We re-wrote this episode 3 times because their product lines are so confusing. We tried to lay it out as straight forward as we can with numbers and even a summary of FAQ at the end - and it's still not easily skimmable content. Sorry for that. You can find many of the best tested options here: www.amazon.com/shop/torquetestchannel We're not recommending going out and buying "the best" battery here, more figuring out which tool is a better buy overall with any battery.
@@ToolDeals the struggle is real for creators covering DeWALT. And we have the info right in front of us. The average consumer? It's like DeWALT dropped their toddler off at the deep end of the swimming pool so they can get on a conference call about quarterly earnings.
Worked for me, apart from advantages with missing 'n's :D Seriously though, consistently solid work chaps, you don't flower it up, even the humour is educational/experiential, this makes both the runs and narration easilty absorbable. I'm admittedly wired to deal with information, but it just seemed like a lightly caveated(tool support) multi-tool take of your normal "objective showdown" battery test format. I think I can understand the tool choices it seems to be implemented in first, even if just as priority. You have to limit a tool less when it has a better understanding of it's operating environment. Circ saws and grinders can bog down badly if you have droop on due to radius, and there isn't really an alternative for most. A general drill is suited to light steel/masonary at best, there is always something bigger and better suited to heavy tasks. For building it's a proper SDS drill or impact wrench and cars it's a pillar, as the part is off the vehicle. With all that said, think I would be crying foul if they weren't two entirely different product lines, thanks for keeping the discourse real.
I think the purpose of this is that they signed “exclusive” contracts with both Home Depot and Lowes. Both stores wanted a different line, and Lowes wanted to make sure that their product wasn’t clearly worse than home depots. If the flexvolt was the “top of the line” then nobody would buy dewalt tools from Lowes. Thus they end up making two slightly different tools, surround it with un-verifiable marketing, and confused customers continue to buy tools from both retailers
Flexvolt is the top of the line. Pure Flexvolt is 60V only. The circular saw runs circles around every other DeWalt circular saw. And yes. 60v Flexvolt is only sold at HD.
In reality both are great tools from both lines. All depends on the batteries you have, do you have both stores nearby, the price etc I don't really find it confusing unless you're tool brain dead IMO
You do know why Lowes does it right? Their "if you can get it cheaper then we will match it" moto. So they have a different version so they can piss all over that moto which is why I tend to not like going there unless a really good deal or they just have what HD stops carrying. As far as the reason if its not fully clear, if say HD does a deal and they sell out of said product then people could take the lesser price proof to Lowes and get a discount which is pretty much the only reason for their moto. If you don't got it then they don't have to honor it and Lowes is big enough that Dewalt makes another model for them.
If there is one thing to be said about DeWalt, they really do top the chart in customer confusion. You laid it out as plain as can be and I'm still mildly bewildered.
SBD has to satisfy a lot of customers - and those are stores, not end users. It’s not an easy job and at the end of the day clarity is not what sells tools
I'm convinced that a lot of these manufacturers create confusion for profit. They want their old stock to sell as well as their sub par tools that may have higher margins/ profits because of lower R&D costs, etc. They don't want transparency, but that's where TTC comes in and lays down the pimp hand! Thank you!
Well done analysis. My takeaway is that the marketing and model line complexity is a total mess on this brand (and others). Too many variations of similar products, too many different names, etc. Reminds me of 1980's General Motors. You could get away with this in the old days, but a smart marketer at SBD/Dewalt would clean and tidy the product lines and simplify things. The websites are absolutely useless when trying to understand which drill (or insert favorite power tool) is best for your needs.
Everyone gets an L on todays episode! People who said they are all the same, people who said they are all way different. DeWALT for creating this confusion in the first place and assigning specs that are based on whatever the weather was that day.
@@TorqueTestChannel Well Home Depot took a a little w. On top of the bigger W they had which was they stocked Flexvolt tools, and now you can buy Flexvolt advantage tools. I think this was Dewalt trying to keep two very rival retailers happy. And you’re right the consumers loses here because now these two retailers don’t have to compete with these tools on pricing. Since you can’t price match to different products. But ya that r and d budget could of been spent on just giving us the better tool models!
@@juanc5149 I remember a few months ago when there was all this debacle about DeWalt possibly leaving HD and I wondered what would happen to the FV lineup since it's HD exclusive? Now that I think it wouldn't have made sense about getting rid of DeWalt, they have an Advantage (pun intended) they can bank on
Would have been nice seeing the 9 Amp/Hr battery head-to-head on the drills. Would also be nice to see comparable tools that aren’t FlexVolt Advantage or PowerDetect to see if it’s really the tools or tech.
Just got into professional carpentry and you guys have been my guide for disentangling the mess that is DeWalt tool lines. Much appreciated and love the Friday lunch time vids!
Thank you TTC. I have been in the DeWalt line for years and have to watch this channel before I go out and buy a new tool. DeWalt confuses the hell out of me.
Definitely this. Really can’t say with certainty what is going on until a meaningful number of the same tool or battery are tested. Even then, if you go to HD and buy 6 drills off the shelf, you’re possibly getting six units made at the same time in the same factory. Gotta mix it up to test brand consistency. Of course that’s a huge ask for a RUclips channel to be doing layman QC testing!!! Keep up the good work
Not to muddy it up, but the real test is do these PD and FVA tools outperform their standard XR brethren (DCD996, DCG413, DCS570) when used with the same newer more powerful batteries. I.e. All the "more power than" claims are based off the standard XR tool using a 5Ah battery. So a PD tool with an 8Ah, or FVA with a 6Ah FV, is rated higher than an XR tool with a standard 5Ah. That seems obvious. But what if they are all using a 5Ah or all using a 6Ah FV? I'd like to see all the 9 of the tools, each tested with a standard 5Ah, the kitted 8Ah XR, and the kitted 6Ah FV (we already know a Powerstack or 9Ah will give extra sauce). That would showcase the differences more, imo.
Starting my tool collection from scratch after being out of the country I spent a lot of time picking a base brand I went down the rabbit hole. I ended up with Milwaukee because they had the least confusing battery solutions. I know every battery works on every respective tool. I think DeWalt has some amazing stuff but limited by their complicated battery options. Trying to buy my dad and brother DeWalt tools can lead to madness. Thank you for this video as I hope it saves others the rabbit hole.
Milwaukee's dog shit battery lineup is the reason i went with dewalt. there are no good compact 18V batteries. their 2amp M18 battery is huge for what it is. their compact tools have their own battery 12v lines that require different chargers. with dewalt, you can get a tiny 1.7ah powerstack (my favorite battery) and it will work with the entire tool lineup, anything from a compact drill to a chainsaw, with the exception of their really expensive 60V tools. but those are clearly marked as being 60V. Their 60V batteries can work in 20V mode and will run anything.
@@solomonshvi think you never really worked with the fuel lineup from milwaukee. And now you’re on the best of dewalt. Comparing apple and oranges. M12 tools are smaller tools and made to replace handtools or small air tools. Then m18 are the bigger, more powerful tools. It’s really easy to understand and most have both. That’s why milwaukee gives a charger that charges m12 and m18 in their kits.
Honnestly with the small differences its just variance in between tools (one might have a slightly better motor, like not desighned better just made a little better, the specs are not exactly what every tool will get but is a designed for goal that you might get a little more or less than.) I love their reviews but some of the closer results are suspect as they only use 1 tool from 1 batch and say that tool is the best.
so you cant price match between lowes and Home Depot..."cuz theyre not the same tool" meanwhile they mostly are the same tool and almost totally interchangeable..... the differences of a few percent are nearly nothing by the end of the work day bigger differences are probably by decisions made intentionally to try to stand out against the competitor the best kit will end up being a drill from store A and a saw from store B and nobody gets a "price match discount"
@@kazzxtrismus both lowes and HD are trash. i get most of my tools from acme tools. they carry both flexvolt advanatge and power detect. and their sales are way better. i paid $280 for the DCK2100D1T1 kit, which included the DCD999 flexvolt drill in this video, a 6ah FV battery, 2ah battery, 1/4" impact and a 6amp charger. neither HD nor lowes will do better with any amount of "price matching"
I was in Home Depot the other day and bought a grinder, as I only had a corded one. Got home and couldn't fit my 5ah batteries in, and it was then I was introduced to FlexVolt tools. HD had a deal on Dewalt chainsaw, which came with two 9ah Flexvolt, so I bought that and now have a grinder that works and a chainsaw to boot. I have been buying Dewalt tools since 2006 and did not know about this (just a DIYer, more of a tool collector and workshop user!)
Is there anyway you can hook up the tools to a current regulated power supply? This would definitively prove that there's no tech really involved, it's just down to how much total power the tool is able to draw from what is connected and that most of the tools are artificially limited by the capabilities of the battery packs, wiring, and controllers. This could also add another stat to the charts of theoretical maximum output for the tools which could help see what kind of improvements the manufacturer could make just by optimizing the batteries to hit those max power targets in future revisions of the tool(s).
This is one of the biggest reasons why I steered away from dewalt Milwaukee is easy there basic brushed, then mid grade brushless, and then fuel. Nice and easy and you have generations of tools and you have regular batteries and high output
Great stuff, I would really like too see them disassembled and compare the motors themselves. Interested if it's only a difference in software or inverter components.
I have no idea why anyone would buy DW tools, their existing record on battery quality and technology has been suspect since their Nicad days. I know most battery tool mfrs are somewhat disingenuous, but they have not been caught so often !
I think this will need a Part 2, where now all these types and combinations are thrown through a battery runtime gamut, to see if they're Ah rating match up. As well as to see if the confusion continues between which can do *_more work_* despite being the more, or less, powerful tool!
In the same store you might end up with the same brand tools in different combo kits that have dramatic differences in performance. My thoughts is they should put old tools on sale to get them off the shelves and always have their best tools on offer but that isn't realistic. Dewalt is king of not knowing what you are buying.
One of the main reasons I avoid Dewalt is the simple fact that I can’t make heads or tails of what they’re ranking is in terms of power/performance. With other brands it’s either fuel, or HP, or brushless, or Flex or Hercules, but since Dewalt decided to offer like 8 versions of every tool, it’s too confusing, at least to my insignificant brain. Unfortunately TTC has only made it worse by sowing more doubt lol. Love you guys!
@@slingin_tiresjust converted a dewalt company to milwaukee. Dewalt warranty and service was the main reason. Then i put a milwaukee fuel grinder in the hands of a big guy and told him to try and stop the tool on a metal surface. He couldn’t. He was also pissed at dewalt for being so confusing in their batteries so he wanted corded tools from milwaukee. But i told him any m18 would work on any m18 tool and he was hooked
I honestly have a Flexvolt recip saw because I won it on the Mastering Mayhem channel a few years ago. If I were to buy I would still go Flexvolt because of the advantage of using it in XR tools. Giving a higher ah for them.
"The 850 is branded as XR overseas". EVERY slide style 18v tool is branded as XR overseas. They have brushed tools that are branded as XR. They use XR differently than the NA market.
Have you done a video discussing your test equipment, electronic loads, procedures, ect? Would love to see something like that. Someone specializing in metrology and test equipment repair I would love to hear more about your methods and the evolution of your equipment and process
@@dobledekersoulwrekr i couldn't find it in their back catalog. I'd love to hear specifics regarding the dummy loads and test equipment. Maybe even a teardown of their "East tester" branded loads
This is a big reason why I dropped the Dewalt line mostly from my channel, just way to confusing. Had to watch your video twice to fully get it, nice work.
I bought the dcd999 kit with the 6Ah Flexvolt and I can tell you it is not lacking any power. It performs very well and is definitely professional-grade. Buying the 20 volt dewalt circular saw is a dumb move. The 60 volt version outperforms it and you get that sweet 9 amp battery with it. If you're buying the flexible drill kit as well, then that leaves you with a spare battery for the saw, because it will not work with the 20 volt batteries. The 60 volt saw is a beast and it performs like a good corded one. If you need batteries you should always buy the kit instead of the bare tool. Usually the kit costs about $100 more of than the bare tool. This gives you a quick charger and an expensive battery that costs a lot more than $100 if you were to buy it by itself. I trimmed away a little bit of plastic on my leaf blower so that my 9 amp battery fits in it easier. That big battery works great on the leaf blower and weed eater. I keep one of the chargers in the house and one of them in my truck, it works out great that way because I will oftentimes charge my batteries when I'm home at night so they're ready the next day. Or you can keep both of them in the truck if you need to charge two batteries at once.
I went to the store to look at dewalt batteries got confused picked up some Klein pliers on clearance (they’re pushing off Klein and estwing for more diy budget brands) and went home.
The flex volt iv used feel very stout and powerfull and is better than the XR tools I have. The XR drills I have are very tough they really have taken alot of abuse. Although the XR oscillating or I call it flush cut saw I have burnt out atleast 2 that I feel prematurely in the last ten years.
Thanks for the objective data driven videos. It really bothers me when a company creates their own unit (UWO), goes against the whole point of unit standardization.
FA & PD tools are both great tools. They both get a boost from the higher output batteries. And best of all, they are both 20v tools. So you're not wed to FV batteries to run them. I have both drills & both grinders. I have the 7¼ wormdrive style 60v Max 777 FV circular saw & the 6½ 20v Max 565 trim saw. I'm a lefthand blade guy! The PD drill is better, but marginally. They are both beasts & I love them both. The grinders are great, but they have paddle triggers & I'm not a big fan of that. So my lowly 20v Max grinder with the traditional finger trigger gets the most use. Biggest takeaway I have from this is that the 5ah PS, 6ah XR & 9ah FV are Dewalt's best batteries. So there!
Love your content as much as my Dewalt tools! May be more options out there but Dewalt is normally competitive. Powerstack and pouch cell tech has changed the battery game. Would love to see your charts used to make a list of the best tool options for each brand and rank those. Thank you!
Here's the other question - are these worth it over the non flexvolt advantage/power detect models? As soon as you start needing the 9ah flexvolt 60v packs to get the most out of the tool, why not just jump up to the full 60v tool and get all the beans? At least that was my conclusion on my grinder test video, but I'd love to see your scientific measurements to back that up.
Well I think the idea is that it's just something that gives you more options. Like trading efficiency for the ability to use a multitude of batteries.
@@WC3fanatic997you could already use a multitude of batteries...the real question is, does it actually do anything or is it no different than a better battery just doing better things. It shows up in every TTC video, put a 5ah PS on a tool instead of a regular 2ah and the tool gets more beans.
I like the versatility of FLexvolt and XR tools.I like the FLexvolt batteries on high draw tools and xr batteries on drills etc to keep weight down and of course the Flexvolt batteries can work on XR tools when needed. I love my Dewalt cordless tools they have revolutionized my productivity.
both 998 and 999 drills are way more powerful than the other drills dewalt makes. so yes, it's worth it. also think about the future. maybe sometime down the line you'll get a 60V tool, something like a mower, chain saw, snow blower, etc that will come with a 60v battery. that will automatically make your existing flexvolt tools better
@@solomonshvI already have a bunch of 60v tools, hence, I just bought the 60v grinder. I only picked up the flexvolt advantage because it was on for a good price and wanted to see what it was all about...I wasn't impressed. Also FYI, there's no 60v mower yet.
DeWalt fan boy here. Nice to see that it is an industry leader in another category: confusing their customers. They must be proud. As an aside, I'm still using my 20V Dewalt drill and impact driver I bought years ago. I installed a lot of Hardibacker using the impact driver. They've been in the mud often, and they've fallen off ladders and they are still going great. I got an off brand 3AH battery for them and they really took off with that. I would like to put up DeWalt for the lead in another category: Confusing your customers on how the name of the brand is spelled. There are at least three permutations that DeWalt, Dewalt, DeWALT has used.
The only 2 Dewalt drills i have are 60v Flexvolt and are very powerful (Mixer Drill and Joist Drill). That really has nothing to do with this video but would love to see them tested on here!
Well done! Anyone else thinking AvE should do a BOLTR to see the difference (or not) of the inside? Maybe someone could tag him if possible, not a surprise, but I am not great at this 😅
I wanted to see, what actual work over time you can get from every battery until you deplete it. I multiplied measured Watt output of every battery by that battery capacity in Ah. Heres the results (* before name means it was used on FlexVolt grinder, just like in 2nd test in video) Batt Watts W*Ah place *9fv 850 7650 1 9fv 790 7110 2 *6fv 780 4680 4 *6xr 750 4500 5 5ps 740 3700 7 6xr 720 4320 6 8xr 670 5360 3 So correct me if Im wrong, but it looks like 8xr /21700 does not make as much Power output in Watts, but over time that 8Ah is going to do more work than 6Ah FlexVolt because it will run longer. It is essential to me on work outside, thats why Im asking are my calculations and thinking correct ?
In New Zealand we have two big DIY stores Mitre 10 and Bunnings. These stores have price guarantees but only on IDENTICAL products; so if dewalt supply a 995 to one store and a 996 to another they are not identical and so the price match will not apply. - I'm sure its the same in the U.S. with Home Depot and whoever the competitor is'.
Do you have a list, google sheet, pdf, etc. available that shows the best DeWalt 20V and 60V tools you've tested? I'm a fan of DeWalt tools, but as this video clearly shows, their line ups have been so confusing lately, and I'd trust your opinion on what you'd consider the best performing models. I've been putting off upgrading because I am worried about buying the "wrong" one! 😅
Get the 60 volt saw kit and the 999 drill kit. The 60 volt saw vastly outperforms the other ones and it comes with that huge 9 amp battery. Getting the flexvolt drill kit gives you an extra battery to use in the saw also. Both tools are a beast for real-world use.
If it's power you're concerned about, simply the knowledge that using a 6ah XR or 5Ah powerstack does that much better than an 8 makes up any difference between lines. Or yolo with the 9Ah for more runtime.
DCD999 electronics/motor part # N793069. DCD998 motor/electronics #N793069. There you have it same motor and electronics. Transmission's are different numbers but all listed parts for transmission are same number?
I have been using dewalt 60v flexvolt since the beginning now I have tools dated 2016 and 2017 and still working, I do remodeling so I don't use every tool everyday but from the miter saw, table saw circular saw, grinder, saw zall, stud drill, chain saw string trimmer you named I have it and love them, now they just now expensive
Thanks for doing this comparison. These videos definitely help me make my power tool decisions. From this video in this case I’m definitely glad I do own some of the flex volt advantage tools; you guys are good decifering the world of Dewalts confusing line up.
Is there a price difference between the two? If the saw has 20% better performance at a 50% higher price that might change the math, or those two drills. Second question: How many contacts do they have with the battery? Is there even a way for them to sense anything? Or is it the standard two power, with temp connector. Great work as always.
The 60 volt DeWalt saw vastly outperforms the 20 volt version, if you're a professional or just like buying the best it is worth a little extra money. I bought that and the 999 drill kit, which means I have two 60 volt batteries to run my saw, which is plenty honestly. Also the kit is usually about $100 more than the bare tool. The battery that you get with the kit costs more than $100 by itself, plus you get a fast charger with both those kits. The 60 volt saw comes with a 9 amp battery just like the one he was using in this video. That battery by itself is very expensive and it is awesome.
Before you buy, always do your research! I own a couple of their 20V tools, that was before I discovered their 12V tools. The 12v 3/8 ratchet will dominate their 20V version. I don’t know why that is but it certainly has me doing my research first
I love this channel, but I do wonder if you guys calibrate your testing equipment often so you know your numbers are accurate? Is there a way to do that easily for you guys?
thank god you are here to test and clarify what dewalt think is clear and simple. i consider myself quite knowledgable in the power tool world but dewalt tools are all but easy to understand what is what
All of this obfuscation makes me dislike DeWalt, Home Depot and Lowes even more. Creating confusion in the market on purpose ticks me off big time. I have been moving back to the tried and true Makita line because it doesn't give me headaches :).
3:15 - The only - ONLY - difference is [I suspect] that the 'power detect' has a chip in it that pairs with a chip in the batteries that flex volt ignore. So it detects a 2ah battery and the chip reduces performance so that you'll go out and buy the full throttle 8ah (or larger) battery.
I’m not disagreeing …but if you aren’t holding the drill perfectly straight or at the exact degree of each run there could be resistance against the drill and drive bit. Therefore putting slight more stress on the drill causing lower rotation( idk how significant the numbers would be)…. Also we don’t know battery lvl of each one nor how old each one is. ( they say lithium doesn’t loose power until it completely dies but that’s bs) …dig the video though!
I don't know about Dewalt tools anymore. I loved them 30 years ago, but now they just crap out on me and that definitely pisses me off. Spend that kind of money and my cheapest tools outlast them. I won't buy them anymore. So if I need something I just go back in your archives and see what does really good and then I go get it. Yeah I have a big mix of tools, but they work hard and still keep going. My neighbor has been through 3 sets of Dewalts and Milwaukie tools and I still have my cheapos still kicking butt. Yeah he just started getting the cheapos, and he says that he should have listened to me. He would have saved a lot of money for more beer on Fridays bon fire time. 😅😅😅
It's as simple as Lowes and Home Depot having their exclusive high end offerings for customers who frequent one store over the other. What irritates me is the amount of R&D $ dedicated to making tools with trivial spec differences drives the prices up.
probably takes 10 minutes to decide how to make them different since the differences are so minor. theres no R&D in that...they just call joe the electrical engineer at his extension and ask. he pulls up the component specs and says yeah make this capacitor bigger and this resistor smaller, turn down the potentiometer a couple percent and voila....motor is good for way bigger difference so it dont matter a few - 15% percent......when joe quits theyre scrambling tho cuz it is that easy
Im sure it has to do with pricing also. By that I mean price matching between retailers. If the 2 headliners have exclusive models, then nobody else could have the same model for cheaper.
@@kazzxtrismus I can only assume that's an oversimplified way of looking at it. They have different internals, different externals, different labels, different packaging, different advertising signs/online listings, etc.
its literally how it does work.....changing aesthetics etc is just "icing on the cake" or marketing department shenanigans. the motors work in a window of voltage ameperage and maybe frequency...theres a dozen ways to skin that cat and swap components to end up at a result within the specs.....the trigger is just a trim pot etc. its still just the archaic stuff from the old days in a new smaller package....but at the end o the day....its so similar its a joke. we're at the age of commoditized electronics and have been for about 20yrs@@Tool_Addicted_Carpenter
@@kazzxtrismus I understand. I wasn't denying the simplicity of the electronics aspect, I'm saying that what you call "icing on the cake" is obviously not free.
I have 3 Flexvolt 60 tools and there all great performers The 17 inch Flexvolt 60 Trimmer crushes battery’s even on low and goes through 6 amp way to quickly with 9amp being much more useful
I've said it years ago, Dewalt is trying to appeal to everyone and their dog. They want 5 different lines, that I know of, and a myriad of battery lines to go with them. They are doing a dis-service now, as it's just too complex. This is the same reason why auto makers cut their number of models in 1/2 or more, because they are making models that no one wants. Milwaukee on the other hand did the exact opposite approach and makes just the 18V line with one quality level, the top level, and that enables them to make 100s of specific tools for very specific jobs. Problem is, they are expensive, or seem so compared to those cheaper Dewalt models. I'm a big DIY'ers so I'm able to spend the time deciphering those different lines and getting the one I really need, but it's a HUGE pain the ass. If Dewalt wants more market share, they need to remove all this crap and just make 3 lines.....beginner, intermediate and pro.........and make just one line of good batteries to go with those tools. That would be so much easier.
What I find interesting is the DeWalt marketing. I'm British and the DeWalt Flexvolt system is marketed as 54v not 60v. Likewise the 20v batteries are marked as 18v in the UK. They are exactly the same batteries but, it seems they are not allowed to claim the higher voltage because it's the fully charged level before any use and is thus not a correct voltage when attached to a tool when powered up.
When I was plumbing and using Milwaukee Brushless tools I noticed that it was more like programming in the tools brain if the tool could benefit from a high output battery. Dummer the tool "Vacuum" the more beans it could use.
The 60v saw and that new impact nearly made me jump into Dewalt. But after some research, the massive cluster of confusion around the whole Dewalt line, I just cant do it. The marketing team has muddied the water so bad for consumers its turning me away.
i have the 418 and it is a monster. I had been wanting a cordless grinder for a while. was going to buy a bare 20v tool, but they were 229 dollars. Another store had the 418 with a 9ah pack for 289. That sold me on getting the 60v and i am glad i did.
Hey companies (looking at you, SBD): if you make your product stack so confusing that I can't figure it out, I'm going to be scared to buy any of your tools, because I don't actually know what I'm getting.
The only reason why these 2 lines exist is because of Home Depot and Lowe's. Like flexvolt tools are exclusive to Home Depot... Yes you can buy them other places but not at Lowe's. Basically the 2 lines were created to serve both stores because flexvolt name is exclusive to the depot. Each chain wants exclusive lines so here you go. Milwaukee isn't sold at Lowe's so you don't need to worry about exclusives
Regarding variance of build quality, does a company such as Dewalt or Milwaukee or ANYONE make any claims regarding the quality control of their build quality and if there are tolerances that can be expected? Any hard numbers, even if they're just lies?
As my Craftsman 1/4 Impact Driver using a 1/2 adapter is capable of removing lugs off a tahoe that is dealership maintained would that make it decent in that regard? Or should i get their actual Impact Wrench? (i dont do much vehicle stuff though)
It would be epic if you do a collaborative work with Toad from Project Farm, with a topic like "did RUclips tests channels have a gap between each other ?"
I've been looking to upgrade my more budget diy tools to something more serious and DeWalt was my top choice. Then I had a closer look at their batteries and just got totally hammered and confused with the naming and everything. So I just kept my old stuff. One choice of batteries means you can't go wrong.
I mean I've heard middling things about the 8ah DeWalt batteries, personally, but I have no personal experience with them. I've also heard some bad things about a few batches of the 10ah ones. This video is, however, making me feel better about all the 6ah ones I have.
ignore the nonsense you hear about the 8ah batteries people cry about online. i saw a lot of posts on social media where people complained about them and showed pictures of what were clearly fake batteries they got from 3rd party amazon sellers, facebook, ebay, etc. they put out a little less power than the 6ah XR, but usually enough to notice a difference when you are actually working.
The only new dewalt tool i have bought was the flexvolt grinder abd it the asted itself in two dayd at the shop. I assume it was just a bad tool and not that theyre all the same, but man was i bummed out. Went and swapped it for my makita grinder and that grinder is a beast.
@@jamesfair9751 I only have 1, and it's almost a year old now. I guess I'll see how long it lasts. I've been using the fast charger with active cooling.
@@jamesfair9751How are you using them, I have been using a 9 Ah since around September 2022 on my weed trimmer and leaf blower without issue. The blower drains the 9 ah in under 20 minutes so I would believe this would cause damage due to the high discharge rate.
Improvement is good, variety in batteries is bad. Stability in a platform has to be a key factor for many people. Dewalt is just too confusing in their line up.
We do 5 tests of each test on drills. The watts tests are always the same, but they take so much juice that they go increasingly down bit by bit if done back to back. But we've done 5 tests on fresh batteries and every time they are exact.
As a carpenter, these videos are so incredibly helpful before I buy new tools. I'm team yellow, but their marketing and specs do raise a lot of questions
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We re-wrote this episode 3 times because their product lines are so confusing. We tried to lay it out as straight forward as we can with numbers and even a summary of FAQ at the end - and it's still not easily skimmable content. Sorry for that. You can find many of the best tested options here: www.amazon.com/shop/torquetestchannel
We're not recommending going out and buying "the best" battery here, more figuring out which tool is a better buy overall with any battery.
The summary at the end really helped, was difficult to keep track of which battery was which through the tests lol
Literally said this yesterday in my video about the different models of seemingly the same tools.
@@ToolDeals the struggle is real for creators covering DeWALT. And we have the info right in front of us. The average consumer? It's like DeWALT dropped their toddler off at the deep end of the swimming pool so they can get on a conference call about quarterly earnings.
Worked for me, apart from advantages with missing 'n's :D
Seriously though, consistently solid work chaps, you don't flower it up, even the humour is educational/experiential, this makes both the runs and narration easilty absorbable. I'm admittedly wired to deal with information, but it just seemed like a lightly caveated(tool support) multi-tool take of your normal "objective showdown" battery test format.
I think I can understand the tool choices it seems to be implemented in first, even if just as priority. You have to limit a tool less when it has a better understanding of it's operating environment. Circ saws and grinders can bog down badly if you have droop on due to radius, and there isn't really an alternative for most. A general drill is suited to light steel/masonary at best, there is always something bigger and better suited to heavy tasks. For building it's a proper SDS drill or impact wrench and cars it's a pillar, as the part is off the vehicle. With all that said, think I would be crying foul if they weren't two entirely different product lines, thanks for keeping the discourse real.
@@TorqueTestChannel 😂😂😂 yeah man the struggle is definitely real! Don't even get me started on the impact wrenches 🥴
Thanks for being the industry's lie detector test. You guys do some great work and we appreciate it. See you in the next one.
Came here to say this.
Good work everyone.
I think the purpose of this is that they signed “exclusive” contracts with both Home Depot and Lowes. Both stores wanted a different line, and Lowes wanted to make sure that their product wasn’t clearly worse than home depots. If the flexvolt was the “top of the line” then nobody would buy dewalt tools from Lowes. Thus they end up making two slightly different tools, surround it with un-verifiable marketing, and confused customers continue to buy tools from both retailers
Same shit with Stanley hand tools only being at HD, Craftsman hand tools only at Lowe's.
Flexvolt is the top of the line. Pure Flexvolt is 60V only. The circular saw runs circles around every other DeWalt circular saw. And yes. 60v Flexvolt is only sold at HD.
In reality both are great tools from both lines. All depends on the batteries you have, do you have both stores nearby, the price etc I don't really find it confusing unless you're tool brain dead IMO
You do know why Lowes does it right? Their "if you can get it cheaper then we will match it" moto. So they have a different version so they can piss all over that moto which is why I tend to not like going there unless a really good deal or they just have what HD stops carrying.
As far as the reason if its not fully clear, if say HD does a deal and they sell out of said product then people could take the lesser price proof to Lowes and get a discount which is pretty much the only reason for their moto. If you don't got it then they don't have to honor it and Lowes is big enough that Dewalt makes another model for them.
@@silentferret1049 Exactly. They do this so you can't price-match between them because they are "different" but extremely similar tools.
If there is one thing to be said about DeWalt, they really do top the chart in customer confusion. You laid it out as plain as can be and I'm still mildly bewildered.
"If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull$h!t." - W.C. Fields. (also, StanleyBlack&Decker)
The modern American corporation in a nutshell.
Great video. What's not ambiguous is Dewalt's entire marketing department should be fired for incompetence.
No its Lowes, they want their own version so they don't have to follow their moto. Dewalt is just making money
SBD has to satisfy a lot of customers - and those are stores, not end users. It’s not an easy job and at the end of the day clarity is not what sells tools
The marketing department is getting a raise because this ambiguity is precisely what they were told to create.
I'm convinced that a lot of these manufacturers create confusion for profit.
They want their old stock to sell as well as their sub par tools that may have higher margins/ profits because of lower R&D costs, etc.
They don't want transparency, but that's where TTC comes in and lays down the pimp hand! Thank you!
As a dewalt guy this is the video I have been waiting for. You guys are killing it with this content!
I agree with you 👍
As an ex-DeWalt guy, I agree!
Well done analysis. My takeaway is that the marketing and model line complexity is a total mess on this brand (and others). Too many variations of similar products, too many different names, etc. Reminds me of 1980's General Motors. You could get away with this in the old days, but a smart marketer at SBD/Dewalt would clean and tidy the product lines and simplify things. The websites are absolutely useless when trying to understand which drill (or insert favorite power tool) is best for your needs.
@@users-bibi50 I agree. Don't forget the last "S": "Keep It Simple Stupid" haha.
My money is on the Dewalt taking this one.
Everyone gets an L on todays episode! People who said they are all the same, people who said they are all way different. DeWALT for creating this confusion in the first place and assigning specs that are based on whatever the weather was that day.
@@TorqueTestChannel Well Home Depot took a a little w. On top of the bigger W they had which was they stocked Flexvolt tools, and now you can buy Flexvolt advantage tools.
I think this was Dewalt trying to keep two very rival retailers happy. And you’re right the consumers loses here because now these two retailers don’t have to compete with these tools on pricing. Since you can’t price match to different products. But ya that r and d budget could of been spent on just giving us the better tool models!
@@TorqueTestChannelwhat a burn. Take that DeWalt!
@@juanc5149 I remember a few months ago when there was all this debacle about DeWalt possibly leaving HD and I wondered what would happen to the FV lineup since it's HD exclusive?
Now that I think it wouldn't have made sense about getting rid of DeWalt, they have an Advantage (pun intended) they can bank on
@@TorqueTestChannelWRONG! TTC takes a W for the video! ❤👏🎉✊🥇🥹🥳
Would have been nice seeing the 9 Amp/Hr battery head-to-head on the drills.
Would also be nice to see comparable tools that aren’t FlexVolt Advantage or PowerDetect to see if it’s really the tools or tech.
Just got into professional carpentry and you guys have been my guide for disentangling the mess that is DeWalt tool lines. Much appreciated and love the Friday lunch time vids!
Which DeWalt power tools have you bought so far?
Thank you TTC. I have been in the DeWalt line for years and have to watch this channel before I go out and buy a new tool. DeWalt confuses the hell out of me.
Have you thought about testing to see how much variance there is between tools of same make and model? I am curious how much they might vary.
I was thinking about this also. Batteries too, especially when comparing different brands.
This!
Definitely this. Really can’t say with certainty what is going on until a meaningful number of the same tool or battery are tested. Even then, if you go to HD and buy 6 drills off the shelf, you’re possibly getting six units made at the same time in the same factory. Gotta mix it up to test brand consistency. Of course that’s a huge ask for a RUclips channel to be doing layman QC testing!!! Keep up the good work
Seems likely, but expensive and annoying for those doing the testing!
@@danr9183 Yeah that was my thought also. It's a pretty big outlay to buy a bunch of the same tools.
Not to muddy it up, but the real test is do these PD and FVA tools outperform their standard XR brethren (DCD996, DCG413, DCS570) when used with the same newer more powerful batteries. I.e. All the "more power than" claims are based off the standard XR tool using a 5Ah battery. So a PD tool with an 8Ah, or FVA with a 6Ah FV, is rated higher than an XR tool with a standard 5Ah. That seems obvious. But what if they are all using a 5Ah or all using a 6Ah FV? I'd like to see all the 9 of the tools, each tested with a standard 5Ah, the kitted 8Ah XR, and the kitted 6Ah FV (we already know a Powerstack or 9Ah will give extra sauce). That would showcase the differences more, imo.
Starting my tool collection from scratch after being out of the country I spent a lot of time picking a base brand I went down the rabbit hole. I ended up with Milwaukee because they had the least confusing battery solutions. I know every battery works on every respective tool. I think DeWalt has some amazing stuff but limited by their complicated battery options. Trying to buy my dad and brother DeWalt tools can lead to madness. Thank you for this video as I hope it saves others the rabbit hole.
I previously owned Milwaukee M18 and it was good. Now I own Makita XGT and it is so much more ergonomic, powerful, and has many more features.
Milwaukee's dog shit battery lineup is the reason i went with dewalt. there are no good compact 18V batteries. their 2amp M18 battery is huge for what it is. their compact tools have their own battery 12v lines that require different chargers.
with dewalt, you can get a tiny 1.7ah powerstack (my favorite battery) and it will work with the entire tool lineup, anything from a compact drill to a chainsaw, with the exception of their really expensive 60V tools. but those are clearly marked as being 60V. Their 60V batteries can work in 20V mode and will run anything.
I own dewalt but I would own Milwaukee. I think it's smart that they have different battery form factors.
@@solomonshv every one of my Milwaukee chargers has a spot for the 12v batteries
@@solomonshvi think you never really worked with the fuel lineup from milwaukee. And now you’re on the best of dewalt. Comparing apple and oranges. M12 tools are smaller tools and made to replace handtools or small air tools. Then m18 are the bigger, more powerful tools. It’s really easy to understand and most have both. That’s why milwaukee gives a charger that charges m12 and m18 in their kits.
I'm honestly more confused now than ever. Not by your testing or methodology. But by why these differences exist at all.
Honnestly with the small differences its just variance in between tools (one might have a slightly better motor, like not desighned better just made a little better, the specs are not exactly what every tool will get but is a designed for goal that you might get a little more or less than.)
I love their reviews but some of the closer results are suspect as they only use 1 tool from 1 batch and say that tool is the best.
so you cant price match between lowes and Home Depot..."cuz theyre not the same tool"
meanwhile they mostly are the same tool and almost totally interchangeable.....
the differences of a few percent are nearly nothing by the end of the work day
bigger differences are probably by decisions made intentionally to try to stand out against the competitor
the best kit will end up being a drill from store A and a saw from store B
and nobody gets a "price match discount"
@@kazzxtrismus both lowes and HD are trash. i get most of my tools from acme tools. they carry both flexvolt advanatge and power detect. and their sales are way better. i paid $280 for the DCK2100D1T1 kit, which included the DCD999 flexvolt drill in this video, a 6ah FV battery, 2ah battery, 1/4" impact and a 6amp charger. neither HD nor lowes will do better with any amount of "price matching"
I was in Home Depot the other day and bought a grinder, as I only had a corded one. Got home and couldn't fit my 5ah batteries in, and it was then I was introduced to FlexVolt tools. HD had a deal on Dewalt chainsaw, which came with two 9ah Flexvolt, so I bought that and now have a grinder that works and a chainsaw to boot. I have been buying Dewalt tools since 2006 and did not know about this (just a DIYer, more of a tool collector and workshop user!)
Is there anyway you can hook up the tools to a current regulated power supply? This would definitively prove that there's no tech really involved, it's just down to how much total power the tool is able to draw from what is connected and that most of the tools are artificially limited by the capabilities of the battery packs, wiring, and controllers. This could also add another stat to the charts of theoretical maximum output for the tools which could help see what kind of improvements the manufacturer could make just by optimizing the batteries to hit those max power targets in future revisions of the tool(s).
This is one of the biggest reasons why I steered away from dewalt
Milwaukee is easy there basic brushed, then mid grade brushless, and then fuel. Nice and easy and you have generations of tools and you have regular batteries and high output
Great stuff, I would really like too see them disassembled and compare the motors themselves. Interested if it's only a difference in software or inverter components.
Honestly, it's tests like these that help me determine which Dewalt models to get these days.
A certification in Dewaltology will be necessary for installers and tradesmen to ensure they get the best tool for the job.
Or just but a different brand
I have no idea why anyone would buy DW tools, their existing record on battery quality and technology has been suspect since their Nicad days. I know most battery tool mfrs are somewhat disingenuous, but they have not been caught so often !
I've not had a single battery issue in any of my 60+ batteries. Straight facts.
im going to flex tools tbh...milwackee and dumbwalt can suck it
I think this will need a Part 2, where now all these types and combinations are thrown through a battery runtime gamut, to see if they're Ah rating match up. As well as to see if the confusion continues between which can do *_more work_* despite being the more, or less, powerful tool!
In the same store you might end up with the same brand tools in different combo kits that have dramatic differences in performance. My thoughts is they should put old tools on sale to get them off the shelves and always have their best tools on offer but that isn't realistic.
Dewalt is king of not knowing what you are buying.
One of the main reasons I avoid Dewalt is the simple fact that I can’t make heads or tails of what they’re ranking is in terms of power/performance. With other brands it’s either fuel, or HP, or brushless, or Flex or Hercules, but since Dewalt decided to offer like 8 versions of every tool, it’s too confusing, at least to my insignificant brain. Unfortunately TTC has only made it worse by sowing more doubt lol. Love you guys!
Your loss...............
I couldn't agree more. I too am too dumb for Dewalt. Dewalt buyers must be geniuses.
XR vs atom
@@slingin_tiresjust converted a dewalt company to milwaukee. Dewalt warranty and service was the main reason. Then i put a milwaukee fuel grinder in the hands of a big guy and told him to try and stop the tool on a metal surface. He couldn’t. He was also pissed at dewalt for being so confusing in their batteries so he wanted corded tools from milwaukee. But i told him any m18 would work on any m18 tool and he was hooked
I honestly have a Flexvolt recip saw because I won it on the Mastering Mayhem channel a few years ago. If I were to buy I would still go Flexvolt because of the advantage of using it in XR tools. Giving a higher ah for them.
"The 850 is branded as XR overseas". EVERY slide style 18v tool is branded as XR overseas. They have brushed tools that are branded as XR. They use XR differently than the NA market.
Have you done a video discussing your test equipment, electronic loads, procedures, ect? Would love to see something like that. Someone specializing in metrology and test equipment repair I would love to hear more about your methods and the evolution of your equipment and process
They have
@@dobledekersoulwrekr i couldn't find it in their back catalog. I'd love to hear specifics regarding the dummy loads and test equipment. Maybe even a teardown of their "East tester" branded loads
This is a big reason why I dropped the Dewalt line mostly from my channel, just way to confusing. Had to watch your video twice to fully get it, nice work.
Thanks for doing this. As a Dewalt tool person, I like to see stuff like this, but then again, I use the old Dewalt 18V tools with the 20V adapter.
I bought the dcd999 kit with the 6Ah Flexvolt and I can tell you it is not lacking any power. It performs very well and is definitely professional-grade.
Buying the 20 volt dewalt circular saw is a dumb move. The 60 volt version outperforms it and you get that sweet 9 amp battery with it. If you're buying the flexible drill kit as well, then that leaves you with a spare battery for the saw, because it will not work with the 20 volt batteries. The 60 volt saw is a beast and it performs like a good corded one.
If you need batteries you should always buy the kit instead of the bare tool. Usually the kit costs about $100 more of than the bare tool. This gives you a quick charger and an expensive battery that costs a lot more than $100 if you were to buy it by itself.
I trimmed away a little bit of plastic on my leaf blower so that my 9 amp battery fits in it easier. That big battery works great on the leaf blower and weed eater.
I keep one of the chargers in the house and one of them in my truck, it works out great that way because I will oftentimes charge my batteries when I'm home at night so they're ready the next day. Or you can keep both of them in the truck if you need to charge two batteries at once.
I went to the store to look at dewalt batteries got confused picked up some Klein pliers on clearance (they’re pushing off Klein and estwing for more diy budget brands) and went home.
I was so excited when I got the Hercules Ultra Torque… now I barely ever get to use it because the DCF891 just eats haha
The flex volt iv used feel very stout and powerfull and is better than the XR tools I have. The XR drills I have are very tough they really have taken alot of abuse. Although the XR oscillating or I call it flush cut saw I have burnt out atleast 2 that I feel prematurely in the last ten years.
Thanks for the objective data driven videos. It really bothers me when a company creates their own unit (UWO), goes against the whole point of unit standardization.
Marketing abhors standardization.
Are you telling me that you don't like vacuum cleaners measured at "Peak Air Watts"? 😅😂😂
FA & PD tools are both great tools. They both get a boost from the higher output batteries. And best of all, they are both 20v tools. So you're not wed to FV batteries to run them. I have both drills & both grinders. I have the 7¼ wormdrive style 60v Max 777 FV circular saw & the 6½ 20v Max 565 trim saw. I'm a lefthand blade guy! The PD drill is better, but marginally. They are both beasts & I love them both. The grinders are great, but they have paddle triggers & I'm not a big fan of that. So my lowly 20v Max grinder with the traditional finger trigger gets the most use. Biggest takeaway I have from this is that the 5ah PS, 6ah XR & 9ah FV are Dewalt's best batteries. So there!
Love your content as much as my Dewalt tools! May be more options out there but Dewalt is normally competitive.
Powerstack and pouch cell tech has changed the battery game.
Would love to see your charts used to make a list of the best tool options for each brand and rank those. Thank you!
Here's the other question - are these worth it over the non flexvolt advantage/power detect models? As soon as you start needing the 9ah flexvolt 60v packs to get the most out of the tool, why not just jump up to the full 60v tool and get all the beans? At least that was my conclusion on my grinder test video, but I'd love to see your scientific measurements to back that up.
Well I think the idea is that it's just something that gives you more options. Like trading efficiency for the ability to use a multitude of batteries.
@@WC3fanatic997you could already use a multitude of batteries...the real question is, does it actually do anything or is it no different than a better battery just doing better things. It shows up in every TTC video, put a 5ah PS on a tool instead of a regular 2ah and the tool gets more beans.
I like the versatility of FLexvolt and XR tools.I like the FLexvolt batteries on high draw tools and xr batteries on drills etc to keep weight down and of course the Flexvolt batteries can work on XR tools when needed. I love my Dewalt cordless tools they have revolutionized my productivity.
both 998 and 999 drills are way more powerful than the other drills dewalt makes. so yes, it's worth it. also think about the future. maybe sometime down the line you'll get a 60V tool, something like a mower, chain saw, snow blower, etc that will come with a 60v battery. that will automatically make your existing flexvolt tools better
@@solomonshvI already have a bunch of 60v tools, hence, I just bought the 60v grinder. I only picked up the flexvolt advantage because it was on for a good price and wanted to see what it was all about...I wasn't impressed.
Also FYI, there's no 60v mower yet.
DeWalt fan boy here. Nice to see that it is an industry leader in another category: confusing their customers. They must be proud. As an aside, I'm still using my 20V Dewalt drill and impact driver I bought years ago. I installed a lot of Hardibacker using the impact driver. They've been in the mud often, and they've fallen off ladders and they are still going great. I got an off brand 3AH battery for them and they really took off with that. I would like to put up DeWalt for the lead in another category: Confusing your customers on how the name of the brand is spelled. There are at least three permutations that DeWalt, Dewalt, DeWALT has used.
At the end of the day, i still love DeWalt with all their mistakes and esp. their wins! 💯
I own the power detect drill, and the grinder. I find it does make a difference with what battery you use. Especially with the grinder.
Ok am I the only person that REFUSE to watch new episodes of TTC until I am all alone, door closed, phone on silent so I get NO INTERRUPTION?!😅
The only 2 Dewalt drills i have are 60v Flexvolt and are very powerful (Mixer Drill and Joist Drill). That really has nothing to do with this video but would love to see them tested on here!
i have been asking for joist drill testing as well!
Well done! Anyone else thinking AvE should do a BOLTR to see the difference (or not) of the inside? Maybe someone could tag him if possible, not a surprise, but I am not great at this 😅
I wanted to see, what actual work over time you can get from every battery until you deplete it.
I multiplied measured Watt output of every battery by that battery capacity in Ah.
Heres the results (* before name means it was used on FlexVolt grinder, just like in 2nd test in video)
Batt Watts W*Ah place
*9fv 850 7650 1
9fv 790 7110 2
*6fv 780 4680 4
*6xr 750 4500 5
5ps 740 3700 7
6xr 720 4320 6
8xr 670 5360 3
So correct me if Im wrong, but it looks like 8xr /21700 does not make as much Power output in Watts, but over time that 8Ah is going to do more work than 6Ah FlexVolt because it will run longer. It is essential to me on work outside, thats why Im asking are my calculations and thinking correct ?
With this confusion seems nice to be on team teal. Where there are just a few batteries, no individual big box branding.
In New Zealand we have two big DIY stores Mitre 10 and Bunnings. These stores have price guarantees but only on IDENTICAL products; so if dewalt supply a 995 to one store and a 996 to another they are not identical and so the price match will not apply.
- I'm sure its the same in the U.S. with Home Depot and whoever the competitor is'.
Do you have a list, google sheet, pdf, etc. available that shows the best DeWalt 20V and 60V tools you've tested?
I'm a fan of DeWalt tools, but as this video clearly shows, their line ups have been so confusing lately, and I'd trust your opinion on what you'd consider the best performing models.
I've been putting off upgrading because I am worried about buying the "wrong" one! 😅
Get the 60 volt saw kit and the 999 drill kit. The 60 volt saw vastly outperforms the other ones and it comes with that huge 9 amp battery. Getting the flexvolt drill kit gives you an extra battery to use in the saw also. Both tools are a beast for real-world use.
😅 *_So Makita it is then..._*
Less than 2 weeks ago I bought the XR angle grinder 😂
Threw away the receipt and box a few days ago. Magnificent
If it's power you're concerned about, simply the knowledge that using a 6ah XR or 5Ah powerstack does that much better than an 8 makes up any difference between lines. Or yolo with the 9Ah for more runtime.
@alexander-yd3hz more powerful cells inside
I use makita mostly and I don't remember ever being confused by them. Not to this level anyway.
DCD999 electronics/motor part # N793069. DCD998 motor/electronics #N793069. There you have it same motor and electronics. Transmission's are different numbers but all listed parts for transmission are same number?
I have been using dewalt 60v flexvolt since the beginning now I have tools dated 2016 and 2017 and still working, I do remodeling so I don't use every tool everyday but from the miter saw, table saw circular saw, grinder, saw zall, stud drill, chain saw string trimmer you named I have it and love them, now they just now expensive
Thanks for doing this comparison. These videos definitely help me make my power tool decisions. From this video in this case I’m definitely glad I do own some of the flex volt advantage tools; you guys are good decifering the world of Dewalts confusing line up.
Is there a price difference between the two? If the saw has 20% better performance at a 50% higher price that might change the math, or those two drills. Second question: How many contacts do they have with the battery? Is there even a way for them to sense anything? Or is it the standard two power, with temp connector.
Great work as always.
The 60 volt DeWalt saw vastly outperforms the 20 volt version, if you're a professional or just like buying the best it is worth a little extra money. I bought that and the 999 drill kit, which means I have two 60 volt batteries to run my saw, which is plenty honestly.
Also the kit is usually about $100 more than the bare tool. The battery that you get with the kit costs more than $100 by itself, plus you get a fast charger with both those kits. The 60 volt saw comes with a 9 amp battery just like the one he was using in this video. That battery by itself is very expensive and it is awesome.
Hay torque test channel There's a new harbor freight earthquake impact wrench rated for 1500 bolt brake away.
Before you buy, always do your research! I own a couple of their 20V tools, that was before I discovered their 12V tools. The 12v 3/8 ratchet will dominate their 20V version. I don’t know why that is but it certainly has me doing my research first
best channel on youtube!
Your content is getting better and better every month. Always looking forward to a new video
I love this channel, but I do wonder if you guys calibrate your testing equipment often so you know your numbers are accurate? Is there a way to do that easily for you guys?
I wonder how much of this is just manufacturing variance... feel like testing 5 of each?
Sure, send em over :P
thank god you are here to test and clarify what dewalt think is clear and simple. i consider myself quite knowledgable in the power tool world but dewalt tools are all but easy to understand what is what
All of this obfuscation makes me dislike DeWalt, Home Depot and Lowes even more. Creating confusion in the market on purpose ticks me off big time. I have been moving back to the tried and true Makita line because it doesn't give me headaches :).
well said!
Your channel is awesome! Keep it up!
The end of this video should be a RUclips short, it is truly baffling shit.
3:15 - The only - ONLY - difference is [I suspect] that the 'power detect' has a chip in it that pairs with a chip in the batteries that flex volt ignore. So it detects a 2ah battery and the chip reduces performance so that you'll go out and buy the full throttle 8ah (or larger) battery.
I’m not disagreeing …but if you aren’t holding the drill perfectly straight or at the exact degree of each run there could be resistance against the drill and drive bit. Therefore putting slight more stress on the drill causing lower rotation( idk how significant the numbers would be)…. Also we don’t know battery lvl of each one nor how old each one is. ( they say lithium doesn’t loose power until it completely dies but that’s bs) …dig the video though!
I don't know about Dewalt tools anymore. I loved them 30 years ago, but now they just crap out on me and that definitely pisses me off. Spend that kind of money and my cheapest tools outlast them. I won't buy them anymore. So if I need something I just go back in your archives and see what does really good and then I go get it. Yeah I have a big mix of tools, but they work hard and still keep going. My neighbor has been through 3 sets of Dewalts and Milwaukie tools and I still have my cheapos still kicking butt. Yeah he just started getting the cheapos, and he says that he should have listened to me. He would have saved a lot of money for more beer on Fridays bon fire time. 😅😅😅
It's as simple as Lowes and Home Depot having their exclusive high end offerings for customers who frequent one store over the other. What irritates me is the amount of R&D $ dedicated to making tools with trivial spec differences drives the prices up.
probably takes 10 minutes to decide how to make them different since the differences are so minor.
theres no R&D in that...they just call joe the electrical engineer at his extension and ask.
he pulls up the component specs and says yeah make this capacitor bigger and this resistor smaller, turn down the potentiometer a couple percent and voila....motor is good for way bigger difference so it dont matter a few - 15% percent......when joe quits theyre scrambling tho
cuz it is that easy
Im sure it has to do with pricing also. By that I mean price matching between retailers. If the 2 headliners have exclusive models, then nobody else could have the same model for cheaper.
@@kazzxtrismus I can only assume that's an oversimplified way of looking at it. They have different internals, different externals, different labels, different packaging, different advertising signs/online listings, etc.
its literally how it does work.....changing aesthetics etc is just "icing on the cake" or marketing department shenanigans.
the motors work in a window of voltage ameperage and maybe frequency...theres a dozen ways to skin that cat and swap components to end up at a result within the specs.....the trigger is just a trim pot etc.
its still just the archaic stuff from the old days in a new smaller package....but at the end o the day....its so similar its a joke.
we're at the age of commoditized electronics and have been for about 20yrs@@Tool_Addicted_Carpenter
@@kazzxtrismus I understand. I wasn't denying the simplicity of the electronics aspect, I'm saying that what you call "icing on the cake" is obviously not free.
I have 3 Flexvolt 60 tools and there all great performers
The 17 inch Flexvolt 60 Trimmer crushes battery’s even on low and goes through 6 amp way to quickly with 9amp being much more useful
I don't even bother with DeWalt anymore with how confusing they've made everything.
Home Depot and Lowe's caused this not DeWalt
Doesn't seem like we get the 'power direct' range in UK, just curious is there any price difference between them anf Flexvolt Advantage?
I've said it years ago, Dewalt is trying to appeal to everyone and their dog. They want 5 different lines, that I know of, and a myriad of battery lines to go with them. They are doing a dis-service now, as it's just too complex. This is the same reason why auto makers cut their number of models in 1/2 or more, because they are making models that no one wants. Milwaukee on the other hand did the exact opposite approach and makes just the 18V line with one quality level, the top level, and that enables them to make 100s of specific tools for very specific jobs. Problem is, they are expensive, or seem so compared to those cheaper Dewalt models. I'm a big DIY'ers so I'm able to spend the time deciphering those different lines and getting the one I really need, but it's a HUGE pain the ass. If Dewalt wants more market share, they need to remove all this crap and just make 3 lines.....beginner, intermediate and pro.........and make just one line of good batteries to go with those tools. That would be so much easier.
I just love my dewalt flexvolt tools. You guys should test the 60v saws, see if they have more uwo than 20v? Great content as always
they are doing that. he even said so in this video. there is a high end saw video coming.
What I find interesting is the DeWalt marketing. I'm British and the DeWalt Flexvolt system is marketed as 54v not 60v. Likewise the 20v batteries are marked as 18v in the UK. They are exactly the same batteries but, it seems they are not allowed to claim the higher voltage because it's the fully charged level before any use and is thus not a correct voltage when attached to a tool when powered up.
Due to Milwaukee 18V lithium battery tool patents in the states, it's all a bit silly
When I was plumbing and using Milwaukee Brushless tools I noticed that it was more like programming in the tools brain if the tool could benefit from a high output battery. Dummer the tool "Vacuum" the more beans it could use.
The 60v saw and that new impact nearly made me jump into Dewalt. But after some research, the massive cluster of confusion around the whole Dewalt line, I just cant do it. The marketing team has muddied the water so bad for consumers its turning me away.
Did I made right choice, when i bought 60th volth dcs578 and dcg418? My goal was is maximum power
Yes
DCG440 advertised by DeWalt to make 30% more torque than the DCG418 using DCB609. But it's also heavier at 6lbs vs. 4.6lbs.
i have the 418 and it is a monster. I had been wanting a cordless grinder for a while. was going to buy a bare 20v tool, but they were 229 dollars. Another store had the 418 with a 9ah pack for 289. That sold me on getting the 60v and i am glad i did.
Im waiting for a good offer for dcg405fn in my region, it's not a beast, but pretty useful for some welding tasks
Great video! I do wish the drills had also ran the 9ah FV battery like on other tests.
Hey companies (looking at you, SBD): if you make your product stack so confusing that I can't figure it out, I'm going to be scared to buy any of your tools, because I don't actually know what I'm getting.
Good detective work! Someday I hope you release a spreadsheet that shows how much you've spent on all these tools. My guess is - - a lot!
You will have to amend this video with DeWalts NEW battery type coming out. LOVED your video, much needed.
The only reason why these 2 lines exist is because of Home Depot and Lowe's. Like flexvolt tools are exclusive to Home Depot... Yes you can buy them other places but not at Lowe's. Basically the 2 lines were created to serve both stores because flexvolt name is exclusive to the depot. Each chain wants exclusive lines so here you go. Milwaukee isn't sold at Lowe's so you don't need to worry about exclusives
But what about more powerfull FlexVolt batteries? Dewalt market such difference for 12ah FV afaik.
Great job all, thank you!
Regarding variance of build quality, does a company such as Dewalt or Milwaukee or ANYONE make any claims regarding the quality control of their build quality and if there are tolerances that can be expected? Any hard numbers, even if they're just lies?
As my Craftsman 1/4 Impact Driver using a 1/2 adapter is capable of removing lugs off a tahoe that is dealership maintained would that make it decent in that regard? Or should i get their actual Impact Wrench? (i dont do much vehicle stuff though)
To be honest, FlexVolt never made any sense to me.
but I'm curious on hat the run times would be 60V vs 20V
It would be epic if you do a collaborative work with Toad from Project Farm, with a topic like "did RUclips tests channels have a gap between each other ?"
I've been looking to upgrade my more budget diy tools to something more serious and DeWalt was my top choice.
Then I had a closer look at their batteries and just got totally hammered and confused with the naming and everything.
So I just kept my old stuff. One choice of batteries means you can't go wrong.
this is one of the good tools testing I ever have. I enjoy. All power tools brand has similar marketing issues we choose what we feel like to buy
I mean I've heard middling things about the 8ah DeWalt batteries, personally, but I have no personal experience with them. I've also heard some bad things about a few batches of the 10ah ones.
This video is, however, making me feel better about all the 6ah ones I have.
ignore the nonsense you hear about the 8ah batteries people cry about online. i saw a lot of posts on social media where people complained about them and showed pictures of what were clearly fake batteries they got from 3rd party amazon sellers, facebook, ebay, etc. they put out a little less power than the 6ah XR, but usually enough to notice a difference when you are actually working.
The only new dewalt tool i have bought was the flexvolt grinder abd it the asted itself in two dayd at the shop. I assume it was just a bad tool and not that theyre all the same, but man was i bummed out. Went and swapped it for my makita grinder and that grinder is a beast.
What's the difference between UWO vs MWO?
Unit watts out and Max Watts out, i dunno. Ask DeWALT :D
Took your advice about the 9AH FV battery a few months ago, and glad I did! That battery is a beast
Yeah but they have their downsides I’ve got 10 of them and two have crapped out after only barely being used three times !!!
@@jamesfair9751 have you tried to jump start it with a fresh battery? It's worked for me on a couple batteries
@@jamesfair9751 I only have 1, and it's almost a year old now. I guess I'll see how long it lasts. I've been using the fast charger with active cooling.
@@jamesfair9751How are you using them, I have been using a 9 Ah since around September 2022 on my weed trimmer and leaf blower without issue. The blower drains the 9 ah in under 20 minutes so I would believe this would cause damage due to the high discharge rate.
Improvement is good, variety in batteries is bad. Stability in a platform has to be a key factor for many people. Dewalt is just too confusing in their line up.
Nice comparison video. Although I would like to see at least two tests of each test to help verify results.
We do 5 tests of each test on drills. The watts tests are always the same, but they take so much juice that they go increasingly down bit by bit if done back to back. But we've done 5 tests on fresh batteries and every time they are exact.
@@TorqueTestChannel 😎 👍 😊
You provide a public service -- an antidote to DeWalt's fog. Thank you.
As a carpenter, these videos are so incredibly helpful before I buy new tools. I'm team yellow, but their marketing and specs do raise a lot of questions
Somehow, I debate buying power detect tools, I'm i have mostly 20v, flexvolt, and flexvolt advantage.