Back in September of last year – 5 months ago – Craftsman issued a press release that patted themselves on the back for winning (paid entry) product awards in several categories, including “Best Cordless Rotary Tool,” and “Best Soldering Tool.”
It appears that these tools still do not yet exist.
A couple of readers have asked for updates on the new Craftsman V20 cordless rotary tool and cordless soldering tool products, and I don’t know what to tell you.
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We have reached out to Craftsman and Stanley Black & Decker several times, and they have been unable to provide us with any information about these tools. Stanley Black & Decker and Craftsman have only sent out press materials about the awards they won for these products, with nothing said about the actual products.
Craftsman’s latest reply is that “These products are planned to launch later this year [2022].”
Following is the little that we know so far.
Craftsman V20 Cordless Soldering Iron (CMCE040B) – features what looks to be a variable speed dial for temperature control. Comes with a sponge.
Listed Price: $54.99 (tool-only)
Craftsman V20 Cordless Rotary Tool (CMCE030B) – off-tool battery connection, and what looks to be a variable speed control dial.
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Listed Price: $54.99 (tool-only)
An Ace Hardware storefront lists both tools at $54.99 each. Users will have to source a battery and charger separately. Both tools will presumably also launch at Lowe’s, Craftsman’s primary retail partner.
Meanwhile…
Ryobi says they now have over 70+ new hobby, craft, and maker solutions, including more than 10 new cordless power tools and more than 60 new accessories and attachments.
Ryobi now has (2) corded and (5) different cordless rotary tools, including a new 18V One+ HP model with a brushless motor. They have hugely expanded their selection of rotary tool accessories and are also launching a new benchtop hobby station.
Two of the newest Ryobi cordless rotary tools – their 12V Max rotary tool and USB Lithium rotary tool can be recharged with a phone charger!
Ryobi also has (2) cordless soldering solutions, with one capable of being powered by battery or AC.
I see all of the new tools that Ryobi is launching at Home Depot, aimed at hobbyists, crafters, and makers, all the while Craftsman’s boasted-about “award-winning” cordless rotary tool and cordless soldering iron still haven’t even been officially announced.
I wonder – maybe Craftsman rushed to enter the 2021 awards season because they knew they’d be crushed by Ryobi in 2022?
MM
What’s interesting about that soldering iron design is that plenty of people have made knockoffs of that, I’ve even seen them for sale on Ebay, for a variety of 3rd party battery platforms. I’ve seen Dewalt, Milwaukee, Makita, etc. I wonder if hobbyists managed to get the tools working faster than SBD did? Or if SBD copied what hobbyists had already been doing and still haven’t brought it to market yet?
Jared
Thanks for the tip! I’m going to check that out.
Eric
The DIY market has been doing this for at least 3 or 4 years with the TS100 and all the variants and knockoffs of it.
JoeM
You can thank Adam Savage for that. He was told by a friend about the TS100, bought himself one, then built an entire soldering station around it, and filmed it as a How-To build for his channel. He even used the knock-off DeWALT charger as the basis for the power supply.
Seeing this Craftsman edition just makes me want the TS100 more, believe it or not. Not that I don’t think/trust Craftsman can/will do the job. Far from it. Just, the capabilities of the TS100 suit my needs a lot better, especially its size and ergonomics. Which also means I would likely get a knockoff DeWALT DCB090/091 12/20 V. USB power supply to go with it, just as it’s being done in the rest of the hobby world.
Sometimes, I believe, the prevelance of the hacks demonstrates the exact way that hobbyists want things done. So, when companies like Craftsman come out with this type of thing, and it’s conceptually the same, but drastically modified from the hack, it’s likely the product won’t really do all that well. It will just push people to the hacker version.
That rotary tool, for example? That is remarkably close to how the Proxxon 12 v inverter setup works for their Micromot Rotary Tool. Only difference is battery power, versus corded inverter. This will, again, likely push people toward a worthy Proxxon purchase. And, again, not because the Craftsman did it wrong, it’s that Proxxon did that already, and they’ve got more experience doing so. The trust, like the soldering hack’s ergonomics, are more in favour of not getting the new Craftsman series, and sticking with the tried-and-true versions. This is only an opinion though… I can only hope all sides of this conversation look at it as a chance to plan out everyone’s next versions to come out.
Bravo for the innovation coming from SBD (for once)… Boo for being both quiet, and blind, to the ways hobbyists have already shown they want things done, and still not delivering it.
…And now I’m stepping up my hankerin’ for the Proxxon Micromot, and the TS100 setup that I’ve wanted for so long. An expensive setup, to be sure… but… so worth it…
Skylar M
I think you’re wrong in the sense that they rushed releasing the press news. Create a sense of interest and uniqueness and it is like waiting for a toy on Christmas.
Take any of us pro/semi-pro users of any tool brand, well all tell you what we started out with or at the least what our parents used, Craftsman. When Sears owned them, they were known for low price good quality. Not professional wear and tear every day use, but solid all around quality with a easy to replace lifetime warranty.
As of 2020 SB&D brought Craftsmans manufacturing back into the States, with global materials, yes, but they are being put together here. By people I have a much easier time trusting then a country filled with people I don’t.
When the Craftsman brand was sold from Sears and moved overseas, they went from being the #1 go to, to crapsman due to budget cuts and a few other things. It’s the truth but the combination of Lowes and Craftsman brought those jobs back, returning the quality that we used to see. On top of that, with the announcement of the partnership of Petco, Lowes is making moves into a completely new type of Brick and Mortar store, that in KY opinion, is catered to the Homeowner/DIY. I love that idea. Especially because Lowes is Veteran ran and makes it known that they stand by them.
It is extremely hard to change public perception when it has been quite literally broken in your hands lol, give them some time to meet your expectations and to overturn that bad stigma Craftsman unfortunately garnered when things got tough.
Stuart
But they didn’t release press news about the tools, they only released press about how the unannounced tools won paid-entry awards. 5 months later, they still haven’t announced the actual tools.
fred
Almost as good (bad) as those multiple 5-star awards that sometimes show up on Amazon before a tool is even available for public purchase.
Skylar M
May not have all the information. Could have been a closed door trial. Could still be in beta/ product testing. Maybe even though it won awards, they weren’t ready to mass produce due to materials or etc. So many # of reasons why it’s not out yet, it’s entirely speculation until it is. I’ve held onto craftsman for a long time, does the job for me just fine.
All Or Nothing
Stanley Black & Decker craftsman is an entirely different brand from the Sears craftsman that we all remember from our youth. Sears craftsman had three tiers of tools to choose from to suit their customers budget. There was craftsman – good, craftsman professional – better, and craftsman industrial – best. They also had craftsman evolv which was aimed at the diy/homeowner market. All were made in the USA. No global materials included. This is what was expected from the public of SB&D when they bought craftsman from Sears. They did not meet this expectation. They have not brought any full scale manufacturing back to the United States. Sears initiated the downfall of craftsman by nearly destroying its reputation under the ownership of Edward Lampert. He sold craftsman to SB&D. SB&D picked up right where they left off in furthering the ruination of craftsman reputation. They’ve all but ensured that craftsman will never return to anything remotely close to their former days of glory and respectable reputation. Craftsman is no longer a respectable name within the tool community. They’ve been reduced to a cautionary tale of what not to buy. Bob Vila would not recommend that you buy an SB&D craftsman product. He would very likely reject having SB&D craftsman sponsor his television show. The time to seize the opportunity for SB&D craftsman to meet public demand has come and gone. They epically failed to capitalize on the opportunity to reestablish the brand. People who remember the original craftsman brand from their youth have no interest in the products manufactured by SB&D. They aren’t going to change the perception of the reputation that they worsened under their current leadership. Craftsman used to be known for their innovation and they achieved success by working with other manufacturers to develop their products. SB&D does nothing of the sort for the purpose of bringing quality innovation to the market for their craftsman brand. They aren’t investing in the development of anything new or original to manufacture SB&D craftsman tools. That was proven with the first generation of craftsman tools that were released following their purchase of the brand from Sears. Any award given to them is highly questionable considering the circumstances which explains why they’re being quiet about it.
Pete
Ah, yes. Let me guess… This is one of the Professional Innovation “Awards” that we see so much about every year? I’ve noticed a trend over the last few years.. Multiple tools have showed up in these “awards” weeks, and occasionally months before their release. I find it hard to believe that something can be award winning when the only examples of the tool that exist are prototypes that haven’t left the corporate office.
Hence why I prefer ToolGuy’d coverage of the industry most of all, as it’s completely unbiased and not a pay-to-play affair.
Stuart
Every person, brand, or company is entitled to do things their own way.
But in my opinion, if a brand can pat themselves on the back about paid-entry awards in press materials, on social media, and in investor materials, they should be able to share details about the products with media outlets.
Nathan
probably realized with competition options – like the rotary tools with their self contained batteries (in handle) and run times. Nobody would want this.
Jared
For what it’s worth, I bought the Ryobi rotary tool that has the same flex-shaft connected to a battery dock idea. I like it quite a bit.
I would say there are times when I still pull out the corded Dremel – mostly where I’m not sitting down and want to use a tool one-handed. But I don’t regret the Ryobi.
This style probably caters more towards precision work, where a pencil-shaped end helps with control.
drewmcdan1
Stuart,
I’m generally a lime green guy. In looking around HD’s site last night, I noticed in the picture (9dead center) that you posted above of the Ryobi hobby tools that there was an unannounced item in the picture (dead center) of either a small drill press, or a base for one of their rotary tools that sets the tool up as a drill press. I can’t tell. I had a Dremel drill press base that was at least 30 years old. Handy accessory, except it only fit my old Dremel which I finally burnt out the motor, Ryobi also has a couple of other pictures of this new green thing as part of their marketing assets for their hobby collection. Other than the other pictures showing this, I couldn’t find anything on it on their website or their parts site.
Anything you know about it or more importantly can talk about? I would argue that since they have posted a couple of pictures of it, TTI/Ryobi shouldn’t be holding anyone to a NDA. Being a wise ass here, but at least Ryobi didn’t claim any awards for it yet, like Craftsman did for their tools….
Stuart
That’s the new Ryobi “hobby station.” I’m working on a post right now. It’s compatible with Ryobi’s non-flex-shaft rotary tools and looks to offer a LOT of versatility.
Ryobi sent so many announcements and press releases lately that I only noticed it today – also in this “hero” photo of their newly launched products.
Jason S.
Stuart – What is that Ryobi Magnifying Lamp tool in the image above? I want/need something similar. I cannot locate anything like it that takes a cordless tool battery. Please HELP if you can.
Stuart
That’s Ryobi’s “Magnifying LED Clamp Light” – 3.5″ wide lens with 2.25X magnification and 5X spot magnification. 250/500 lumens. “Over 20 hrs of runtime.” $40. More details to come.
Vards Uzvards
This magnifying glass / LED lamp gets power via a USB cable:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FFCCVVR/
I have not exactly this model, but also one sold as a TOMSOO. Works great!
Gordon
From PTIA
“Any power tool, hand tool, accessory, or fastener can be entered into the Pro Tool Innovation Awards if it is slated to ship prior to the end of Q2 of the following year.”
I’m curious if PTIA would strip them of their awards if they aren’t shipping before Q3. I’m sure the supply chain issues will play to SBD’s advantage.
Stuart
There has been at least one award-winning product that never launched at all.
Bobby
I think calling that rotary tool cordless is a stretch. Soldering iron is neat.
Fyrfytr998
In case anyone is wondering these have been hitting the shelves this week 4/29/22.
Rotary tool
Fan
Soldering Iron
Dry Wall rotary
At various Lowes around the country. The Craftsman group on FB has been posting their buys.
Paul
These are now available at Lowes! They were in my store today. $49.99 each.