Dewalt will be coming out with new 20V Max brushless lawn and garden tools later in the year. Some independent dealers are advertising July 2015 shipping estimates, which isn’t in time for the start of the 2015 lawn care season, but that’s okay.
We already wrote about Dewalt’s new line of 40V Max cordless outdoor power equipment, and a lot of folks expressed their enthusiasm. It seems that 20V Max versions will be even warmly received, since they’ll be available at lower price points and work with battery packs more users already have.
Right now we’ve only seen two 20V Max lawn & garden tools – a brushless air blower, and a brushless string trimmer. Both are kitted with a 5.0Ah Li-ion battery pack.
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Dewalt 20V Max Brushless Blower
The new Dewalt brushless air blower features a more compact design than their 40V Max model, but it can still move a reasonable amount of air.
- 400 CFM air volume at up to 90 mph speed
- Variable speed trigger with speed lock
- Weighs 7.1 pounds
- 61 dBA noise rating
The DCBL720P1 kit comes with (1) 5.0Ah battery and a charger.
Street Price: $200
Buy Now(via Amazon)
Dewalt 20V Max Brushless String Trimmer
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The new Dewalt brushless string trimmer is also designed to be compact and lightweight, although the 40V Max version isn’t exactly a monstrosity.
- 13″ cut swath
- 2 speed control ranges: 0-4000 and 0-6000 RPM
- Dual 0.080″ cutter line with bump feed
- Weighs 8.5 lbs
The DCST920P1 kit also comes with (1) 5.0Ah battery and a charger.
Street Price: $200
Buy Now(via Amazon)
First Thoughts
Brushless motors should mean high performance and great runtime.
The prices for the kits are also more reasonable than I expected, considering that 5.0Ah Li-ion battery packs typically sell for ~$100-$140 each.
It’s tough to say if these tools will be advertised as offering “gas engine tool-like performance,” but it’s safe to say that there is a huge convenience compared to gas engine tools. In a nutshell, there’s reduced hassle, and less maintenance. Electric-powered lawn and garden tools give users a lot of freedom, and brushless motored tools even more so.
We knew about these tools for a couple of weeks (thanks Mido!), and have received numerous tips since then. I didn’t want to post about them right away as I had been hoping for more details and for a wider range of tools to be announced. Thus far these are still the only lawn and garden tools in Dewalt’s 20V Max power tool lineup.
What do you think about these new outdoor power tool additions to Dewalt’s cordless lineup, and what do you want to see next?
I’d like to see some kind of branch cutter, at least as far as lawn & garden or outdoor power equipment is concerned. Craftsman came out with a 12V pole pruner a few years ago – and I really liked it – but they discontinued it real fast. That doesn’t leave me very optimistic that other brands will release something similar anytime soon. Seems like that kind of tool isn’t in very high demand.
Chris L
Brain fart: For all the tools they’re coming out with to work with the 20V Max battery, I really hope they intend on keeping that battery in production for a decade or more. Imagine investing all that cash into 20V Max tools just to have them come out with a 24V Max battery (or whatever) and have them discontinue the production of this line of battery, leaving you SOL when your batteries can’t hold a charge anymore. What’s been their track record with their older style NiCad batteries? Do they still make them for their older tools, or at least give a good advanced notice to stock up with they go out of production? I love the 20V Max tools I have now but that thought makes me pause to consider which tools (power and functional concerns being equal) I want to be cordless and which I want corded.
Jason
Dewalt still makes some new stock 18v tools still, and continues to produce new 18v nicad batteries. When they do stop there will be companies to produce after market batteries. You can already get after market packs with higher amp hour cells for less that what Dewalt charges for their battery packs. The current battery pack formats are going to be here for awhile. I hurt Dewalt users and Dewalt it’s self as they were the last to convert over to slide packs. The slide pack allows for compact tools and better ergonomics.
Brian
They had that chance though, despite the name, 20vmax is 18v. its the same number of cells. They updated the battery and all that changed was the shape.
First it was lithium Ion.
Then it was the footprint.
Now they are cycling to brushless motors for the next step up.
when that well is tapped… maybe they’ll try to push a 22volt platform with another battery cell… or maybe they’ll push a 12v platform stating that the additional power and runtime of brushless lithium means they can go smaller/lighter and get the job done.
Phil
There is still a lot of potential in the current LiIon 12/20V design for the future. Already they have doubled the power capacity of the battery packs since their introduction, and there’s probably more to be had. Couple that with brushless motors and advanced electronics and the current format can go on for years. Compare this to the NiCd era where only a slight increase in power (from about 1.8 amp-hour at the beginning for DeWalt NiCd to 2.4AH currently, with that chemistry mostly at a dead end. The old stuff has plateaued and did well for it’s time. You can still make competent tools within a certain bracket, but LiIon left it in the dust for more powerful applications.
It’s now quite easy to make lightweight cordless tools that are more powerful than their corded counterparts. Milwaukee is boasting this lately, and having similar corded and cordless tools (most notably the 5″ band saws) I can easily say the cordless beats the corded handily, even with the old 3.0AH packs. Even with the 1.5AH slim packs there’s no contest.
There’s not too much need for increasing the existing pack dimensional sizes in any of the leading manufacturer’s tools, mainly because they already have them well-sized for the tools. When talking about outdoor power equipment normally powered by gas engines or corded, it’s no big deal to use the existing battery platform for the smaller tools like trimmers and blowers, and coming up with an exclusive large format platform for bigger items like chainsaws and mowers. The 40V Max is simply 36V with marketingspeak added. I was hoping that DeWalt would use their existing 36V platform instead of making incompatible batteries, but the 36V platform was very unique in that the packs actually held most of the smarts and controls for the tools, including the speed control circuitry normally housed in the tool. No other cordless tools I know of were designed this way. Since the new stuff is all coming out with brushless motors, all those controls and circuits need to be housed in the tool, and they are entirely different thank those used with brushed motors, by far.
One thing DeWalt has not done is come out with an extended capacity battery pack for the 12V line. Unlike Milwaukee and Bosch, which had to completely reshape their 12V packs that normally slipped into the handle part of the tools and contained three cells, to add three more cells made the pack more resemble a stem-style pack with three more cells side by side on the bottom. This also made for a large footprint for those tools to sit on. DeWalt already has their 12V packs made with three cells side-by-side, and only needs to add another “layer” of three underneath. Much like the 18/20V battery packs out there having “slim” and “fat” pack styles, the 12V line could do the same. Make those 12V tools with powerful brushless motors and you can easily have 18/20V-like power in a tiny size. The packs could still fit nearly all current tools except things like the flashlight which has a belt clip that works against the bottom of the existing packs.
Martin
I think this is an unfair characterization, a Lithium battery is completely different from a NiMH battery. The cell voltages aren’t even close, so I am having a hard time seeing how they could be the same cell count. Also, you cannot mix and match the chargers (yes you could build universal chargers, but that doesn’t help those with existing non universal chargers), so making the battery a different shape makes sense from a safety standpoint. There might even be different current capacities speced into each pack shape, that would allow them to build different tools with different needs and to be able to rely on having a battery that can output enough current based on the shape of the battery.
Sean
I’m with you on the corded philosophy, and probably am a bit to extreme. I typically will buy a corded tool first, and then if I have too many situations where I say “a cordless version of this would be nice” then I will buy a “duplicate” of that tool in cordless.This is because I view my corded tools as something that might outlast me (or at least into the foreseeable future.) I also don’t use any of them very frequently, and that’s why I try to buy the best of the best. If I have a cordless, I typically grab it first, so those see more use. I barely use some of my nicest corded tools, and that’s OK with me. If it is a tool I use very frequently, I may even buy a crappy version to abuse.
I’ve even started applying that philosophy to an extent with cordless tools: I bought a few 18V Makita tools shortly after I bought the super-cheap (and amazing!) Ridgid X4 2 drill and radio combo (plus a jobmax.) Now, I barely touch the Makita tools because I think “I’ll trash the Ridgid ones first.” In retrospect, this is a huge waste of money, and I’ll probably end of selling the Makita cordless tools, if I can get a decent price. (Another reason is I started obtaining way too many M12 tools, and it’s just an unbelievably great, cheap lineup. For the infrequent user like me, having just M12 cordless tools is more than enough, and the batteries are SO much cheaper than 18V.)
I’m trying to think of tool I have in cordless but not in corded, and I thought of one: an impact driver. I even considered buying a corded one of these (Makita makes a somewhat pricey one, PC makes a cheap one) because I’m kind of a tool collecting nut. I even bought a cheap, electric (corded) Ryobi power head the other day that can accept the universal trimmer, edger, pole saw, etc. attachments. If my hand-me-down gas power head is acting up, I’ve got a backup!
“Outdoor power equipment” is the one big category I’m currently shopping, and corded is just not a good fit for most of those tools. I’m still on the fence about whether to buy a nice gas-powered Stihl/Echo (attachment-capable) trimmer or get into a cordless line. It’s a *really* tough decision. If I had the money I’d probably have both, and that’s why I’ve got my eye on some of these crossover systems (trimmer attachments that run on cordless or gas). It’s a little early in the game for me to go all out with some purchasing an entire line. However, something in me said “buy that cheap corded Ryobi while you’re waiting.” Hah!
I kind of view cordless tools as, unfortunately, disposable but convenient products. It’s not only an issue of the manufacturer dropping the battery line, but also the fact that the batteries WILL fail after some years. A corded tool that is infrequently used and properly cared for will work 100 years from now (assuming that electricity is still flowing from the grid.)
BobC
Dewalt makes an adapter so you can use their 20v batteries on their 18v tools, which is great because I have a 20v trimmer, blower, and hedge trimmer plus five 18v tools. I used the adapter on on my 18v circular saw with a 20v 5Ah battery and it lasted quite a bit longer than the almost-new 18v Li ion battery I was using.
Nathan
I think it’s great – was hoping they’d diversify the 20V line. Since I was given a dewalt product I’m not vested into their 20v line. not in the market for a battery lawn and garden tools – but I’m glad they are there.
KenZ
I still can’t wrap my head around why more companies don’t do an X2 config to get 40V tools out there like Makita. Dewalt could have done 40V stuff without having to redesign, validate, stock all those parts. I’m not talking an adapter, I’m talking have the tool use 2×18/20v packs natively. Then your cordless trimmer could be 20V (plenty) while your hedge trimmer would be 40V.
Stuart
Probably because of the added cost, complexity, and inconvenience.
What will a landscaper prefer – having to charge 2 batteries for their 40V Max trimmer when they don’t own any Dewalt 20V Max tools, or one battery?
The X2 concept is a good one, and Makita certainly didn’t come up with the idea, but there are lots of caveats.
Tools that take two battery packs work best when the batteries are identical and always kept together. For example, you probably won’t see the best results if you pair a new 5.0Ah battery with a 3-year old 3.0Ah battery.
Brian
I dont think a landscaper would use any of these… not enough power or runtime. I do agree that a 2x battery setup would have been very nice. I hate to buy batteries that I cant use in my tools.
Drew M
I was just looking at the 40v string trimmer the other day and thinking the same thing. I want to be able to use my drill/driver packs on my garden tools. I want less proprietary and more multipurpose.
I’m actually going to be in the market for a string trimmer sometime next year and I’d love to see something like this. I’m happy that some of the newer cordless string trimmers have ergonomics similar to the gas straight shaft units. Now we just need one that runs off a pack or packs that I can use in the workshop as well.
Jim Felt
Thanks ChrisL and KenZ for so eloquently expressing my two main reasons for sticking with corded blowers and trimmers. The manufacturers have repeatedly “scheduled” what seems to me as well too short of parts maintenance and battery replacement cycles. Plus the old General Motors flaw “not invented here” syndrome. Why not stack batteries? Or in GM’s case why not have two edged keys? Same long term result I’m guessing.
Nathan
I’d expect the dewalt 20v battery design to be around for quite some time. the old 18v post peg battery back was a bad idea in the first place and was a hold over for needing to hang and balance a large weight of NICAD or NIMH batteries under a tool.
with LIPO, LI-ion that’s not necessary to the same degree. the sliding battery pack fixes many woes and eases connection and repeatability issues. I can see that rolling around for quite some time. Likewise they are easier to make, rebuild and replicate – same basic form factor as other makers etc – most likely same internals.
When dewalt comes out with a new powerhouse replacement for what was the 36V system – don’t be surprised to see those 40V Li batteries from the pro like power tools come back on a demo hammer or a bandsaw etc.
Wayne
The post style battery was not designed that way for balance purposes. It was a nod to the pack design on the one up cell. Weight was balanced by shifting the rest of tool center of gravity.
John Blair
I would prefer a lower price for a bare tool since I have plenty of 20V max batteries. Or at least a combo kit (Blower and Trimmer with a single battery).
Stuart
I’m sure they will, but they might not be able to deliver kits, bare tools, and combos at launch. I expect that they’ll launch with the kits first, and will release bare tools once production can support this.
If they wait a couple of more months until they can ship kits and bare tools, they will have lost out on any 2015 seasonal sales.
Benjamen
It’s too bad these came out so late. I committed to a Ryobi trimmer basically for the same reason so many people have stated here: I was worried that I’d have to throw the thing out when the battery finally dies. With Ryobi, at least they are committed to keeping the same battery format.
One thing that scared me about buying a cordless string trimmer was all the reviews of cordless trimmers (even the Ryobi) that said they were under-powered and the battery didn’t last long enough. I can see if you are a pro going from yard to yard, but I suspect the people writing the negative reviews try to mow their entire 5 acre yard full of brush with the things.
I have a little under a 1/4 acre and a fenced in back yard. I can weed whack the ended of the yard twice before I even need to think about charging. Sure it’s 20% slower than with my gas powered weed whacker, but I don’t have to put up with noise and mixing gas and getting the thing started.
Point is I’m sure the 20V Dewalt trimmer is more than enough for most homeowners.
Chris
I’d gladly buy the trimmer… perfect for me and my small lot
Jerry
The more usable tools that can share a common battery platform (and charger) the better. Personally, I would rather have an ‘OK’ trimmer that used a battery and charger I already owned, than invest in a whole other battery platform, just to have one or maybe two ‘premium’ tools. Yes, having the best of something is nice, especially if you will use it enough to justify the purchase, but often good enough is actually good enough.
Chad
I crave this 20v blower. Currently, when I want to deep clean my woodworking shop I open the doors and fire up the leaf blower. This cordless would remove the fuel smell and starting hassle of my current blower. The one downside is the price. I’ll have to wait for a sale or a bare tool.
Colin
I’m a Dewalt power tool fan, but that intake on the back instead of the bottom concerns me. I can just see constantly sucking my shirt into that thing as I hold it at my side, unless I’m missing something.
Nathan York
I like the price of the trimmer, it includes a battery and charger for the 200 dollar price tag. Makita’s brushless trimmer is 199, tool only.
mike
@ Stuart
why would dewalt do a press release on the 40V max garden tools and not mention the 20v max garden tools
2 20v max tools are already available in stores
please check into this with DeWalt and try to get a statement from them
posted April 14 2015
http://dewaltmediakit.com/power-tools/dewalt-launches-battery-powered-outdoor-equipment-2/
Stuart
Are the 20V Max tools already in stores? I haven’t seen them anywhere. What’s out there now might just be a test run.
That 40V Max press release is a reissue of the October 2014 pre-announcement.
Pete
I got the 20v trimmer at amazon yesterday. will know more this weekend!
mike
“normal” price ?
or is it also on promotion (I think the 40V system currently has a free battery, or similar)
thx
mike
Peter
199.99 includes 5ah battery and charger.
Mike
Yeah, that is the p1 normal configuration
I hope they will have a promotion around 4th of july
Le t us all know how you like the item!!
Sean
This makes me almost wish I had the 20V Dewalt line instead of what I have…
Shopping for battery-powered outdoor equipment is such a headache right now… Now we are seeing options from 12V to 58V (being mindful that some of it is marketing.) Further, there is such a variation between how the trimmers are built – some have motor at bottom, some are attachment capable, so me have the motor by the head, some lack variable speed which boggles my mind. There is also a variation between product lines – some have chainsaws, hedge trimmers, etc., that will run off the same batteries…
I really like the idea of outdoor tools that will run (efficiently) with power tool batteries. However, I’ve still got my eye on Echo or Ego, currently.
Johnny Young
I bought the 20 volt trimmer and I really enjoyed it for 3 1/2 weeks , then it started a grinding noise in the motor head , ie; the major complaint about this trimmer is that you spend so much time trying to get the weeds and dust , dirt lawn and weed guts bad design , I ended up buying two more battery’s for this trimmer , now I took it back to retailer , got money back for locked up trimmer but stuck with the $ 240.oo spent on extra battery’s , anyone want to buy new battery’s , I’ll be willing to make you a good deal , as for the time I spent with my gas trimmer verses the convenience of this battery powered trimmer , less time mixing my fuel and upkeep of the gas trimmer and more time trying to fish out lawn guts of those tiny slots on top of this ” brushless ” motor , great idea but can’t afford the cost of your trimmer when it breaks down , when they update the motor ventilation , dust and debris catching motor , then I’ll be interested in trying this again
Matt Shaw
What kind of batteries (amp hour rating) do you have?
Clay
I would like to see a 20 or 60 volt pole saw tree trimet