Dewalt has launched new 20V Max cordless grinders that they say were built to change the way you work.
There are four new Dewalt Atomic 20V Max grinders, all with brushless motors: 4″ angle grinder, 4-1/2″ angle grinder, die grinder, and right angle die grinder
Dewalt says “stop being limited by cords and air hoses,” and that their new Atomic series cordless grinders feature a compact size and more power than pneumatic grinders.
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The brand says that these are “a major industry breakthrough,” and that they “are changing the game with innovative cordless control and consistency.”
Here’s what’s launching soon:
Dewalt DCG400 4″ Angle Grinder
Dewalt says that the new 4-inch angle grinder delivers up to 44% more power compared to 0.7 HP air angle grinders.
Dewalt DCG402 4-1/2″ Angle Grinder
Dewalt says that the new 20V Max Atomic 4-1/2″ cordless angle grinder is 29% smaller than their non-XR brushless angle grinder, model DCG408, which launched earlier this year.
Dewalt DCG420 Die Grinder
Dewalt says their new Atomic grinder is 45% smaller than Milwaukee’s M18 die grinder.
If you look at the fine print, Dewalt says that their new DCG420 die grinder is 45% smaller than the Milwaukee 2784-20 die grinder.
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The 2784 launched nearly 9 years ago – see New Milwaukee M18 Fuel Brushless Die Grinder.
Milwaukee replaced that model 3 years ago – see New Milwaukee M18 Fuel Gen-2 Cordless Die Grinders.
Dewalt also says that their new Atomic 20V Max die grinder delivers up to 2X the power compared to Milwaukee’s M12 Fuel model (see New Milwaukee M12 Fuel Straight Die Grinder).
I find it puzzling that Dewalt makes competitive comparisons to Milwaukee’s older M18 Fuel grinder, but not their own model DCG426 20V Max brushless die grinder that launched around 9 years ago – see Dewalt’s Cordless Die Grinder is Coming Soon.
Dewalt DCG422 Right Angle Die Grinder
Dewalt says that their new DCG422 delivers up to 53% more power compared to the Milwaukee M12 3485-20.
The 3485 is the latest M12 Fuel right angle die grinder, which launched this year – see Milwaukee M12 Fuel Right Angle Die Grinder got an Upgrade.
Common features across all of the models include:
- Dewalt Perform & Protect anti-rotation
- Electronic brake
- Variable speed trigger switches
- Fast guard and wheel changes (DCG400, DCG422 only)
- Air tool-like paddle switch
- Forward exhaust system
- LED light (DCG420, DCG422 only)
- Tool Connect Chip Ready
Pricing and availability details are not yet available for any of the new tools.
Jared
Excellent. Those seems like very handy additions to the lineup to me. They’re obviously an alternative to a 12v tools.
I bought the Bosch 12v right angle die grinder because Dewalt didn’t have one. I probably would have chosen this one if it existed at the time – and now that I’m working on replacing my cordless tools after my garage fire… I imagine I will.
Doresoom
I found SB&D’s patent for this type of motor earlier this year: https://patents.google.com/patent/US20250219493A1/en
They’ve been developing it for quite a while – their first related filings were back in 2022!
Tom
Thanks for that link. I had a read through, it’s hard for this non-engineer to understand what the differences are that they are looking to protect.
First impression is that it’s a longer, slimmer than usual brushless motor with a high power output “density”?
Does it have a different permanent magnet geometry perhaps?
Tom
So, on a re-read: it looks like the rotor is 2 or 3 permanent magnets long? Will have to have a look at a typical brushless motor when back in my workshop. From memory, they are typically a single magnet.
Lots to digest from that patent application. There’s quite a lot of detail in the drawings of how the motor goes together, keen to pull one apart! Am usually amongst the first to get my hand on new Dewalt tools in my country, and am “trusted” enough to strip them down a bit for insights. But my gut tells me this motor is almost a sealed unit in practice.
The trend for a while in tool motors has been “short and fat”, this looks “long and lean”. Makes sense when the motor is inside the handle.
Really looking forward to learning more about this new motor style, for sure.
EBT
About the DCG422, I wish Dewalt would fix their load times (cache hardware, Dewalt hosting!) of their product site, and that there is no information on the weight. Used a neighbor’s M12 rightangle die grinder with the smaller battery and it was a no-brainer to use. But with the larger battery, you fatigue before the battery runs out. So, I don’t care about the 53% more run time than the competition…I care about specs and missing is weight w/o battery and with (XR 20V 3.5Ah).
(Dewalt lists the B version which is the non-kit version – B for Bare tool)
Jared
I liked my Bosch 12v die grinder for the same reason – it’s little and light and I could be very precise and use it for long periods. However, going a little larger can be advantageous – we will have to wait and see how these 20v tools perform.
When I replaced my Bosch 3″ cut-off tool with a 20v version from Dewalt I noticed it was more powerful and worked faster. The Bosch was still smaller (so maybe in a perfect world I’d have ALL the tools), but I think I’m just doing more work in less time and hence I’m not fatigued by the larger tool.
I’m not suggesting a bigger tool is always better of course.
NoDak Farming
I’m really liking the form factor and compactness of these tools. Especially that die grinder. I hope every single other cordless tool manufacturer see’s these, and notices what Dewalt has done. And then I hope those companies try to compete with these tools. (Not over night obviously. But eventually)
MM
Nice to see these hitting the market finally. I am very interested in the DCG422.
fred
“Dewalt says that the new 4-inch angle grinder delivers up to 44% more power compared to 0.7 HP air angle grinders.”
That sounds impressive – but then I looked at the specs for the Cleco 4.5-inch angle grinder we used – and Cleco claims 1.7HP – not 0.7HP. There are many pneumatic angle grinders in the 0.7 to 0.8HP class – so the comparison is still valid – just not compared to a heavy-duty air grinder. The price is certainly attractive compared to a Cleco – and I can certainly see the Dewalt getting used for field work and smaller shop jobs where full-production mode of an air grinder is not needed.
fred
Since price is not yet announced – I should have said that the price is likely to be attractive compared to a $1200 Cleco
Matt_T
Pretty sure these are targeted towards mechanics so I’d say the 0.7HP comparison is fair.
For shop use Dewalt have several corded brushless grinders. They’d be way cheaper to run than industrial air grinders, and probably quieter too. Unlikely they’d last as long as air though….
MM
Agreed the power is not super impressive. The larger air tools can easily beat it, and so do industrial tier flex-shaft tools: a Suhner Rotar is over 4hp. But for small jobs these would be great. I think a lot of people are going to set up that 90 degree die grinder with a 3″ Roloc arbor as a general purpose gunk remover. That would be great to prep & finish small welds, clean gasket surfaces, strip old finish, etc. The old M12 was barely adequate for a 2″ Roloc in my opinion but this should have plenty of grunt for a 3″.
fred
Seems like it was many decades ago when I wanted to buy a flex shaft machine to replace my Dremel 280. I asked our toolroom guy and he recommended a Suhner machine. That was before the Internet – so I had no idea what class of machine it was but thought (based on the recommendation) that it would beat out a $35 Dremel. Then I learned that the machine he was recommending would indeed beat out a Dremel, required rewiring my home shop for 3-Phase power, cost as much as a used car – and that a Foredom machine was really what I wanted.
Will
Good point made here. People saying that the power isn’t good compared to an industrial flex shaft or big air grinder, don’t really make sense here. Those are completely different tools, that most of would never own anyway and they have cords or hoses. That’s like comparing a tacoma tow rating to an f350.
Saulac
TIL about 4” vs 4 1/2 “ grinders. Do people actually care? Can you fit the larger disc into the smaller grinder?
Bonnie
Arbor sizes are typcially different between the two sizes. I’m sure you could find some that fit as long as they’re rated for the correct rpm… But I would definitely stick with the manufacturer recommendation here, grinding discs are dangerous enough already with risking mismatches and removing the shroud.
Stuart
Only use accessories as specified by manufacturers and explicitly permitted in the user manuals. Some models are compatible with different sizes of accessories but you MUST use the appropriate guard. Sometimes they’re included, often they’re available separately.
Saulac
I had thought that 3/8 arbor is only for 2”or 3”. But know I realize that Dewalt 4” Atomic circular saw may also have 3/8 arbor. Hmmm
JoeM
These actually look spectacular! I only wish they weren’t in the Atomic class. This is my usual rant about having big hands, and that the Atomic class grip leaves my pinky off the grip. The two Die Grinders would have been absolutely beautiful Rotary Tools if they were 8V Max, high speed, low torque jobs. Those designs are ideal from a rotary tool user, like myself. The compactness of two angle grinders like these seems very appropriate for the field. Overall I like these four tools. I doubt I’ll be buying them, but they are certainly something I like seeing DeWALT do. Genuine change in their lineup.
Matt
As someone who is in M12 and DeWalt 20V and uses for grinders quite a bit, this is an interesting development. They seemed to go for the higher power/runtime angle, but as someone else pointed out, I’ll be curious about the balance and fatigue of the tool. I use a right angle die grinder a lot because of the light weight and size. Milwaukee’s M12 fits a great balance of power and size. Given the battery form factor I don’t see a better option for DeWalt, but these seem definitively less ergonomic for longer periods. I like the idea of more companies bringing cordless die grinders to market, I really like them for lighter material removal and weld prep. They are also great for automotive parts cleaning. I have a cordless angle grinder that I get out a few times a year since the die grinder generally is a better tool for my needs. Don’t think I will buy these, but nice to have more options
Bleeding Fingers
Love advertising. Die grinder shows worker with vinyl gloves…. not cut resistant or burr resistant.
Jager
I know it says more power than the M12 for the right angle , which is great because my M12 is gutless, but jimminy crickets that die grinder is massive. I’ll wait to see it in person before I make a purchase decision.
Hate my Milwaukee because it’s way bigger than an air die grinder with less power and almost no run time. I love it because it’s so convenient to not have to start a compressor and run a hose. Definitely not a pneumatic replacement, but it works for short stints as an alternative.
If the DeWalt has decent run time and the power of a pneumatic, I’ll probably grab one even though it’s comically oversized as long as everything else about it is similar to pneumatic performance. I still want a small version. 90% of the times I use a die grinder it’s because an angle grinder won’t fit in the same spot. If the die grinder needs the same clearance as an angle grinder it vastly lowers the appeal. Still will be great for roloc and brittle discs where clearance isn’t usually an issue.
Will
This looks much smaller than Dewalts current die grinder.
Stuart
Good point – I completely forgot about that model! (I added an image to the post.) I don’t get why Dewalt is making size comparisons against Milwaukee’s M18 Fuel model – and not even the current one – when their 20V Max brushless grinder from the same time certainly isn’t compact either.
Will
Dewalt new marketing seems to be all about one upping Milwaukee. The old die grinder is a big boy, but it has a lot of power. The new one is rated slightly less output, even though they used a powerstack for the output rating. The smaller size will be great for a lot of uses. I’m sure it will be more popular for most users.
Will
Fingers crossed that these are on promotion for black Friday. Hope Dewalt doesn’t keep these at msrp for the first 6-12 months like they’ve done with some other new tools.
MM
Previously I wasn’t all that interested in the 4-1/2″ version, but I got to thinking that compact size would probably work extremely well with cone and cylinder stones.
Brad J
Dewalt is doing a great job innovating. I’m very happy with my 20v and 60v tools. My Flexvolt circular saw is the best tool I have bought in 10 years.
Tdot77
Stuart, I know this is a few days old but right under the DCG420 die grinder picture it says:
….new Atomic cordless **impact driver** is 45% smaller than Milwaukee’s M18 die grinder.
I’m sure the new die grinder is being compared to Milwaukee’s die grinder rather than comparing an impact driver which is a totally different tool, right?
These new tools do look really nice though. It’s crazy how powerful and small they’re making these brushless motors and tools themselves these days! I love seeing DeWalt coming out with new updated tools that are more compact, powerful and just do more work overall along with their increased capacity batteries letting you work longer.
Stuart
Oops – thank you! *fixed* I’ve seen competitive claims on other Dewalt products and took a moment to look at other examples. I guess my thoughts melted together a bit.
They do look really good. I really like Milwaukee’s M12 Fuel form factor, but I also like what Dewalt did here. I’m looking forward to the launch.