New DeWalt 18v tools

[RalphVa]

Has anyone replaced their old 18v DeWalt tools with the new 20v lithium ion ones?

I can replace all our 5 tools with 5 of the new ones for $438. Looks like. About time. Our DeWalt 18v ones date back to 1994.

Biggest problem with the old 18v ones was the way the batteries click in and out. Some batteries were devils to get out of the tool, particularly any non-DeWalt ones I bought at the local battery store.

How do the new ones work?

I've 18v B&D chain saws/grass whip and 40v lawn mower & chain saw. These batteries release quite easily. The 40v ones just slide in and have a single clip release to pop them out. The B&D ones have a single release on one end of the batteries.

Ralph

 

[Jim Nelson]

I really like the new DeWalt 20V stuff with the 3.0 batteries.They have a single clip release that is easy to use.The only" problem ", if you can call it that, is the impact driver is too powerful and you have to be careful or you'll twist things off,but they are fine for lags. I have a 12V driver/ drill set that I prefer for screw driving. The 20V 3/8" square drive impact is super for wrenching and works great for lug nuts.

 

[George2615]

I own a 20V Lithium DeWalt 1/2" cordless drill I use at work.

In the home garage my Ryobi and Milwaukee cordless drills have seen their last days. Batteries won't hold charge any more on the Ryobi and the Milwaukee gears recently wore out. I also needed to replace a HF 1/2" corded drill that had worn the teeth off the chuck so can't keep bits tightened.

For Christmas I used a couple gift cards I rec'd. and bought the following:
18V Dewalt 1/2" cordless drill (wanted another 20V but none of the local stores had any in stock).
DeWalt must have had some kind of deal with stores (maybe closing them out) because they had tons of 18V drills on sale.
Corded Milwaukee 1/2" hammer drill
Husky Die Grinder

The 20V Dewalt at work I've had for about 1 1/2 years and the batteries are still great and slide in and out like new.
I had some B&D cordless tools years ago and was not impressed. I did look at new B&D cordless drills but they cost more than the DeWalt or Milwaukee and only came w/ one battery.

 

[newbury]

My son talked me into getting him one of the 20V max sets (drill, circ saw, recip saw, impact driver, 2 batteries, charger & bag) for his birthday.

Note there are differences in quality of the "kits", different drills, different circ saws, different recip saws.

I was so impressed by the time the batteries on the drill lasted versus my 10 yr old Milwaukee I bought the drill w/ 2 batteries last year and this year bought the circ saw and 2 of the newer XR 5 Amp hour batteries from CPO. And I was pleased that the new XR batteries worked with the older equipment. They are very easy to insert/remove from all the equipment.

Reading here and elsewhere it seems the Rigid or some other brand might be better, but on the occasions I get on a job with my son it's nice to have swappable batteries.

 

[KennyG]

I picked up a Dewalt Lithium 20v drill last summer. I've used it a good bit, including replacing the siding on my pole barn. Light weight, lots of power, long lasting batteries. Only limitation is that mine isn't a hammer driver but I've got a B&D drill for that.

 

[tman1020]

The new 20 volt stuff with 3 or 4 amp batteries is much improved over the old 18. They have a 20 volt framing nailer that is unreal. Direct competition for pass loads. They seam better in every way some are even built in usa. Only negative is they don't have the full tool selection available yet.

 

[mikehaugen]

I bought the 20v compact drill and impact driver set (not the brushless ones) for $148 around thanksgiving on a whim. I didn't think I'd like the slim battery packs and almost bought a pair of the bigger ones since I also found them on sale from $180 to $100, but never did. I gotta say I'm pretty impressed with the slim batteries though. Probably wouldn't be good for something like a circular saw or grinder though.

Only issue is that the impact driver has a burning smell when you use it. I googled it and most people seemed to think it was normal and I couldn't find anyone that had any problems.

 

[gkm]

I bought a new Dewalt 20v lithium ion and it's been an outstanding purchase. So much better than the old 18v I had. The batteries are awesome, they hold a charge forever, charge quickly and have plenty of power. I will be buying the 4 amp twin battery pack really soon.

BTW, I got my 4 piece set on sale at Lowe's for 299.00 on sale a few months back. One of the better purchases I've made in quite some time.

 

[LD1]

I am not a fan of the dewalt 20v stuff. Most recent experience was with a few new drills they got for us at work. Only 1.5AH batteries and all plastic. (no metal in the gearcase).

Personally I am a fan of Milwaukee M18 Fuel (brushless) tools. Which is what we had prior to getting the new dewalts at work. They came up missing But if it means anything, no one has stolen the dewalts:laughing:

The dewalt drills are DCD780. And the M18 Fuel drills were alot nicer, last longer, better battery. But this is just my :2cents:

 

[RalphVa]

Thanks. I'll look into the Milwaukee M18 tools.

Sounds as though the new 20v DeWalts last longer (than old 18v) on the batteries, and the batteries are much easier to use.

Ralph