CRAFTSMAN V20 MAX Drill & Impact Driver Review: a no-nonsense combo that does the job for DIYers

I’ve been using this CRAFTSMAN V20 MAX drill and impact driver combo (CMCK200C2AM) for a few weeks on basic home projects: hanging shelves, assembling furniture, driving deck screws, and some light drilling in studs and masonry. I’m not a contractor, just a regular homeowner who likes to avoid calling a handyman for every little thing. So I was looking for something cordless, not crazy expensive, but still strong enough to handle more than just IKEA builds.

The first impression when I unboxed it was pretty straightforward: two tools, two 20V batteries, a charger and a soft bag. Nothing fancy, nothing complicated. If you’ve used any modern cordless tools, you’ll find your way around this kit in about 30 seconds. I didn’t even crack open the manual beyond a quick glance at the safety icons.

What interested me most was how these would hold up in real use: battery life, torque, and how annoying (or not) they’d be to handle over a full afternoon. Specs like “280 UWO” and “1,460 in-lbs” are nice on paper, but what matters to me is: can I drive 3-inch screws into a stud without stripping or stalling, and can I drill clean holes without fighting the tool?

Overall, after a few weekends of use, my feeling is that this kit is pretty solid for DIY and light renovation, but you definitely feel that it’s not meant for heavy daily pro use. It gets the job done, and for the price point it’s hard to complain too much, but there are a few limitations you should know before buying.

Price-wise, this CRAFTSMAN combo often sits in a very competitive range compared to big brands like DeWalt or Milwaukee. You get two tools, two batteries, and a charger for what some brands charge for a single bare tool. For a homeowner who doesn’t want to spend a fortune but still wants something from a recognizable brand, it hits a nice middle ground.

In terms of what you actually get for the money, here’s how I see it:

• Power: Enough for most home jobs, including small decks, fences, and general repairs.
• Runtime: Acceptable with two 2.0Ah batteries, but not suited to long, continuous heavy work.
• Features: Basic LED lights, variable speed, clutch on the drill, quick-change chuck on the impact. No fancy modes, no belt clips.
• Ecosystem: Ties you into the CRAFTSMAN V20 platform, which has a decent range of other tools if you want to expand later.

Compared to cheaper off-brand kits, this feels more reliable and better built, and you have the backing of a known manufacturer. Compared to higher-end pro kits, you’re clearly giving up some durability, advanced features, and battery capacity, but you’re also paying a lot less. For someone who does a few projects a month and wants something that “just works” without babying it, the value is pretty solid.

So in my opinion, value for money is good, as long as you’re honest about your needs. If you’re a pro or an ultra-heavy DIYer, you might outgrow this pretty fast and wish you’d gone straight to a more premium platform. But if you’re mainly hanging things, building the occasional piece of outdoor furniture, or doing light renovation, this kit gives you plenty of capability for the price.

From a design point of view, both tools are compact and relatively lightweight. The combo weighs about 8.4 pounds total in the box, so each tool with a battery feels manageable, even for a couple of hours of intermittent use. The grips have a rubber over-mold that’s grippy enough without being sticky. I used them with slightly dusty hands and didn’t feel like they were slipping around.

The drill has a pretty standard layout: forward/reverse switch above the trigger, clutch ring at the front, and a two-speed switch on top. The chuck is keyless and easy to tighten by hand; I didn’t have issues with bits slipping, even when drilling into studs. The built-in LED is placed right above the trigger and does a decent job of lighting the area, though like most of these, you still get some shadows when you’re too close to the work surface.

The impact driver has a slightly shorter head, which helps in tighter spots like inside cabinets or between studs. The one-handed “drop and load” bit change is actually convenient: you pull the collar, drop in the bit, and you’re set. There’s also an LED that comes on with the trigger. One thing I noticed is the impact driver is louder than some higher-end models I’ve tried; not unbearable, but you’ll want ear protection if you’re driving a lot of fasteners in one go.

On the downside, the tools don’t have any belt hooks or extra niceties like bit storage on the base, at least on my kit. Not a deal-breaker for home use, but when you’re up on a ladder, you do miss having a hook. The soft bag is okay for storage, but it doesn’t protect the tools from getting banged around like a hard case would. Overall, the design is functional and no-frills, clearly aimed at practicality over fancy features.

The kit comes with two 2.0Ah V20 lithium-ion batteries. On paper, that doesn’t sound like much, and in practice, it’s okay but not generous. For my use, one battery on the drill was enough to do a full round of shelf installation: drilling pilot holes and driving screws into studs for about 20–30 anchors. After that, the battery was clearly slowing down, but not fully dead. The impact driver, used for driving a batch of deck screws, drained a battery faster, which is expected since impacts draw more current under load.

What helps is having two batteries and a reasonably quick charger. I’d run one pack on the impact driver while the other one sat on the charger. By the time I killed the first battery, the second one was close to full. For a weekend DIYer working in bursts, this rotation works fine. If you’re someone who wants to work non-stop for several hours with heavy fastening, you’ll either need extra batteries or a beefier system.

One thing to note: these are 20V nominal batteries with 2Ah capacity, so don’t expect miracles in runtime. I’d say for mixed light drilling and screw driving, you’re looking at maybe 45–60 minutes of active use per pack. For heavy impact work (like a lot of long screws into dense wood), it feels more like 20–30 minutes before you really feel the drop. That lines up with what another user mentioned: good for hobby or occasional tasks, but not marathon sessions.

There’s no fancy battery gauge on the tools themselves, and the packs are pretty basic. They clip on and off easily, and I didn’t notice any wobble. For the price bracket, battery performance is decent but nothing more. If you want long runtime and higher capacity, you’ll have to invest in larger Ah packs or move up to a more expensive platform. For casual home use though, what you get here is workable.

Build quality is better than cheap no-name tools, but you can tell it’s aimed at homeowners, not full-time trades. The housings are composite plastic with rubber over-molds in the right places. I accidentally knocked the drill off a step ladder (about 5 feet) onto a hardwood floor. It bounced, I swore, then picked it up and checked: no cracks, just a small scuff. It kept working like nothing happened, so that’s reassuring.

The chucks and moving parts feel okay. The drill’s keyless chuck tightens firmly and hasn’t loosened during use. The impact driver’s quick-change hex chuck still locks bits securely after several dozen swaps. There’s a bit of play in the bit when you wiggle it, but that’s normal for this style of chuck. The triggers and direction switches also feel solid; no mushy feeling or weird sticking so far.

Where I’m a bit more cautious is long-term battery life and heavy daily abuse. The 2.0Ah packs are fine now, but lower-capacity packs generally wear faster if you constantly run them down hard. Also, the tools don’t have much in the way of extra protection like reinforced bumpers or metal gear housings that you see on higher-end pro tools. If you toss these into a work truck every day with a bunch of other gear, they’ll probably start to show their age faster.

After a few weeks, I don’t see any red flags: no overheating issues, no weird smells, no sudden cutouts under normal loads. For occasional to moderate home use, I’d expect them to last several years if you’re not abusing them and you store the batteries properly. If you’re a contractor or doing renovation every week, I’d be more cautious and maybe look at a more heavy-duty line. For what they cost, the durability feels fair and in line with expectations.

In day-to-day use, the drill/driver has enough power for most typical homeowner tasks. CRAFTSMAN rates it at 280 UWO and up to 1,500 RPM. In practice, I used it to drill 1/4" and 3/8" holes into 2x4 studs, and it did that without bogging down. I also drove a bunch of 2 1/2" wood screws into pine and OSB using the clutch to avoid overdriving. On the lower speed, you get more control for starting screws or drilling into metal; on the higher speed, it’s fine for wood and drywall.

Where the impact driver shines is in driving longer or thicker fasteners. I ran about 60–70 3" deck screws into treated lumber for a small platform and it never felt like it was struggling. The advertised 1,460 in-lbs of torque feels believable for this class. You can feather the trigger for delicate starts, but once it kicks into impact mode, it just hammers the screw in. For lag screws, I pre-drilled and then used the impact; it drove 5/16" lags into a fence post with no problem.

There are limits though. I tried drilling with the regular drill into concrete using a basic masonry bit and, as expected, it’s not a hammer drill, so progress was slow and the motor clearly wasn’t happy. For light masonry anchors, you can get by, but if you’re planning to do a lot of work in concrete or brick, this is not the right kit. Also, neither tool has multiple power modes or fancy electronic controls, so you rely mostly on trigger control and the clutch on the drill.

Overall, performance is solid for DIY and occasional heavier tasks, but this is not a pro-grade kit for someone driving hundreds of big fasteners every day. For hanging cabinets, building a deck section, assembling furniture, or general repairs around the house, it’s more than enough. If you push it into heavy-duty renovation all the time, you’ll start to feel the limits in sustained power and heat.

In the box you get: the CMCD700 drill/driver, the CMCF800 impact driver, two 20V MAX (V20) 2.0Ah lithium-ion batteries, a basic charger, a couple of bits, and a soft zippered storage bag. That’s it. No huge accessory set, no stackable case, just the essentials. For a starter setup or a second kit to leave at a cabin or in the truck, it’s fairly complete right out of the box.

The drill/driver is the more versatile of the two. It has a 2-speed gearbox (0–350 and 0–1,500 RPM), a clutch ring with multiple torque settings, and a standard 3/8" keyless chuck. I used it for drilling pilot holes in wood, a few holes in drywall, and some light work in metal using standard HSS bits. It feels like a typical mid-range 20V drill, nothing fancy, but it works.

The impact driver is the muscle in the kit. It uses a 1/4" hex quick-change chuck, has up to 2,800 RPM and 3,100 IPM, and CRAFTSMAN claims 1,460 in-lbs of torque. In real terms, that means it drove 3" deck screws into treated lumber without much drama. I also ran some lag screws into a fence post (with pilot holes) and it handled that fine too. There’s no multiple speed mode here, it’s just variable speed on the trigger.

The two 2.0Ah batteries are on the small side but acceptable for homeowner use. You’re not getting all-day runtime, but having two packs and a reasonably fast charger means you can mostly keep going if you swap smartly. For the price category, the overall package feels focused on practicality: you get what you need to start working, but don’t expect pro-level accessories or a super rugged case.