If you buy something through our links, ToolGuyd might earn an affiliate commission.

Here’s a first-look at the brand new Craftsman 20V Max cordless power tool lineup! Thank you John for the heads-up! – and also thank you to everyone else who wrote in afterwards!

The new Craftsman cordless power tool lineup looks to be based on a brand new 20V Max Li-ion battery.


There looks to be 2 brushless tools to start – a brushless cordless drill, and a brushless 3-speed impact driver. Both of the new Craftsman brushless power tools are described as being Made in the USA with global materials.

Furthermore, looking at the specs, they’re no slouches either – the new Craftsman brushless drill and impact driver look to be very competitively rated, with power, torque, and speed measurements that match up with leading Dewalt offerings.

Reminder: 20V Max tools and batteries run at 18V nominally.

Craftsman 20V Brushless Drill (CMCD720D2)

1/2″ chuck

450 UWO power output

0-500/0-2000 RPM

Price: $159 for the kit

Buy Now(via Lowes)

Craftsman 20V Brushless Impact Driver (CMCF820D2)

1/4″ hex chuck

1800 in-lbs max torque

2900 RPM, 3800 IPM max speed

3 speed (and torque) settings

Price: $169 for the kit

Buy Now(via Lowes)

Both kits look to be bundled with (2) 2.0Ah battery packs, with the descriptions saying the charger will fully recharge them in 60 minutes or less.

Note: Final specifications could change. (The drill and impact driver have slightly different figures in the “specs” fields of the product pages.)

Craftsman 20V 8-Tool Cordless Power Tool Combo Kit (CMCK800D2)

Next up, there’s a Craftsman 20V Max 8-tool cordless tool combo kit, CMCK800D2.

Whereas the new Craftsman brushless tools look to be more premium offerings, in terms of power and speed specs, as well as features and sizing, the tools in this combo kit look to be more affordably spec’ed and designed.

Drill/driver CMCD700

Impact driver CMCF800

Circular Saw CMCS300

LED Worklight CMCL020

Reciprocating saw

Oscillating multi-tool

Jigsaw

Sander

(2) battery packs

Charger

Craftsman Combo Kit Notable Features and Specs

Drill: 280 UWO max power, 0-350/0-1500 RPM

Impact Driver: 1450 in-lbs max torque

Circular Saw: 6-1/2″ blade, 4000 RPM

Reciprocating Saw: 1″ stroke length, 3000 SPM

Oscillating Multi-Tool: 8,000-18,000 OPMs, tool-free attachment system

Jigsaw: 0-2500 SPM, 3 orbital settings, tool-free blade release, works with T- and U-shank blades

Random Orbit Sander: 12,000 OPM

LED Worklight: 120 lumens brightness output

Price: $449

Buy Now(via Lowes)

Compare(Porter Cable 8-Tool Combo kit via Amazon)

Craftsman 6-Tool Cordless Combo Kit (CMCK600D2)

The 6-tool combo looks to have the same tools as the 8-tool combo kit, except for the sander and jigsaw, which are excluded.

Price: $349

Buy Now(via Lowes)

Compare(Porter Cable 6-Tool Combo Kit via Amazon)

Craftsman 20V Cordless Drill and Impact Driver Combo Kit (CMCK200C2-10LW)

You can buy a 2-tool and 2-battery Craftsman 20V cordless drill and impact driver kit, for under $149. I would almost guarantee that you’ll see discounts on the pricing before long, seeing as how you can currently buy a Porter Cable brushless combo kit with better spec’ed tools for around the same price.

Price: $149 for the combo kit

Buy Now(via Lowes)

Compare(Porter Cable drill and impact driver combo via Amazon)

There’s another Porter Cable 20V Max drill and impact driver combo kit, currently priced at $129. The new Craftsman tools strongly resemble those Porter Cable tools, but I would be remiss to point out that it seems the Craftsman kit *might* come with higher capacity battery packs.

Craftsman Cordless Drill/Driver (CMCD700C1-10LW)

This kit is said to come with a CMCD710 drill/driver, CMCB2011 battery, and CMCB100 charger.

It’s said to deliver up to 280 UWO max power, and has a 2-speed 0-350/0-1500 RPM gearbox. This seems to be the same drill/driver included in the above combo kits.

Price: $79 for the kit

Buy Now(via Lowes)

Craftsman 20V Cordless Impact Driver (CMCF800C2)

The standalone Craftsman impact driver looks to be the same as the one bundled in the combo kits, as it is also listed as delivering 1450 in-lbs of max torque.

The drill/driver kit comes with (1) battery pack, this impact driver kit comes with (2). I mention this in case you’re wondering about the pricing disparity.

Price: $129 for the kit

Buy Now(via Lowes)

Craftsman 20V Battery Packs

A manual for the drill/driver mentions (4) SKUs:

CMCB201

CMCB2011

CMCB202

CMCB204

I would surmise that CMCB202 is a 2.0Ah battery, as bundled with the brushless tool kits and the CMCB204 is a 4.0Ah battery pack that we haven’t seen yet. The CMCB2011 battery that comes with the $79 drill/driver kit could be a 1.3Ah battery pack, and the CMCB201 could be a 1.5ah battery pack.

More Tools?

There are few more new Craftsman cordless power tools and accessories, but too few details available to mention them just yet.

First Thoughts

I think it’s safe to say that some of the design aspects were inspired by current Stanley Black & Decker offerings, most obviously Porter Cable. However, there are plenty of distinctions. I would caution you to not jump to any conclusions based on a couple of product resemblances.

But first, let’s talk about the new brushless tools for a moment.

When you look at the specs, the new Craftsman 20V Max brushless drill and impact driver look very good on paper. While I’m seeing conflicting specs for both tools, the discrepancy isn’t enough to impact my first impression of them, which is very positive.

As mentioned early in the post, the specs of the new Craftsman brushless power tools approach those of main-line Dewalt brushless offerings, albeit with less frills. For example…

The new Craftsman brushless impact driver is said to deliver 1800 in-lbs of max torque, and it has 3 speed ranges, and LED worklights around the chuck. (Lowes also lists a 1700 in-lbs torque rating, but I’m making my judgements based on the higher rating.)

The Dewalt DCF887 brushless impact driver delivers up to 1825 in-lbs max torque. Both Craftsman and Dewalt tools come with 2.0Ah Li-ion battery packs, and seem to have comparable features and sizing.

AND the Craftsman brushless impact driver is marked as being made in the USA with global materials.

Price-wise, the Craftsman kit is $169, and the Dewalt kit’s street price is only a little higher.

Looking at the Craftsman 20V Max brushless drill/driver, which also sports a Made in USA badge, seems to closely resemble the excellent Dewalt DCD791 brushless drill/driver.

The DCD791 kit currently retails for ~$180 at Amazon. On Dewalt’s site, the drill/driver is labeled as being made in the USA with global materials, similar to what’s being said about the new Craftsman drill/driver.

There are differences, such as the absence of the multi-mode LED worklight, and the Craftsman seems to come with a slower charger.

Thus, I would argue that, based on features, specifications, and appearances, the new Craftsman 20V Max brushless drill and impact driver appear to be heavily inspired by current Dewalt compact brushless offerings.

I would like to believe that they could potentially share certain components, since streamlined manufacturing could result in lower production costs. Look at the chuck, for example.

Additionally, the Craftsman motor is said to deliver 450 UWO of power. Even if you go by Lowes’ specs table listing of 410 UWO, that’s still closer to the Dewalt’s 460 UWO rating than the 370 UWO rating for Porter Cable’s brushless drill/driver (PCCK607LB).

Also, the Craftsman brushless drill/driver tops out at 2000 RPM, similar to Dewalt. The Porter Cable can reach up to 1800 RPM max.

What I’m trying to get at is this – the new Craftsman 20V Max brushless drill and impact driver look great on paper. They’re the kinds of new Craftsman cordless power tools that I had been hoping for.

I am VERY EXCITED about the new Craftsman brushless power tools!

What about the other new Craftsman tools?

The new Craftsman cordless power tools are about what I expected – a new lineup to stand in for Sears’ aged C3 19.2V lineup.

Maybe we’ll see a 20V Max to C3 adapter, but that’s uncertain at the moment. What is certain is that Stanley Black & Decker gave Craftsman a fresh start, which is exactly what I had expected.

I get the feeling that Lowes and Craftsman will heavily promote and discount the new non-brushless Craftsman cordless kits and combo kits.

Stanley Black & Decker had a set amount of time to design and manufacture a whole lot of new Craftsman tools, and so I am not surprised to see some resemblances to current Porter Cable offerings. But, that said, there are also definite differences. The ergonomics of the jigsaw, for example, look completely different.

I had hoped to see 2 product families within the Craftsman 20V Max platform – a “standard” lineup, and “Craftsman Pro” tools. But, perhaps in the absence of Craftsman Pro or Professional branding, there will be a line drawn between brushless and non-brushless cordless tools. That seems to be the case now, with this initial launch.

I am also surprised that the battery packs are not as well differentiated as Dewalt and Porter Cable offerings. With the Craftsman 20V Max battery packs, at least those that are visible in the first wave of kits and combo kits, you have to enlarge and squint at the product images to see that the brushless tools are bundled with 2.0Ah batteries, and the other kits and combos are bundled with a slightly different battery.

Not being able to quickly tell a 2.0Ah battery apart from a 1.5Ah or 1.3Ah battery – if there are indeed batteries at those lower capacities – will be a drawback for more in-the-know customers.

What batteries are included with the kits and combo kits? 1.5Ah? 1.3Ah? 3.0Ah?

Overall, I am happy to see that Craftsman followed through with what I had expected, although I am surprised to see a jigsaw, sander, and oscillating multi-tool as part of a larger combo kit.

The new Craftsman 20V Max brushless drill and impact driver, on the other hand, has me very excited about what’s to come. They look good on paper, and they’re built in the USA (with global materials). That’s the big surprise here, and it also raises my hopes. I want to see MORE along these lines.

Now that we see some of what Craftsman has been working on, what do you want to see from them next?

Thank you again to everyone for the tip!