The DeWalt Addiction Thread

[mike93lx]

The Dewalt high torque is a monster, I have one.

Tons of power, but it is heavy. If you are going to use it a lot on not super heavy duty stuff, it probably isn't the right thing to have. But for intermittent use and things like lug nuts, it works well. I wouldn't want to use it to assemble an engine or for brake work.

I think that's where something like the m12 stubby really shines

 

[livinloud11]

So Home Depot has their Holiday pricing on now and there are a couple little combos that are nice (Atomic Drill/Driver and Impact Driver combo for $149, Milwaukee M12 Fuel Drill/Driver and Impact Driver for $199, etc.) but I'm also seeing the Dewalt High Torque 1/2" Impact wrench with 4ah battery and charger for $199. That's cheaper than the mid-torque bare tool ($239).

I've been in the market for an electric impact. Am I missing something or is this worth it? Any experience with this tool?

I bought the same Dewalt DCF899M1 for $199 at Home Depot the other day. The tool alone goes for over $200 on ebay and other sites as well. Only "downside" is it has the pin detent instead of the hog ring if that is your thing, works fine for me though. I'm not too picky, my 3/8 is hog ring. I like em both.

 

[GeoBruin]

Thanks for the feedback Mike. I'm currently re-evaluating the tools I keep in my truck and I'm looking hard at the M12 line including the stubby impact. I currently keep a Dewalt 12v Xtreme Drill and Impact Driver in my truck and I actually love them, but I see the limitations of the Dewalt 12 volt line. My mom has been asking for a small drill for household stuff and I'm considering giving her the Dewalt Xtreme kit which will be more than enough for her needs. That leaves me with the choice to go Dewalt Atomic or M12.

The Atomic would allow me to keep everything in the same battery ecosystem (I have all Dewalt 20v tools) and the Atomic drill/impact driver are very small (and powerful), but there are some tools in the M12 line that I'm really coveting. Those include the stubby impact, straight and right angle die grinder, and the cut-off tool which I would convert to a belt sander with the attachment from the HF air belt sander.

Anyway, all that is beside the point and I hear you on the size/weight of the high torque impact. I was actually looking at the mid torque but then I saw the big one go on sale for even less. Maybe I just need the High Torque and the M12 stubby. It is the GJ way after all.

 

[mike93lx]

Thanks for the feedback Mike. I'm currently re-evaluating the tools I keep in my truck and I'm looking hard at the M12 line including the stubby impact. I currently keep a Dewalt 12v Xtreme Drill and Impact Driver in my truck and I actually love them, but I see the limitations of the Dewalt 12 volt line. My mom has been asking for a small drill for household stuff and I'm considering giving her the Dewalt Xtreme kit which will be more than enough for her needs. That leaves me with the choice to go Dewalt Atomic or M12.

The Atomic would allow me to keep everything in the same battery ecosystem (I have all Dewalt 20v tools) and the Atomic drill/impact driver are very small (and powerful), but there are some tools in the M12 line that I'm really coveting. Those include the stubby impact, straight and right angle die grinder, and the cut-off tool which I would convert to a belt sander with the attachment from the HF air belt sander.

Anyway, all that is beside the point and I hear you on the size/weight of the high torque impact. I was actually looking at the mid torque but then I saw the big one go on sale for even less. Maybe I just need the High Torque and the M12 stubby. It is the GJ way after all.

there is absolutely no way i would buy into dewalt 12v. milwaukee m12 is the only serious game in town for 12v.

i run two different battery systems (dewalt 20v and milwaukee m12) and don't find it a problem to have two

 

[Farmall450]

Might have pulled the trigger on the new flexvolt kit. DCG418X1

Got a raincheck from my store...we'll see when it shows up. Hopefully by Christmas lol

https://www.farmandfleet.com/produc...cordless-grinder-with-kickback-brake-kit.html

 

[woody6904]

Might have pulled the trigger on the new flexvolt kit. DCG418X1

Got a raincheck from my store...we'll see when it shows up. Hopefully by Christmas lol

https://www.farmandfleet.com/produc...cordless-grinder-with-kickback-brake-kit.html

I'm torn between the Flexvolt grinder or the 20v Flexvolt Advantage grinder Home Depot has on sale right now for $199 with a flexvolt battery. I like the smaller size of the 20v, and don't have any other Flexvolt tools besides one Flexvolt battery. Hoping to score the Flexvolt chainsaw this holiday season so a second battery would be nice. Any thoughts from anyone with personal experience?

 

[GeoBruin]

I'm in the same boat. I have a 20v max grinder and I'd like something with more power but the ability to run a smaller (5ah) 20v max battery to keep it lighter and then switch to a flexvolt battery for more runtime (and more power) would be awesome. I'm sure it would still be well short of the Flexvolt's power but it seems like a nice compromise.

 

[Farmall450]

I'm torn between the Flexvolt grinder or the 20v Flexvolt Advantage grinder Home Depot has on sale right now for $199 with a flexvolt battery. I like the smaller size of the 20v, and don't have any other Flexvolt tools besides one Flexvolt battery. Hoping to score the Flexvolt chainsaw this holiday season so a second battery would be nice. Any thoughts from anyone with personal experience?

I'm in the same boat. I have a 20v max grinder and I'd like something with more power but the ability to run a smaller (5ah) 20v max battery to keep it lighter and then switch to a flexvolt battery for more runtime (and more power) would be awesome. I'm sure it would still be well short of the Flexvolt's power but it seems like a nice compromise.

So I've had the 20v non XR for many years. Figured I'd get the 20v Advantage too, but I saw this deal ($240 for grinder, 9ah, fast charger and bag) and decided not only was it the best deal in terms of $/tool & accessories but also a far more powerful unit. From experience the old flexvolt kills the 20v XR (and probably the advantage) and this is basically a flexvolt advantage, just not branded as such.

Plus, gotta figure a 9ah goes for almost $100. I have more 20v batteries than I know what to do with and several flexvolts but this will be my first flexvolt tool. I don't think I'm in the situation where I'll be handicapt to the flexvolt batteries.

 

[Farmall450]

The Dewalt high torque is a monster, I have one.

Tons of power, but it is heavy. If you are going to use it a lot on not super heavy duty stuff, it probably isn't the right thing to have. But for intermittent use and things like lug nuts, it works well. I wouldn't want to use it to assemble an engine or for brake work.

I think that's where something like the m12 stubby really shines

Or the DeWalt 3/8 lol. My 3/8 labelled Mac significantly outperforms the M12 stubby, to the point it covers light assembly and light duty 1/2 use.

 

[GeoBruin]

Or the DeWalt 3/8 lol. My 3/8 labelled Mac significantly outperforms the M12 stubby, to the point it covers light assembly and light duty 1/2 use. [emoji106]

See this is what I want to know. The dewalt 3/8 is only marketed as 150 ft/lbs bit if that's fastening torque, and the milwaukee stubby's advertised 250 lb/ft is breakaway torque, I'll get the dewalt and I can use all my existing batteries.

 

[mike93lx]

Or the DeWalt 3/8 lol. My 3/8 labelled Mac significantly outperforms the M12 stubby, to the point it covers light assembly and light duty 1/2 use.

You own both?

 

[JoeMcGov]

I have the 60 volt side angle grinder. It's a beast. If you're a tool ***** and love to destroy stuff with maximum convenience it's your tool.

 

[Farmall450]

You own both?

My brother has the M12 stubby. My 3/8 is quite a bit more powerful...based on a few years of comparison.

I have the 60 volt side angle grinder. It's a beast. If you're a tool ***** and love to destroy stuff with maximum convenience it's your tool.

Accurate

 

[PelicanPines]

Relatively unused 5ah 20v battery from 2017... **** the bed... won't charge... no lights... nothing when put in charger... had it sitting in a controlled temp room in my go bag...

Signed
Powerlessly Upset...

 

[designer485]

Relatively unused 5ah 20v battery from 2017... **** the bed... won't charge... no lights... nothing when put in charger... had it sitting in a controlled temp room in my go bag...

Signed
Powerlessly Upset...

When was the battery last charged? Do you have another operational DeWalt battery you could jump it with?

I had some first gen Lithium batteries fall below a certain threshold for the charger to recognize them. Jumped them with a working battery for a few minutes and then put them on the charger. Charged right up.

 

[PelicanPines]

When was the battery last charged? Do you have another operational DeWalt battery you could jump it with?

I had some first gen Lithium batteries fall below a certain threshold for the charger to recognize them. Jumped them with a working battery for a few minutes and then put them on the charger. Charged right up.

Which pins should I jump. Sounds EXACTLY what's wrong right now.

I have a dozen batteries... 3.0 to 6.0s

Googled it... outside terminals... plus minus... obviously like polarity for the jump... Will take a picture as I do it tomorrow.

Thank you... saved me some coin.

 

[Butterman2473]

Am I in denial about being stricken with a DeWalt addiction?

 

[woody6904]

Am I in denial about being stricken with a DeWalt addiction?

Your not alone here. I still need to take pictures of my black friday haul. How is the new Flexvolt blower? Wondering how it compares to the original 20v.

 

[iSpark]

I didn't know there was a Dewalt addiction thread here.
My newest Dewalt tool
also got the Swag table and foot switch.

 

[GeoBruin]

Okay I want to know how long it took you to get through the railroad track...

 

[iSpark]

Okay I want to know how long it took you to get through the railroad track...

lol
Well, off and on about 2 hours, maybe 2 1/2.
My thumb kept getting crampy from all the pushing and I had to keep taking breaks.

 

[Woody1320]

I've been eyeing a lot of the Dewalt deals at Home Depot. One has caught my eye in particular:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-...-Battery-Charger-and-Bag-DCK560D1M1/313760031

This would replace my Ryobi stuff (and a Makita impact driver to keep it on the same battery platform). I'd also add the Atomic one handed sawzall (and possibly more batteries). Is the Atomic line worth the investment or should I wait for a better deal on the XR tools?

 

[GeoBruin]

I've been eyeing a lot of the Dewalt deals at Home Depot. One has caught my eye in particular:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-...-Battery-Charger-and-Bag-DCK560D1M1/313760031

This would replace my Ryobi stuff (and a Makita impact driver to keep it on the same battery platform). I'd also add the Atomic one handed sawzall (and possibly more batteries). Is the Atomic line worth the investment or should I wait for a better deal on the XR tools?

That's a serious deal. All good tools.

Regarding atomic tools, I think you stick with XR for things where they overlap (drill, driver, etc) but some cool things are only available as atomic tools like the hackzall, new compact band saw, and hopefully others.

 

[Woody1320]

That's a serious deal. All good tools.

Regarding atomic tools, I think you stick with XR for things where they overlap (drill, driver, etc) but some cool things are only available as atomic tools like the hackzall, new compact band saw, and hopefully others.

Thanks for the input. I'm fairly certain the drill and driver would be upgrades regardless (my little brushless Makita is awesome, to be fair).

 

[iSpark]

I have a few Dewalt tools. A red headed step child that's not to be left out, and a team blue or is it green? drill.
The string trimmer is a stock photo, I wasn't going to the shed to get a pic. lol

Not pictured, is a Dewalt corded circ saw and corded recip. saw, a cordless reciprocating saw, and cordless multi-tool.
The safety glasses are bi-focals, I don't wear them often because I can't get used to the bi-focal part.

 

[GeoBruin]

Thanks for the input. I'm fairly certain the drill and driver would be upgrades regardless (my little brushless Makita is awesome, to be fair).

I have the Milwaukee m12 drill and driver in my tool kit in my pickup but if I had to replace them, I'd go Atomic.

 

[Farmall450]

When was the battery last charged? Do you have another operational DeWalt battery you could jump it with?

I had some first gen Lithium batteries fall below a certain threshold for the charger to recognize them. Jumped them with a working battery for a few minutes and then put them on the charger. Charged right up.

I had to do this with a bunch of used Ryobi and new M18 my dad had. Never had a premium brand besides Milwaukee do it; the Milwaukees never stay alive, though.

 

[Farmall450]

I've been eyeing a lot of the Dewalt deals at Home Depot. One has caught my eye in particular:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-...-Battery-Charger-and-Bag-DCK560D1M1/313760031

This would replace my Ryobi stuff (and a Makita impact driver to keep it on the same battery platform). I'd also add the Atomic one handed sawzall (and possibly more batteries). Is the Atomic line worth the investment or should I wait for a better deal on the XR tools?

That's a damn good deal.

 

[Butterman2473]

Your not alone here. I still need to take pictures of my black friday haul. How is the new Flexvolt blower? Wondering how it compares to the original 20v.

The Flexvolt blower is pretty awesome IMO.
Unfortunately, I don't know how it compares to the original 20v. This is my first DeWalt blower.

 

[Renegade1LI]

I've had the dewalt flexvolt blower & with the 9 amp batteries it's pretty impressive, way better than the 20volt DW & 18volt milwaukee. I gave the 20 volt to my wife so she can do a quick deck clean up, it's not as heavy, keep the miwaukee in my work truck to blow it out, great for getting the dog hair out quick.
I have become a big fan of the flexvolt system, the tools seem to perform very well, picked up the table saw, very surprised at how accurate it is, great trim & small project saw.

 

[PelicanPines]

When was the battery last charged? Do you have another operational DeWalt battery you could jump it with?

I had some first gen Lithium batteries fall below a certain threshold for the charger to recognize them. Jumped them with a working battery for a few minutes and then put them on the charger. Charged right up.

Ok... interesting thing here... I watched youtube vids of people jump starting rechargeable batteries years ago... NICADs... it never worked for me... as the packs were dead dead... cells none-functioning.

Todays batteries... Lithium ion... somehow I was given the impression you could NOT jump a lithium battery because of "Onboard Circuitry"... well I was wrong.

Thank you Designer485... just using the outer two contacts D+ and B-... I was able to jump my 'dead' battery back to snorting life for the charger to say... OK... I will charge you.

It took about 30 seconds of charge time... from a fully charged 5ah battery to the dead 5ah battery.

Things to note... the fully charged battery showed 20.7 volts. The dead battery showed 0.2 volts.

Also note... never ever underestimate the number of tools you need to do a simple task. makes you wonder how people survived with only stone knives and bearskins.

Sorry no pictures... nothing to take a picture of.

 

[designer485]

Ok... interesting thing here... I watched youtube vids of people jump starting rechargeable batteries years ago... NICADs... it never worked for me... as the packs were dead dead... cells none-functioning.

Todays batteries... Lithium ion... somehow I was given the impression you could NOT jump a lithium battery because of "Onboard Circuitry"... well I was wrong.

Thank you Designer485... just using the outer two contacts D+ and B-... I was able to jump my 'dead' battery back to snorting life for the charger to say... OK... I will charge you.

It took about 30 seconds of charge time... from a fully charged 5ah battery to the dead 5ah battery.

Things to note... the fully charged battery showed 20.7 volts. The dead battery showed 0.2 volts.

Also note... never ever underestimate the number of tools you need to do a simple task. makes you wonder how people survived with only stone knives and bearskins.

Sorry no pictures... nothing to take a picture of.

Awesome, glad it worked out. I was skeptical at first as well, but was pleasantly suppressed when it worked. I now keep a set of spring clip leads in with my DeWalt storage box just in case.

 

[GeoBruin]

I assumed the batteries (packs) had overdischarge protection. I wonder how they got that low. They must have been depleted and then self-discharged the rest of the way. Or else the protection circuit is preventing you from getting an actual voltage reading and while the voltage was too low for the pack to let you charge it, it wasn't actually .2 volts.

 

[mcdye]

I am hesitate about going all in on battery tools beyond a driver.... worried they would not get used enough and the batteries dying. What would be the life of the current lithium tool batteries and not much use? I have been watching the HD Dewalt deals and very tempted..

 

[GeoBruin]

I am hesitate about going all in on battery tools beyond a driver.... worried they would not get used enough and the batteries dying. What would be the life of the current lithium tool batteries and not much use? I have been watching the HD Dewalt deals and very tempted..

Quality lithium ion batteries are rated for around 500 discharge cycles (depending on chemistry). Of course, there is some degradation in capacity over time despite the number of cycles as well.

The thing is, it's not that batteries just quit working. Rather they slowly lose capacity. You may not even notice it at first until one day you realize your tool isn't lasting as long as it used to.

I personally wouldn't let it discourage you. In my opinion, it's worth the convenience and by the time your brand new batteries get to the point where you're noticing a serious degradation in capacity (3-5 years from now) we will have new battery chemistries that will last much longer and they will be readily available.

 

[woody6904]

I am hesitate about going all in on battery tools beyond a driver.... worried they would not get used enough and the batteries dying. What would be the life of the current lithium tool batteries and not much use? I have been watching the HD Dewalt deals and very tempted..

The newer lithium batteries don't tend to self drain like the older nicads did. I will charge them up, stick them in the drawer, and whenever I pull one out it still has a full charge.

 

[On-Wheel]

8ah batteries are the bomb
5’s not as good by a long shot
Very noticeable run time in a grinder and small blower.
No idea what the flex volts are like.

 

[PelicanPines]

I assumed the batteries (packs) had overdischarge protection. I wonder how they got that low. They must have been depleted and then self-discharged the rest of the way. Or else the protection circuit is preventing you from getting an actual voltage reading and while the voltage was too low for the pack to let you charge it, it wasn't actually .2 volts.

As the batteries discharge... their voltage drops... not sure what a normal battery voltage is when it is "normally empty"... IE... won't power a tool.

This battery was sitting for maybe 18 months or longer... with a 75% charge on it. It was still plugged into the tool. Sat in a temp controlled room... in a backpack. Perhaps the trigger got bumped... touched partially... over the time.

Battery is all charged now... shows 20.3 volts on my Milwaukee meter. Placed it in a non-conductive holder... will recheck it over the next few days... to see if it holds the 20.3 volts.

 

[GeoBruin]

As the batteries discharge... their voltage drops... not sure what a normal battery voltage is when it is "normally empty"... IE... won't power a tool.



This battery was sitting for maybe 18 months or longer... with a 75% charge on it. It was still plugged into the tool. Sat in a temp controlled room... in a backpack. Perhaps the trigger got bumped... touched partially... over the time.



Battery is all charged now... shows 20.3 volts on my Milwaukee meter. Placed it in a non-conductive holder... will recheck it over the next few days... to see if it holds the 20.3 volts.

Li ion batteries are "dead" at around 3 volts so 15ish volts for a 20V pack. I would assume the low voltage cutoff is somewhere around there depending on how conservative dewalt is with their packs. 18 months is probably enough to self discharge to that level if there was some kind of parasitic drain (like being connected to a tool).

 

[Farmall450]

The Flexvolt blower is pretty awesome IMO.
Unfortunately, I don't know how it compares to the original 20v. This is my first DeWalt blower.

Does anyone have the non axial flexvolt blower? We sell it kitted with the flexvolt chainsaw. I've often wondered if it is better or worse than the axial model.