Dewalt 40v Officially DISCONTINUED

[2manytools]

I totally agree with you on Ryobi but DeWalt did make an 18v Li-On. It was out for a short time, before 20v. I have a kit from that era. The batteries are interchangeable with Ni-Cd without any adapter. I also have 20v and the adapter to go backwards to my 18v tools. Not sure what required the change to 20v other than pushing new brushless tools.

There was no change in the actual volts, just the marketing volts. If you look at the asterix near 20v on a Dewalt box, the fine print will say nominal voltage. Right after you start to use any "20v" tool, it drops to 18v almost immediately. That is why Dewalt was able to come out with that adapter, and probably made a hefty profit on it too.
It wasn't changing voltage, just the connection method. This is the exact same thing that allows you to take a Milwaukee/Makita/Dewalt battery and use it on a Ryobi tool so easily, just re-doing the connection. With 3D home printing, you could probably make your own any slide-style 18v pack to Dewalt post-style adapter pretty easy.

Like someone mentioned before, the reason for the switch from post-style to slide-style is it was a better form factor to build in. This does seem true, as all but Ryobi are in that style today. I think it has to do with it being easier to add more contact points on a slide battery, than on a post, while still having good contact pressure.

 

[WittHay]

I think you can build a more ergonomic and lighter tool with the slide on batteries vs. the post style. Regarding DeWalt calling their tool 20 volt its just common sense. Their 18 volt Ni-Cad line was very popular and is still available and used today. it just makes sense to call the lithium tools 20 volt and the Ni-cad tools 18 volt

With OPE tools voltage is the main thing. Higher the voltage, smaller the battery size and wiring needed. A Stihl battery is just a big block that slides in. Makes for a more compact tool

 

[2manytools]

I think you can build a more ergonomic and lighter tool with the slide on batteries vs. the post style. Regarding DeWalt calling their tool 20 volt its just common sense. Their 18 volt Ni-Cad line was very popular and is still available and used today. it just makes sense to call the lithium tools 20 volt and the Ni-cad tools 18 volt

With OPE tools voltage is the main thing. Higher the voltage, smaller the battery size and wiring needed. A Stihl battery is just a big block that slides in. Makes for a more compact tool

That makes perfect sense for marketing.

I don't think the battery sizing is necessarily true. Milwaukee has proven voltage isn't everything. And there is always going to be something of decent size to power it no matter the voltage. If something was running 1200v, I would expect the battery to be size of a D-cell, but that would be awesome. The really powerful Stihl line uses a backpack system due to to the mass. I think there is some truth to what you are saying, but more minor in reality.

 

[WittHay]

That makes perfect sense for marketing.

I don't think the battery sizing is necessarily true. Milwaukee has proven voltage isn't everything. And there is always going to be something of decent size to power it no matter the voltage. If something was running 1200v, I would expect the battery to be size of a D-cell, but that would be awesome. The really powerful Stihl line uses a backpack system due to to the mass. I think there is some truth to what you are saying, but more minor in reality.

Stihl has some powerful stuff but needs either a back pack or belt battery pack. I guess there is not much difference between a Makita system with two smaller 6.0 batteries and a Milwaukee system with one larger 9.0 or 12.0 battery. Its when you get to 15.0 or 18.0 that things might get interesting

In the quick attach systems Makita and Stihl can change between gas powered and cordless power heads. Milwaukee is just cordless. Like anything each line has their advantages and disadvantages

 

[2manytools]

In the quick attach systems Makita and Stihl can change between gas powered and cordless power heads. Milwaukee is just cordless. Like anything each line has their advantages and disadvantages

Are you saying the Makita & Sithl are corded because of the gas pull start?

 

[All]

Stihl has some powerful stuff but needs either a back pack or belt battery pack. I guess there is not much difference between a Makita system with two smaller 6.0 batteries and a Milwaukee system with one larger 9.0 or 12.0 battery. Its when you get to 15.0 or 18.0 that things might get interesting

In the quick attach systems Makita and Stihl can change between gas powered and cordless power heads. Milwaukee is just cordless. Like anything each line has their advantages and disadvantages

You've identified three of the reasons why, after an exhaustive (more like exhausting) review of all the options on the market in 2018, I returned to Makita.

Being new to gasless, cordless outdoor power equipment, I figured that if the batteries didn't work out, my investment in the string trimmer, pole saw, articulating hedge trimmer, etc split shaft attachment garden implements wouldn't be lost, as I could always get Makita's MM4 four cycle gas power head, and still have a quieter, less vibration prone alternative to mixing oil with gas in a 2 stroke.

And my investment in Makita's 18v batteries wouldn't be lost, as unlike Stihl, Echo, Shindaiwa, Greenworks, Ego, and even DeWalt's 40v battery systems, I can still use the Makita 18v batteries in regular power tools, of which Makita appeared to have the largest selection (Makita now advertises that there are 225 products using the LXT battery system).

Then I learned that other tool manufacturers use Makita batteries, like Klauke (cordless hydraulic crimping and cutting tools for plumbing) and Greenlee (electrical tools), despite both companies being owned by Emerson, which has their own battery lines... it seemed a pretty sure bet that the Makita LXT platform would be supported for a long time.

Considering that up until 2018, Makita was still selling their B9000 9.6v long battery, some 35 years after it was introduced, it seemed like a pretty good bet that support for the LXT 18V platform would endure beyond my ability to use tools, especially since other tool manufacturers use Makita's batteries as well.

I also noticed that the 18v LXT batteries use the same slide interface as Makita's previous long running 14.4 slide battery platform. I ordered battery covers for the 14.4v batteries which fit perfectly on my 18v batteries, which didn't ship with any protective covers.

It's stuff like that which dissuaded me from choosing an "OPE only" battery platform (like DeWalt's 40v, or the Stihl, Echo, Ego, etc), even those that were being offered at a substantial discount due to being discontinued, like Shindaiwa (which I had in my shopping cart many times during the weeks I was trying to decide.)

As it turned out, I never did have to get the MM4 gas engine power head. The X2 18v = 36v = 40V as advertised by several companies who tout the surface charge voltage rather than the running voltage... turned out to be plenty of power. Need more? Just add batteries. Hence the importance of choosing a BATTERY system that will be around for a while.

 

[ZRX61]

I would not purchase the older 18v batteries, the 20v max are substantially better to the point if you had both, you won’t use any 18v ones anymore.

If you only have 2 tools, just upgrade to a new kit with drill/ impact and batteries. The 20v max tools are much better and can be had brushless.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/DEWALT-20v...405623&hash=item2157e182f2:g:FfwAAOSw56FcrKzV

This appears to be the right idea... & I can buy the adapter if I want to use older tools with the new batteries.

 

[diesel_dan]

The Ridgid 18V slide type batteries (purchased in kits back in 2003 and recently replaced under the Lifetime Service Agreement - with a simple phone call) from my very first Ridgid cordless tools fit all of my newer Ridgid stuff. However some of the newer, higher capacity Ridgid batteries (i.e. 9Ahr) are beginning to have minor fitment issues in some of the older tools. I even own a few of the Ridgid MaxSelect tools that would run on both 18V and 24V batteries. There was a much smaller uproar when Ridgid cancelled the 24V line several years ago.

Techtronic Industries (TTI Group) is the parent company of Milwaukee, Ridgid and Ryobi (with several other smaller brands) and seems to have a decent strategy of good, better, best to cater to different segments of the power tool market.

Companies make decisions every day based on market dynamics. We don't have to like it but the reality is publicly held companies cater to the shareholders first and foremost - happy customers are great but happy shareholders are where corporate is focused.

Bottom line for me, tools are to be used (not abused) and when they no longer do what I need to do, I'll figure out what direction to go to keep moving forward. Lastly, it's a great time to be a tool junkie...so many different quality options out there

You and I are not "qualified" to discuss anything here. We need to have been here 5 years or have a thousand posts, and then, Maybe one of them will say something about what we post...

I have NEVER had a cordless tool fail on me, it was always the battery that died...

Yet you idiots keep talking about thus and such, nothing about performance of the tool that would make your WANT to just go out and buy batteries....

Sorry for the rant, you are all going to skip over it anyway... Love my 10 tools that are all Ridgid 18V and can all run the same batteries, and all are lifetime warrantied (including most importantly THE F'ING BATTERIES)

Think I'll go find a more open minded tool forum...

 

[Farmall450]

You've identified three of the reasons why, after an exhaustive (more like exhausting) review of all the options on the market in 2018, I returned to Makita.

Being new to gasless, cordless outdoor power equipment, I figured that if the batteries didn't work out, my investment in the string trimmer, pole saw, articulating hedge trimmer, etc split shaft attachment garden implements wouldn't be lost, as I could always get Makita's MM4 four cycle gas power head, and still have a quieter, less vibration prone alternative to mixing oil with gas in a 2 stroke.

And my investment in Makita's 18v batteries wouldn't be lost, as unlike Stihl, Echo, Shindaiwa, Greenworks, Ego, and even DeWalt's 40v battery systems, I can still use the Makita 18v batteries in regular power tools, of which Makita appeared to have the largest selection (Makita now advertises that there are 225 products using the LXT battery system).

Then I learned that other tool manufacturers use Makita batteries, like Klauke (cordless hydraulic crimping and cutting tools for plumbing) and Greenlee (electrical tools), despite both companies being owned by Emerson, which has their own battery lines... it seemed a pretty sure bet that the Makita LXT platform would be supported for a long time.

Considering that up until 2018, Makita was still selling their B9000 9.6v long battery, some 35 years after it was introduced, it seemed like a pretty good bet that support for the LXT 18V platform would endure beyond my ability to use tools, especially since other tool manufacturers use Makita's batteries as well.

I also noticed that the 18v LXT batteries use the same slide interface as Makita's previous long running 14.4 slide battery platform. I ordered battery covers for the 14.4v batteries which fit perfectly on my 18v batteries, which didn't ship with any protective covers.

It's stuff like that which dissuaded me from choosing an "OPE only" battery platform (like DeWalt's 40v, or the Stihl, Echo, Ego, etc), even those that were being offered at a substantial discount due to being discontinued, like Shindaiwa (which I had in my shopping cart many times during the weeks I was trying to decide.)

As it turned out, I never did have to get the MM4 gas engine power head. The X2 18v = 36v = 40V as advertised by several companies who tout the surface charge voltage rather than the running voltage... turned out to be plenty of power. Need more? Just add batteries. Hence the importance of choosing a BATTERY system that will be around for a while.

Not all Makita 18v LXT actually interchange without modification. Apparently they didn't want low Ah batteries in the skilsaw

 

[ZRX61]

Love my 10 tools that are all Ridgid 18V and can all run the same batteries, and all are lifetime warrantied (including most importantly THE F'ING BATTERIES)

Looked at them in HD last week.

 

[All]

Not all Makita 18v LXT actually interchange without modification. Apparently they didn't want low Ah batteries in the skilsaw

What are you talking about?

 

[Farmall450]

What are you talking about?

Guess you're not super familiar with Makita. Small batteries won't fit in "high powered" tools. Really b!tch when you're helping out a Makita guy and go grab a freshly charged battery...for it to not work.

 

[All]

Guess you're not super familiar with Makita. Small batteries won't fit in "high powered" tools. Really b!tch when you're helping out a Makita guy and go grab a freshly charged battery...for it to not work.

Are you "super familiar with Makita"?

Do you own any Makita LXT tools?

What you are saying doesn't make any sense.

 

[American Locomotive]

Are you "super familiar with Makita"?

Do you own any Makita LXT tools?

What you are saying doesn't make any sense.

He's not lying, my original 2007 "BL1815" 1.5 Ah LXT 18v batteries will not physically fit into my Makita 18v circular saw. They also will not fit into my 2017 Sub-Compact recip saw, or my 2017 Hammer Drill. They do however fit in my 2017 sub-compact 3/8" impact.

At some point Makita updated the BL1815 batteries to the BL1815N. Those newer 1.5 Ah BL1815N batteries WILL work in the newer high-powered tools.

 

[All]

my original 2007 "BL1815" 1.5 Ah LXT 18v batteries will not physically fit into my Makita 18v circular saw. They also will not fit into my 2017 Sub-Compact recip saw, or my 2017 Hammer Drill. They do however fit in my 2017 sub-compact 3/8" impact.

At some point Makita updated the BL1815 batteries to the BL1815N. Those newer 1.5 Ah BL1815N batteries WILL work in the newer high-powered tools.

Now this makes more sense. A 12 year old 1.5 ah battery without the STAR protection circuitry doesn't fit in tools made over a decade later. That I can understand.

But that isn't what FarmAll said. FarmAll said that Makita "didn't want low Ah batteries in the skilsaw" and that "Small batteries won't fit in "high powered" tools." Neither statement makes any more sense now than it did then. Because it simply isn't true.

Here is my Makita rear handle "skilsaw":

View media item 89419
This saw is 36V, and requires two 18v batteries to run it. It doesn't matter if the batteries are low amp hour, or high amp hour. It doesn't even matter if the batteries are mixed, where one battery is low amp hour, and the other battery is high amp hour.

While I believe that best practices are to use two equivalent amp hour batteries in all LXT X2 tools, for purposes of demonstration, I have installed a low amp hour, single cell row battery in one bay, and a high amp hour, double cell row battery in the other bay, as seen here:

View media item 92102
As can be seen, both batteries fit perfectly, without modification. The tool also works perfectly, firing right up. I even made cuts with it. Lacking the ability to share video, I took a snap shot of the indicator lights on top of the saw itself, as seen here:

View media item 92103

To prove this isn't just a fluke, I tested another 36V tool dual battery LXT tool... something along the lines of the 40v OPE topic of this thread... Makita's OPE Power Head that interchangeably drives a brush cutter, string trimmer, articulating hedge trimmer, rototiller, pole chain saw, powered snow paddle, etc. This power head is subject to some of the highest loads in cordless tools. If Makita didn't want a low amp hour battery to fit certain tools, this tool would certainly be it. Yet the low amp hour battery fits perfectly, right along side a high amp battery...

View media item 92104
And again, no problem with the low ah battery powering up and working seamlessly...

View media item 92105

How about single battery applications of high load tools, like Makita's latest chainsaw? Might as well throw a single cell row low amp hour battery in it and see if it works...

View media item 92108
Yup. It works too, no issues...

View media item 92109
While still on the theme of OPE, how about testing if the low amp hour battery will fit in and power Makita's longest, heaviest duty hedge trimmer, the new for 2019 model with the rotating handle and the 30" blade? Chopping a 30" wide swath of hedge at once per stroke presents the largest work load in any hedge trimmer of any power source of any brand. Not even Stihl's professional AP series of hedge trimmers is 30", their longest being 24", and their most popular being only 20". The purpose for making this comparison is solely to estimate LOAD on the battery, in pursuit of proving or disproving a false hypothesis that Makita doesn't permit low ah batteries to be used in high load tools. Let's see...

View media item 92106
Yes, the little battery fits, and yes, it works.

View media item 92107

And yes, I am familiar with Makita tools, as all of the photos above are of tools and batteries that I personally own and use. Which is why the idea that "Small batteries won't fit in "high powered" tools" didn't make a lick of sense to me. This isn't like a 20V vs FlexVolt tool system.

It sounds like the false conclusion that "small batteries won't fit high powered tools" was drawn from trying to fit an old battery from more than a decade ago. As American Locomotive clarified, there is an appended model number for the 1.5 amp hour battery with the updated protection circuitry built in that will fit in any "high powered" tool just as easily as a 6 amp hour battery.

 

[Farmall450]

He's not lying, my original 2007 "BL1815" 1.5 Ah LXT 18v batteries will not physically fit into my Makita 18v circular saw. They also will not fit into my 2017 Sub-Compact recip saw, or my 2017 Hammer Drill. They do however fit in my 2017 sub-compact 3/8" impact.

At some point Makita updated the BL1815 batteries to the BL1815N. Those newer 1.5 Ah BL1815N batteries WILL work in the newer high-powered tools.

Exactly. As I said, not all 18v LXT batteries are the same

Very annoying when some arbitrarily won't work; apparently it's color coded.
https://www.its.co.uk/blog/buying-g...e-between-1-3ah-3-0ah-makita-18v-batteries-2/

 

[Farmall450]

Are you "super familiar with Makita"?

Do you own any Makita LXT tools?

What you are saying doesn't make any sense.

My uncle's construction co uses them, hence me, hence how I knew about the battery oddity (unlike yourself). Good tools, besides that.

The batteries came with newer compact models IIRC. Nice for cabinets, tho.

 

[IndyGarage]

He's not lying, my original 2007 "BL1815" 1.5 Ah LXT 18v batteries will not physically fit into my Makita 18v circular saw. They also will not fit into my 2017 Sub-Compact recip saw, or my 2017 Hammer Drill. They do however fit in my 2017 sub-compact 3/8" impact.

At some point Makita updated the BL1815 batteries to the BL1815N. Those newer 1.5 Ah BL1815N batteries WILL work in the newer high-powered tools.

It's true they won't fit, until you take your dremel and modify the battery rail to remove the offending bit of plastic.

After that mine are all interchangeable.

 

[noahwins]

I have a Dewalt 20V Max 1/4 impact and drill I like a lot. I want to get the portable fan for the shop and one or two other 20V Max things.

How much longer until they discontinue the 20V Max line?

And even if they did, won't it be possible to do DIY rebuilds on the battery packs more or less forever? There's nothing special about the cells they're using, right?

 

[Farmall450]

I have a Dewalt 20V Max 1/4 impact and drill I like a lot. I want to get the portable fan for the shop and one or two other 20V Max things.

How much longer until they discontinue the 20V Max line?

And even if they did, won't it be possible to do DIY rebuilds on the battery packs more or less forever? There's nothing special about the cells they're using, right?

That's my plan. I'm well invested in them and can buy Samsung cells all day on Ebay.

 

[WittHay]

All, you would make a good Makita spokesperson. Lots of good information about there OPE. Its refreshing to hear about other brands besides Milwaukee.

In this thread about OPE there has to be about 10 brands to chose from. I mentioned Stihl and you have Makita. Nothing wrong with a consumer buying a DeWalt 40 volt system on sale either or going with DeWalt 20 volt or Flexvolt for power tool compatibility

 

[danski0224]

Because a lot of these battery format changes are completely arbitrary, and unrelated to the "march of progress".

A motor is a motor. As long as it gets near enough its expected voltage, it doesn't care. Ryobi understood this with their One+ Lithium batteries that work in their entire lineup of tools. The funny thing is, TTI owns both Ryobi and Milwaukee, and the same people certainly work on both product lines. However they knew the Ryobi buyers (who tend to be more budget conscious) would likely abandon ship to a different brand if they had to buy all new tools to get lithium batteries.

Milwaukee, DeWalt, and Makita could have easily made lithium systems compatible with their old NiCd tools, but they didn't.

Milwaukee had the V18 line of tools that used a lithium battery, which was compatible with their 18V NiCd tool system.

That battery was garbage. Didn't work worth a damn below freezing and the whole pack was prone to being rendered useless from too much use.

Additionally, Milwaukee Electric Tool was sold to a Chinese company during the same timeframe.

Most of the original 18v NiCd tools were made anywhere but China. The battery, battery charger and the kit flashlight were the main exceptions.

Milwaukee abandoned the 18V and V18 lines. I got a lot of great deals on discontinued V18 tools when the M18 line appeared.

I never bought another V18 battery after three of the 4 I had took a ****.

It was a long time until I bought another Milwaukee cordless tool. But none of the M18 stuff was compatible and the NiCd batteries needed replacement.... again.

Supposedly, the M18 system came about because it wasn't possible to put the necessary battery and tool protection communication stuff into the 18V tool/battery interface. Whatever was in the V18 battery packs wasn't that great as it killed the whole pack.

I always thought it was mostly BS as Ryobi has maintained battery case compatibility across their tool line.

DeWalt was the only manufacturer that eventually released a battery adapter that allows the use of the older tools with the newer batteries.

Milwaukee just gave a red one fingered salute, but it paid off for them in the end, just like the Canon FD to EOS switch in the late 80's. It was probably cheaper for them to sever ties with the old tool/battery interface than to try and maintain compatibility going forward with new cordless tool designs.

 

[FSrepair&fabrication]

Im unable to sympathize here... Things get replaced due to technological updates, salses/demand, blah blah blah. If you just recently bought it new its not gonna wear out like tomorrow or next week and leave you hanging. Things change, and changing with it is part of life.

The other point, that i dont think anyone has brought up is that you can be a consumer, or an informed consumer. If you were to research the item you want to buy thoroughly enough, you would have seen the new stuff being advertised, and any rational consumer with common sense would realize that the new stuff is going to replce the old and it would be foolish to believe otherwise.

 

[FSrepair&fabrication]

Maybe some of the tool polishers can get by with obsolete codless tools because they rarely use them hard, but I EXPECT the battery stuff to wear out and fail, especially how hard I use and abuse them. I upgrade my codless stuff every 4 or 5 years because by then its out of warranty and totally used up and worthless.

So what does it matter in 5 years if they still make it or not?

 

[danski0224]

Maybe some of the tool polishers can get by with obsolete codless tools because they rarely use them hard, but I EXPECT the battery stuff to wear out and fail, especially how hard I use and abuse them. I upgrade my codless stuff every 4 or 5 years because by then its out of warranty and totally used up and worthless.

So what does it matter in 5 years if they still make it or not?

I used my 18V NiCd Milwaukee stuff on a daily basis, and the tools were just fine, the batteries were out, more than once.

 

[American Locomotive]

Maybe some of the tool polishers can get by with obsolete codless tools because they rarely use them hard, but I EXPECT the battery stuff to wear out and fail, especially how hard I use and abuse them. I upgrade my codless stuff every 4 or 5 years because by then its out of warranty and totally used up and worthless.

So what does it matter in 5 years if they still make it or not?

Dunno what brands you use, or what horrible things you do to your tools, but I have cordless stuff we beat on for a 10+ years still going strong. I still see contractors with 15-20 year old DeWalt 18v stuff.

I'd be pissed if my cordless stuff only got 4 years of use before it was "used up" and "worthless".

 

[danski0224]

I'd be surprised if any cordless rotary hammer held up to daily use by employees drilling vertical anchor holes all day. This should improve with the vacuum attachment, but that only fits the bigger rotary hammers from Milwaukee.

Except a pre-Chinese Hilti. Those were awesome.

I worked for a contractor that supplied Milwaukee M18 cordless tools in place of corded tools. Durability is a little bit different in that scenario. The labor time saved by not dragging a cord around still covered the losses.

 

[finn]

Toyota pickups, both the Tundra and Tacoma, are among the oldest platforms out there, and rumor has it that a new platform is under development. The old platforms will be discontinued.

That means, if the logic of this thread is followed, that the old platform is immediately obsolete and existing Toyota pickups have no value, and will be an embarrassment to own since Toyota has abandoned their loyal customers.

On the other hand, FCA released a new platform for the 1500 pickups last year, but continues to offer the old platform. Again, following logic, that means FCA has not abandoned their customer base because they haven’t rendered their old product obsolete. Everyone who owns a Toyota, and was thus abandoned by Toyota, should dump their current Japanese pickup and immediately purchase a new Ram, since, obviously, FCA respects their valued customers, where Toyota does not.

Works, in some people’s mind, at least, for the DeWalt / Milwaukee situation, so why not Toyota / FCA?

 

[FSrepair&fabrication]

In an outdoor enviornement with oil, dirt, dust, mud and grease + metal shavings anything eletrical has a much shorter lifespan. Tools get dropped off ladders and used in the rain. Thrown under a piece of equipment because youre already carrying too much to crawl under there thru the gravel with that in your hands too.

I opened up my last 3/8 impact that stopped working and it was full of oily metal shavings and dirt. The fan that cools the tool breathes whatever youre working around and blows it all thru the inside of the tool. Im not really surprised that this happens, its why I wear a mask when i do alot of jobs.

Not trying to turn this into the next air vs cordless debate, but this is why we use air tools alot of the time. Sealed unit, all metal construction. Much harder to fail. It all depends on what enviornment you work your tools in, but for cordless we thrash them hard and when new stuff comes out we drop em like a hot rock and upgrade. By the time theyre toast ive made more than enough $ to afford a new set.

 

[Farmall450]

Im unable to sympathize here... Things get replaced due to technological updates, salses/demand, blah blah blah. If you just recently bought it new its not gonna wear out like tomorrow or next week and leave you hanging. Things change, and changing with it is part of life.

The other point, that i dont think anyone has brought up is that you can be a consumer, or an informed consumer. If you were to research the item you want to buy thoroughly enough, you would have seen the new stuff being advertised, and any rational consumer with common sense would realize that the new stuff is going to replce the old and it would be foolish to believe otherwise.

I've been arguing the first point for a while now. You have a good product that will last you years...and even should a battery die, they'll be available. Plus, who knows if Dewalt even discontinued them...

 

[Handyandy23]

You can still buy 18V NiCd batteries, so I wouldn't panic about these ones just yet.

 

[mobiledynamics]

so who HERE in this thread is a 40V owner. I am.

I went the 40V before Milwaukee got into the OPE business. 95% of my tools are red. The yellows is the Brad Nailer, cordless vac and the rest of the Yellow is the 40V blower, hedger, string trimmer, and articulating pole hedger. Gosh, we'll see where Milwaukee expands into. Just bought the quick lock stringer+articualting hedge trimmer. I have my 40V string trimmer on Ebay listed.

Dunno if I will eventually replace all my 40 with M18. Have yet to see/hold the M18 blower, but I use my 40V alot on the blower. Weekly..

 

[WittHay]

I'd be surprised if any cordless rotary hammer held up to daily use by employees drilling vertical anchor holes all day. This should improve with the vacuum attachment, but that only fits the bigger rotary hammers from Milwaukee.

Except a pre-Chinese Hilti. Those were awesome.

I worked for a contractor that supplied Milwaukee M18 cordless tools in place of corded tools. Durability is a little bit different in that scenario. The labor time saved by not dragging a cord around still covered the losses.

I have just recently purchased a Makita 36V 1 9/16" rotary hammer. Its made in Japan and the quality is definitely there. The Milwaukee by comparison seems well like its made in China. The quality and engineering is not the same.

DeWalt has German engineered Flexvolt 1 7/8" and now 2" SDS rotary hammers. They are harder to source locally so I went with the Makita which was on sale

 

[Farmall450]

I have just recently purchased a Makita 36V 1 9/16" rotary hammer. Its made in Japan and the quality is definitely there. The Milwaukee by comparison seems well like its made in China. The quality and engineering is not the same.

DeWalt has German engineered Flexvolt 1 7/8" and now 2" SDS rotary hammers. They are harder to source locally so I went with the Makita which was on sale

My 1" DeWalt claims the German engineering too.

 

[All]

This saga won't end.

Curiosity got the best of me, so I took one for the GJ team and invested 20 minutes of my life (and my cell phone minutes) on hold with DeWalt at 1 (800) 433-9258... Option 2 for end users, Option 4 for Outdoor Power Equipment.

She asked for my name, first and last, before she would answer my questions, and more importantly, she asked for my phone number "in case we get disconnected". This latter part will be important to recall in a paragraph or two from now.

I had the DeWalt OPE 40V Max webpage up and loaded in front of me, prepared to ask questions. I started off easy, asking what the difference was between 40V MAX and 40V MAX V. There are 28 products listed under 40V MAX, and only 1 product listed under 40V MAX V. That single product is a string trimmer. What's the difference? What is the significance of the "V" appended at the end?

She said that the V denotes longer run time, and at that moment I saw that the string trimmer ships with the 7.5ah 40v battery. Ok, that solves that.

The next observation I made was that while there are a total of 29 40V products, there are only 11 20v products, and only 7 60v products. Seems like 40V, by far, is where DeWalt has focused the Outdoor Power Equipment, right? The DeWalt rep agreed. Well is DeWalt discontinuing the 40V line in favor of the FlexVolt systems? She said no. EMPHATICALLY no. DeWalt has no plans to discontinue the 40v line.

At this point I had gotten lost in DeWalt's website, and asked for her help in getting back on track. She directed me to start over again back at the home page, and go to OPE from there. I did, and saw I new screen that I hadn't noticed before, where there was a divide, with OPE for Professional Landscapers on the left side of the screen, and OPE for Construction Pros on the right side of the screen.

At this point I mentioned... there is also a third choice that a potential adopter of DeWalt OPE has to consider... which is the rumor gaining traction on the internet that suggests that DeWalt is discontinuing the 40V line, which would be a material factor in my decision of which side of DeWalt's page to click on, left or right.

Then the phone went dead. Silence. No good bye. No have a nice day. No have I answered all of your questions to your satisfaction? No will you please hold the line and take a brief survey. NOTHING.

I waited. Remember, she asked for my phone number "in case the call gets disconnected." But did I receive a call back? You already know the answer.

Of course not. These companies have no intention of ever calling back if a call is disconnected. They only wish to create a database of phone number contacts other purposes, like cross checking warranty status to prove a tool was purchased earlier than claimed, and inquired about with the same phone number.

So, despite the DeWalt representative emphatically denying that the 40v MAX line was being discontinued, the same DeWalt representative unceremoniously hung up on me after I referenced what I had read online. This, coupled with a parallel experience that I had with Shindaiwa, where the telephone rep there likewise denied the discontinuance of their 56v line (which turned out in fact to be discontinued)... calls into serious question the credibility of the DeWalt rep that I spoke with today.

I called back.

As the muzak on hold wasted away more of my cellphone minutes, it occurred to me that one definition of insanity is repeating the exact same thing, expecting different results. I stopped the muzak, and googled my local DeWalt SERVICE CENTER.

After wading through that phone tree, I reached a human. Boots on the ground. In a Service Center no less. I started easy, first establishing that this Service Center is the official place where I am to take 40V tools for repair. He said yes. He was actually a smart *** about it, saying duh, it's a DEWALT service center... but I didn't mind the 'tude, because that added a bit of uncontrolled authenticity to his character, which is always hard to judge in a person, especially by voice alone.

I then asked the critical question inquiring readers here want to know.

Is DeWalt discontinuing the 40v line?

He said "I heard through the grapevine that they might be".

That still didn't quite sound set in stone, bonafide verified to me, so I asked another question...

If I were to get into a DeWalt battery powered OPE suite of tools today, would I be better off with the 20v/60v system, or the 40v system.

Then he got clear. REAL clear. He said he thought I already had 40v products. No I said. I'm thinking about getting some. To that he responded... "then definitely don't get the 40v, get the 20v/60v battery system." He was so clear about that in his voice... uncontrolled...unedited confidence... that I would have to lean toward his response being more credible then what the DeWalt rep I had spoken to minutes earlier had said, which was just the opposite.

The take away? Don't expect a straight answer from the manufacturer until all stock on hand sells through all distributors stuck with the inventory.

It is too bad that the only "confirmations" this community has are from drive by posters with zero follow up or explanations. Where I thought I might expose some false propaganda, I instead find little evidence but that which I have shared.

During the course of this investigation, I did get a chance to look more carefully at the DeWalt OPE line up, and can say with certainty that good grips notwithstanding, I definitely would not chose any of the current crop of DeWalt OPE, in any voltage. The alternatives on the market are better. Much better. And I say this with the belief that some of DeWalt's cordless and corded construction tools are superior to many of their competitors.

Well, that's my contribution.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

I think you can build a more ergonomic and lighter tool with the slide on batteries vs. the post style. Regarding DeWalt calling their tool 20 volt its just common sense. Their 18 volt Ni-Cad line was very popular and is still available and used today. it just makes sense to call the lithium tools 20 volt and the Ni-cad tools 18 volt

With OPE tools voltage is the main thing. Higher the voltage, smaller the battery size and wiring needed. A Stihl battery is just a big block that slides in. Makes for a more compact tool

those Stihl batteries look a LOT like the greenworks batteries.

That makes perfect sense for marketing.

I don't think the battery sizing is necessarily true. Milwaukee has proven voltage isn't everything. And there is always going to be something of decent size to power it no matter the voltage. If something was running 1200v, I would expect the battery to be size of a D-cell, but that would be awesome. The really powerful Stihl line uses a backpack system due to to the mass. I think there is some truth to what you are saying, but more minor in reality.

higher battery voltage does not make a smaller pack.
volume of the pack is determined by the number of cells, the quantity of which determines Wh (stored energy). you can arrange them any way you like -
series = higher voltage, lower amp hours
parallel = lower voltage, higher amp hours
but either way, 5x 18650s will get you the same stored energy no matter how you line them up.

 

[Farmall450]

Interesting follow up All -- I'm surprised she wouldn't just deny. It'll be interesting to see if they go away after this spring or what; Troy-bilt and Remington stuff we carry is also 40v and still stocked.

 

[All]

those Stihl batteries look a LOT like the greenworks batteries.

Stihl and Greenworks are owned by the same company.

 

[American Locomotive]

Just a word of advice "All": Customer service reps do not know anything about product plans by upper management. I've seen time and time again (in a variety of industries) of false rumors being started by customer service reps.

 

[finn]

Sort of like going to your Toyota dealer and asking the lube tech what the product lineup is for the 2025 model year.

Why would a service center employee have a clue as to what the corporate product strategy is?

Having said that, the Flexvolt system is the latest generation, so any company in their right mind would build future products off of that platform.

The 40 volt is a legacy platform.