Back in October of 2014, Dewalt announced that they were coming out with a new line of 40V Max cordless Li-ion powered outdoor tools. The big claim is that these tools can match the performance of gas-powered tools while providing the convenience and ease of use of cordless tools.
The new tools target “lawn care professionals” and include a brushless motored blower, string trimmer, and a hedge trimmer. There will be two battery pack sizes – a 4Ah battery, and a 6Ah battery, and some of the tools will be available in both 4Ah and 6Ah kits.
Advertisement
Dewalt 40V Max Tools and Batteries
- 15″ 6.0Ah Brushless String Trimmer (DCST990H1, $369-$399)
- 15″ 4.0Ah Brushless String Trimmer (DCST990M1, $299-$349)
- 6.0Ah Brushless Blower (DCBL790H1, $369-$399)
- 4.0Ah Brushless Blower (DCBL790M1, $299-$349)
- 22″ 4.0Ah Hedge Trimmer (DCHT860M1, $299-$349)
- 4Ah Battery (DCB404, $199)
- 6Ah Battery (DCB406, $249)
- Charger (DCB114, $80)
All of these tools will be launching in March 2015.
Dewalt 40V Max Brushless String Trimmer
The new brushless string trimmer – yes, it’s brushless! – features a dual 0.080″ line cutter with 15″ cutting swath and bump feed, variable trigger with speed control, auxiliary handle, metal gear case, and a “patented gear drive system.”
Pricing will be $369-$399 for the 6Ah DCST990H1 kit, and $299-$349 for the 4Ah DCST990M1 kit.
- Weighs 13.9 lbs (6Ah), 13.0 lbs (4Ah)
Buy Now(via Amazon)
Advertisement
Dewalt 40V Max Brushless Blower
The new brushless blower – yes, it’s also brushless! – can push air at 120 MPH and 400 CFM. You get the same airspeed and flow with either battery pack, but the 6.0Ah battery will presumably give you up to 50% longer runtime compared to the 4.0Ah battery.
- Weighs 11.4 lbs (6Ah), 10.4 lbs (4Ah)
- Noise level: 67 dbA
Dewalt says that the new blower is designed to withstand everyday heavy-duty usage. It will be priced at $369-$399 for the DCBL790H1 6Ah kit, and $299-$349 for the DCBL790M1 4Ah kit.
Buy Now(via Amazon)
Dewalt 40V Max Hedge Trimmer
The new hedge trimmer will feature a 22″ blade with laser-cut hooked-shaped teeth, removable gear case cover for blade exchanges, high-impact housing, and removable top cover for access to motor brushes. This tool is NOT brushless like the others.
- 3,100 cutting strokes/minute
- 3/4″ cutting capacity
- Weighs 11.9 lbs
Buy Now(via Amazon)
First Thoughts
Some might think that Dewalt is diluting their brand by branching out into yet another market, and perhaps this is so. But if these tools do offer performance comparable to gas-powered tools but without the hassle of dealing with gasoline and gas engine maintenance, then they will definitely be welcomed by many users.
And if Stanley Black & Decker had not developed these tools for the Dewalt brand, then which other SBD brand should they have marketed them under?
The cordless lawn & garden power tool market is growing fast, and it seems that there’s no better brand for Stanley Black & Decker to release tools under if they hope to carve out a nice sized chunk of market share.
As these tools are said to be designed for heavy-duty and daily use, and given their pricing, they’re not designed for homeowners and DIYers. That’s not to say that some homeowners won’t be wooed by the tools’ features, but
One more thing to consider is that Dewalt might be trying new things with the 40V Max lineup that could trickle down to the 20V Max line. The 6Ah battery pack, for instance, might be built with new 3Ah cells that could eventually be used to build 6Ah 20V Max battery packs, or new compact 3.0Ah packs. Bosch already announced a 6Ah battery pack, and it won’t be long until other brands do the same.
Gas-powered outdoor tools are noisy, sometimes smelly, they require maintenance, and there’s the hassle of dealing with gasoline. If these new 40V Max tools do provide comparable performance, then stores will probably have a tough time keeping them in stock.
One question comes to mind – what other tools might we see launch as part of the 40V Max lineup? Will we see replacements for Dewalt’s 36V cordless power tools?
As a reminder, “40V Max” = 36V.
Rami
I heard from a DeWalt rep in Finland last autumn that DeWalt is coming up with a 6 amp battery (suppose he meant 18V XR / 20V MAX) and a brushless version of the DCF 889 ( larger impact wrench) early 2015
Brandon
Wonder how they’d stack up to the ryobi 40v line. Not that’d I’d switch at those prices. I have the blower and the trimmer/edger with two batteries and they have enough juice to do my entire yard.
Julian Tracy
How many stinking platforms is dewalt planning on having? Let’s base the longevity of this new platform to the 28volt system that lasted all of 2-3 tools. Or the stem-style lithium ion system that lasted 6 months… etc, etc.
They’re starting to feel like ridgid: Let’s introduce many new systems and see what sticks. (or black and decker for that matter.
It’s like their stack-able organizers and boxes – there’s probably 4-5 different latch together organizer bins and tool box systems that are NOT compatible…
Must be quite a few totally separate r&d depts working on new products independently of any one overseer.
Though I’m a Makita user, I’m no fanboy, but you have to admit that creating a high-voltage system based on using existing batts makes more sense than a completely new battery platform that will price these tools out of the reach of their general tool users.
That’s a shame, because any remodler or builder would buy that blower to use around a jobsite if it was designed to be used with a couple of the batteries they already owned.
Julian
Chris
More then likely anyone buying these tools will be lawn car pros that don’t use to many power tools and don’t currently have any kind of cordless power system from any of the big tool companies. I can see other following suit in the coming years. I imagine there is a good reason for having a 40v system over a dual 20v system
Jerry
I wonder why they don’t piggyback 2 of their existing 20V MAx batteries, instead of making another per whole new platform? I’m sure there are plenty of maintanence workers who do things like repair decks, railings, etc who also trim hedges and clean up lives and sipuch, who already have some 20V batteries. Around here, at least, grounds keeping and building maintanence are usually the same people.
Nathan
+1 I really wish they would have offered something like that.
however I believe these items to be follow ons to the Black and Decker 40V lawn and garden equipment – seems about right. and I’m OK with that – if they are replacing their 36 volt heavy tool line – with a 40v version. not that I’ll be buying any but it would make more sense over all.
Jerry
That should say clean up leaves and such, darn auto correct.
Farid
I just want know when we’ll have a Dewalt cordless Coffee maker and Micowave??
mp
need the brushless coffee grinder first.
fred
If they wanted to hearken back to their roots then maybe a cordless Radial Arm Saw would be next. I had a 7.5 HP Dewalt GE24 anchoring one corner of a shop . I wonder what size battery would be needed to power it up.
On a more serious note, when Black & Decker acquired Dewalt from AMF I’m sure that they were as interested in the value of the brand name as they were in producing radial arm saws (of which Dewalt was the first and arguably the best). I just hope that they don’t slap the name on so many far-flung, disparate and possibly lower quality items as to reduce its value.
Nathan
honestly the smartest thing I see Dewalt’s name on that I’ve not seen another cordless tool maker do – is that adapter that let’s you use a tool battery to charge/power your phone. simple to do and pointless for most people – but provided it’s cheap enough – would be handy to have in those remote sites when you need to juice your phone/tablet whatever.
Mike
Milwaukee has this already in the m18 & I think the m12 or they did at one time….
Nathan
I’ve seen the 12 volt model and it came about probably about the same time as the dewalt – not really sure.
but the dewalt model uses either battery, the 12 or the 18/20. I’ve not seen another that uses the 18/20 series batteries. either way though – its a great idea.
Stuart
Milwaukee’s were out way before Dewalt’s. Both brands’ adapters have their merits.
Iron-Iceberg
I like that hedge trimmer. After cutting the cord on mine a bunch of times, that would be a cool tool.
jake
Nathan, Milwaukee beat dewalt to that idea… M12/M18 power port.
JMG
Most of the cordless tools that I own are in the Makita line of tools, and I watched them run through the process of introducing a 36v line of these tool types (that Dewalt is now attempting), and basically fail in the attempt. They are now selling these tools off with an adapter that splits the power source into two 18v batteries. Most of those tool types that were 36v, are now offered in the x2 lineup in many parts of the world with fixed two 18v battery set-ups.
As I see it, the reasons that the 36v line did not go over well with consumers is two fold. One, the larger batteries were incredibly expensive compared to the 18v types, and two, many consumers simply do not like having to carry around yet another group of batteries and chargers when they have to travel to a job site.
I personally believe that one of the reasons the Dewalt cordless track saw disappeared so quickly was more due to the type of battery they used than any other reason. I would love to have a cordless track saw myself, but not if it causes me a major expense in power packs that cannot be spread out among the other existing tools I have. I do not see this so called “40v” line of tools doing as well as they might wish it to do so (as far as existing customers are concerned), mostly due to the new power supply type and the start-up expenses involved.
For information purposes; I currently own ten Dewalt “cordless” tool items, and more than double that in Makita cordless items. I have owned Bosch, Milwaukee, and Panasonic cordless tools in the past. Bosch tools failed on me at an alarming rate. Milwaukee changed battery design on me (I really liked the first 18v of thiers I owned), and Panasonic which by and far was my all time favorite at one time, simply did not keep up with the changing market, as far as tools I needed to do my work. I have looked at Ryobi and Porter cable offerings, but simply do not want to have to carry around, and invest in yet another battery platform. The recent change in Dewalt’s choice of battery type to the so called “20v max” has caused me to give precedence to the Makita line of tools as well, and I am limiting my purchases of Dewalt cordless tools to only those I cannot yet purchase from Makita, primarily due to the expense of adding new power supplies.
Dewalt could go a long way towards keeping me as a customer if they were to produce an adapter that allowed me to use my existing 18v tools with the “20v max lithium ion” batteries, AND offered these new 36v tools with the split battery option that Makita has shifted to (not by way of an adapter). Without this, I see no real future in my tool kit for their brand of cordless tools. I do not feel like I am the only cordless tool owner/user that thinks this way either.
Jerry
I’m with you. I’m tired of finally getting my cordless toll setup pretty much what I want, only to have them change battery types on me, and not have all the available tools within that line.
That said, I have decided to move away from DeWalt, and will be going to Ryobi, not so much because I believe they are superior tools, but because any 18V Ryobi ‘one’ tool will work with any battery, and they are transitioning to Lithium Ion batteries, even high capacity ones, without trading platforms. My needs are changing from construction to maintanence and grounds keeping, and I can get everything from a hand planer, to a pole saw, or even light duty garden weeder that will all use the same batteries as their drills, drivers, and saws. Any battery will fit any tool. I plan to get my groundskeeping tools in the One+ line, and if they are any good, replacing my DW 18V tools with that line as they give out. I really like DW tools, but I started out with the 14.4 line, which they all but abandon, except for charging more for a 14.4 battery than an 18V. They are doing the same with the 20V. Can anyone explain to me, why an 18V Lithium battery costs so uch more than a comparable 20V, when they are basically the same thing? Sory to rant, but when I switch to another battery platform, it will not be DW. It will either be the aforementioned Ryobi, or possibly the Milwaukee 12V line, unless someone else comes up with a line that has all the tools I want, in one battery format.
rx9
I was excited at this post’s news until I saw that Dewalt was not using the 20v system for this, but introducing yet another battery size. I really hope Makita outsrlls them by a huge margin.
Drew
I’ve got a Core GasLess Power CGT400 trimmer (built in USA) that replaced a 4-stroke Honda trimmer and it is night and day better than its gas counter part. If this Dewalt is anything like the Core, Dewalt will have a very good shot in the lawn and garden area. http://coreoutdoorpower.com/ I do like the more conventional approach Dewalt is taking, as the Core blower looks nothing like a conventional blower.
firefly
Thanks for the link. I never heard of Coreoutdoorpower before. It look like they do make some pretty unique cordless outdoor stuff.
I don’t mind the unconventional look of the blower though as long as it work well… Have you had any experience with it?
Joe
For the price of that blower, you could get a gas Stihl that will blow it away. Dewalt is wasting their time. Where are the cordless nailers, saws, brushless tools, 12v tools, etc. that everyone wants?
Eric Hamilton
Any info about charge time and run time?
truckdriver
The Blower and hedge trimmer sound nice, but that line trimmer with .050 line? Aimed at lawn care professionals? And yet another battery platform? No thanks.
truckdriver
Using dual 20V batteries would have been a much better idea.
joe
Fred black and decker bought dewalt back in 1960 I don’t think they tarnished their name but made them the# 1 professional power tool brand in the world
fred
I thought that was the point I was making – that B&D wanted and valued the venerable Dewalt brand name when the acquisition from AMF was made. Clearly they positioned Dewalt as their “top professional” tool brand, placed Porter Cable (when acquired) in a lower slot and their B&D brand on the DIY rung. I might have been more clear, commenting that I hoped that – going forward they (now part of Stanley – who has started slapping the Bostitch name on some IMO questionable and off-target tools) do not start resting on their laurels – or worse start diluting and/or cheapening the Dewalt brand.
OhioHead
Think about it gang…….B & D have been in the “consumer” grade “cordless” lawn care equipment for 5+ years (string trimmers), that info learned has been (I guarantee) cross pollinated within DeWalt to make more robust, more run time, etc equipment, agree with comments on price point, using 2 18v (20v) batteries, etc.
This is a good thing for yellow…,,
firefly
I am still searching for that perfect cordless trimmer. So more competition is good :)))
With that in mind I am not too impress with the dewalt trimmer spec. The dual 0.050″ line is rather small in compare to the 0.080 line that the 40V Ryobi trimmer support. The ego 56v trimmer also support the same 0.080 line. Even the worx gt 20v support 0.065 line. The Core E400 from Core Outdoor power that Drew mentioned above support 0.095 line!
Like a few others have mentioned already the 40V is a complete new battery system for dewalt. So there is no advantage for me to get a dewalt vs a Ryobi or Ego, where if I can double or triple my current 20v that would mean one less battery system that I have to worry about.
Again there is certain advantage to a new battery system. But that also mean dewalt need to compete on pricing and features. Neither of which seem to enticing to me at the moment but I do welcome the competition.
Stuart
Sorry about that – the trimmer definitely works with a 0.080″ cutter line. I don’t know where the 0.050″ came from, but it was probably a typo.
firefly
Thanks for the correction Stuart, 0.080″ trimmer line is much more reasonable.
alan
I would be interested in WEIGHT. Don’t the batteries make it either unbalanced or heavy…..for example, holding the hedge trimmer at 6 feet high ?
Granted for a weekend warrior, the weight might be negligible ? ie, I have their cordless framing nailer. A bit heavy, but the tradeoff is no cord…
firefly
The different is your framing nailer doesn’t have an gas engine attach to it.
The battery + motor weight is much lighter than the engine + gas weight in most cases.
Jerry
I recently got a Ryobi pole saw, and with the
Ithium batteries, it seems to be lighter than a gas powered one of the same cut capacity. I only have the compact batteries, so runtime is definately short, but even with the high cap lithiums, I doubt it would be any heavier.
joe
A lot of pros are going for the battery operated lawn and garden tools now because they are much more quiet and that means they can start some job early because of noise regulations that require you to start at 8
Andy
More and more communities are banning gas blowers. Core seem good on paper but have an alarming fail rate and insufficient customer service. Makita’s were better but underpowered. If Dewalt can show enough battery life and a way to get them into the hands of professionals, they should have a winner.
rx9
Ryobi seems to be the best consumer grade cordless yard tool line on the market right now. Best selection, price, and availability. Ego and core have a more powerful product from what I hear, but they are hurting for market share.
rx9
Somebody from Stanley Black and Decker should read this article: http://adage.com/article/al-ries/ries-line-extensions-brand/138797/
rx9
Most important line in the article is the following: “Line extension is a loser’s game. It doesn’t usually work, but even if it does, it almost always damage the core brand.”
Nathan
as much as I would have liked them to release something that used 2 – 20V Max batteries. I can see why the 40 V is a good choice for the tool design – its easy to see. The engineering idea is sound, and these tools will still advance LIPO battery design and use. all good things for the rest of the dewalt line.
firefly
Agreed, however the current line up hasn’t impress me that much. I want an head design that are attachment capable and powerful enough to drive an edger… Or at least it should support heavier trimmer line.
john
I really like the weed eater probably going to get it if the run time reviews are good. If it will run 30 to an hour I’m in. I also think the idea of the 40v platform is a great idea. could be used to power a cordless miter saw or large area lights and other things.
JMG
International Tool has posted some pre-order pricing on some of these new tools. The one thing that really stands out is the pricing for the battery packs: 6ah at $250 and 4ah at $200. The kits that they are currently offering for pre-sale include one tool, one charger, and one battery, with prices starting at $300. Availability looks to be April 1st through July.
Stuart
Yes, those prices are correct. Dewalt provided pricing info for the kits, and the battery and charger prices were gleaned from Home Depot product listings.
Pricing info is already in the post.
William
I came across these online today. (2-15-15) 20v trimmer and blower with 5AH battery. Both are “out of stock” though. Do you know anything about these?
http://www.cpopowertools.com/dewalt-dcst920p1-20v-max-5-0-ah-cordless-lithium-ion-brushless-string-trimmer/dewndcst920p1,default,pd.html?start=1&cgid=dewalt-outdoor-equipment
Joseph
I just do not get all the whining. I feel that Dewalt gets to much hate thrown there way while Milwaukee does not get enough. How about some useful comments pertaining to the actual tool. I just bought the blower yesterday even though I have about 30 Makita 18v LXT tools (after selling my Milwaukee Fuel tools, which I bought after selling all of my Dewalt 20V Max tools). This includes the BL string trimmer and 36v (18x X2) 12″ chainsaw and would have loved the 36v blower Makita offers but it does not compare to this blower. This blower is the real deal, if your not necessarily looking to replace your backpack blower permanently. However, job site clean up, areas where emission fumes are an issue, and most landscape tasks can certainly be tackled with this blower. I am a general contractor, Im not in landscaping but I know many instances this blower will be great, and convenient. Bottom line: It is comparable to most hand held gas blowers I have used, but certainly does not have the power a legit backpack power produces. (oh, and run time seems to be descent)
mike
@ Stuart
Biggest Dewalt fan, so I watch always and any news on releases;
…. on this garden equipment I read a release date in June15;
I also saw a few web sites/retailers that are doing a pre-order on this garden equipment;
I’m also in a dewalt owners forum
and just now I saw a post
“lawn equip is out”
check here:
http://professional-power-tool-guide.com/power-tool-forum/index.php?/topic/5734-lawn-equip-is-out/
please help clarify / check with Dewalt what the situation is / release date ?
could it only be a test market ???? or are the items actually available ???
same goes for the two 20V max garden tools
thx
mike
Wayne
These are “recrafted” Black & Decker designs including the battery pack. They needed a quick way to jump into the category and this is the easiest way to do it. Obviously they have made some designs changes but the base was already there.
This new category may end up diluting the brand and causing harm to the reputation as the B&D lawn and garden line has been struggling with design flaws and part availability.
sean
Are you positive they are based on the B&D line?
I just found this thread again after searching for Ego 56 vs Dewalt 40v. I just purchased an Ego blower (which I haven’t received yet) and I’m a little worried these Dewalts might compete.
It’s amazing that the review sites are already giving them high praise even though it seems VERY little actual testing has been done. The tone also is that pros very well might switch over to these.
Regardless of how good they end up being for homeowners, I am predicting that no professions would ever switch over to this. I have worked on lawn crews and the amount of time you must use trimmers, edgers (dedicated), blowers, and mowers is staggering.
If you’re mowing residential, each person on the crew is using one of these for at least 15-30 minutes at a time, driving 5 minutes to the next house, an starting again. “Great run time” or not, no one is going to be able to manage charging batteries ALL day throughout an 8 hour work day. If you’re mowing commercial, there are times when you’re using any one of these tools for 3 hours straight.
Even if these tools prove to last 2-3 hours, I highly doubt pros will deal with the hassle of batteries (that is, charging them all day and constantly throwing out dead ones and buying new.)
I AM interested to see how these compete with Ego (as a homeowner) but I think I’ll stick with Ego. These Dewalts are a little pricier. Also, for now I still plan to run my gas mower, and hopefully branch out to cordless with a blower, trimmer, and chainsaw.
john
im looking for dewalt electric 40 watt lawn motor ?
Jerry D
When are we getting a cordless lawn mower from Dewalt!? I really need one!
Diana
I am buying a cordless lawn mower in the next week. I’m disappointed it won’t be a Dewalt.