A couple of months ago when we reviewed the Dremel 8200 cordless rotary tool, we received an email from a New Zealand reseller that was slightly confused about the 10.8V vs. 12V Max differences, or lack thereof. Since then, additional 12V Max tools have come out, and we have occasionally received similar emails that ask about the differences between those versions and the 10.8V tools available in other countries.
Last night I saw a tweet (you can connect with us via Twitter as well!) asking about when the Dewalt 20V Max cordless power tools would be available in Australia. The answer is that they will NEVER be available outside North America. Overseasa, the Dewalt 20V Max cordless tools are branded as Dewalt 18V XR. I’m still not sure when the 18V XR tools will be available in Australia, sorry about that.
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UK and European users can purchase the 18V XR tools via Amazon UK or via Toolstop, which has a wider selection.
LG
Dewalt 20V Max tools are available in Canada; we are technically not the USA, Stuey!
Eric
Do these Batteries truly have the same connection to the Max Charger as the 20v Max Battery??
Stuart
OOPS!
USA changed to North America, thanks for the correction!
rikki
is there any difference in the 18v xr and the 20v max batteries? If not why is the branding different?
Stuart
From what I have been told and can tell, the batteries are the same. The official reason why Dewalt branded the North American line as 20V Max, is to avoid confusion. They wanted to make it clear that the new line is not at all compatible with the previous 18V line.
My thoughts are still that it was done for marketing reasons and for consistency. As an European brand manager told me once, Americans tend to like things bigger. 12V Max > 10.8V, and 20V Max > 18V, even though the differences are only in name.
james johnstone
can i buy a cordless dewalt combo kit, from america and still be able to use it in britian
Stuart
While I haven’t tried it, and don’t know anyone that has, my understanding is that the only difference is that you would need to buy a UK-specific charger.
An adapter or converter might work, but a region-specific charger would be best. USA batteries and a UK charger *should* work together, but you should contact Dewalt directly just to be sure.
david
Hey James,
I have been wondering the same thing. Have you tried it yet?
Andy
A bit late, but I have ordered 3 20V’s (drill impact driver and oscillating tool) from the states and bought a European charger. Had them over a year still working fine.
Csaba
Hi Andy,
Could you please share which charger you have bought and for which drills (with model numbers if possible).
I just bought a 20V max impact wrench (dcf899 bare unit) and wondering whether a UK up to 18v XR multi charger and XR li-ion batteries would work with this impact wrench.
Thanks,
Everardo
I was told by several DeWalt reps who have all now been fired, that 20v Max batteries and 18v XR batteries are both the same. This was done by their marketing to deceive customers by thinking that more was better. Personally I prefer the Makita 18v lithium ion drills because they are lighter and charge faster. The Makita’s have more torque as well.
Ed. Note: Everardo, Manimal, and Danilo who left a comment in this post are the same person. Multiple comments from the same person under different names usually indicates a secret agenda and the intent to deceive an audience.
Stuart
That could have just been their suppositions. Of course, Dewalt wouldn’t fess up if their primary intent was to play on the 20V>18V perception. Even if true, they’re not the first to play this game.
Manimal
The DeWalt 20V Max compact drill has 309 in lbs of torque, the Makita 18v compact has 480 in lbs of torque. The DeWalt charges in 30 minutes, and the Makita charges in 15 minutes. The DeWalt is heavier than the Makita. Its a no brainer, I prefer the Makita.
Ed. Note: Everardo, Manimal, and Danilo who left a comment in this post are the same person. Multiple comments from the same person under different names usually indicates a secret agenda and the intent to deceive an audience.
JXL
Actually, the 20v max puts out 490 in-lbs of torque.
Just got the hammerdrill/impact kit and i frkn love it.
JXL
sorry, correction, those are actually the stats for the hammer drill, not the compact.
Oscar Amador
So if i want to buy a Dewalt 20v MAX XR heated jacket from USA and use my european 18v XR batteries with it, would it be ok ?
I asked Dewalt but they didn’t answer, and every retailer i asked said i couldn’t.
I don’t know wether to believe them or not …
🙂
Oscar
Andy
I use the 20v batteries in a 18v XR charger. So they fit fine maybe they don’t want to confirm cuz its an item of clothing… if theres a prob and something catches fire?
Stuart
Sorry for the delay, Oscar.
20V Max and 18V XR are the same exact thing. There might be regional differences, I don’t know. The model numbers for the batteries are different, and sometimes the tools too.
If I took a brand new 20V Max battery pack, and an 18V XR battery pack, and spray painted them an opaque color, I might not be able to tell them apart. I haven’t tried this though. I can’t tell you that the batteries are tools are the same independent of where they’re sold, because I simply don’t know.
There *shouldn’t* be any compatibility issues, but Dewalt probably won’t tell you to give it a try, and I won’t either since I don’t want to be blamed in case there is a compatibility problem. There’s the potential for less than obvious concerns, such as with safety certifications.
James
Just to clarify for any one who is uncertain. I have just brought back from Florida, USA a twin Dewalt kit comprising of a li-ion DCD771 20v max drill driver and a DCF885 20v max impact driver. It came with 2x 1.5ah batteries and a charger. It was £105 in their Black Friday sales. The DCF885 (no batts) alone in the UK (after a quick Google is about £80 give or take). I did research before but just to confirm the batteries do charger on either of my two UK chargers. The charger that came with the drills cannot be used over here without a transformer which you can get from Amazon etc for about £15/£20, you can’t just put a UK plug on the charger. I flew with British Airways and called them before I purchased the drills to check and as the batteries were in the drills they were allowed to be in my checked in baggage in the gold of the plane. I did set the trigger lock to the locked position and taped some socks around the handle so they couldn’t or accidentally turned on. I had no issues with getting them back. The drills operate perfectly with my UK batteries and my existing drills work with the US batteries. I hope this helps to clarify the compatibility for any one who is unsure. Cheers
Peter
Cool info. Thanks!!
Do you know how much power you need for your step down transformer ?
Cheers
P
Axel F
I`ve been buying DeWalt tools since January 2013. I bought the 10.8v 1/4 Hex Impact Driver (it wasn`t far behind an 18v Makita Impact gun driving tek screws into steel beams fixing s/s brackets for the brickies on a site I was working on and I used them both to do the same job) with the 10.8v drill in Toolbag combo.
Just love their stuff, then got the 10.8v 3/8 sq dr impact gun and thats a powerful beast. Let a scaffolder use it as he had left his 18v 1/2in sq dr Milwaukee in another vehicle. Used it for the day and loved. Lighter and smaller than the `Waukee was his main comments plus excellent battery life from the 1.5aH battery.
I am a commited (well, should be) ” DeWalt-aholic”. I`ve got Toolbags and Toolboxes and most of my consummables are DeWalt, as well.
I know the Milwaukee and Makita stuff is good but I had to make a decision which pole to nail my colours to. And that was part of my decision… the colour.
I liked the Yellow and Black as it`s easy to see and I have a nasty habit of loosing tools.
That`s how it is for me. Your Mileage May Vary
Michael
North American 20v max and uk/Australia/nz 18v xr batteries are the same. They all peak at 20v off of a fresh charge but after 10 seconds of use they drop and stabilise at 18v. This is how dewalt got around calling them 20v Max on a marketing perspective. Dewalt wanted to differentiate between the older 18v set and the new set that are not compatible.
Things such as how the batteries charge and discharge work differently. New 20v NA and 18v xr uk/au/nz have the battery management inside the drill itself where as the older style had the management system on the battery which made it expensive.
This video helps explain the north American batteries: https://youtu.be/dKsTL4v4kCs
Baron
So I’ve got 2x 5ah 20vmax batteries and I’m waiting to receive a dewalt 18v multi tool from what I hear they should be compatible if anyone has any knowledge about it let me know otherwise I’ll keep you guys posted if I blow myself up.
Chris
Brought 2 5ah and 1 3ah batteries to Romania and 20v hammer drill. Had a cheap adapter for 110 v conversion to 220 and blew up charger. So after research I bought 18v max charger and works like a charm. Seem to be the same just a different capacitor inside.
Joel
So does anyone know where the UK/ European DeWalt tools are ‘assembled’?
Donatas
I have 2 tools dewalt buyed from uk it is made in czech republic and one from lithuania it is made in china
toni
Thanks a lot from Germany i have ordert a chain Saw in US 20Vmax is cheaper include Tax and shipping as the Dewalt DCM565N 18v XR bare unit. I wars not shure that the Battery case is the thame as the german with case i mean the plastic arround the battery sorry for my bad english^^
SimonR
Thanks for the info – I’ve been able to buy one or two US tools not available in the UK & run them on 18v XR UK batteries & charger.
Matty
In Australia i have the dewalt 18v XR range in tools. I want the cordless orbital sander which is unavailable in Aus (i guess because its American 20v MAX). Can i ship one from the US and use it with my 18v XR batteries? Will my batteries actually still fit the tool?
Stuart
I have not heard of any conflicts or compatibility issues yet. Generally, chargers are where you’ll encounter problems. You shouldn’t run into any issues with what you’re asking, at least based on my experience and what I’ve heard, but you might want to check with Dewalt just to be safe.
Zane
20v max and 18v are the same battery.
They just using diffrent measurements.
20v max goes of the max volts
18v goes of the normal run volts.
It’s the same differents as car engine power rating. Some go off the fly wheel and some go off the drive wheel. Both put out the same power but both numbers are diffrent.
So both 20v and 18v are the same other the the avertisment
Kiran
I have got Dewalt 18v XR international version battery and it works perfectly fine on Dewalt DCF894HB 20v Max* brushless impact wrench (USA version).
And same for 20v Max usa battery works really well on 18v international version tools.
I have personally tested and verified them. Although many people who don’t understand the inner cell chemistry won’t recommend trying this but that is purely because of lack of knowledge.
Richard
Great info everyone. Thank you for putting all of this together.
I just have 1 question: if the difference in the US 20volt and German 18volt is just marketing and max capacity vs run capacity, then why do the chargers need to be different, minus the 110v vs 220 volt 50/60 hz?
Stuart
Chargers need to be based on regional standards.
Take a brand such as Bosch 18V. Bosch 18V batteries can be charged in the USA via a 110V charger, and in the UK via a 220V charger. The difference is in AC to DC conversion being done by the charger.
Lee Garrett
Hi I’m looking at getting the new dewalt cordless jigsaw the cheapest I can find in Uk is £180 but I can find the 20v American version delivered for £125 is there any difference in the two tools ? Or are we just being ripped off over here 🙄
Stuart
I am not aware of any differences, but sometimes there are, such as with the sander: https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/a-different-dewalt-dcw210-cordless-sander-for-europe/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E