Over on Instagram, @hdcarpentry posted a first-look at the new Dewalt FlexVolt 15Ah battery.
In addition to being Dewalt’s highest capacity FlexVolt and 20V Max battery to date, it has a new form factor. The new battery’s design could have further contexts and implications that have yet to be revealed.
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As hdcarpentry shows, the battery can fit many existing tools without issue.
Compared to the FlexVolt 9Ah battery, the new Dewalt 15AH battery is noticeably larger.
Despite featuring a much more complex construction, based on differences in how the external housing is designed, the new 15Ah battery maintains a similar profile to the 9Ah battery. This allows the 15Ah battery to be compatible with most Dewalt cordless power tools that are compatible with their 9Ah battery.
In other words, the new battery’s is similar in height and width to the 9Ah (and 12Ah) battery, but longer.
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Dewalt has said this about two of their cordless rotary hammers that are being replaced with new models:
For those that have already bought the DCH733 and DCH773 [cordless rotary hammers], we will have a service part available in September [so] that users can upgrade their existing tools to accommodate the DCB615.
It is possible that other high-powered tools might also be upgradable to fit the new 15Ah battery. More details will be available in September when the new battery launches.
Photos: @hdcarpentry (via Instagram), used with permission.
Here’s their full post:
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Additional 15Ah Coverage:
Dewalt DCB615 15Ah Battery – Why its Cell Count and Configuration Matters
BF
Lol, I don’t believe for a second that it’s “not heavy” or that those tools are “balanced”.
15 Ah is ridiculous for hand tools. Swapping takes maybe 20 seconds, and carrying around that kind of weight all day is totally unnecessary.
I bet they’ll be great for miter saws and table saws, though.
Stuart
I think some of the example pairings are more “you can do this if you want to” proof of concept.
Tom D
I do have fun using my Milwaukee 12Ah with the little flashlight. Feels excessive.
Nate B
A light is a perfect use case though. You set it down, you’re not carrying the weight. It runs a longass time, you don’t have to walk over and swap packs during the day.
Vacuum cleaners are another ideal use case for the huuuge packs, since they’re sitting on the ground, and they voraciously devour energy.
A hand-held drill, not so much. It’s in one hand, and nobody’s wrist needs that.
But a two-hand drill, like a rotary hammer? Some of those use enough power to justify the larger pack, and you wouldn’t necessarily notice the weight, at least if you’re able to hold the tool with a proper stance.
Big Richard
There’s a good chance this battery was designed with future products in mind, not necessarily current hand held tools. I see more “stationary” tools in the future. It’s not like DeWalt is going to kit this battery with their circular saws or recip.
And just for the record, that recip with this 15Ah battery still actually weighs a couple ounces less than the M18 Super Sawzall with its 12Ah battery. So while I agree with you on its practicality, it’s not unheard of or redonculously heavy.
fred
“Heavy” is not an altogether bad thing. On tools like a rotohammer being used in a vertical mode – as in drilling into decks – the added weight might help keep the bit engaged. At the least you might not notice the added weight as much compared to using the tool overhead or in a horizontal orientation where added weight would increase fatigue.
Big Richard
Completely agree.
MM
My thoughts exactly. For some tools that huge battery would be obnoxious, but for applications where the weight of the tool is borne at least in part by the workpiece the added weight is not all that significant, and it could even be a help.
Jared
Thanks for highlighting these photos. It really helps me conceptualize the size to see the batteries next to tools.
While I agree this isn’t the battery to pair with your circular saw, reciprocating saw, grinder etc., it’s good to know it’s possible and not so outlandish as to be impractical. It might not be ideal, but I don’t see why I could get a job finished up with the 15ah battery on any of those tools, even if I didn’t want to spend the day working like that.
Ken
does anyone know how much that battery will cost?
Stuart
$349
https://toolguyd.com/dewalt-flexvolt-15ah-battery/
IronWood
Looks good to me! Glad to see Dewalt continuing to up the capability. Agreed that these huge batteries are not for portable tools, with the possible exception of a bigger roto-hammer. These will be a big improvement for table saws, chop saws, air compressors, big work lights, maybe a shop vac. It’s getting to the point we don’t have to worry about power at the job site, which is awesome!
It would also be neat if I could charge my little batteries off the big batteries. I like 2-4 ah compacts on my drill, impact, and other small handheld tools. Being able to top them up without a plug in charger would be super cool.
MFC
That’s incredibly ridiculous looking on the sawzall and that’s a big tool. Really want to see it on an impact. Lol.
Glad they’re making bigger batteries and I would definitely use that in a light, lawnmower, table/miter saw.
Adam
Want to know how long I can run my house with 4 of these on the power bank?
Stuart
15Ah x 18V x 4 = 1,080 watt-hours.
I’m sure power conversion contributes to a slight loss in efficiency.
MFC
1080 watts ÷ 120v = 9ah
So you could run a toaster for an hour, an 8-10k btu window air conditioner for an hour, or a space heater for 40 minutes.
Mr. Creek
There is info out there on Patents held by Dewalt, Stanley Black and Decker, and other holding companies within the umbrella. They are developing Cordless wheelbarrows, and even UTVs that will require a much larger form factor. This makes perfect sense. I’m Super happy that it even though it may be akward, the larger and larger capacity batteries (witch are obviously a pre cursor for larger and larger tools), will be backwards compatible with most of what is currently available. Keep expecting larger batteries and think outside the box. At least DeWalt is not burning all those that invested in 20v or flex volt, they are investing and inspiring brand loyalty by making batteries for more power hungry tools backwards compatible. At least that’s what I hope.
MM
I am sure there are lots of future changes happening to this technology. It wasn’t that long ago that cordless power tools were more convenient but vastly inferior to corded as far as power goes. Now many cordless tools trounce their corded counterparts. We are seeing cordless versions of tools never previously thought practical, like air compressors. Makita already has cordless wheelbarrows and carts on their LXT platform. And we are also seeing cordless tools take on jobs previously done by IC engines, like lots of lawn & garden equipment, concrete saws, etc. In my opinion the cordless lawnmowers are a bit marginal when it comes to power, the cordless trimmers compete very well with basic models but cannot match a real brushcutter, and nobody seems to make cordless chainsaws beyond small sizes. But I think all of that is going to see serious changes in the near future and it won’t be long before cordless electric rules in all those categories.
And while I love Dewalt trying to keep things as backwards-compatible as possible there will come some point where something like that just isn’t practical anymore and a new battery form factor will have to be made to keep up with the weight of bigger and bigger batteries, as well as the higher electric current that larger batteries can supply. At some point the locking rails won’t be strong enough anymore (perhaps this is why Dewalt added “wings” to these new batts?), and at some point the contacts that connect the battery to the tool won’t be able to sustain the current without overheating. But lets hope that they stick with a compatible system for as long as possible.
Stuart
With MX Fuel, Milwaukee pointed out that it wasn’t just about voltage or power, but that an 18V form factor interface wasn’t robust enough to handle the mechanical requirements of the tools on their roadmap.
I think that Dewalt realized the same and found a way to reinforce their FlexVolt interface and without requiring a separate cage for the added strength.
We’ll know more in a couple of months, Dewalt launched details ahead of the World of Concrete show, and I’m guessing there’s a lot more in the pipeline.
MM
Right, that’s exactly the kind of thing I meant. There’s the weight of big batteries, whether or not the contacts can supply enough current, the need to resist vibration and impact, cooling concerns, etc. And as packs get larger I imagine the number of internal connections for balancing and general management get more complex too. It’s simply not possible to have the same standard work for a compact power tool and also work for something much bigger, like an electric utility vehicle or a large gas saw. I can see that technology like Flexvolt and MX can go far, but at some point they too will have to be replaced by a heavier duty standard, and that standard will likely not be very practical or backwards-compatible with small tools like drill-drivers or OMTs. And I can’t really fault Milwaukee or Dewalt or whomever else for doing that when the time comes. I appreciate backwards compatibility as much as the next guy but in some cases there are honest engineering challenges to overcome here.
Mr. Creek
You are correct they’re is many engineering challenges to overcome here, but nothing that can’t be overcome. . My wife is a EE with her masters from Cal Tec so I bounce this stuff off her all the time. I honestly believe Flex Volt / 20v was designed to move forward without leaving those that have invested behind. It’s completely feasible to have a cordless battery the size of a car battery (100 + amp hour) for single use applications then put 4 of them on a platform wired in series or parallel (depending on the application) to emergency power a house, a forklift, golf cart. Point is fingers crossed on backwards compatible.
MM
@Mr. Creek
I totally agree that those challenges can be overcome–it’s not very difficult, really. But the point I suppose I failed to make was that those solutions will at some point make the battery just too darn big to be practical to maintain backwards compatability. For example, even if they were to fit, would you want to use a loaf-of-bread sized battery on an impact driver or a trim saw?
I fully expect, and hope, that companies like Dewalt will try and keep backwards compatibility as much as possible. But I do think at some point it just becomes a bit pointless, even if it is technically possible. The multi-battery idea I think is an especially good solution since multiple smaller batteries are still very useful on smaller tools, and a big power-hungry tool can be fitted with more of them.
Mr. Creek
@MM great points well thought out and thanks for explaining this in a kind way. It’s 2 steps forward and one step back. I’ll explain my thinking. One can go purchase a 4 amp slim pack at a big box store or online. 5 years ago 4 amp batteries that was the new stuff. so a 15 amp battery now is really cool. However, that will decrease in size. and within the same size of the current battery (bad pun intended). 5 years from now will be significantly more watt hours.
MM
@MrCreek
You raise a very good point about using “new tech” cells in an older form factor battery pack. That is certainly something I hope to see them do, and something I hadn’t considered in this discussion either. Yeah, it would be amazing if in 10 years we could get 20ah or whatever battery packs that were the same size as a modern 2ah pack and would work in our existing tools. So even if they have to adopt new platforms which are capable of supplying higher currents for big-power tools we should still hope they continue to offer new tech batteries for their other platforms.
Corey Moore
While it is a completely logical statement for Milwaukee to make, I can’t help but notice it’s also sort of a compulsory answer for them-what with their previous stance of “voltage isn’t everything” not long before they announced a higher, but unspecified voltage platform of their own.
philip s john
M18 isnt even powerful enough for their HO tools. They can over heat on constant use… and requires lots of batteries and chargers. It’s like you need a second worker to manage the batteries while working.
John Blair
I fully expect when next year rolls around that we will have a battery that is actually a small gas generator. They will tout it as “All day performance.” At a certain point size and price becomes ridiculous. I like having two Flexvolt batteries on my Miter Saw but that’s because the thing is on wheels, but I would never use them on some tools. For example, when I am hanging drywall, I am using the compact battery. I assume the $349 price is only to convince you that when you buy it with a tool that the tool is “inexpensive” because it comes with that $349 value.
Nathan
glad it fits other tools and is’t a special 1-3 trick pony.
4 of those on the power station – I see coming to a tail gate near me.
JoeM
And we still have yet to see the “Front” of the battery, to see how the new disengagement mechanism works with the aforementioned “Wings” and unhook button. There’s some “Inference” on the side comparisons, and the attachment to the Recip… but still… notice that word “still”, it has a double meaning in this case… we have yet to see the actual function of the new secure grip feature, or how it is applied to tools. That one view alone would reveal all of our optimal uses and design features to expect seen on larger tool releases in the near future. Including retrofits of the Mitre Saws, Table Saws, and even Lawn Mowers that may need retrofit to handle the mechanism. Yes, we already know about the Rotary Hammers… But these are batteries likely to benefit a great deal more tools. If we know which kinds that is.
ONR
I just can’t wait to get these for my power stations!
Plain grainy
Let’s see, four 6ah flexvolt battery’s at around $360(24ah total). Much more cost efficient!
philip s john
I dont think they have 21700 cell. But your right with this concept and 9 amp bat. That is why this 15 bat will mainly be for new tools and equipment. yet we need to know what its economics are like on hand current tools. I have seen worse ego issues from other brands.
Plain grainy
Still a lot of details left unanswered on the 15ah battery. But at that price point, it better be able to do some things. Benefits above & beyond the older Flexvolt battery.
philip s john
I cant wait to see a 9 inch grinder kit with 15 amp bat. My hope is its design and ergonomics will improve greatly on Milwaukee version.
MM
I’d love that too. A flathead 9 inch or 7 inch would be especially nice.
Frank D
These might be great in outer space.
philip s john
Yup. Its aproved for flight at 20v and right at the limit of 100 amph by the FAA. Got to have the red clip in!
Eddie
Does any1 know if this 15ah battery fits the 9″ demo saw? That has a lid that goes over the battery and it seems like the battery would be too tall. Would be easy for a dewalt to jus offer a taller lid but there has been nothing said about it. I will have to get the service part for my existing dch773 like they said. Or jus take the battery cage off maybe? Idk its weird they say theres a service part but nothing blocks the back of the battery i dont understand why it doesnt fit but obviously they know better and say it wont fit
MM
I don’t think it will fit. I just grabbed my 773 and a 9AH battery and there is very little room under the cover with that battery installed, and looking at the photo Stuart posted with the two batteries side-by-side it’s apparent that the 15 is a lot longer, so there’s no way the lid would close on the 15. A taller lid would be a trivial solution though. I’m sure it would fit with that lid removed, but I don’t think it’s wise to run the tool like that since without the lid the battery compartment is just asking to get filled up with debris.
Eddie
I feel like dewalt could really make some competition with the mx fuel line of tools if they are willing to power things with 2 of these batteries. 54v x 5ah= 270 wh x 2= 540 wh. Mx fuel largest battery to date is 72v x 6ah= 432 wh. And 2 of these still weigh less then an mx fuel battery
Big Richard
Power and runtime wise, they absolutely could. Makita could as well with their new XGT batteries in their 2x40v setup. The difference is the robustness of the batteries/connections. MX Fuel batteries are gigantic and have a different form factor for a reason – protection and cooling.
I don’t know if that market is quite there yet for them to take the jump. But they could try a tool or two just to show it is possible, and then take a jab at Milwaukee for having to develop an entirely separate platform.
Edward Hermanns
Yea your rite i forgot about that with the cells and everything. Idk if jus 21700 cells could handle that especially under continuous use. Heat is a big factor
MM
I think it’s only a matter of time before we start to see more 2x60V Flexvolt tools. There are just too many opportunities there–portable table saw, compressor, larger cutoff saws, sewer machines, breakers. Time will tell how they compare to MX. The MX batteries do have better cooling, bigger contacts to handle higher currents, and so on. But a 2xFlexvolt system splits its electrical loads between two batteries so no single set of contacts has to handle all the power. And the cells being split into two packs is better cooling than having them all crammed into one pack (all other aspects of the design being equal). MX might still come out on top, but I wouldn’t dismiss 2X flexvolt off the cuff.
Big Richard
Agree all around. I’ll say this, DeWalt took a gamble doing a 40v OPE exclusive line, and they ended up out competing themselves by offering OPE that used their existing power tool platform (20v and later FlexVolt). Cross compatibility is a huge seller. MX Fuel could suffer the same fate IF DeWalt or Makita would offer light equipment that is able to be powered by the same batteries that people already have powering their saws and demo hammers. It’s a a big “if”, but it is an “if” nonetheless.
Iginio Romero
Dewalt FLEXVOLT 20/60V 15AH = Dewalt 40V 7.5AH XR, SAME SIZE