Dewalt has come out with a new 20V Max USB power adapter and charger kit, model DCB094K, featuring two-way USB-C PD charging.
USB-C PD, with PD meaning Power Delivery, is what enables this Dewalt 20V Max battery adapter to charge modern electronic devices from smartphones to laptops.
The big deal about USB-C PD is that it can charge a much broader range of devices than previous USB standards. But, that’s not all that’s special about this Dewalt adapter kit.
Advertisement
What You Get
The Dewalt DCB094K kit includes:
- DCB094 charging adapter
- 65W AC charger
- 100W charging cable (USB-C on both ends)
Dual Functionality – Dewalt Charger & USB Charging
You can use the DCB094 as a USB power adapter, turning any Dewalt 20V Max or FlexVolt battery into a portable power bank. And, with the included – or industry standard – accessories, you can use the adapter as a Dewalt 20V Max power tool battery charger.
Right now, that’s just what I’m doing. I have the Dewalt power adapter connected to and charging a Dewalt PowerStack battery. (This creates the most compact portable battery bank configuration possible.)
You can use lower power AC charging adapters as well – I tested the adapter with a 20W USB-C smartphone charger, and it seemed to work just fine, albeit slowly.
USB and Battery Charging Rates
The charging adapter has two ports – a USB-A port, and a USB-C PD input and output port.
The USB-A port is rated at 12W max – that’s 2.4A at 5V – and the USB-C PD port is rated at 3A at 5-15V and 5A at 20V. The battery port input and output are rated at 6A at 20V.
Advertisement
- USB-A Output: 2.4A at 5V
- USB-C Output: 3A at 5-15V, 5A at 20V
- Battery Port Input: 6A at 20V
- Battery Port Output: 6A at 20V
To take advantage of the adapter’s fastest Dewalt battery charging rate, you’ll need a higher wattage AC power brick than the included 65W adapter. A 100W AC charger (or higher) should work well.
I assumed that the included 65W charging adapter signified a balance between cost and capabilities, but there’s more to it.
We asked Dewalt about this, and here’s what they said:
We chose to kit with a 65W AC power supply due to the user feedback we received in regard to their acceptance of size, portability, and overall value of the kit in terms of MSRP. We will continue to evaluate smaller 100W offerings for future configurations of this kit to increase the charge rate for battery charging.
This seems fair to me. The 65W adapter is larger than smartphone and tablet chargers, but still what I would consider easily portable.
With the included adapter, Dewalt 20V Max batteries can be charged at a rate of 3.25A.
When using the included components, the adapter can recharge a Dewalt 20V Max 2.0Ah battery in about 40 minutes, and a 5Ah battery in about 90 minutes. When using a 100W power supply (not included), the adapter can charge a Dewalt 20V Max 5Ah battery in around 60 minutes.
I should mention that the included AC adapter creates a buzzing sound when plugged into one of my surge protectors, but this doesn’t happen with wall outlets or some of the other surge protectors and power strips I tested it with. The same surge protector makes other sounds with different transformers, but I felt this was still worth sharing.
Technical Details & Compatibility
From the user manual:
USB Type C Supports:
- Source – Power Delivery 3.0, Qualcomm QC3.0/2.0, Samsung AFC, BC 1.2
- Sink – BC 1.2, Apple charging, PD 3.0
- USB Type C can sink or source up to 100W
USB Type A Supports:
- BC 1.2, Apple FastCharge, Samsung FastCharge (AFC)
- Output only, USB Type A is capable of 12W
Charging Indicators
The LED indicators are clear and simple, with different light patterns to convey the state of charge and operational status.
There’s no battery capacity gauge, and so it might be best to use battery packs with built-in indicators. All Dewalt 20V Max batteries, aside from their 1.3Ah and 1.5Ah batteries, have built-in charge indicators.
Stage 1 Charging, with flashing red light, indicates that the connected Dewalt 20V Max battery is being charged.
Stage 2 Charging, with a solid red light on the left and flashing red light on the right, indicates that the connected Dewalt 20V Max battery has been charged to at least 80%.
Both LEDs are solid red when the connected battery is fully charged.
The Convenience of USB-C PD and Two-Way Charging
I am now of the firm belief that all future cordless power tool brands’ USB adapters should feature USB-C PD.
I’ve tested the adapter as a Dewalt battery charger, and it works great. I like that everything is nice and compact, and that I can use other USB-C chargers in a pinch if needed.
The adapter charges my smartphone and tablet without hiccup. I don’t have a USB-C-chargeable laptop yet, and so I have not been able to test that aspect.
I unintentionally tested the adapter’s durability a couple of times. I wouldn’t drop it off a ladder with a battery attached, but it seems durable enough for everyday use.
Here’s what really won me over. My camera is quite power-hungry, and spare batteries are pricey. I started looking at USB power banks as well as photo/video battery packs, to use in place of a wall adapter. Photo/video battery packs are expensive, especially compared to the watt-hour ratings you get from power tool batteries, and would require improvisation for belt-carry. Very few have USB-C ports, and so that would mean additional converters and adapters.
I have an older USB battery bank. It charges my phone just fine, but it’s doesn’t have any USB-C outputs. USB battery banks and portable chargers aren’t terribly expensive, but I’m not very interested in buying a new one.
I checked my camera’s specs sheet, and it can be connected to a USB-C PD source capable of delivering 9V and 3A. Perfect.
The 2.4A USB-A port is okay for charging devices that don’t support or require USB-C or PD charging. But, that’s 12W whereas my camera requires 27W.
I didn’t think I needed USB-C PD charging yet – I considered it a convenience, but not a necessity. But now, it’s a feature I’m really glad to have.
USB-C PD Charging Direction
What happens if you have two USB-C devices that are both capable of two-way charging? Which device charges the other?
Dewalt says:
The power direction when plugged into portable power (inclusive of another DCB094 with battery installed) is completely random. You can disconnect and reconnect the cable until you get your desired direction of power.
Final Thoughts
I really like that the Dewalt DCB094 can serve as a two-way charger. I can charge or power whatever device needs it, and then easily recharge the Dewalt battery with a USB-C PD AC power brick.
The belt clip places the adapter in a comfortable position. If you move around a lot, the screw-hole mount allows for a safety cord.
The kit comes with a ~40″ (1m) 100W USB-C cable, and this size which works well for most of my needs. I will likely complement it with a 6ft 100Ws cable.
One thing to be aware of is that USB charging adapters like this can have a vampiric drain. I forgot about an adapter once, and unintentionally left it connected to a battery for a while. When I came across it months later, the battery was fully drained. This might not be the case here; the battery adapter that slowly drained my battery had a built-in fuel gauge, which the DCB094 does not (nor does it really need one in my opinion).
I thought I’d like to see an on/off power switch, but there doesn’t seem to be room for one, and I’m happier with the adapter’s compact size. Besides, I’ve gotten into the habit of disconnecting power adapters when they’re not actively being used.
So far, I am extremely pleased with the features and performance of Dewalt’s new USB-C PD charging adapter. Maybe part of that has to do with how this finally opened my eyes to the modern charging standard. I now hope every power tool brand follows in Dewalt’s footsteps with similar compact USB charging accessories of their own.
This is a great portable battery bank adapter, and I am also really liking its charging capabilities.
Pricing and Availability
The DCB094K kit is priced at $99.99. At this time, the adapter is only available as part of the kit, with a 1-meter (~40-inch) 100W USB-C cable and 65W AC adapter.
Price: $99.99
Launched in May 2022
Thank you to Dewalt for providing the test sample for review.
Steven B
Isn’t USB-C limited to 3A? Am I reading this wrong, or will this be one of the fastest charging battery packs on the market?
JoeM
USB-C 3.0 is limited to 3A. I believe the revised 3.1 and 3.2 standards can handle much higher. I think they top out at 4 or 5A max, I’m not positive. This port is beginning to keep the same shape, but get upgraded to take over the name “Thunderbolt” or some variation of that port.
But you are not wrong here. There’s likely to be a point of zero return on the battery used on the DCB 094. Aside from being able to charge more things, more often, after you reach a 5Ah battery, 12V Max, 20V Max/XR, Or even FlexVolt batteries… the PD element isn’t going to get any faster, or better, by using larger batteries. On the upside, the circuitry standards do cover safety levels that mean it won’t draw any more than it can handle, so it would still be safe to put a FlexVOLT 15Ah or some future 20/25/50 Ah version on one of these DCB 094 chargers, and just have that as the site’s Cell/Tablet charger for the next day, even week, without having to charge the battery again.
I’m actually really glad you brought up that aspect. So, Thank You, Steven B. Some of these devices have thermal issues when using this kind of feature. If not for the fact that it’s a DeWALT product, I would worry. Only other exception would be the Milwaukee one. There aren’t a lot of other Tool companies I would trust with PD tech. Mobile companies do it significantly better, and I would worry the introduction of this tech to the Tool industry might result in something becoming a dangerous trend.
Franck B.
Well, as a former consulting engineer for a major computer company… I can tell you it’s way more complex than you expect. Using larger batteries CAN give you more charging under the latest PD EPR specs, because if your FlexVolt or even 20V Max 8Ah batteries can deliver higher currents, your hardware can turn that into the higher voltages used in newer power profiles. Actually the newer specs have switched away from “power profiles” to “power rules”, which allow for constant-voltage and constant-current charging, with voltages adjustable in 100mV steps. The reason I mention the 20V Max 8Ah and 10Ah battery is that it is designed to deliver more current, which can be converted to a higher voltage and lower current. Since the maximum current is now 5A, to deliver more wattage, the voltages are going up. My 140W laptop supply can deliver up to 28V at 5A. Since the cable situation was getting crazy, using existing 5A cables was decided to be the “ultimate” and thus they wouldn’t have to get fatter than they already have, although the connectors are beefed up on the 5A versions.
JoeM
I definitely do not deny that. I just haven’t checked the specs on the USB-C standard in a while. The differences between 3.0 and the newer ones.
I literally just haven’t kept up to the bleeding edge specs. It’s not that I expect anything specific from the device. It’s literally… I don’t have the specifics at the forefront of my mind anymore. So, The very best I can do from my training, is vaguely guess, and extrapolate from there. Since I don’t know for certain, I have to use a lot of caveats, and disclaimers. Otherwise I’m flat lying about what I know and see.
Simple Ohm’s Law says if we know the resistance of the cable, and all the connectors in the system, and we know the Voltage, we can work out how many Amps it can draw per second. Batteries come in a lot of much higher Amperage draw capacities than what is listed as the “limit” Stuart states in the article’s specs. Plus, the other limitation is quite mind-numbingly simple… Mobile Device batteries are only so large, capacity-wise.
So, yes. Definitely, using the higher draw batteries could easily bypass some of those specs given… but… I don’t know what’s in your cell phone, but I’ve got a Google Pixel 6 Pro… it has a 5000 mAh battery. (So, 5Ah even, for those who get annoyed with metric, and with the games Mobile carriers play with using specific metrics only.)
So… Let’s say I plug in the FlexVOLT 15Ah battery, to the DCB094, and use that, exact, USB-C cable that comes with it, to charge my Cell Phone from dead, to full. Okay? At 5V, it tops out just over 3.25 Amps per second, give or take air temperature. Using the 15Ah battery, which runs at 20 Volts on this USB adapter, according to that same spec sheet, it has a circuit that can allow up to that 3.25 Amp max load… but with such a high-draw battery capability there… I am willing to bet that a nominal 4 Amp, or even 5 Amp draw is entirely possible. Which means, in theory, because there’s physical distance between the charger and the phone’s battery, you’re pretty well just limited to electrons flowing at the speed of light, reduced by resistance due to the copper or gold wiring inside the cable. Best case scenario? My Pixel 6 Pro is charged in approximately 45 seconds. The phone itself then signals the charger that it’s full and goes into power saving mode.
How much just came out of that giant battery? It certainly wasn’t 1/3rd the total capacity. That amount of power transfer, to the phone, over the distance it travelled, would break some laws of physics to have depleted that big a battery that fast. That said… The exact same limitation would be on an 8Ah 20 Volt battery… Only so much electricity can pass to the Cell to fill its 5Ah battery at 5 (Safe) Volts. So now it becomes a law of diminishing returns. No battery is going to charge a phone “Faster” over 5Ah, because that’s the max capacity of the phone. The only benefit becomes, that battery can bring the same phone back from 0% capacity, several times over again, just as fast.
Yes, really high draw batteries… if the rumours about the Power Stack are true, the speed of charging mobile devices should be absolutely insane… will be capable of putting a higher current into the system, breaking the specs for a short time. but it’s also going to shut off rather quickly, either because of circult breakers, or the phone’s capacity to shut off the power transfer when it’s full.
So… there’s the point of diminishing returns… After a certain point… the laws of physics trump the electronic specs, and you can’t charge any faster. Your battery is full, really fast. The rest of the battery is still ready to charge more batteries with the same amount of speed though. So expecting more out of that battery is probably a bad idea. It’s better to think of that battery as something you can use repeatedly, without replacing it, rather than constantly upping the speed.
My point kinda meanders through the physics here, but, ultimately, the Device, the DCB094, can likely do its job quite efficiently acrosss multiple uses.
Stuart
To clarify, modern electronic devices have built-in charging circuits that determine their charging rate, up to the maximum output of the source, after which the source determines the charging rate.
Fill up a bucket with water and raise it 10 feet off the ground. Punch a hole in the bucket. The flow rate is going to be determined by the size of the hole, not the capacity of the bucket.
tjb
Stuart, the size of the bucket matters. More water (bigger bucket) will put more pressure through the hole than less water, because water has weight. And more water has more weight. Some houses have better water pressure than others, even when both use 3/4” pipes.
The shape of the bucket also matters. A thirty-foot-diameter bucket with one gallon of water will push less pressure through that same than a two-inch-diameter bucket with the same gallon in it.
All analogies break down somewhere.
Not trying to be critical.
Stuart
@tjb, yes, but not if you increase the bucket width or diameter. I was hoping nowhere would go there. =)
Charging batteries from other batteries involves many different factors, and JoeM – no offense – made a lot of confusing and potentially misleading statements.
Battery capacity determines how much energy is available to recharge other devices, and NOT charging speed.
Maybe a better analogy would be to describe pouring from a pitcher or watering can with pre-determined spout size into another container whose fill-up is determined by a funnel of pre-determined spout size. The size of the pitcher/source isn’t relevant in discussions about charging rates. A bucket analogy seemed simpler.
Franck B.
Ah, I think I understand what you mean. But, we’re not yet talking about charging something in 45 seconds… but the difference of charging something in 30 minutes vs 60 minutes is significant in many cases.
I am just looking past phones… large tablets, laptops, and who knows what else in the future, and many have high capacity. These work at more than the usual 5V limit for many phones. With so many regulations, building codes, supply line issues, and so on, all our jobs have several iPads and at least one laptop on site (I wish Apple made a “ToughBook” version of their laptops because at this point replacing damaged/worn out laptops is cheaper than maintaining software on other platforms). Being able to do several items, each quickly, relieves the need for multiple charging devices. At a site, we’ll often set up a spider box with all the chargers hanging off of it, a mix of several Makita, Milwaukee, Bosch and more chargers. But despite the overwhelming number of Dewalt tools used, we only usually have one or two of the fastest chargers (12A), although the small batteries charge at a slower rate.
Luckily, working in and near Silicon Valley means that almost all our crew members are also quite tech literate and can operate these platforms. (My wife, a lawyer who grew up here, can solder and build electronic and mechanical things, and that doesn’t seem unusual around here. Sorry for the diversion but just adding some background!)
Franck B.
@Stuart You’re correct that typically the battery capacity doesn’t increase charging speed. But since we’re talking specifically about one brand here… DeWalt specifically allows higher current draw on larger batteries. The 20V Max 6aH and 8aH look to be identical other than capacity–same physical size, both have 2×5 21700 cell construction, and if you changed the stickers on the side you might not notice. Except the circuitry inside allows for higher current draw from the battery. Well, technically the circuitry inside signals the attached device that it is safe for it to use higher currents.
So it’s almost like we’re all getting caught up in semantics here, it’s always going to be confusing to most and pedantic to others!
Stuart
@Franck
Yes, different cordless power tool batteries can be charged at different rates depending on their engineering. Milwaukee’s M18 SuperCharger and High Output batteries are a great example of this.
But not with *this* hardware.
Let’s say you have a 5Ah battery and a 12Ah FlexVolt battery. It doesn’t matter, the charging rate is determined by the USB power adapter and the AC power brick,
65W power brick? The USB power adapter will recharge batteries at 3.25A.
100W power brick? The USB power adapter will recharge batteries at 5A.
I’m not sure what would be needed to take advantage of the adapter’s 6A max charging rate specs. (The adapter says it’s limited to 20V and 6A for charging the battery.)
5Ah with 10x 18650 cells, or 10Ah with 10x 21700 cells, or 12Ah with 15x 21700 cells, the charging rate is entirely dependent on the USB power adapter, which is dependent on the AC power brick.
Yes, Dewalt batteries can be charged at faster rates, but not with this device. I only sought to make this clear for anyone reading through and missing that you and Joe are talking about theory beyond the scope of this product and current USB-C charging standards.
JoeM
@Stuart: No offense is EVER taken. I was using only one basic example using the dumbest of dumbed-down scenarios. Pure Ohm’s Law. Like I said, I don’t know the exact USB-C standard they are using for PD. And the specs between 3.0 and 3.1 alone were pretty drastic. There’s now a 3.2 standard, and I haven’t checked the numbers on it, so I can’t accurately speak on the capacity it could use.
I didn’t consider all the electronic controllers in the analogy, because… well, a Google Pixel 6 Pro has a different flow regulator than an iPhone, or Samsung, or any of the other current “Flagships” we carry around. If I had gone off and done that research, my already long post, would’ve taken days to write, and span libraries. So, using the Ohm’s Law example, I was only trying to state that physics, itself, alone, says the best case scenario (very special note: Best Case Scenario Only, not Real World at all.) hovers around the numbers I tried to state.
Ultimately, I was going for the statement that, no matter the battery, the best case scenario is limited by physics. In reality, the numbers I used would be significantly off. My phone charging in 45 seconds? No… At best, it charges in about 10 minutes with a 100 Watt charger. Physics and the speed of light in electronics have seriously optimistic possibilities, but I think we can all say, without remourse, that the real world rarely, if ever, allows for the best case scenario to be applied 100% of the time.
And yes… There’s a law of diminishing returns. Yes, the bucket metaphor works… but you also have to realize that there’s a physics element to that as well. Terminal Velocity. No matter how wide the bucket, or the weight of the water, there’s a point in mid-air where the Water itself reaches its Terminal Velocity. It just will not go any faster, no matter the dimensions of the bucket or the hole in the bottom. The ideal velocity for all the shape and volume differences only applies the first few feet, and the air speed takes over for the rest of the journey to the ground below. Maybe that means at the hole itself, it spreads out with intensity from the weight of the water behind the hole, but as it passes through the air, it will thin out again, and return to a controlled flow at the limits of how fast the water can flow, given gravity and the resistance of air. All that intensity at the hole will still empty the bucket faster, but by the time it gets to where it’s going, all that extra energy exiting the bucket is going to be reduced down to Terminal Velocity. Five liters of water will fill a 5 liter container at the same speed, every time, regardless of how hard it’s being pushed from 30 feet above, even if the initial push was able to release 20 Liters of water out of the hole instantly. You could fill 4 containers safely, and under control, because the balance between the release point, and the end point, is evened out to the limitations of air flow and Terminal Velocity for the Water itself. Yes, it can leave the bucket very fast… but it’s still going to fill every container at the same rate once it hits the ground.
Also a Caveat: I’ve been having trouble sleeping the past few days, so I took a lot of logical, and verbal, shortcuts in my original post due to fatigue. I apologize for any misunderstandings, I actually fell asleep 5 times while writing it. But, no worries… I’ve just been busy lately, it’s the good kind of tired.
Kevin
There’s something you’re mistaken on. I just have to point out that electrons don’t travel anywhere near the speed of light when you power/charge any device with any level of current. Electrons actually travel quite slow. Drift velocity is what it’s called – when you plug your phone in, the electrons only travel at approximately 1 mm/second.
I believe what you’re confusing it with is signal speed. The physical electrons are not what’s actually carrying the signal, rather, an electro-magnetic wave which, you guessed it, travels at the speed of light in a vacuum. The actual electrons moving through wire on the other hand are extremely slow moving.
Koko The Talking Ape
Nice! More connection and charging options are always good. These DeWalt batteries are burly (and pricey), so getting more use out of them is nice.
But I wish they sold the thing without the wall charger (or cable). There are lots of chargers out there that are more powerful but still small. And our existing phone or laptop chargers would work, and they aren’t even that weak any more (my usual charger puts out 40 watts.)
For instance, here’s a 100 watt charger that’s 2.6″x2.6″x1.7. $30. Its predecessor was highly reviewed by the Wirecutter. $33
https://www.amazon.com/Nekteck-Charger-Certified-Foldable-Compatible/dp/B09MD9HJG6
Kingsley
Anker Nano II GaN II 65w is about 1″x1″x1″ out of stock on Amazon, but I just got a couple from Aliexpress, shipped from China.
Rog
I used to turn my nose up at Dewalt because they’ve always felt two steps behind everyone else. But lately I feel like they’ve turned a leaf and are releasing some impressive products
Anson
Here’s the prior generation review on the DCB090 talking about the vampire drain.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1MMKQBJ6LU7RB
Kingsley
Yeah, it kills batteries too by draining them down too far below 3.3v. I’ve lost two 2ah and two slim 3ah batteries to this whilst using them with a doorbell receiver.
sunny
You can jump them and save them just match positive to positive and negative to negative and they should return to life
Kingsley
I’ve done that before with the old 18V plug style Li-ion batteries, but the newer ones tend to just deteriorate.
I’ve just had a 9ah flexvolt die that will only charge to one bar. It is 4 years old though and had a lot of use.
JoeM
Meh. I’d want one of these things. To pair with my DeWALT heated Jacket and my Cell phone. Why? I dunno… I’m sick in the head or something? I’ve just been looking forward to a significantly more advanced version of the built-in DCB 091 and its non-jacket-compatible 090.
This is a really nice step, in my opinion.
Franck B.
I only wish they put a separate input and output connector for USB-C. Most of my devices with USB-C that are portable have both input and output, and most other devices connecting with them are either/or. I have some newer battery packs that have separate connectors and it makes it easy to just do what you want to do without confusion. It would be nice if it had the 12V jacket connector too.
Is the bundled cable labeled with the specs? One of the problems I have with a myriad of USB-C cables is that I need to label all the ends to keep straight which ones support what power (1A, 3A and 5A are the varieties I have) and what data speeds (480m, 5g, 10g). Luckily Thunderbolt cables are more standardized and work, but are bulkier and (a lot) more expensive.
At home I have displays with 96W power delivery and our non-travel laptops have 140W adapters, so I can probably charge with those, although it seems just charging in the newer DeWalt chargers will be faster.
Stuart
Yes! Each end of the braided cable is labeled with “5A 100W.”
Big Adam
Hmm, can’t imagine Dewalt rebranding wall-chargers outside of the US, so maybe a bare adapter option might be available?
Stuart
It could depend on the pricing and USB-C PD ubiquity.
For me, this Dewalt is currently my most powerful USB-C charger, with the next most powerful being 18W tablet and phone chargers. I have a couple of multi-port chargers, but they all have USB-A ports.
It’s a new world for me, and one that will only grow when I upgrade my laptop.
TomD
Yeah, this is especially interesting to anyone with a recent MacBook, as they come with 83 or 100w chargers.
Stuart
The latest Macbook Pro 14 8-core comes with a 67W charger, and the 10-core comes with a 96W charger. The Macbook Pro 13 comes with a 61W charger. The Macbook Pro 16 comes with a 140W charger. The Air comes with a 30W charger.
(I had the 14 committed to memory, looked up the others just now at Apple’s website.)
Franck B.
And the older 15″ Pros came with 87W… I only mention it because there’s a zillion around with those specs, and a lot of inexpensive 3rd-party supplies made to those specs.
But as you mentioned elsewhere, the recipient will only takes what it needs. 😀 I usually travel with a 60W multiport charger and whether I take a travel laptop (Air), work (Pro 16), iPad mini or Pro 12.9, they eventually end up charged overnight. No reason I would need to change my load out for my heated jacket!
David
I’d like to see how well this would work and how long it could run with a couple of the common battery sizes with something like a late model Macbook Pro or other modern USB-C charging laptop. The top level delivery for amps and voltage seems like it might support the mid level charge mode (9v @ 3 amps), but not the high level charge mode (20 volts @ 3 amps).
Stuart
With a Dewalt battery, the DC charging adapter – as opposed to the AC power brick – can support 3A up to 15V and 5A at 20V.
I would assume that this can match the charging performance of Apple’s 96W power brick. Many Macbook Pros are bundled with 67W chargers, with their 96W being a higher-end system inclusion or optional upgrade.
David
Ah! I’d missed that that was the brick, not the adapter. Yes, that sounds like it’ll work. Now to hope they put out a kit with just the adapter!
Kingsley
I have a homemade version of the DCB094K using a modified DCB090 and a barrel port to USB-C adaptor (mine can take 12V batteries too, but it runs hot)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FCWLMOI
I put a 5A car fuse on the output of the dewalt and beefed up the cables to protect the battery.
A 5ah Dewalt battery can charge my 13″ 2018 macbook up from empty and still has about 1/3 charge left.
A 9ah flexvolt charges it up twice, maybe three times.
The battery I favour carrying with me is a the slim 4ah battery. It charges my macbook once, just fine and is light and slim to carry in my laptop bag. When they bring a bigger powerstack out (5ah is coming in October) I’ll get one.
I’ll be buying the DeWalt DCB094K ASAP as it’s more powerful, compact and 2-way.
Franck B.
I will just need the reverse with a USB-C input to 12V barrel output so I can run my jacket. It will obviously need circuitry to communicate that it wants 12V… shouldn’t be that bad.
Kingsley
Look on Aliexpress, someone probably makes one in China. I have similar things for ethernet PoE to 12v/9V etc and I run electric blinds off them and things.
Franck B.
When you start talking USB-PD and higher voltages and currents… my experience with off-brand stuff has been less than stellar! But thank you for the tip.
Also for the tip on the updated PowerStack, I returned my current ones as I was … underwhelmed.
It sounds like I do the reverse of you, I bring home the UK-only DeWalt stuff.
Ken
Any rumors of such a thing in the Milwaukee M18 world? This would actually work really well for the drill and vacuum I take in my small RV.
Stuart
Not that I’ve seen yet, but they do have the M18 Top-Off with 45W USB-C.
https://toolguyd.com/milwaukee-m18-top-off-usb-ac-power-adapter/
Ken
So the M18 topoff doesn’t charge the attached battery, right?
But I see on the chart there the 48-59-1201 M12 version shows it does on that table. Kinda wish I had seen that when I bought the M18 vacuum. All I need is a quick vacuum and a drill to run the jacks down and M12 probably could have handled that. The m12 charger doesn’t seem to have very good reviews though.
Stuart
Correct. There’s an M12 power adapter that can recharge M12 batteries. https://toolguyd.com/milwaukee-2018-heated-jackets-usb-charger-power-source/
tojen1981
Milwaukee should have done pd spec with the 2846 inverter. Sucks I can’t charge the battery off a simple 120v outlet without the regular charger.
Stuart
The Milwaukee does have USB-C PD, up to 45W.
Milwaukee M18 Top-Off USB-C PD port: 5/9/12/15V 3A (45W).
If you meant USB- PD for charging Milwaukee batteries, no, it doesn’t have that. Maybe the next one will. I bet Milwaukee will be watching to see how well this Dewalt kit sells.
tojen1981
Yeah that’s what I meant. Pretty rusty on my usb-c specs.
Kingsley
In the UK this is being advertised with a 100w DeWalt charger… even with an official photo with a UK 3 pin 100w charger.
https://www.uktoolcentre.co.uk/products/dewalt-dcb094k-usb-power-delivery-charging-kit.html
Stuart
I saw that as well, and it made me glad for the 65W charger. The 100W charger looks a lot bigger, and the UK kit is ~£142, which converts to $178 USD. Excluding VAT, it would still be close to $150 at current conversion rates.
I think that $99.99 is going to be a more palatable price point.
Kingsley
There are some UK sites advertising it at £99 inc VAT, but some have the USA version photos. I’m currently in the USA, so I’ll be buying it here before I return to the UK.
I wish they sold it naked, as I have plenty of 65w chargers. The Anker Nano II GAN II 64w is about 1 inch square, so much smaller than my original macbook charger or the dewalt. The USA version has folding pins too.
https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Nylon-Cable-Charger-Adapter/dp/B09G15SX3H/ref=mp_s_a_1_3
Kingsley
If you look on Aliexpress you can get USB-C PD adapters to 18-20v for most old laptops for about $5. I’m using one with a 10 year old Lenovo and a 65w adapter as well as my home made DeWalt to USB-C PD adapter.
https://m.aliexpress.com/item/33024868797.html
Nathan
so far this hits on all cylinders and that 65W power brick will run my laptop from the looks of things. win and more win.
now to buy a 15AH flexvolt to run it off of . . . . . . . . . . . . ok maybe not but still.
This would have been handy in the last power outage or even a road trip.
Kingsley
Is the belt clip removable like it is on the tools (I always remove belt clips from the tools, as I find they just slide off me)?
I can’t imagine using it and it just makes it take up more space in my laptop bag.
Stuart
Yes! The belt clip is removable and is secured with a single Phillips screw.
MicahMc
This looks really exciting! I’m totally getting one!
Bolt
I wish the 150w ryobi one of these would finally come out. Seems like they announced it ages ago.
Matt the Hoople
All the above is good stuff. However, the biggest concern I have is… Can I take the belt clip off and attach it to my Dewalt drill? I lost the belt clip on my drill and have been too lazy to order a new one.
Kingsley
It can be removed, it looks the same, so yes.
I have bags of them that I should ebay as they are the first thing I remove and then replace with bit holder.
For whatever reason they just fall off my belt and then the tool falls on the floor!
Collin
I hardly use USB-A cables anymore. Pretty much all my devices are paired with the appropriate USB-C cable. Samsung phone, USB-C. Apple Airpods, USB-C to lightning. I’m glad that DeWalt is finally pushing the boundaries on portable power stations to include USB-C.
I dislike the fact that Milwaukee is still shipping legacy USB-A ports, especially on their M12 line. Not a single M12 tool has been released with a USB-C port. I would love if the M12 Rover pivoting flood light had USB-C and dropped the USB-A. At this point in time, it’s more of a hassle to find a USB-A cable that’ll work with my devices than to find a USB-C cable.
An updated M12 power source with a USB-C output would be much, much appreciated. M12 battery packs are pretty much ideal for running smartphones and tablets, given their small form factors and relatively high capacity–up to 12*6=72 Watt-Hours max. Even a 2 Ah has 24 watt-hours max, still easily 3 to 4x that of a smartphone’s battery.
Franck B.
I also have tried to switch to all USB-C, but for some things it will just be a matter of time. *cough* Streamlight batteries *cough*
For the same reasons I switched to Beats Fit Pro in place of Airpods Pro because they function identically but have a USB-C port (as well as several other superior features and only a couple negatives).
andy
I’m happy to see this along with the Milwaukee Top-off. Nice to have my excessive selection of batteries able to double for other uses rather than purchasing a separate power bank.
Tons of discussion above and I think some confusion, but the capabilities boil down to this: Any DeWalt battery can supply the max 100W of this easily. As far as how long it will power or how many times it will charge something, assume it will deliver about 70% of the WH listed on the DeWalt battery.
Steve
I bought a cheap knock-off version of this on Amazon last year for $10-15 that seems to work fine and has a flashlight too. I’m sure it is not good quality, but it works just fine. I went looking for it to link it, but it is no longer available on Amazon. It doesn’t have the wall charger and is just for recharging cell phones and stuff.
Bob
I like this a lot. Excited to charge my laptop via USB-C. Only gripe is no 12v barrel plug like on the DCB091 that comes with the heated jackets. Years ago I rigged up a D8 12v lead acid battery out of a bulldozer with 12v accessory plugs to run camping/power outage/emergency equipment like radios, lights, cell phone chargers, etc. Had it on a battery maintainer for years. Even checked the water levels in it every now and again. Eventually I thought it would be nice to just have a couple of flex volt packs on hand to replace that big a$$ lead acid battery. Lithium being easier to maintain and way lighter. So I bought a few extra DCB091 adapters. I didn’t realize it was 12v at only 1 amp. That coupled with it being a switched power supply some of my electronics did not like it.
Maybe the next gen heated jackets will have these with a 12v plug? And hopefully 12v at 5amps. Kinda expensive to include with a jacket kit tho. Although maybe if they didn’t include the wall wart it would be cheap enough? And maybe they could make those jackets really cook lol
I probably should just upgraded some of my old gear to stuff that is USB-c powered or charged. Just hate to throw away stuff that works perfectly fine.
Franck B.
USB PD at this time only allows 12V @ 3A … so the electronics are there to do that much!
The jackets seem to have “smart” electronics that limit the current they can draw (it doesn’t have to be smart to do that but I think the ones in my jackets are kind of smart). They also have thermistors to keep the temperature low, which is a little disappointing.
But having this with the jacket would mean not needing to carry a Dewalt charger when the jacket is the only item I’ve brought.
Big Richard
Sorta related, but has anyone seen their new charging back pack?
https://www.dewalt.com/product/dgc533/33-pocket-usb-charging-tool-backpack?tid=577851
You could just as easily toss this power supply in any old backpack/tool bag, but I think this is a cool idea. Probably costs more than it should.
Franck B.
Interesting! I wish they would post the specs (like 2.4A per port, so I can charge my iPad as shown, in several hours).
I don’t think it does, but it would be nice if the battery dock also plugged in to line power to charge the battery.
Big Richard
Apparently it is not new at all, I had just never seen it. Whoops. But it looks like it is made by a company called Custom Leathercraft and the USB ports have a max output of 2A combined.
Doug N
Just received this email about my preorder:
Thank you for shopping with Acme Tools. We have recently been notified by Dewalt that there has been a delay in getting the 20V USB-C Charging Kit, model #DCB094K, produced. Due to this manufacturer’s delay, Dewalt has pushed the estimated shipping date on this item to approximately late June.
Bill
I received the same email from Acme, but I still want the unit. I think there are times when it could be useful.
Doug N
I agree, this looks like a perfect product for my needs, even better that the M18 top off. But will it ever be released? Now Acme and Toolnut have estimated ship dates in July and August.
We all are familiar with supply chain problems, but Dewalt should have a better sense of when the product will be produced and distributed. Maybe something else is going on.
Eric
Question? Did you test the dcb094 for parasitic drain?
I work in remote locations and the ability to use this in my personal and work tools would be awesome!
Thank You
Stuart
Not yet, but I’m hoping it doesn’t.
Kingsley
I’ve just had one of these delivered in the UK and can confirm it ships with a 100w charger here (which is massive). I going to get one in the USA, but nowhere has one.
Kingsley
I’ve done a YouTube review of the UK unit
https://youtu.be/TVtd30a1Vdc
Doug N
Nice thorough review, thanks. Interesting that it only put out 65w instead of 100w when charging a laptop.