Lowes’ Kobalt brand has recently launched their “new” line of 20V Max li-ion cordless power tools. I put new in quotes because the tools seem to be unchanged from the Kobalt 18V cordless power tools that came out nearly two years ago.
Unless I’m mistaken, these are essentially the same tools as Kobalt’s 18V line, but with slightly higher specs and new higher capacity Li-ion batteries.
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Kobalt 18V Drill/Driver vs. 20V Max Drill/Driver
18V Specs
- 0-450/0-1650 RPM
- 455 in-lbs max torque
20V Specs
- 0-450/0-1650 RPM
- 485 in-lbs max torque
Kobalt 18V Impact Driver vs. 20V Max Impact Driver
18V Specs
- 0-2400 RPM/0-3200 IPM
- 1280 in-lbs max torque
20V Specs
- 0-2500 RPM/0-3300 IPM
- 1550 in-lbs max torque
Combo and Additional 20V Tools
The 20V Max 4pc combo kit comes with the drill/driver, impact driver, a reciprocating saw (which also appears unchanged from the 18V version), and a multi-LED worklight. There’s also a 1/2″ drive impact wrench that is slightly more powerful than the 18V version.
Battery Capacity Upgrade
The new cordless kits come with 2.0Ah and 4.0Ah battery packs.
18V vs. “20V Max”
20V Max branding is the product of Stanley Black & Decker marketing executives that understand how people think. 20V* Max tools operate at about 18V under load, so the difference is mainly in perception. Which tools do you think are more powerful, 12V Max tools, or 10.8V? 16V Max or 14.4V? 8V Max or 7.2V? 20V Max or 18V? That’s the main motivation behind 20V Max branding.
A couple of years ago, 12V Max branding replaced “10.8V” in the North American market. Stanley Black and Decker was the first to fully adopted 20V Max branding, with their Black & Decker, Dewalt, Porter Cable, and Stanley FatMax cordless tool brands, and I really thought that more brands would follow their lead by now. Not that’s it’s something I wanted to happen, but it’s what I expected.
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While Dewalt and Porter Cable’s 20V Max introductions were tied into complete product redesigns, these Kobalt 20V tools don’t appear to be much different than their 18V equivalents.
Update: This is apparently causing some confusion, sorry about that. “20V MAX” branding was first used by Stanley Black & Decker’s marketing dept, and is still almost exclusively used by SBD brands. However, Kobalt’s 20V Max tools are manufactured by Chervon (a power tool development company and manufacturer) – as were their 18V tools. It is only the 20V MAX branding of these tools that come from SBD.
Compatibility
Kobalt’s 18V and 20V Max li-ion chargers, batteries, and tools are all cross-compatible with each other. You can charge Kobalt’s 18V NiCd batteries with their 20V Li-ion charger as well.
First Impression
One word sums up how I feel about the 20V line: disappointment.
Specifically, I am disappointed how, after after almost two years, all we get from Kobalt are slightly upgraded on-paper specs. 100 RPMs and a couple of tens of in-lbs of torque could be attributed to testing variations, creative rounding, or using updated parts from suppliers.
No new features? No new tools? No brushless motors? No redesigned charger (the old one was large and very noisy)? No improved ergonomics? No 12V line?
The impact driver and impact wrench do have more appreciable increases in maximum torque delivery than the drill/driver, but the overall designs are similarly unchanged.
Yes, the new Kobalt 20V Max li-ion battery packs have higher capacities than the 18V packs, but that isn’t anywhere near enough to balance my disappointment.
I reached out to Lowes and Kobalt, asking if and how these new 20V tools are different from the 18V models, but they haven’t gotten back to me yet. Even so, I think the specs and product photos are pretty conclusive, in how they show the tools have not been significantly updated.
Don’t get me wrong, the Kobalt 18V/20V tools are good performers, but it frustrates me to see Kobalt rebrand their 18V tools as 20V tools, when they only offer a slight refresh of on-paper specs.
Back when Kobalt first released their 18V tools, Lowes and Home Depot engaged in some hostile competitive marketing. This was briefly discussed in our Ridgid vs. Kobalt drill/driver post. It will definitely be interesting to see how Ridgid responds to Kobalt this time around.
Kobalt 20V 4pc Combo Kit
Kobalt 20V Drill/Driver Kit
Kobalt 20V Impact Driver Kit
Kobalt 20V Impact Wrench Kit
Michael Quinlan
It’s disappointing, but understandable. Just add the “max” branding makes new products look better than old products, it makes old products look like new products. Marketing execs think consumers are stupid, and will see 20 as better or newer than 18, and won’t look any further than that. Sadly, they’re right.
Stuart
I don’t think marketing execs sit around a table asking how they can fool customers into buying their tools. But they do discuss ways to sell more tools and how to gain advantages over competitors. Unfortunately, slapping a “20V Max” label on 18V Li-ion tools seems to be a quick and easy way to achieve such goals.
The fact of the matter is that people will assume higher voltage equates to more power. The same is true in other product sectors. What’s faster, 2.2GHz or 1.5GHz? Which is the better camera, 18MP or 12MP?
Some customers thoroughly research their cordless tool purchases, but many do not. And even those that do their due diligence don’t quite catch how a 20V Max Li-ion product is really more accurately described as 18V Li-ion.
Michael Quinlan
Marketing can’t make the product better, it can only make the product *seem* better. Ultimately it’s up to the company leadership to decide how far they’re willing to go in that regard.
Stuart
Well said.
It’s unfortunate, but true. That’s what disappoints me – how the new 20V tools are more about perceived improvements rather than qualitative improvements.
There are some improvements in specs, but none that couldn’t have resulted from suppliers’ updated parts. In other words, it seems highly likely that these tools have slightly upped specs because the companies that make the parts updated the specs, and not because Kobalt engineers sought out to design and produce better products.
mnoswad1
is this a tti product?
Stu, we’d all get a kick of some disassembled investigation of some of these tools. I’d like to see the internals of the major and minor cordless tools. It be interesting to see just how different or surprisingly the same they are to each other, esp. within in parent company branding.
also battery back cells vs each other, etc. Any chance at this?
Stuart
No, I believe Chervon is still the OEM for Kobalt cordless power tools.
I strongly considered doing a breakdown of different brands’ power tools, but the results could be too difficult to interpret. For instance, if one brand’s drill had a smaller motor than another brands’ same-class drill, it could mean a lot, or nothing at all.
Brands sometimes change battery cell sources from time to time. Bosch, Dewalt, Makita, and Milwaukee all upped the charge capacities of their 12V battery packs in the last few years. Some used 1.1Ah cells in the beginning, most used 1.3Ah cells, and all moved to 1.5Ah cells. Some have started to move to 2.0Ah cells.
It’s something I can certainly work on if there’s enough demand, but I’m not sure if it would yield any usable or insightful information.
Jerry
My guess is that unless these “new” tools come in at a lower price point than the competition, they will be passed by, for the newer, flashier, higher spec tools elsewhere. It’s a shame, as I run into more problems with tools that get redesigned every couple years. I bring in my 2-3 year old tool, to a place that advertises a ‘lifetime’ warranty to be told that it failed in such a way that it couldn’t be repaired. Also, they won’t replace it, because the warranty says they would repair or replace with an ‘identical’ tool, which no longer exists. Ditto getting simple replacement parts, for something I could fix myself. Those parts are not available, they were discontinued when they redesigned the tool last year. If the tools are solid performers, and with the new battery tech, have power and runtime comparable to others at a similar price point, I see nothing wrong with leaving them alone, especially if the batteries and chargers are backwards comparable. Now, the idea of changing just the label, and calling it ‘new’ is what I would call a cheap marketing ploy.
Michael Veach
Am I the only one that is sick of the XX Max?
Stuart
No, you’re not, and I expect that it will only get worse.
Javier
I wouldnt mind buying these tools if I was on a budget. The 20v max is a gimmicky technicallity. Just like the mpg ratings on cars. Is technically true but most dont experience in real world situations. They always put the asterisk next to 20v saying it is actually 18 nominal I believe voltage. Anyways back to the tools, I think they will do good if the prices are untouched with the battery upgrade and the miniscule upgraded specs. The current prices on their combo kits are pretty good. Too bad their hassle free lifetime warranty is only good on hand tools. Ive actually had them honor their lifetime warranty a few times and its pretty good, no receipts needed.
Bryan
I think that they probably rushed the 20v model out specifically to get the larger batteries out and stem the tide of unhappy customers like myself that are stuck with poor battery life due to the anemic 1.3 ah batteries shipped with 18v models and the very noisy charger. The poor performance on screw driving vs competitors with larger standard batteries on profesional reviews has to have hurt their sales. I am going to seek a change under warranty. Remember that their warranty statement is very liberal and potentially costly given this issue. They did just intro a 12v package also. So I think this move to 20v may have been to stop the bleeding and truly improve the package significantly.
Robert OHanley
I just bought a 20v max impact driver and it came with one ion battery. I asked the man in Lowes battery section why they did not sell extra 20vion max batteries. He told me to go online to buy one. I then found out thy were $100. I am not cheap but this replacement battery is the most expensive brand in the store. I wish that I did not buy it. Please explain this outrageous price.
Stuart
So why not return it and buy something else?
Or, look to see if you can find the 18V batteries at your Lowes. They fit the tool just the same, but have lower capacities and 18V branding instead of “20V Max.”
Rob Archer
I was in need of a cordless drill. Looking around in a pawn shop I found a Kobalt 18V, Lithium ion set: drill, reciprocating saw, circular saw, bag, charger and a battery for $35. The battery is ok, but not great. I bought a new 18v 3 amp battery (like what is in the link below). Listed in the description and the specifications tab is
“Compatible with all Kobalt 18-volt and 20-volt power tools”
Does anyone know if these battery really will work with the 20V tools? I’d like to get the driver tool, but haven’t found one that is 18V. Will the 20V battery work on the 18Vtool?
Thanks,
Rob
http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?partNumber=352548-11241-K18-LB30A
Stuart
This is discussed in the post, most notably under the “compatibility” heading.
Yes, 18V Li-ion and 20V Max Li-ion are the same. The 18V Li-ion batteries should work in the 20V Max tools, and vice versa.
Gary
Just doing some research, Have one of the Kobalt 18V Ni Cad combo sets. Was hoping to buy new batteries for this but see that Lowes no longer sells them. Will the Li-ion fit and supply the older tools?
Thanks,
Garry
Stuart
You’ll need an 18V or 20V Max battery pack. You might also need a new charger for the Li-ion battery.
Shawn
I have all Kobalt battery power tools, Kobalt does not sell a job site radio, will my batteries fit any other job site radio such as Bosch or Mikita ?
Stuart
No, sorry.
norman northcutt
What other brand battery chargers will interchange with the Kobalt 20v lithium battery. I have the 18v but the 20v lithium will not fit and trying to find the correct Kobalt charger is next to impossible at a reasonable price.
Stuart
Unfortunately, none that I know of.