Dewalt has launched a new oil-resistant 20V Max PowerStack 5Ah battery, DCBP520G.
Essentially, this is the same as their standard PowerStack 5Ah battery, but with an oil-resistant housing.
Dewalt’s oil-resistant batteries feature housings made from glass-filled nylon. This helps them hold up better in environments where they might come in contact with oil, grease, or certain solvents.
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Here is what Dewalt says for the compact PowerStack battery, with the same likely to apply to this 5Ah battery.
DURABILITY TO RESIST DAMAGE: Recommended for work involving regular exposure to oil, grease and solvents
The new battery joins several other Dewalt 20V Max oil-resistant batteries:
- PowerStack Compact 1.7Ah – DCBP034G
- 2Ah – DCB203G
- 5Ah – DCB205G
- Flexvolt 9Ah – DCB609G
Dewalt also has 2 sizes of 12V Max oil-resistant batteries, 3Ah (DCB124G) and 5Ah (DCB126G).
Price: $249-269
Discussion
Needless to say, this is a “you’ll know if you need it type of battery.”
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It features the same Li-ion pouch battery cells as the standard PowerStack 5Ah battery, but is built with a more oil and grease-resistant case.
I’d say that the battery is suited for users in automotive environment and the like, especially anyone who has had experienced issues with non-resistant batteries.
Dewalt launched their 20V Max and 12V Max oil-resistant batteries in 2021, and the PowerStack 1.7Ah battery launched about a year ago.
For the sake of price comparison purposes, the standard PowerStack 5Ah battery, DCBP520, retails for $229 at authorized dealers. You can usually buy it for less as part of different promotional offers.
Robert
That actually doesn’t strike me as that bad of a premium for the oil resistance, $20 to $40. But I’m curious if the regular battery cases are really that vulnerable to oil, grease, and solvents. I could see some solvents, by their nature being a problem. But I do wonder what is the experience of the folks in the use cases you cite. I have a bunch of the regular case Dewalt batteries gained mostly through kits and poker games, both cylindrical based and a few of the 1.7 amp early pouch, and I’ve always babied them. At worst, sawdust on them, so I never really test case integrity.
SamR
Would the new housing plastic have a higher temperature resistance? Not that I am going to put a battery in the fire flame. I am asking on behalf of the science 🙂
IronWood
I’ve never seen or heard of a battery being damaged by oil or solvents during normal use, and between the paint, mechanical, and fiberglass crews at work we’ve got about every industrial fluid around. It seems odd that you would need this protection for your battery, but not the tools? I’m not saying there’s no case for these, I just don’t know what it is even coming from an industrial/shipyard background. It would be neat to see examples of damage or failures from chemical exposure, I’m sure it must have happened somewhere. I wonder if this originated on the MAC versions and they decided to expand availability.
MM
My experience has been the same. And that includes more than 10 years of running a machining business using Dewalt tools, which included exposing them to soluble oil coolant which is well known to swell and soften many kinds of rubber. We had all the usual chemicals in the shop: brake cleaner, WD-40 & similar, thread cutting oils, cleaning solvents, etc. The tools were also used to work on the shop & personal vehicles and so got exposed to the usual automotive fluids as well. Gas, diesel, brake fluid, hydraulic oil, power steering fluid, etc. We never had an issue with chemicals damaging the tools. In fact, I’m still using one of the DCD990s, a DCF895, and a few of the 4ah batteries from back then and they’re still truckin. We wore out tools, and we had batteries damaged from mechanical impact–being dropped onto concrete–but never a problem with solvents or oils damaging batteries.
harrison
Impact resistance is the real win here, and I suspect Dewalt just needs a marketing justification for these stronger packs without implying their standard battery packs ‘weak’.
There is clearly nothing wrong with the typical Dewalt ABS/PC packs in most usage, but throwing an impact wrench all day doing tire rotations can really wear away at the tool, especially if you’re setting it down on concrete. Swapping to PA6 glass-reinforced nylon with rubber bumpers should feel a lot better.
Xrh07
Acetone immediately attacks anything made out of PC/ABS. You can quite literally dissolve ABS into a puddle if it were somehow submerged long enough.
Milwaukee and Dewalt use an ABS blend in batteries. And ABS/blends have poorer drop resistance than straight Polycarbonate or Nylon.
Also why you tend to see cheaply made lights break before anything else. The cheap ABS/blends do not hold up long-term as well as the Nylon-GF used on the actual tools. ABS is also quicker to embrittle from UV (sunlight)
About anything in the power tool market still using any significant amount of ABS should be put to pasture. Especially in regards to batteries.
Stuart
Styrene too.
An undergrad working in the same lab as me had learned this the hard way – they were soaking something in acetone in a plastic petri dish and turned it all into mush.
Should all batteries feature more premium construction with oil and common solvent resistance? Users who primarily work with dry inert materials will be reluctant to pay more for it.
MM
I can relate; I learned about the solvent resistance (or lack thereof) of styrene when I tried to clean RC car ball bearings with TCE in a styrene petri dish.
Tom
I’ve had lots of batteries of various brands in for warranty, with failed cases, almost crumbling. Animal fat….. used in recip saws cutting up carcasses. Dunno what the chemistry is, but it’s effective.
IronWood
Huh, not what I expected, but very interesting. That’s exactly what I was wanting: an example of an environment where batteries have failed repeatedly. Thanks!
eddie sky
Unless DeWalt is changing the material of the cases that it needs this, or just keeping up with other “battery tool” makers concerns (hint $$).
BTW, I used the 5.Ah Powerstack with the little router, and it did all the work I needed BUT it has one bar left. (work being about an hour of on/off milling with a 1/4″ up/down bit removing red oak to make kitchen block). Its too bulky, too heavy and $$$ for what I am using it on DCW600. Now, I may go with the 2Ah version next, since I can get two for less than one 5Ah Powerstack. And I will try my 5Ah on the 6.5″ saw for cutting some 2x4s and 2x6s.
I don’t have 1/2″ impact for vehicle, but if I did, I would consider the protected batteries because of drops on a garage floor. I do make a mess with ceramic paste for brakes so… All my sockets are greyish now…
TImL
Just a reminder that ACME has the fall savings going on to make the price lower for a few days still.
Stuart
Acme: $269 – $20 = $249
Ohio Power Tool: $249
Tool Nut: $254
Buy 2 of them at Acme for $538, and $75 “buy more save more” discount brings the price to $463, whereas $249 * 2 is $498.
Saulac
I think dirt resistance is more important. The batteries should smooth w/o any decorative lines. Look at the pack in the image, what does it take to clean that? Then think about what does it take to wipe down a Snap-on wrench. Form follows function, batteries should not be “decorated”. Think about battery boots, which does exist out there.
MM
I’m not sure I agree. Smooth batteries are easier to keep clean but they are also more difficult to grip. One of the things I like a lot about the 1.7ah Dewalt Powerstack and the M12 4.0 and 6.0 XC’s is that the rubber base sticks out a little from the body of the pack. That little edge is very “grippy” for lack of a better term, it’s much easier to grab and swap those packs compared to the smoother ones, especially if your hands are dirty.