance deal you can’t pass up, I believe that Craftsman does plan to grow the system. Craftsman has always been a big outdoor power tool brand, and that’s a market segment that Stanley Black & Decker is very interested in.
We discussed Stanley Black & Decker’s announced strategies a few months ago, where they said that Lawn & Garden was an area of potential acquisitive growth areas. They also added a lawn and garden category to their envisioned 2022 market share pie chart.
See Also: Dewalt, Craftsman, Stanley vs. Milwaukee, Ryobi, Empire: A Look at Stanley Black & Decker and TTI Financials
Phasing out the V60 lineup now would be a huge and costly mistake for the brand, and a big setback for parent company Stanley Black & Decker. With no foreseeable reasons to justify a phase-out of the new cordless platform, and the very strong potential for huge negative consequences, I am extremely confident that this is not what’s driving the “crazy clearance deals.”
It is also possible that competition with Amazon is driving Lowes to heavily discontinue their remaining Craftsman V60 cordless power tools.
For instance, Lowes has the string trimmer kit for $173.66 (“was $239”) and marked as clearance, and Amazon has it for $170.67 at the time of this posting.
The Craftsman V60 hedge trimmer is also marked as clearance on Lowes’ website, and priced at $172.42 for the kit (“was $219”). Amazon has it for $205.11 at the time of this posting.
Craftsman’s V60 cordless leaf blower is still $269 at Lowes, but $169 at Amazon. Since blowers will be in strong demand through the fall, that could be why it is so far excluded from Lowes’ clearance efforts.
It is also possible that Craftsman’s lower voltage or gas engine tools are outselling the V60 options. If that’s the case, wouldn’t Lowes want to devote more shelf or floor space to those offerings?
There are a lot of possibilities to explain the clearance deals on Craftsman V60 cordless outdoor power tools, but as mentioned I don’t believe the system is being phased out in any way. I cannot imagine any scenario where Craftsman or Stanley Black & Decker product managers, marketing heads, or corporate executives would green-light such a move. Well, there is one scenario, but I highly doubt that they’ve developed a safe and affordable nuclear thermoelectric power source to replace the V60 battery form factor with.
Craftsman Confirmation
We have no plans to phase out the CRAFTSMAN V60 line. It’s a popular system of tools that we will continue to develop over time.
Matt J says
As I am Jonesy, I just wanted to comment that prices at my local Lowes were:
$107.99 for hedge trimmer with 2.5Ah battery. ($219 selling price before now)
$167.99 for a push mower with a 5.0Ah battery. ($399 selling price before now)
$199.99 for a self-propelled mower with a 7.5Ah battery. ($499 before now)
While end of season clearance is a normal thing, these cuts struck me as particularly steep (around 60% off across the board), and very early — especially compared with every nearby model on the shelves from Kobalt, Greenworks, which were still selling at sticker or with minimal discounts (10% off).
Jared says
Just an observation – I heard the message of “steep clearance prices” and thought I’d check if that was going on here in Canada. Couldn’t find any V60 stuff on the lowes.ca website though. Certainly the US has got some Craftsman stuff earlier than it shows up in Canada, but seems a little weird that we didn’t get any and it’s already season clearance time…
Billy says
In the US, nothing on the site/app now either
Adam says
I’d like to think they were keeping it around longer, but hard to say. You made the point of bringing in fall & winter tools, but I just picked up a couple of the v60 chainsaws for $117 each, prior to coupon & discounted gift cards purchased, making them $90. I was contemplating the mower to get a 5/7.5ah battery as…
I bought the 2nd saw really for the battery. The store didn’t have extra batteries, and the price the associate listed online for a 2.5 or 5ah battery, made buying another saw a no-brainer (not that I would ever pay retail on a battery).
What I find crazy, is it has a 4 year warranty, and NOTHING says the battery has a shorter period. I bought the extra 2 year plan for $20 plan on one of them, so if in 6 years something happens , I’m covered.
It’s going to be a for a 2nd location, but I will give it a good comparison to my Milwaukee. Conveniently, they both use the same chain.
Adam says
I forgot to mention, my main reason for posting, and reading Jonesy comment, I wouldn’t think they would get rid of the chainsaw this time of year. Was $280 orginally. They could have knocked only $50 off, and would have sold out with all our recent storm damage (still hearing several saws a day going).
Matt says
I have the weed wacker. I doubt there’s anything more to it than clearing inventory for winter. Snowblowers should be here anytime. I hope there’s V60 options there too. I believe all of the mowers are brushed as well. While the reviews are excellent, it’s what caused me to not jump on the sale here. I assume brushless mowers are in store for next season. SBD/Craftsman most likely had a certain number of V60 items built and want to clear them out for what’s coming next. It also gets them into the hands of people who were maybe on the fence about the new line… And who knows, maybe V80 or higher is coming?
Adam says
It was indicated on the product page, at least the self-propelled one, it is brushless. I really don’t think they can make any decent yard equipment, without it being brushless.
Question for anyone that bought more than one tool. Are all the batteries the same demensions & weight? I know with some the dedicated outdoor equipment lines, the battery pack does not change size depending on amp-hours.
Stuart says
I believe the hedge trimmer is the only handheld V60 tool that’s not explicitly described as having a brushless motor. Looking at the product pages for the mowers, there’s no mention of them having brushless motors, and there’s no “brushless” labeling I can see in the imagery either. The 3-in-1 and self-propelled Craftsman mowers are only described as having “a powerful motor.”
Matt J says
https://www.craftsman.com/products/v60-cordless-21-in-3-in-1-self-propelled-lawn-mower-kit-7-5ah
It’s brushed. There may have been an FAQ that was answered incorrectly. You can bet your bank account that if this thing had a brushless motor, it’d be one of the first things mentioned on the spec sheet and would have “brushless” branding and stickers all over the machine.
Adam says
Lol, yes I was going by the FAQ answer. I guess for $500, I thought it would be brushless.
I did read a review saying it had a better cut than the Ego it was compared to. Even if it’s not the best, it’s only $200. I’m only using it for trimming & to collect grass for compost. Big Kubota for the majority of the yard otherwise.
Matt J says
I read a review on it on another blog — the clearest takeaway was that the Craftsman has really, really high blade RPMs at maintenance cut, but the mower really bogs down under heavier resistance. Almost every other mower in the test increased blade speed with thicker/taller grass — likely due to the ability of brushless motors to load-sense and adjust.
So the Craftsman probably does give a great cut/mulch if you religiously mow weekly and are taking off a quarter to a half inch at a time. But it’s probably really bad if you ever let things get slightly overgrown. For your use as a secondary mower/cleanup tool, it’s probably fantastic.
I had a Kobalt 80V brushless mower that I bought last year — it was a floor model as-is on clearance for $100. I used it twice and it was okay. I used it a third time after being away for two weeks and the high grass (6″ — nothing totally crazy) stalled and seemingly totally killed the mower. I’ve tried reconnecting the wire harness and all of that and it’s just bricked. Batteries are confirmed good as my Kobalt string trimmer still works great.
So for the time being, I’ve decided to stick with gas and see if something in the cordless OPE world really knocks me out for the price. After last year’s experience, the Craftsman on clearance was close but I couldn’t pull the trigger.
Jared says
Matt J, I’ll bet you there’s a fuse in there.
Matt J says
You’re probably right. It looks like it’s basically the same mower as the Greenworks 80V, so I think I could get a PCB controller replacement for like $20-$30 shipped, but it’s a sunk cost if it’s something else wrong with it.
Ultimately found a guy locally selling a Greenworks 80V mower and battery for $120. Already have the charger from another tool, and made sense to stick with Greenworks as the blades I bought for the Kobalt are interchangeable as well. Hopefully no issues with this one, and if there are, hopefully can get buy swapping out parts between this and the Kobalt mower.
Jorhay says
I thought it was end of season sales – Lowes originally had a 1/1/2020 end date on the price. But the V60 products ended up off the Lowes website and I had to resort to brickseek to check prices and inventory.
One of our Lowes had written discontinued on the shelf sticker for the mower.
I ended up buying the self propelled mower for $200, string trimmer for $101 and hedge trimmer for $98. From 3 different stores as they all had different prices on each of the products. I don’t know if it’s Lowes dropping them if their exclusivity is up or what; but I decided it was worth the risk.
Andrew says
Would I be surprised no? Look at PC. SBD can be unpredictable. Do I think they would be that dumb especially after the flack from DeWalt batteries, yes. My guess is SBD would want their more homeowner brand on one steady platform. BTW got their v20 4 amp hour weed wacker, good tool.
Matt says
Speaking of PC. I wonder if they’re going to phase that out or reinvent it in some way? Like high end corded tools or something. The only two places in town I ever noticed a PC display was at Blaine’s or Lowe’s. Both are gone now. The Blaine’s power tool aisle has Milwaukee on one side and on the other is B&D, Craftsman & DeWalt. Lowe’s is the same way but with different aisles and no Milwaukee. Both had PC items on clearance over the last year and now PC is only available at the auto parts stores around here. The auto stores are also selling old DeWalt stuff. Perhaps PC under SBD never really caught on? I can’t say I know anyone who bought it but surely some folks did. Perhaps PC will go to WalMart as their top tier brand next to B&D?
Madcapp says
Same old story, proprietary battery packs from second and third tier manufacturers are ALWAYS a bad bet. If Craftsman wanted to sell more tools and inspire more confidence in their brand, they would adopt a widely used battery pack from Makita, DeWalt, Or Milwaukee. That business model is not without precedent BTW…Amazon sells at least 3 Enegitech branded power tools that use Makita batteries. https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/E725FB46-4FEC-4D6C-B359-35594E9FA82D
Stuart says
Craftsman is a Stanley Black & Decker brand, with their cordless power tools likely developed by the same teams that work on Dewalt, Porter Cable, and Black & Decker cordless power tools.
They would never make their tools cross-compatible with other brands, at least not across tiers.
Let’s say the Craftsman V20 interface accepted Dewalt batteries. Wouldn’t the Craftsman batteries than be compatible with Dewalt tools? Even if not out of the box, then there would be maybe a plastic tab that some users would physically remove. What would stop someone from buying Craftsman’s $69 V20 entry-priced cordless drill kit and using that battery in a Dewalt power tool? If the Craftsman battery didn’t sufficiently power the Dewalt tool, would users blame their choice of battery, or the tools?
There’s nothing wrong with proprietary battery packs as long as they remain current and are supported over the course of many years. Look at Ryobi’s 18V line as a great example of this.
Robert Adkins says
I have no respect for manufacturers who play games with batteries. Some of them obviously want you to throw away good batteries, and that’s terribly wasteful.
Matt says
Several years ago when DeWalt switched from the stem battery style to the slide in pack style, I know our local Blaine’s had a trade in program. I’m not sure of all the details as I didn’t need to participate but I do know the person I talked to at the service desk said the old batteries were to be recycled. Customers received a discount towards the new style. They had large bins full of old batteries.
Whether this was a Blaine’s program or a SBD program I don’t know.
Django says
SBD also produced a stem to slide in adapter
Gordon says
The biggest problem I’m having with Lowe’s is that each store can be so incredibly different in pricing. My friend sent me a text that said “get to Lowe’s, all Kobalt hand tools are on massive clearance”. He sent me a photo with things like a 3 pack of adjustable wrenches for $3. My store still had them full price.
If you look at brickseek, you’ll see that the V60 self-propelled mower is on sale for $199, but only at 15% of Lowe’s.
Bob says
I vote it end of season sale. Truckloads of new inventory needs a place to go.
Makes you wonder what the wholsale price on these tools are if they are selling 60% off. I would assume they are still making money or possibly loosing very little at 60 off the top. I understand a loss leader strategy but don’t think this would be a product category conducive to that.
I know some of the larger retailers have agreements where they can return unsold product to the manufacturer if they do not sell them in a certain time period. Some sort of consignment deal. I would think that seasonal items would be something that they would focus this type if agreement on. You would assume they would return them vs take a loss on selling them.
Pure speculation on my part but something to think about.
Brian M says
It’s super risky buying into Craftsman battery powered anything. SBD simply can’t be trusted. 12V was all but dead for like 10 years. 40V was dead for like 5 years and they finally officially discontinued it. XRP, is it dead or not? Still available but no tools are coming out. It’s not just batteries(which could be considered support), they’re still selling “new” tools at Lowe’s and HD. PC, future unclear but still available. Dewalt 20V and Flexvolt(because it’s 20V compatible) are the only lines you should consider from Dewalt or B&D 20V for the lower end tools. Everything else is a coin flip and they’ll kill it off or let it sit idle while they figure out what they want to do.
Stuart says
Where did you see that 40V Max was officially discontinued?
Big Richard says
If you click on any 40v tool on DeWalt’s website, it lists said tool as “discontinued”. It could just be that they are coming out with new versions, but you would think they would have new products on the shelf before they discontinue old products.
Sam says
Lowes dumped their 80v mowers last fall at very low prices, similar to these. They brought out new 80v mowers this spring. Could be a simple rotation to brushless motors.
Matt J says
Lowes seems to do this more than HD and other stores. I was looking out for a discount on an EGO mower at HD for a long time and finally asked and was told that they never go on sale because they sell regardless of season.
While I am happy for the deals I’ve gotten at Lowes, I can’t help but think that such regular deep discounts are part of the reason they’re struggling. These discounts started on August 1. There is easily 2-3 more months of routine mowing here in southeastern PA. Last year, Lowes was selling the Dewalt 40V mower for $150 around the same time.
While I do think that the sticker was high compared to other models, especially those with brushless motors, I think the push mower could have easily sold at $300.
I understand the need to rotate inventory, but Lowe’s seems to go over the top with it. I realize it’s a drop in the bucket, but it seems to be a pattern/practice across all departments. It can’t be helping their stock prices.
Mike says
Many thanks for this, I didn’t have any gear, so I bought them all. Did notice absolutely WILD pricing at Lowe’s, for example $220 for the blower at a Lowe’s near me, but $109 for one at a store 30 miles away – so it pays to check around… Their return policy varies also – 30 days for the mower, but 90 for the hedge trimmer.
4 year warranty is great and I read all the battery packs are 18650 based, so they can be rebuilt in the future.
Brando says
THIS NOT the last of the Craftsman V60 line, lets stop with the silly rumors.
SBD (Stanley Black and Decker) is doing the opposite by promoting their Craftsman Lawn Garden V60 product line and reducing their Dewalt Lawn & Garden line. Compare websites for Lawn/Garden products for Dewalt Vs. SBD Craftsman. Over the past few weeks Dewalt lawn & garden items have been disappearing from their site (and rummored internally).
Several press releases have also indicated that the aquisition of Craftsman name is to move SBD more agressivly into that market space. They will likely run the line hard 2-3 years and evaluate market performance and infiltration in the 3-4.
(Sincerely) Please correct me anywhere i am wrong.
Stuart says
We’re still hearing about “crazy” clearance pricing on Craftsman V60, and I saw more of this on social media today.
As discussed in this post I can’t imagine that the tools or line are being discontinued, and our contact at SBD confirmed that there’s no way that’s happening.
Lowes’ clearancing practices don’t seem to fit typical patterns, but I guess that’s just retail.
Drew Marshall says
I stumbled upon the clearance deals when my old mower had issues and I did not have time to fool with it. In the end, I got a variety of 60v equipment dirt cheap and have been quite pleased with them while I had been dubious since I used a variety of professional gas equipment back in the day.
The 7.5Ah battery in the self-propelled mower ($189!) suddenly went dead 2 weeks ago (70 days old, no LEDs, no charge indicator, no run), so I initiated a warranty case, and they agreed to ship out a new battery, but it is only the 5Ah one, the 7.5 is no longer available.
If you look at their site now, they replaced the self-propelled 7.5 model with one that uses TWO 5Ah packs. I assume this indicates a problem with the 7.5 packs. fwiw all of my 2.5Ah batteries are going strong.
Maybe in the end they will upgrade me to the new model since they can’t make good on mine…
Simon says
That’s crazy, I call it scam.
Did they make you return the bad 7.5ah battery?
AB says
Did you get any resolution on your replacement 7.5ah battery? I’m in the same boat, it suddenly went dead, and they sent me a 5ah as a replacement. I’ve been hounding them about once a month, but they tell me there will be no more 7.5ah batteries. I’m fairly happy with the mower, and contemplating asking for a second 5ah battery to make up for the reduced capacity.
Simon says
Did they make you return the bad 7.5ah battery?
AB says
No, the lady suggested I drop it at the battery recycling box at Lowes. I’m sure the shipping wouldn’t have been worth it.
dave9 says
It makes sense to discount them because based on the V60 battery prices, that is where they’re looking to make their money, but that depends on getting enough tools into enough customers’ hands.
I’m sure they’d like to also stomp out the Sears’ Craftsman line once and for all so they need better market penetration for that.
Jared says
Rona, a hardware store here in Canada (owned by Lowes), cleared out all Craftsman V60 stuff this past month and a half. It was part of a store-wide “clearance event” where lots of other items were on sale.
The clearance event started at 40% off for all included items and progressively went up to 90% off (where it is right now, but not much is left anymore). This resulted in some exceptional prices on V60 stuff where it could be found.
My aunt had asked me where she should buy a new battery for her 56v Worx cordless trimmer – they retail for $160 here in Canada. Instead I picked up a complete cordless V60 trimmer kit for ~$120, which pleased her greatly.
A few weeks later I was in the store and spotted a V60 hedge trimmer kit – 80% off for a final price of about $60! She didn’t need a trimmer, but I picked it up anyway because that was less than half price for just a battery.
I was surprised at these deals because only specific brands seemed to be included: Craftsman v60, Black & Decker 20v, Bosch 18v and Dewalt Ni-cd 18v stuff. Excluding Craftsman, everything else seemed to be older models. E.g. most Bosch stuff was brushed tools that had been out a long time. There was no Dewalt lithium. My point is that I would hazard a guess that Rona won’t be restocking these items once they’re gone since they have been superseded.
Craftsman V60 stuff just came out this year though. Seems a bit fishy to me. On the other hand, I think it could all be considered summer-seasonal stuff (and we’re obviously in the heart of winter now). Maybe that’s all it was…
Bob says
I wondered the same thing about Craftsman phasing out the 60V. The guy at Lowe’s speculated that but didn’t know. Anyway, I got the leaf blower as it was cheaper than the 20V and I love it. Very powerful and about 1/2 price off.
A month later, I bought the 60V hedge trimmer again at maybe 1/2 off. Love it. So last month I looked for a 60V chain saw. Lowe’s didn’t have it so I bought online. I didn’t get a deal but decided that even if they do phase it out, I want one. Love it as well. So I have three 60V yard tools which I love and 3 identical batteries. What started this was actually the 60V Craftsman lawn mover I got first at about 1/3 the normal price. That worked well so sold me on Craftsman but that 60V is a way bigger than the others.
Anyway, even if Craftsman stops selling these, I am glad I bought them and plan to use them for many years, even if they come out with something better as these are quite sufficient.
Jeremy says
I have a chainsaw and a blower both bought at Lowes at huge discount pricing. The blower was $62 after some negotiating and the chainsaw about $114 I recall. I am hoping they come out with a brushless 21″ manual push mower.
Melvis says
Still no Craftsman V60 at Lowes. If this was just a seasonal thing, they would have the spring stuff in by now. Menards still has a few things on their website, but most of them say “low inventory alert,” which makes me suspect that they’re not getting in new ones, either.
Craftsman themselves might tell you that V60 is just pining for the fjords, but…
Jeremy O Quirk says
Just in from a reply from Craftsman tools to a question as to why Lowes is not putting up any more V60 stuff, at least nothing I could find other than 2019 stuff. The very good news if true is (and this was sent to me on Wed 04-01-2020 – and no it is not an April fool’s post):
Hi Jeremy,
Thank you for contacting us.
We apologize for the issues that you are having with these batteries. The batteries are covered under warranty with your proof of purchase for 3 years. Lowe’s will continue to sell the V60 line however the reasoning they only carry stock for limited time is because these items are seasonal. They should be getting more soon as the season is rolling back around.
In case this email does not fully answer your question, or you would like to contact us for any reason, simply reply to this email.
Thank you,
Kristin
Craftsman Customer Care
Visit us online at http://www.craftsman.com
J in Michigan 04-01-2020 at 11:17 a.m.