Can You Use Craftsman Batteries On DeWalt Tools?

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There are many different major tool brands on the market, and you can probably name a few off the top of your head. What you might not know, however, is that there are only a handful of companies that own the majority of these brands. If you've had a debate or online discussion over whether DeWalt or Craftsman is the better tool brand, you might be surprised to find out that they're both owned by the same company — Stanley Black & Decker (which also owns, perhaps not as surprisingly, both Black & Decker tools and the Stanley brand).

Despite Craftsman being owned by Stanley Black & Decker, the batteries that power its tools are not directly compatible with DeWalt tools. Sure, they have the same umbrella mega-corporation, but they're still — at the end of the day — totally separate brands. Most major tool brands have their own proprietary system of batteries and chargers for their cordless tools, locking you into their ecosystem as an incentive to buy more tools with their name emblazoned on the side. 

If you find yourself with one or more Craftsman V20 batteries — perhaps you picked them up cheap at a garage sale — but only own DeWalt devices, you won't be able to just snap them on and expect your yellow tools to work. If you really want to, though, you can find third-party adapters that will enable you to utilize both your Craftsman battery and DeWalt tool.

You probably won't find Craftsman battery adapters for DeWalt tools at major retailers like Home Depot or Lowe's, as they aren't made or sold by major brands (who, of course, don't want you leaving their battery ecosystems in the first place). These adapters are mostly made by smaller third-party companies and you can find products on Amazon that will let you connect your Craftsman battery to a DeWalt tool.

These adapters allow the shape of the Craftsman battery to fit with the DeWalt battery slot — they don't provide any power themselves. The NovaQuantic Adapter Upgrade allows Craftsman V20 batteries to work on DeWalt 20V Max power tools for $18.99. NovaQuantic makes several different kinds of tool battery adapters, such as one that allows Milwaukee M18 batteries to fit Bauer 20V tools. These products are generally well-reviewed by Amazon customers — the Craftsman battery/DeWalt tool adapter has a positive 4.3 out of five overall customer score.

However, you still want to be very careful using adapters like these. For one thing, the use of third-party adapters is not recommended by either Craftsman or DeWalt and are not covered by either company's warranty — you may even void the warranty of your tool or battery if either one is damaged while using the adapter. Even with strong user reviews, a third-party product may not reliably supply enough or consistent power, or may not work at all. It could possibly even malfunction, which is especially dangerous when dealing with lithium batteries. If you do decide to use an adapter to connect a Craftsman battery to a DeWalt tool, you do so at your own risk and should always do so with extreme caution.

If you decide to take your chances with a third-party adapter, you can use your Craftsman batteries with DeWalt power tools, and — with other similar adapters — you may be able to use them with other brands' products as well. Adapters can even come in handy if you're a strict Craftsman loyalist. Craftsman launched its current line of V20 cordless batteries in 2018 — before then, it used an older 19.2V battery that doesn't fit the brand's newer tools. If you've been a Craftsman user for a long time and still own these older 19.2V tools, you'd need to use Craftsman V20 batteries with an adapter — just as you would with a DeWalt device.

There is a whole market of third-party tools built to use batteries from major tool brands. For example, you can find everything from leaf blowers to hot glue guns if you're looking for non-DeWalt tools that work with DeWalt batteries. The same goes with brands like Makita and Milwaukee, but unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a lot of third-party tools designed to use Craftsman V20 batteries. It seems to be the case that the safest and most reliable way to use Craftsman V20 batteries is on Craftsman V20 tools, including Craftsman outdoor tools that can help take your yard to the next level.