The Craftsman (SB&D) V20 Thread of Red

Farmall450 · Feb 25, 2020

Spurned by the lengthy discussion of the new V20 tools in the Craftsman 19.2V C3 thread, how many members have hopped on the V20 Craftsman ship?

They're starting to knockout what appear to be premium, although perhaps derated, DeWalt models in their line as of late; including the 7-1/4" brushless circular saw and 1" (.625 in Craftsman, per lowes) D-handle brushless SDS plus hammer drill. Both are significantly under the DeWalt price, and it would be interesting to see if they are in fact as similar as they appear.

They're even offering the 6.0 battery back now. :beer:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN-V20-Cordless-Brushless-SDS-Rotary-Hammer-Tool-Only/1002101358

This specific tool is of very similar form, but slightly de-rated (2.0 J vs 2.6 J). Regardless, for chipping tile, still quite the value.

Additionally, SB&D is offering quite a few more unique tools -- i.e. cordless tile saw, that was previously PC only -- in their Craftsman line than I would have anticipated. That's not even an option in the DeWalt line. Plus, all the excellent DeWalt nailers have been rebranded...this is clearly going further than a PC replacement, homeowner platform.
Thoughts?

Farmall450 · Feb 25, 2020

From personal use; I can attest they're decent tools. I've built up a truck set myself, by virtue of good deals. One plus is that the battery indicator stays lit for some time, unlike the 20v DeWalt (fixed on the Flexvolts).

So far the truck set consists of:

1/2" Impact
1/2" Hammer Drill
Sawzall
4.5" Grinder
LED Light

vette-kid · Feb 25, 2020

You guys are putting me back on the fence for which line to switch into!

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d.mcfarland · Feb 25, 2020

I have a bunch (I think 8 or so) of the V20 stuff and it all works fine.

The only thing I even have a complaint about is the LED handheld light has a weird hue to it.

jg4660 · Feb 25, 2020

I put these on par with the 18v Ryobi One+ tools which i think are pretty decent and an exceptional value. I'm still a C3 user until the batteries i have go bad and replacements don't make sense. I did pick up a Ryobi One + screw gun and batteries for a project and it worked great.

JG

Farmall450 · Feb 25, 2020

d.mcfarland said:
I have a bunch (I think 8 or so) of the V20 stuff and it all works fine.

The only thing I even have a complaint about is the LED handheld light has a weird hue to it.

YES

100% agree. I mention that to everyone; it IS NOT nearly the DeWalt. Granted, I think I gave $12.50 on eBay, and while more than I paid for the DeWalt, I can't complain for that. They're stout tools and well priced if you're the kind of person to buy a lot in store (vs hunt out sales/marketplace/ebay/etc) :beer:

Parrothead · Feb 25, 2020

They're very similar to the Porter Cable tools they’re replacing. That’s not a good or bad thing, just worth noting.

Farmall450 · Feb 25, 2020

Parrothead said:
They're very similar to the Porter Cable tools they’re replacing. That’s not a good or bad thing, just worth noting.

Except when they're quasi-DeWalts. Agreed, many (tile saw, inflator) and direct PC takes (which makes a lot of sense).

One should note that PC isn't being discontinued, so it will be interesting to see if both continue to grow together. Also, PC never got the OPE spread that Cman is getting.

Toold_up · Feb 25, 2020

Farmall450 said:
From personal use; I can attest they're decent tools. I've built up a truck set myself, by virtue of good deals. One plus is that the battery indicator stays lit for some time, unlike the 20v DeWalt (fixed on the Flexvolts).

So far the truck set consists of:

1/2" Impact

1/2" Hammer Drill

Sawzall

4.5" Grinder

LED Light

How do you like that 1/2" impact?

coleman10 · Feb 25, 2020

I used to have a number of C3 tools and decided to move over to the new V20 line. So far, I have:

Brushless drill
Brushless 1/4” impact driver
Brushless hammer drill
6 1/4” circular saw
Hanging work light
Brad nailer
Recip saw
Hedge trimmer
Leaf blower (brushed)
Inflator
Vacuum
Random orbital sander
Jobsite fan

So far, so good. Every tool has lived up to my expectations, especially the drill and driver. Very smooth, lots of power. Love using them. Sure, there are a few things here and there that could be improved upon, but overall, no huge complaints. SBD is bringing out new additions so I have no worries about the line stalling.

Just saw that they now have a dual port charger that charges two batteries at once. Nice.

The work light doesn't suffer from any kind of weird hue. It's super bright and will be great for working under a sink or for when the power goes out.

d.mcfarland · Feb 25, 2020

The 3/8" impact gun is on my list of things to get when they go on sale. I really hope it doesn't ****.

Farmall450 · Feb 25, 2020

Toold_up said:
How do you like that 1/2" impact?

It's decent. TBH only used it once so far over Christmas break. I have my 1/2 Mac (DeWalt) in the shop, so I doubt they Cman will see a ton of use besides wheels or at friend's places (who don't have air/impacts). It's very comparable to the brushed DeWalt, and is cast/built very nicely.

It was my first Craftsman (V20) tool; I picked it up at the pawnshop and knew it was coming home with me.

Farmall450 · Feb 25, 2020

d.mcfarland said:
The 3/8" impact gun is on my list of things to get when they go on sale. I really hope it doesn't ****.

That looks like a real killer. It's most def. a close relation to the brushless DeWalt/Mac, which I wouldn't mind, however it's still about half the power of my trusty older (brushed) Mac. I think it's more or less a DeWalt 887 w/ 3/8 anvil.

https://www.craftsman.com/products/v20-cordless-brushless-3-8-in-impact-wrench-tool-only

USAMatt · Feb 26, 2020

That looks like a real killer. It's most def. a close relation to the brushless DeWalt/Mac, which I wouldn't mind, however it's still about half the power of my trusty older (brushed) Mac. I think it's more or less a DeWalt 887 w/ 3/8 anvil.

It is. I'm hoping there's a higher powered one coming. Something inline with the 12v Milwaukee stubby gun is what Craftsman needs in this smaller sized impact range. I use mine on little things. Our Lowe's shows the 6.0ah battery in stock so I'm stopping there after work tonight or tomorrow and will pick one up and see if it has more kick with that one there. Perhaps they'll have the Mid-Torque & 7 1/4 circular saw there? They show it's not available but I've seen that before and they'll have new stock right on the shelf. If they are I'll grab those too and give a brief review. Great Thread!

coleman10 · Feb 26, 2020

If they have the 7 1/4”, I’d be really interested in your review.

Still looking to pick up the multitool and jigsaw. Might also get the compact blower at some point. The multitool would be next on the list, I think.

For anyone who has the multitool, does it use standard blades? The C3 version used proprietary blades and it was a pain to find blades that fit.

Farmall450 · Feb 26, 2020

USAMatt said:
It is. I'm hoping there's a higher powered one coming. Something inline with the 12v Milwaukee stubby gun is what Craftsman needs in this smaller sized impact range. I use mine on little things. Our Lowe's shows the 6.0ah battery in stock so I'm stopping there after work tonight or tomorrow and will pick one up and see if it has more kick with that one there. Perhaps they'll have the Mid-Torque & 7 1/4 circular saw there? They show it's not available but I've seen that before and they'll have new stock right on the shelf. If they are I'll grab those too and give a brief review. Great Thread!

Too bad you're not in Northern IL, I'd like to compare the similar DeWalt to Craftsman. The 7-1/4 DeWalt is a monster. :beer:

coleman10 said:
If they have the 7 1/4”, I’d be really interested in your review.

Still looking to pick up the multitool and jigsaw. Might also get the compact blower at some point. The multitool would be next on the list, I think.

For anyone who has the multitool, does it use standard blades? The C3 version used proprietary blades and it was a pain to find blades that fit.

There was a good buy on the multitool (used) on eBay. It looks to share the one of a kind/industry leading DeWalt no bolt/no BS blade clamp, which is pretty nice.

Farmall450 · Feb 27, 2020

Look at what showed up at the doorstep. Needed some more batteries, and can offset the cost pretty easily by unloading the charger.

coleman10 · Feb 27, 2020

Nice. Yeah, that looks like one of the lower output chargers. I have one on eBay now, CMCB100. If I had a gripe, it would be that some tools are only available as a kit with a charger. I don’t need 5, 6, or 7 chargers. It’s kind of crazy and increases my cost, plus forces me to have go through the trouble to sell a few on eBay. I just picked up the brad nailer. Yep, only available as a kit.

Farmall450 · Feb 27, 2020

coleman10 said:
Nice. Yeah, that looks like one of the lower output chargers. I have one on eBay now, CMCB100. If I had a gripe, it would be that some tools are only available as a kit with a charger. I don’t need 5, 6, or 7 chargers. It’s kind of crazy and increases my cost, plus forces me to have go through the trouble to sell a few on eBay. I just picked up the brad nailer. Yep, only available as a kit.

As do I, still valuable. I personally have the fast charger.

dodge610 · Feb 27, 2020

Lord help me I do not need another battery platform. I still have my 19.3 craftsman as backup to my Ryobi. But you guys are tempting me with these 20v craftsman. I may have to bend and join the club lol.

USAMatt · Feb 27, 2020

Too bad you're not in Northern IL, I'd like to compare the similar DeWalt to Craftsman. The 7-1/4 DeWalt is a monster

Well I stopped in there but they didn't have the mid torque or the saw. I wonder if the virus going around will slow down their supply chain? I agree on the Dewalt saw, it's awesome! I've used one enough to have a good feel for the differences for comparison.

One thing I didn't care for in the picture of the V20 was the plastic lower guard. But as long as it's heavy duty and not cheap, I'm fine. If it appears or feels cheap and flimsy I'm not a taker. I'm tough on my circular saws and they should be built for that IMO. It also didn't look like it had shoe measurements in the picture which I wish it did. Perhaps it does though. Literally every circular saw on the market I've used has measurements except these new Craftsman's. Kind of ridiculous to not stamp them in. I also wish it had a rafter hook. Even Menard's masterforce saw has one. Still, I look forward to checking it out when it shows up. If the lower guard checks out then I'll buy.

They did have a 6.0ah battery in stock but man, they want 140 bucks for one. Right next to it was a 2 pack of 4.0ah batteries for $99 so I did grab that. I could see $140 for a 2 pack but for a single I think I'll wait for a bit of a price drop. I was pumped to take that mid torque into work and run it against a Milwaukee! I figured since that was listed on Craftsman's website (unlike the saw) I'd have a good shot at getting it. Oh well

coleman10 · Feb 27, 2020

Farmall450 said:
As do I, still valuable. I personally have the fast charger.

What’s the output of the fast charger? SBD claims that the charger should be no less than half the battery capacity, otherwise it could damage the battery. I’ve never heard of that. Perhaps it will be a slower charge, but damage? Maybe, don’t know. In the case of the 100, since it only puts out 1.3 amps, according to SBD, you should not charge a 4 Ah battery with it.

coleman10 · Feb 27, 2020

dodge610 said:
Lord help me I do not need another battery platform. I still have my 19.3 craftsman as backup to my Ryobi. But you guys are tempting me with these 20v craftsman. I may have to bend and join the club lol.

As much as I miss my C3 stuff, I’m glad I got the new line. The brushless drill and driver are really awesome. Compact, well balanced, and smooth. C3 doesn’t compare.

coleman10 · Feb 27, 2020

USAMatt said:
Well I stopped in there but they didn't have the mid torque or the saw. I wonder if the virus going around will slow down their supply chain? I agree on the Dewalt saw, it's awesome! I've used one enough to have a good feel for the differences for comparison.

One thing I didn't care for in the picture of the V20 was the plastic lower guard. But as long as it's heavy duty and not cheap, I'm fine. If it appears or feels cheap and flimsy I'm not a taker. I'm tough on my circular saws and they should be built for that IMO. It also didn't look like it had shoe measurements in the picture which I wish it did. Perhaps it does though. Literally every circular saw on the market I've used has measurements except these new Craftsman's. Kind of ridiculous to not stamp them in. I also wish it had a rafter hook. Even Menard's masterforce saw has one. Still, I look forward to checking it out when it shows up. If the lower guard checks out then I'll buy.

They did have a 6.0ah battery in stock but man, they want 140 bucks for one. Right next to it was a 2 pack of 4.0ah batteries for $99 so I did grab that. I could see $140 for a 2 pack but for a single I think I'll wait for a bit of a price drop.

I may have mentioned this in the C3 thread, but only gripe with the 6 1/4” saw is that the 90° mark on the shoe does not line up with the blade. It’s about 1/8” off. If you use the guide to cut by, your cut will be off. I sent Craftsman a nastygram and they said that they will submit the problem to the product development team and let me know if/when that’s fixed. Drives me up the wall. I was thinking of cutting the notch wider to line up with the blade.

$99 for two 4Ah batteries is a good price. It’s the same on Amazon. I have 1 4Ah battery. I may need to pick up a couple more later on.

Farmall450 · Feb 27, 2020

coleman10 said:
What’s the output of the fast charger? SBD claims that the charger should be no less than half the battery capacity, otherwise it could damage the battery. I’ve never heard of that. Perhaps it will be a slower charge, but damage? Maybe, don’t know. In the case of the 100, since it only puts out 1.3 amps, according to SBD, you should not charge a 4 Ah battery with it.

4 amp. I'd never heard that before; why would they make the flexvolt compatible w/ the slow chargers then?

Did you find that on the chart in a manual or something? I find this hard to believe b/c they give charge times for a 1.25 amp (DCB107) charger on a 5ah battery (DCB205).

coleman10 · Feb 27, 2020

Farmall450 said:
4 amp. I'd never heard that before; why would they make the flexvolt compatible w/ the slow chargers then?

Did you find that on the chart in a manual or something? I find this hard to believe b/c they give charge times for a 1.25 amp (DCB107) charger on a 5ah battery (DCB205).

No, I wrote in to Craftsman customer service because the specs for the fast charger weren’t listed online. In their response, the rep cautioned against using a low power charger. Sounded like BS to me.

Farmall450 · Feb 28, 2020

coleman10 said:
No, I wrote in to Craftsman customer service because the specs for the fast charger weren’t listed online. In their response, the rep cautioned against using a low power charger. Sounded like BS to me.

Agreed, I think she's full of it. If anything those are probably easier on them. I try not to use the fan cooled fast charger on the smaller batteries. :thumbup:

coleman10 · Feb 28, 2020

It’s odd. I’m not sure what rationale they are using (if any) as to what charger to include with what tool. I took a look at the charger that came with my brad nailer and it’s the 1.5A output (or is it 1.3?). This was included with a 2Ah battery. Other tools came with a 2A charger and a 2Ah battery. All together, without buying additional batteries, I have 8 batteries, seven 2Ah, and one 4Ah. Perhaps I could use another 4 Ah, but I think I have all the batteries I’ll need. I want to build a little storage shelf to hold them for easy access, but right now, they are just being stored on the various tools so I just grab and go.

vette-kid · Mar 2, 2020

Did some browsing today, seems the 20v tools basically come in three levels. The basic, brushless and made in USA (with foreign parts) brushless? Made comparison shopping rather difficult and the price difference is significant. Is there a significant difference in quality between the three levels? Anyone with experience with all?

I was looking specifically at the drill and impact driver combos.

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coleman10 · Mar 2, 2020

You know, I only thought there were two levels, but you’re right, the brushless comes in both USA and non-USA versions.

I did a quick comparison of the brushless models, and the USA versions are slightly better. Slightly. The USA impact driver (820) has more torque than the other (810), is faster, and has three speed ranges. The USA brushless drill (
720) is faster and has more torque than the non-USA (710). The 720 also has a metal chuck whereas the 710 has a plastic chuck.

Do the differences matter? I think the specs are so close for that except for the most depending tasks, you probably won’t notice a difference. However, I like having the metal chuck on the drill and the speed selector on the impact driver.

USAMatt · Mar 2, 2020

You want the brushless versions for sure. I wouldn't spend money on the entry brushed models. I think you'd regret it. I agree with coleman10, the metal chuck and speed selector models are my preference as well. I had the single speed DeWalt 885 for years but after having my USA Craftsman (which is essentially an 887) I couldn't go back.

Of course, just having a USA model is nice too. It's Craftsman after all. I wish every tool they made had a USA version. Global materials or not, every job helps.

coleman10 · Mar 2, 2020

USAMatt said:
Of course, just having a USA model is nice too. It's Craftsman after all. I wish every tool they made had a USA version. Global materials or not, every job helps.

This. For decades so many things were made with global materials, they just weren’t required to state it on the box until recently. “Made in USA” is good enough for me.

vette-kid · Mar 2, 2020

I don't remember the price, but the premium for USA over the non USA was significant. ~$60-70

Agreed on the metal Chuck, that's one thing I've been looking at. The dealers are nice, but to get into brushless with metal Chuck it gets pricey. Kobalt is the other option in the running. $179( vs $249 for Craftsman) for brushless with metal Chuck and I believe both tools spec higher than the Craftsman (manufacturer rating, for what it's worth on any brand).

I like that Craftsman has a better variety than the kobalt (heat gun and planner would come in handy).

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gml1998 · Mar 2, 2020

I must bought Craftsman v20 tile saw. I have a tile job coming up in a few weeks. I will see how it works out

Farmall450 · Mar 5, 2020

gml1998 said:
I must bought Craftsman v20 tile saw. I have a tile job coming up in a few weeks. I will see how it works out

I've heard the PC was alright, and they look the same.

I picked up this little guy for a good deal in eBay. Anyone need a new (brushed) hammerdrill lol? Don't need that CMCD711 too

Farmall450 · Mar 11, 2020

I've been wanting a cordless heat gun; just snagged the Craftsman for $50 nib off eBay. Cheapest DeWalt on there (only difference being 40 degrees hotter and 2 speed) is $115. They even carry the same # - 530.

:beer:

coleman10 · Mar 12, 2020

Farmall450 said:
I've been wanting a cordless heat gun; just snagged the Craftsman for $50 nib off eBay. Cheapest DeWalt on there (only difference being 40 degrees hotter and 2 speed) is $115. They even carry the same # - 530.

How much time would you get off that thing? I would think it would use up a battery fairly quickly. I have an old, corded Wagner that I grabbed front my dad years ago. Last time I used it was five years ago. I suppose I could always invent ways to use it. Could be good for making s’mores, but then so is the microwave.

Farmall450 · Mar 12, 2020

coleman10 said:
How much time would you get off that thing? I would think it would use up a battery fairly quickly. I have an old, corded Wagner that I grabbed front my dad years ago. Last time I used it was five years ago. I suppose I could always invent ways to use it. Could be good for making s’mores, but then so is the microwave.

No idea, primary use will be wiring. I've seen the DeWalt left on as a porta potty heater in another group, so I'm guessing a while.

coleman10 · Mar 12, 2020

Farmall450 said:
No idea, primary use will be wiring. I've seen the DeWalt left on as a porta potty heater in another group, so I'm guessing a while.

Online says 15 minutes. More than enough to heat up some marshmallows or some heat shrink tubing. I may have to add this to the list.

coleman10 · Mar 13, 2020

Used the brad gun for the first time last night. No issues. Didn’t have a single jam. A whole lot more convenient than hooking up the compressor and hose. Glad I made that purchase. Only con is that it’s a little heavier than the old C3 version, but it uses different technology (flywheel vs air). If I had to do a whole bunch of baseboards or moulding, I think I’d still grab the compressor and my Porter Cable air gun since that one is so much lighter, but for projects in the shop, the cordless model is the way to go. Very nice not having to do deal with the hose.

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