But that wasn't the earlier point. The X1 Mike serrated that because Sears did something in the past we should assume SBD will do it in the future. That's simply illogical. I agree that there doesn't seem to be an advantage to going Cman vs the competition but not for the reasons of design stability.
SBD Craftsman 20v tools
- Thread starter coleman10
- Start date
But that wasn't the earlier point. The X1 Mike serrated that because Sears did something in the past we should assume SBD will do it in the future. That's simply illogical. I agree that there doesn't seem to be an advantage to going Cman vs the competition but not for the reasons of design stability.
SBD was not involved with the previous Sears platforms. I think SBD had lots of incentives to keep the general platform around even if the tools evolve. Honestly the C3 platform at Sears was around for a long time and transitions from NiCad to Li-ion. It's at least a decade old.
X1 Mike
Well-known member
That's the way I think, does SBD really need 4 brands of power tools? Would it be out of the question to someday in the future have B&D and C-Man rolled into a homeowner line and DeWalt and Porter-Cable into the pro brand? If you look at Makita they serve both sets of consumers with the LXT 18 line. They have sub compact, compact, and premium all on the same battery.
jdlong
Well-known member
The original poster asked a real simple question.
After reading 3 pages, seems like only one or two posters who actually own and use the tools replied. Amazing.
After reading 3 pages, seems like only one or two posters who actually own and use the tools replied. Amazing.
A thread with one response ,does not really seem all that useful to anybody, especially the OP, who was interacting and appeared to find at least some of the "unwanted" information useful.
It appears maybe you are the only one who has a problem with the results.
Farmall450
Well-known member
Farm & Fleet carries a significant amount of all of those if you're lucky enough to have one nearby.
Rabid Badger
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2018
- Messages
- 1,338
Estimated sales last year of 3.7 billion and spent 1 billion of it on marketing? Someone in marketing is doing a piss poor job. Unless of course you pulled that number out of your …… errrrrr out of thin air.
2017 TTI financial report. It was for all their brands, but Milwaukee gets the lion's share and it has only gone up since then.
What? You thought Milwaukee was popular because of their crooked drill chucks?
WittHay
Well-known member
To me the Craftsman, Porter Cable and DeWalt all look similar but different. if that makes any sense. There has to be shared internal parts between the lines
The only thing that holds me back from recommending the new Craftsman is the V20 batteries. Different style than previously offered . My guess is a cheaper version than the DeWalt batteries and might take a bit to work out quality control or supplier issues
The only thing that holds me back from recommending the new Craftsman is the V20 batteries. Different style than previously offered . My guess is a cheaper version than the DeWalt batteries and might take a bit to work out quality control or supplier issues
Attachments
Other than differences to keep them incompatible they may be the same guts as the B&D 20V batteries. I wouldn't be worried about supply chain. However, I did read that, unlike PC to B&D batteries, these are not pin out compatible.
Farmall450
Well-known member
I would imagine the Craftsman batteries still carry the brain in them, similar to PC and B&D, which makes batteries more $$$ but tools cheaper.
finn
Well-known member
Putting the “brains” in the battery pack makes sense for Li Ion tools as it is probably the safest way to manage potential fire hazards that seem inherent with the technology.
Farmall450
Well-known member
Not really, the only issues you can have is (over) charging or discharging, where the tool or charger are in use. They don't anticipate homeowners having 25 batteries imo so that is not as much of a concern. A 1.5ah B&D 20v is $45
Not really, the only issues you can have is (over) charging or discharging, where the tool or charger are in use. They don't anticipate homeowners having 25 batteries imo so that is not as much of a concern. A 1.5ah B&D 20v is $45
The safety circuits may be in the battery and are an absolute requirement. In this case the circuit will include a charge equalising circuit as well as over voltage, over current, under voltage protection. It will probably have an EPROM with some battery data. Better batteries will also have fuel gauging.
When I last looked at the B&D bettered they were about $20. I bought an open box trimmer for $15 just to get the battery and second charger.
Farmall450
Well-known member
That was a steal; they're way more than that.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/BLACK-DECKER-20-Volt-Max-Lithium/50163665
That is exactly the reason DeWalt batteries cannot be readily modified to flip flop w/ any cheaper brand's
WittHay
Well-known member
This is just information that I gathered from local reviews on the new Craftsman.
The problems with batteries not holding a charge or wont recharge are the 1.3 that come with the kits. There doesn't seem to be a problem with the 2.0 and 4.0 batteries.
I have a bunch of DeWalt DCB203 2.0 compact batteries and have had no issues with them. They hold a charge forever sitting on a shelf. Made in Malaysia. I am assuming the Craftsman 1.3 are made in China. Will look next time I am at Rona or Ace
Craftsman 1.3 battery
Craftsman 2.0 battery
The problems with batteries not holding a charge or wont recharge are the 1.3 that come with the kits. There doesn't seem to be a problem with the 2.0 and 4.0 batteries.
I have a bunch of DeWalt DCB203 2.0 compact batteries and have had no issues with them. They hold a charge forever sitting on a shelf. Made in Malaysia. I am assuming the Craftsman 1.3 are made in China. Will look next time I am at Rona or Ace
Craftsman 1.3 battery
Craftsman 2.0 battery
Attachments
This is just information that I gathered from local reviews on the new Craftsman.
The problems with batteries not holding a charge or wont recharge are the 1.3 that come with the kits. There doesn't seem to be a problem with the 2.0 and 4.0 batteries.
I have a bunch of DeWalt DCB203 2.0 compact batteries and have had no issues with them. They hold a charge forever sitting on a shelf. Made in Malaysia. I am assuming the Craftsman 1.3 are made in China. Will look next time I am at Rona or Ace
Craftsman 1.3 battery
Craftsman 2.0 battery
Thanks. I sent Craftsman an email and they told me that they resolved the battery issue and are sending out free replacements to anyone with a defective battery.
ekimneirbo
Well-known member
My "obsession" with the battery part of the purchase stems from having to buy too many replacement batteries over the years. I give my tools a good workout, having built my own home, a large pole barn, 3 additional appx 16x30 metal sided buildings, and untold number of projects........but I'm not a professional. I started with Cman tools and still have a ton of wrenches,ratchets,and sockets. It was the "American" thing to do ! The drills had batteries that didn't last but a year or maybe two. You could buy a new drill with a battery on sale for slightly more than just the battery. Bought several drills and they all kept working.....just the batteries failed time and again. Decided to step up to a pro tool and bought a Dewalt, then a couple more Dewalt drills and a sawsall. Drills and sawsall continued to perform well but the batteries kept expiring just after the two year warranty expired. I had gotten to the point that I had a special drawer for receipts and every time I bought a battery I kept the receipt. I also took a Sharpie and wrote the purchase date on each battery. I would buy the 2 pack of Dewalt batteries for $99 on sale (non lithium). Never had any of them fail during the warranty period, but every last one of them failed just after 2 years. Gave all my Dewalt tools to my son because he still had some good batteries, and went and bought a "brushless & lithium battery" Kobalt. Boy was I impressed with how long they ran and how powerful they were. I knew I would get at least 1 extra year or a free replacement. After 3 yrs its only gonna cost me $49 fo a new battery. Went down to my sons place to help build an overhead crane in one of his buildings. We drilled 3/4" holes through 3/8" plates using the Kobalts.Darn near twisted my wrist several times when the larger drill would bite in. Took a pretty good while to drill since we had bad positioning for any leverage and had some cheap Harbor Freight Demling drills. My son called a few days later and said he had decided to finish drilling the last two holes. He used his Dewalt drill and ran down long before he was done. He got one of my Kobalts that I had left behind and finished the job. He's putting the Dewalt tools up for sale, and has already bought himself a Kobalt.
Some people say their batteries have lasted up to 10 years. Anyone who has had batteries last that long, good for them.....but I haven't had that experience and have spent quite a lot of money on batteries. I had the Dewalt chargers that recondition the battery and blink when the battery is bad.
Everyone has to make their own decision as to what they believe and how they want to spend their money. Once you make that decision, you are then locked in to that companies product and will make other pruchases based on the fact that you already have that products batteries. Its a never ending cycle. So, the wise thing is to be sure up front that you get the best bang for your buck. Like I said before....You can buy the Kobalt very inexpensively ($99) and you are guaranteed 3 yrs and 5 yrs. If it fails or at any time you decide you don't like it, you can get a full "no-hassle" refund at Lowes.
Whattya got to lose?
Ok, thats my diatribe for the day.....I'm gonna start a new thread and ask everyone how long their power tool batteries actually last, that way you can see what people say and decide for yourselves .......maybe I'm just cursed when it comes to batteries.
Some people say their batteries have lasted up to 10 years. Anyone who has had batteries last that long, good for them.....but I haven't had that experience and have spent quite a lot of money on batteries. I had the Dewalt chargers that recondition the battery and blink when the battery is bad.
Everyone has to make their own decision as to what they believe and how they want to spend their money. Once you make that decision, you are then locked in to that companies product and will make other pruchases based on the fact that you already have that products batteries. Its a never ending cycle. So, the wise thing is to be sure up front that you get the best bang for your buck. Like I said before....You can buy the Kobalt very inexpensively ($99) and you are guaranteed 3 yrs and 5 yrs. If it fails or at any time you decide you don't like it, you can get a full "no-hassle" refund at Lowes.
Whattya got to lose?
Ok, thats my diatribe for the day.....I'm gonna start a new thread and ask everyone how long their power tool batteries actually last, that way you can see what people say and decide for yourselves .......maybe I'm just cursed when it comes to batteries.
The older nicad batteries could be really bad about aging. It was even worse if you kept them in a hot garage in the summer. Given how fast so many of your batteries died, there may have been something about how you used them that caused them to the quickly as well.
The newer Li-ion stuff in generally much better. My Cman Nextec stuff is at least 5 years old and still works great. My B&D string trimmer is maybe 4 years old and also works well. It lives exclusively in my garage which has no climate control or insulation. Basically I wouldn't discount the SBD li-ion batteries based on your previous experience with NiCad stuff.
The newer Li-ion stuff in generally much better. My Cman Nextec stuff is at least 5 years old and still works great. My B&D string trimmer is maybe 4 years old and also works well. It lives exclusively in my garage which has no climate control or insulation. Basically I wouldn't discount the SBD li-ion batteries based on your previous experience with NiCad stuff.
dr_clyde
Well-known member
Lithium batteries are a whole different ballgame than NiCad or NiMh batteries. Battery technology is SO much better than it was then. You simply can't judge today's cordless by the crappy tools of the 90's and early 00's.
Some old **** will still surprise you. My old man had DeWalt stuff since they first released their 18v NiCad line in the 90's. They are almost all gone by now, but it seems like every time I go over to his house, he's got one of the old *** 18v tools out and it still works.
Yes, he's had to buy some new batteries over the years, but I'm still shocked and amazed they're still cracking along.
Some old **** will still surprise you. My old man had DeWalt stuff since they first released their 18v NiCad line in the 90's. They are almost all gone by now, but it seems like every time I go over to his house, he's got one of the old *** 18v tools out and it still works.
Yes, he's had to buy some new batteries over the years, but I'm still shocked and amazed they're still cracking along.
I would still use my old Makita 12V stick battery drill if the batteries still worked. I did get replacements for my DeWalt 12V and it works nicely. I would use it more but if the batteries didn't self discharge. Batteries that still have good change 2 months later is one of the best things about the Li-ion drills. Still, I hate to see the older drops not get used. I guess some of that is because I remember when having any cordless drill was a big deal.
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kctyphoon
Banned
Lithium batteries today should hold a charge for a year without being used.. its a far cry from Nicad stuff that was almost dead a month after they came off a charger.
Seems the decision has been made for me. Had a birthday last week and my wife must have noticed all of tools pages up on the web browser. She knows I had the previous incarnation of Craftman cordless tools, so she got me the new Craftsman stuff. She bought me the brushless drill, driver, and hammer drill to start. She didn't realize that she got brushless tools, just chose the more expensive ones because she thought they must be better. No way am I even going to suggest I'd return these and get something else. That was a very thoughtful gift. I'm perfectly okay with the line for what I need and I'll keep my fingers crossed that they continue to expand the offerings.