Craftsman V60 Battery Weedwacker Delivers Excellent Performance with a Versatile Design
We got our hands on the brushless Craftsman V60 battery Weedwacker near the end of the mowing season for most of the country. The joy of living in Florida is that we don’t get to stop cutting our lawns for more than a couple of weeks at a time. With the grass still growing strong, we discovered there are some good reasons to consider this Craftsman string trimmer.
Note: Craftsman has unofficially discontinued its V60 line of outdoor power tools.
Pros
- Excellent cutting power
- 30-minute runtime in our tests
- More adjustable than most string trimmers
- Excellent balance
- Low vibration
- Quickwind system makes reloading line easier
Cons
- A little more expensive than comparable models from other brands
Craftsman 60V Battery Weedwacker
Performance
Craftsman’s V60 brushless motor has two speed settings: 0 – 5200 RPM and 0 – 6200 RPM. With a lot of 2-speed string trimmers, we find low is good for thin grass, but can really slow you down.
What’s nice about the balance of this trimmer’s speeds and 15-inch cutting swath is that in low, we were able to cut really effectively and only really had to kick it into high when we wanted to clear larger areas more quickly. Even with the 0.80-inch line, it does a great job.
We noticed that Craftsman did a very nice job with the harmonics of the design. We test a lot of string trimmers and with heads spinning at 5000+ RPM and string flying out of the ends, some have quite a bit of vibration. While EGO still seems to have the smoothest operation, the V60 is right up there with the better models.
Runtime
We’re very pleased with the runtime we’re seeing from the Craftsman V60 battery Weedwacker. Testing at high speed with a light load, we ran for just over 30 continuous minutes. That’s plenty of trigger time to cover most lawns.
Low nets you even more runtime. Under the same conditions, the 2.5Ah battery ran for more than 53 minutes. Because it’s still very effective cutting at that speed, it’s a time frame you can legitimately expect if you have more area to cover.
Adjustability
Where Craftsman takes this Weedwacker to another level is with its adjustability. Like most string trimmers, you can slide the handle up or down to customize it to your reach.
You can also adjust the length of the shaft thanks to its telescoping design. From our more average guys to the tallest, we were able to find a more comfortable fit than normal.
Making life even easier, the Craftsman 60V battery Weedwacker uses quick clamps to lock those adjustments down. No matter whose turn it is to trim, you can quickly adjust the fit without the need for any tools.
Line Changes
Line changes are pretty simple with Craftsman’s “Quickwind” system. It’s similar to other quick-load heads. Line up the white lines on the head, run your line through halfway, and turn to load it. You don’t need to fumble tangled line or remember which way to wind.
The hardest part is actually feeding the initial line end through. There’s some bend in it and we found it takes a little maneuvering to get it just right. Once we relined a couple of times, we had a feel for it and things went more smoothly.
With these types of systems, you often turn the head and have to manage the line as you go so it doesn’t get too twisted. We found it easier to turn the base. Either way, you end up with properly loaded line with much less fuss.
The trimmer comes with 0.080-inch line and it’s a good fit for most folks. However, it’s also compatible with 0.095-inch line, so you may want to swap the line out if you’re clearing larger areas or thicker grass.
Versatrack Compatibility
If you’re using the VersaTrack system, you’ll be happy to know there a built-in hook for it. It recesses into the back, so just pull it out, hang it up, and you’re done.
Price
The Craftsman V60 Brushless Weedwacker comes with a 2.5Ah battery and charger. The retail price at Lowe’s was $239, and that’s a bit higher than what we see with comparable models from brands such as EGO or Greenworks.
That said, we’ve seen the kit on Amazon for less than $200, and that’s a pretty good deal.
The Bottom Line
The design team did a nice job on the Craftsman V60 brushless battery Weedwacker. The performance and runtime are there to make it a legitimate replacement for gas models and the greater adjustability of the design makes it comfortable for a wide range of people. If you’re looking to make the switch to cordless or are upgrading from a lower voltage system, we recommend you put Craftsman V60 on your shortlist.
Craftsman V60 Weedwacker Specs
- Model: Craftsman CMCST960E1
- System: 60V Max
- Motor: Brushless
- RPM: 0-5,200/0-6,200
- Cutting Swath: 15 in.
- Line Diameter: 0.080 in./0.095 in.
- Feed Type: Bump Feed
- Weight: 10.2 lbs with battery
- Warranty: 4 years
- Kit Price: $239
