DeWalt Finally Arrives at the 12V Cordless Party
Nobody is going to accuse DeWalt of jumping the gun and rushing to market with their new line for 12V Max* Tools. There are some advantages to being the last kid into the pool however in that you get to see what has worked for the competition and try to improve upon it. From what we have seem it looks like the Yellow Team has done their homework dissecting the competition and researching customers’ needs. The launch of the DeWalt 12V tools will feature 7 tools (+ 2 additional combo kits) and should hit shelves in October just before the Holiday Season.
Our initial reaction to the entire line as a whole was positive but nothing super surprising or that would inspire someone to drop their current 12V tools and say “Wow I have to have that”! Price seemed in line with comps for the most part, size was a little larger for most items but with some advantages, weight was in line and power seemed to top the first generation tools from Bosch, Milwaukee & Makita but it was unclear if they were less than, equal or better than the 2nd generation 12V tools that we have been seeing. DeWalt unfortunately does not provide power measurements in torque to compare with the other tools; instead they use UWO (Unit Watts Output) which doesn’t translate to torque directly. Head to head tests planned soon, stay tuned.
The biggest difference when looking at the whole line collectively would probably be moving the battery below the handle which allows for thinner more ergonomic handle. This seems like it would be a personal preference thing of comfort, either way seems fine if speed/power/features can back it up. This does make the tool a little larger but it also allows for a belt hook which you will not find on most other compact tools which use holsters. It also makes it more stable when standing upright. This configuration may be more familiar to some professional and may get easier adoption for those not currently using any 12V tools.
DeWalt 12V 3/8” Drill/Driver DCD710S2
DeWalt 12V Inspection Camera DCT410S1
Possibly the most impressive tool we saw in the new DeWalt line up there were several things we liked about this camera. The first was the $299 price (single battery kit) which is below all the competition when it comes to recordability onto a transferable disk. The second feature was the detachable screen so you can actually put the monitor on a flat surface while you twist and turn the snake and handle. The monitor recharges off the handle so there is no downtime when it runs out of juice, simply replace the battery. It was a little disappointing not to see the Ridgid SeeSnake Micro or Explorer on-hand which are really the most popular tools in this arena.
DeWalt 12V Worklight DCL510
Another highlight for the platform as a whole was the LED Worklight which has a 360 degree swivel head that puts out a bright 130 lumens. It has a clear 2 zone light beam, very flexible and great distance on the light. It can be held in place by belt clip, a magnet which can hold the light upside-down and kickstand, which also works as a nail hook. Great versatility but didn’t like the kickstand, it was a little wobbly, seemed like that could have been beefier and offered multiple positions. The price tag will be $39 as a standalone item and will not be available in any kits this year.
DeWalt 12V Impact Driver DCF815S2 & 3/8” Impact Wrench DCF813S2
The price on both of these impact tools will be $159 which is in-line with others on the impact driver and lower for the 3/8” impact wrench (vs Milwaukee M12). For these tools there is curiously torque numbers available but no RPM or BPM ratings so we still can’t do an apples to apples measurement. For the DeWalt impact driver we are looking at 950 in.lbs vs the competition, which reads like this Makita 800 in.lbs, Milwaukee 850 in.lbs & Bosch 930 in.lbs. On the 3/8” impact wrench DeWalt's torque is 1150 in.lbs while Milwaukee is 1000 in.lbs. These tools both again have the 3 LED light ring, similar to the Bosch Impactor but no belt clips on these tool, in theory to keep mechanics from knocking their tools into cars.
DeWalt 12V IR Digital Thermometer DCT414S1
The infrared thermometer was kept to a "middle of the road" performance, more for general versatility ranging from -20 to 932 degrees which keeps the price low at $149, with just 1 battery in the kit. Compared to Milwaukee this gun would match up better to the AA battery version as opposed to the M12 model which has more features but also a higher price. The distinguishing feature with the DeWalt is the red and blue LED you can set to warn of high and low temperature fluctuations. In addition to the beeps it makes it much easier to scan a surface and find variances as your peripheral vision alerts you to changes.
For more pictures check out our Facebook Album for DeWalt 12V Cordless Pics
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