Over at Amazon, they launched a new Craftsman Tools storefront, featuring a selection of their new outdoor cordless power tools.
There’s no word as to when Amazon will start carrying Craftsman tool storage products, hand tools, or other cordless power tools, but this is at least start.
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See the new Craftsman Store at Amazon
Craftsman V20 Chainsaw Lopper
The new Craftsman V20 cordless lopper, model CMCCSL621D1, is a compact clamping chainsaw, . The model number suggests that this is a kit with charger and single battery.
Craftsman’s cordless lopper can cut branches up to 4″ wide. It’s designed for pruning trees and shrubs, and can be used for storm clean-up as well. The scissors-type cutting action is described as being fast and easy.
Price: $129 for the kit, which comes with a charger and 2.0Ah battery
Buy Now(Craftsman V20 Chainsaw Lopper)
Interestingly, it’s less expensive than the Black & Decker cordless Alligator lopper, which has been around for quite a while. The B&D Alligator is currently $142.83 at Amazon. It is hard to tell what has been changed, aside from the color scheme.
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Craftsman V20 Cordless Blower
The new blower kit, CMCBL720D2, comes with the Craftman V20 cordless blower, a charger, and (2) compact batteries.
Features include 350 CFM and 100 MPH max airflow, a “boost mode,” and a metal scraper tip.
Price: $169 for the kit, which comes with a charger and 2x 2.0Ah batteries
Buy Now(Blower Kit via Amazon)
Craftsman V20 Cordless Pole Saw
There is a new Craftsman V20 cordless pole saw, CMCCSP20M1, which comes with extension poles that extend its reach to up to 14 feet.
It has an angled head, 8″ bar and chain, for cutting branches up 6″ thick, and a hook to help clear cut branches.
Price: $132.30 for the kit, which comes with a charger and 4.0Ah battery
Buy Now(via Amazon)
Craftsman V20 Cordless String Trimmer
There’s the new string trimmer, CMCST910M1, which features a 13″ cutting swath and 0.080″ line. It has a variable trigger with high/low speed control, for choosing between added power or extended runtime.
Price: $119 for the kit, which comes with a charger and 4.0Ah battery
Buy Now(via Amazon)
Craftsman V20 Cordless Hedge Trimmer
The new Craftsman V20 cordless hedge trimmer, CMCHTS820D1, features a 22″ laser-cut dual-action blade. It can cut branches up to 3/4″ thick, and a “power saw” feature can cut branches up to 1-1/2″ thick.
Price: $139 for the kit, which comes with a charger and 2.0Ah battery
Buy Now(Hedge Trimmer Kit via Amazon)
Craftsman V20 Compact Cordless Chain Saw
The new Craftsman V20 cordless 12″ chainsaw, CMCCS620M1, features a compact 12″ bar design for cutting in small spaces, and a bubble level for precise level cutting.
Price: $179 for the kit, which comes with a charger and 4.0Ah battery
Buy Now(via Amazon)
Craftsman V60 Cordless Lawn Mower
The new Craftsman V60 cordless lawn mower, CMCMW260P1, is listed but not yet available. It has a 21″ metal deck, single lever 1.5″ to 4″ height adjustment, and vertical folding position. Craftsman says it’s ideal for yards up to 1/4 acre.
It has 3-in-1 output functionality, with mulching, bagging, and side discharge modes.
Price: TBD
Coming Soon(via Amazon)
The kit comes with a charger and 60V Max 5.0Ah battery.
Matt
Is it just me or does that V60 mower look an awful lot like the Greenworks Pro 60V mower with a redesigned battery pack?
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Greenworks-Pro-60-volt-Brushless-Lithium-Ion-21-in-Self-Propelled-Cordless-Electric-Lawn-Mower-Battery-Included/1000410713
raymond
It is just you.
Nathan
It’s interesting. If I made an adapter for dewalt batteries for craftsman connection I’d consider some of those. since I already have batteries and chargers. For a new into the system buy the prices are about right.
Perry
I’m a little skeptical about these. The string trimmer is a 13″ with .080 line? That’s a heavy amp draw for a 20v battery that’s supposed to be mid-level DIY. Mixing that in with the toy-like loppers, it seems confusing. They took the dewalt string trimmer design and the b&d loppers and put them in the same lineup.
Matt
Yeah — this could be an issue. It also seems like the largest V20 battery that Craftsman has released to date is just 4.0 Ah.
As a DIY brand, I can forgive them not having a 12 Ah 18V battery, as the cost is probably prohibitive for the market they’re going for, but I think they need a 6 Ah battery for blowers and trimmers at a minimum. 9 would be preferred.
To be fair, it seems that Ryobi’s 18V One+ trimmers come with similar battery packages at similar prices. Though there is a 9.0 Ah battery available if needed.
From the looks of the Craftsman website, it looks like they also will have some 40V 2.5 Ah batteries likely destined for OPE on the market soon as well, so perhaps that will fix these issues. Maybe what they’re going for is small lot owners with the V20 OPE line and then people who need a full range of OPE with the 40V stuff.
Matt
Forget everything I just said. There’s a brushless 60V Craftsman trimmer at Lowe’s for $219. For the price, I’d rather get an EGO trimmer or a Kobalt 80V, but it’s close enough to price competitive and I imagine it will drop further once the newness wears off and Lowe’s can’t bank on Craftsman fanboying to drive demand anymore.
There’s also V60 blowers, mowers, and hedge trimmers. They’re all priced a little higher than I would pay given the number of other options out there, but like I said, I bet they drop in a few months after the new release frenzy wears off.
It’s pretty clear to me they’re going for three different markets with this. The first is the space limited apartment dweller who doesn’t want a library of chargers and has a small outdoor area to maintain. Price is their primary buying consideration and they’ll do fine with the V20 stuff and will likely be happy that they can use the same batteries in their drill as in their string trimmer while only needing one charger.
The second group are people with smaller suburban yards who need more than V20, but probably only need 20 minutes of runtime in a mower. V40 will serve them fine.
The third group are people with regular size yards and/or people who fancy themselves amateur lawn professionals. V60 is for them.
All in all, a pretty smart approach, very similar to what Greenworks does. Also similar to Ryobi but Craftsman goes the extra step with a 60 Volt system. That’s likely because EGO fills that void at Home Depot.
Like I said before, the prices seem high to me, but the line is okay.
Scott K
“toy-like loppers”
I honestly thought this was a Craftsman kids’ set seeing the lopper first.
Stuart- have you ever considered a roundup of the power tool brands’ kid offerings? I know I’ve seen a post here and there. I’d be interested in seeing several in one place (hand tools, power tools, work benches, etc.)
Matt
Packaging that blower with 2 compact 2.0 Ah V20 (18V nominal) batteries is a joke. That’s 36 watt-hours per battery.
My Greenworks 80V Max (72V nominal) brushless blower with a 2.5 Ah (180 watt hours) gets just 15 minutes of runtime when producing any usable amount of windspeed. These cordless blowers are hungry machines. As a point of comparison, my Kobalt 80V mower can go 30-45 minutes on a 2.0 Ah battery without issue. In fact, I’ve never used it long enough to deplete the battery.
The Craftsman battery has less than a quarter of the battery capacity compared to the Greenworks. While the Craftsman is about 25% less powerful than my Greenworks (problematic for different reasons) and it’s likely also less power hungry as a result, I’d still wager it gets less than 7 minutes of run time per battery at that lower wind speed. Enough to clear a small driveway of grass clippings, but useless for any kind of leaf cleanup. That low runtime also will not allow enough time for the other battery to charge (Craftsman advertises a 60 minute recharge time), so it’s not like you can swap them in and out of the charger for continuous work.
People that buy this will almost certainly find themselves buying a larger capacity battery or two down the road.
Nathan
or the average suburbanite home dweller lives on less than a 1/2 acre lot with few if any trees and will do more than enough for them.
guys like you and me that live on more than an acre with a number of trees – are looking at Echo, Sthil, etc etc.
Scott K
I get the convenience of battery powered over corded, but for the power and cost it doesn’t really seem worth it compared to some of the better and cheaper corded options- unless you’re heavily invested already…
I rely on an echo backpack blower for real leaf cleanups, but I am very happy with what I get out of my corded toro for quickly clearing off the patio or other small patch of leaves.
DrewMcDan1
I have the B&D Firestorm (18V NCAD) version of the Lopper. The tool is showing it’s age right now, but it is great for post storm cleanup. I can usually get by on doing one yard cleanup on one charged battery. I saw earlier that SBD was refreshing the cordless Lopper into Red, but figured it would be spring until it was available. There are two other Firestorm OPE tools that I still use. The cordless version of their Navigator saw also gets used for storm cleanup, for when I don’t need a chain saw. There is also an outdoor scrubber that I use, but only about once or twice a season.
I’ve had to buy off brand batteries to keep these tools running. The rest of my Firestorm tools were replaced with primarily Ryobi, but Ryobi hasn’t made anything to replace those three tools.
For the Lopper alone, I would consider investing in a new battery platform, if I could get rid of the remaining Firestorm tools that I use.
fred
B&D still make the tool in LiIon version:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/BLACK-DECKER-6-in-20-Volt-MAX-Lithium-Ion-Electric-Cordless-Alligator-Lopper-LLP120/303522075
Scott K
Do you happen to have a Ryobi chainsaw? Curious how the 18v version works and the kind of runtime you get out of it for storm cleanup.
fred
No Ryobi for me. Getting too old to worry about storm cleanup and heavy-duty outdoor work. I let our landscapers and tree service guys do what’s needed at our places up north and in the mid-Atlantic – and the HOA takes care of the grounds in Florida.
My wife is a trained arborist – but she’s also too old to do much other than putter around. My now ancient Husqvarna gasoline saw gathers dust at our principal residence. My wife never really used it. She does use a corded B&D alligator lopper for making small diameter branches into pieces to throw in the trash. I bought her a Makita XCU03Z (2 x 18V) chainsaw – that she and I have used only a few times – so I can’t say much about runtime.
BTW – my wife is not a fan of powered saws for pruning – preferring hand saws – and the Silky brand ones from Japan. She lets me (ha ha) heft the Hayate pole saw – telling me that she’s too short to use it effectively.
PETE
I know you mentioned a similarity of the craftsman loper to the SBD loper but it’s still not clear. Are these SEARS craftsman products? Or SBD craftsman products?
Stuart
These are all Stanley Black & Decker Craftsman products. V20 and V60 are SBD Craftsman.
PETE
Thanks for the clarification! Something i should probably know being a tool fan but 95% of the craftsman news & discussion doesnt intrest me in the slightest.
Eric
I would love to see a dual Flexvolt mower (“60v” or “120v”) like that in yellow, especially since some of these tools look like DeWalt OPE rebadges.
Matt
I think DeWalt consumer-targeted OPE is likely going the way of the dodobird since SBD acquired Craftsman.
Craftsman’s established outdoor reputation was probably one of the most attractive things to SBD in acquiring the brand. It’s hard to describe, but I always felt a little odd looking at DeWalt mowers and trimmers. I always thought of DeWalt as the drill and miter saw and power tool company. While Craftsman certainly has also had drills and miter saws and power tools just as long as DeWalt, they’ve also had string trimmers and push mowers and lawn tractors, so it doesn’t strike me funny to think of buying Craftsman lawn equipment.
DeWalt’s OPE was decent stuff, no doubt. But everything seemed to miss the mark just slightly. For example, their 40V and 2x20V mowers were probably the most powerful cordless option on the market in terms of pure blade speed and cutting power, but they had no power-save modes on them and lots of people reported runtimes under 15 minutes even in average to ideal conditions. Great for cutting down an overgrown trench, but useless to most homeowners mowing once a week. In a market where EGO and Greenworks can take you 30-45 minutes on a charge with a fast recharge cycles that allow for continuous work with just two batteries, DeWalt’s option didn’t make sense.
I almost bought a DeWalt 40V mower on clearance for $150 at Lowe’s last Fall, but the price seemed too good to be true, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was the end of the line for them. We’ll see if they come out with anything new, but the stuff on their website seems to be the same as what was available last year, and to me, does not seem to be price or feature competitive with the new Craftsman lineup.
Nathan
you could always put 2 flexvolt batteries in the 20V x 2 mower. I don’t know if they would release an actual flexvolt mower. I’d look hard at it – hell I’m looking hard as the 20V x 2 mower for when my husqvarna dies
Big Adam
That’s what I do. Last season 2x 9.0Ah which was plenty for my modest plot.
This season I’ll use my two new 12.0Ah batts.
rrich1
Noticed these at Menards today too.
Rob
These Craftsman V20 and V60 line use a unique battery pack, different then B&D and Dewalt 20v lines. The posts are at different spacings and the polarity of the batteries is revered in the Craftsman packs to further complicate crossing batteries between the lines.
B&D made a 60v line but was quickly discontinued that could actually be used in the B&D 20v tool lines. It was marketed more heavily in Europe as the Dual-Volt 18v-54v line.
John
I really like that V20 Chainsaw Lopper. Covers the the size range just bigger than the 35mm – 45mm pneumatic pruning shears covers. Would probably give cleaner cuts than the hand saw does.
Mkett
Craftsman tools look too toy like. Haven’t bought craftsman in twenty years and not starring now. I’ve noticed my Lowe’s store having little Kobalt stuff anymore which disappoints because I like their hand tools. Craftsman may be a downfall of Lowe’s because I can buy China made tools anywhere.
dave
Still no interest in outdoor cordless tools, weak and/or overpriced for what they are.
The funny part is when someone suggests that if you have a lawn/etc and storage for your outdoor tools, that it’s that one giant leap of inconvenience to have a gallon of gas with oil in it. yeah, that’s what keeps people from owning homes, having to pour a little of one thing into another. Funny how they manage that complex task every time they eat or drink rather than once a season.
fred
I Think that they have their place. My wife certainly likes hers – and will rather grab her (wimpy IMO) Milwaukee leaf blower than our Echo backpack blower. Same goes for the string trimmer – where she always hated the weight and pull cord starter of our gasoline tools. Cordless OPE may indeed be underpowered and pricier compared to their engine-driven counterparts – but they can be less polluting, easier to start, easier to maintain and adequate for small tasks. My wife likes them for work around flower and vegetable beds and foundation plantings – letting the landscapers deal with the larger chores. I can’t imagine trying to do our lawns with a walk-behind gasoline lawnmower – let alone trying a battery-powered one. Nor can I imagine maintaining the many trees on our properties using a cordless chainsaw -but they do have their place for smaller jobs.
Its all a matter of trying to select the right (in the hand of its user) tool for the job. In our GC business – one mantra was – don’t use a hammer drill when a rotohammer is needed, don’t use a rotohammer when a jackhammer is needed, don’t use a jackhammer if a hoe ram is required and don’t bring out a hoe ram if you need to call in the rock drillers and blasting crew.
BTW – it looks like homeownership among the under 35yo. crowd is pretty low – and may even be falling – but us septuagenarians are making up for this by owning multiples.
Matt
Ego’s stuff and Greenworks/Kobalt 80V stuff is not bad and will take care of most suburban properties on a single charge. Even if 2 batteries are needed, you can work pretty much continuously as the recharge times are equal to the runtimes.
To me the issue is not about storing and pouring gas. That’s the easiest thing about a gas mower. The issue is the work I have to do to keep the stupid thing running when manufacturers continuously use crappy plastic internal parts that gum up easily. Making sure to use non-ethanol gas, add Stabil, do an oil change every year, change spark plugs and filters, take the waste oil to Pep Boys to dispose of, and even after doing all that still having to clean out the carb twice a year (which is frustratingly seemingly ALWAYS buried deep in the motor housing/assembly under non-standard fasteners — almost like they don’t want you to find it and just buy another crappy mower), it is just a lot of time and money to sink into a home lawnmower. Maybe this isn’t the case on your ExMarks, Hondas, and Toro Timemasters, but the lower end of consumer gas push mowers made in the past 10 years is ridiculous in their unreliability and lack of consumer friendliness.
I’ll agree with you that for commercial applications, gas is still way more convenient. But for me, plopping the batteries on the charger for half an hour when I’m done can’t be beat.
Bob
I like the hedge trimmers with the mini sawzall blade on the end. Don’t think I have seen that before. Cool feature if it works well. I always run into a few branches too thick to fit into the blade of my trimmer. Having to switch to a pair of loopers is a time sink. With this tool you can keep going.
I am not a fan of battery OPE as its not feasible YET for my property (too big) but wish gas saws would incorporate the recip blade into the end of the trimmers.
Kyler
Also note SBD is suing Sears now for their “Craftsman” tool line haha
Matt
A little off topic but a little on….but where are the rest of Craftsman brushless tools?
We have a few drills and impacts. That’s it.
Andrew
Hopefully they will have more innovation than SBD had for Porter Cable. Their drill and impact were well received but then when they expanded the line the quality went down from a prosumer to just above Black and Decker. The new Craftsman impact looks great honestly. When my brushed Makita goes may consider it, the drill, eh undersized. The rest of the tools so far its a pass. However the v20 miter saw really interests me. If it was duel bevel I would probably own it for small trim. As it stands, probably wont see it any closer than lowes.