Ric wrote in with a deal tip. Over at Amazon, they have the new Dewalt 40V Max brushless backpack blower priced at $400. The bare tool is $350, the 1-battery kit is $499, and this 2-battery kit is $400.
This deal is for the DCBL590X2 kit, which comes with (2) 7.5Ah battery packs and a charger.
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Amazon (sold by/shipped by) has the 40V backpack blower with 2x 7.5Ah batteries listed for $399.99, Acme has the same kit listed for $699.
Though shipping is estimated at 1-2 months, I placed an order this evening and received a delivery estimated between 3-6 weeks (Mar 17-Apr 6).
The new Dewalt backpack blower has a variable speed trigger, and a speed lock that can be turned on and off with the push of a button. It’s also said to be compliant with noise-restriction areas, rated at 63 dB(A). It can blow air at up to 142 mph and 450 CFM.
The backpack blower features 2 battery connection points for longer runtime. Not to mention that $400 for the 2-battery kit is less than the $499 for the 1-battery kit presently.
There’s a battery switch, for selecting which battery well to draw energy from, suggesting it won’t automatically switch from a depleted battery to a full one. But since it’s easy to tell when a battery is depleted, switching over shouldn’t be any trouble. It’s better than having to take the backpack blower off and manually switching out a batter.
This kit comes with the DCBL590 backpack blower, (2) 7.5Ah battery packs, and a charger.
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The current ETA is said to be 1-2 weeks, but can change. If you order now, you might see it delivered sooner.
FlexVolt vs. 40V Max? I had been planning to push this discussion into a separate Spring-time post, but I’ll address the question here quickly. 40V Max outdoor power tools are for heavy duty and everyday use. Lawn and garden professionals, groundskeepers, and anyone who needs similar level of performance and features from their outdoor power tools will likely want to go for the 40V Max lineup.
Dewalt’s FlexVolt outdoor power tools seem to be aimed at users who need features, performance, and compatibility with 20V Max and FlexVolt cordless power tools.
Consider this – a 40V Max 7.5Ah battery pack is rated at 300 Watt-hours. A FlexVolt 9.0Ah battery pack will be rated at 180 Watt-hours, and a 6.0Ah FlexVolt pack at 120 Watt-hours. That’s regardless as to whether it’s paired with a 20V Max or 60V Max tool.
Thank you Ric for the heads-up!
Nathan
what flexvolt outdoor power tool?
I like the idea but I passed on Dewalt recently and bought the ECHO 58 V system. starting specifically with their trimmer that has the detachment for ECHO PAS system attachments – Same as the Stihl Kombi with a slightly different click such as to try and make you buy theirs.
TO that end – I liked the idea of a battery hi cap outdoor power tool I also checked the EGO system. Echo got the nod because of the trimmer – something I wished Dewalt would have considered – they build it split boom but offer no attachments. I know they do it for shipping but still – 3 more steps you know.
I like the backpack blower idea I see a few others making one – why however can they not make one a vac. I really prefer the ability to vac up piles
Stuart
Coming soon to Dewalt FlexVolt:
Chain Saw
Air Blower
Trimmer
JC
Ego is releasing a split shaft trimmer with pole saw, trimmer, and edger attachments this year. Presumably soon as it is becoming lawn and garden season.
The yeti
I love my 40v max string trimmer (weed wacker) . I looked at the amazon.ca site to see if we get the deal on the backpack blower . It’s 429 with one battery here . Still not bad . I’m not in the flex volt system my 40 volt is the only dewalt stuff I own . I would buy more .
Nathan
side note on that battery thing. Today dewalt only makes 2 flexvolt batteries the 6 and9 or I guess you say the 2 and 3 AH batteries. That doesn’t mean there won’t be a day when they make a 4 or 5 AH battery. Which does seem feasible.
At which point it would have greater power than the current 40 job. ALso the whole bit of power vs efficiency it is feasible for a motor that runs on a higher voltage will use less current and will have less overall system loss. Also on that battery comparison isn’t the form size of the 40V battery bigger than the flexvolt. will 180 Watts be able to equal 300 well no I don’t think so, but remember when the 40V line came out that 7.5 AH job didn’t exist either.
in the interest of making a fair shake on the battery discussion.
ALso for me part of the issue with the OPE line is that I can’t use common battery to the yellow stuff I already have. Which I think FlexVolt would make a good move for them.
Stuart
What would the charge capacity of 20V Max and FlexVolt battery packs increase, but not in the 40V Max packs?
I’m assuming 40V Max = 10x cells in series, x 3 rows, for 30 battery cells, each 2.5Ah.
FlexVolt = 5x cells in series, x 3 rows, for 15 batteries, each 2.0Ah or 3.0Ah.
Maybe the 40V Max packs were designed such that they could move to a larger battery cell form factor in the future.
Talking about power utilization efficiency when comparing 60V Max and 20V Max is one thing. 60V Max vs. 40V Max? You’re going to see diminishing differences.
I think Dewalt is being smart about how they design position the tools against each other. There is some overlap, but different reasons to go with the different battery systems.
Nathan
on the surface I agree but if you could rework things to use just one battery form factor that gave you the potential energy needed and it saved you on overall costs – wouldn’t you pursue it? ALso there is 1/3 more potential in the flexvolt if used at the 60v level than the 40V max. (and yes use nominal volts or whatever the difference is the same)
I find it interesting – sort of like the dewalt OPE was developed by someone else. Nothing wrong with it mind you I liked the items I tried but versatility options swayed me to the echo system.
(note there is a greenworks branded 40V backpack blower now too – and the ego 56V system has one also)
Jonathan
Out of curiosity, I wonder if the 7.5ah battery will fit other DeWalt 40V OPE. I own the hand held blower and hedge be trimmer, & three 4ah batteries, I know that the batteries just fit in the hedge trimmer and chainsaw battery compartment. Unsure about the string trimmer (I passed on it) as it’s few critical design flaw prevents attachment’s and is a poor idea – motor at ground level -where all the grass, debris, dust and moisture collect and build up- all of which are a bad idea for any motor electric or otherwise.
The handheld is a good fit for me, but for backpack blower for fall leaves for Pro OPE, runtime and power will not cut it if the hand held is any reflection. I.e. power/runtime.
The yeti
My trimmer barely fits the 5 amp hr batteries
Gregory Schalk
Go to Costco they have them in stock got mine a couple months ago
Chance
Costco has a 40V DeWalt backpack blower that includes two 7.5 ah batteries in stock for $399?
Adam Frye
The DeWalt?
Greg
Ya online
Greg
You can buy offline if you have membership
river1
https://www.costco.com/DeWalt-40V-MAX*-Lithium-Ion-Backpack-Blower.product.100323604.html
Adam
I sold all our Dewalt 40v with the anticipation of them killing it when they announced the 60v, and bought Milwaukee equipment.
I do need a backpack replacement blower tough. Sick of smelling of gas for short uses. Anyone have hands on experience with this unit?
Chance
This has been discussed numerous times. The 40V line is not going away. It is for professionals and in fact there are going to be new 40V OPE tools released shortly.
Adam
We know that know. But I wasn’t going to trust some corporate bozo then saying it wasn’t going anywhere. They are going to want sales of the 40v to keep going to clear stock IF it was being discontinued. Not sure if I would have kept it, as I’d rather have one battery platform. But this backpack deal is quite tempting
Dillon Corr
I am curious to see if they consider the same flexvolt principle for the 40V line. 20V went to 60, will 40 go to 120? This would seem to make things like mower more attainable? I know weight would be a huge problem, but we are talking mowers, snow blowers, trenchers, mulchers, etc. Things with wheels??
Scott
DeWalt already advertises 120V tools, they are dual-60V flexvolt tools.
Dillon Corr
Understood…. but again, 20/60 and 40 are intended for different customers. For the professional landscaper/groundskeeper imagine 1 battery (40/120v) on the mower, or two batteries (2×40/120 = 240v max?) for a riding mower! I think there are plenty of small gas motor powered tools that simply can’t be run on current batteries either because the voltage is too low, or the draw is too large for a battery to be practical. On the other hand if you step up the voltage and commit to having large batteries for duration (have you seen the 40V 7.5 AH???) on a wheeled tool it could be VERY impressive.
Chance
No. 40V will stay 40V.
alan
Waited for years for Red OPE. Never did came out and I have a boatload of RED….Ended up getting the 40V blower, trimmer, string and chain. Can’t complain…works great for how I use it. Tooling can be a bit heavy for extended periods but it just plain works.
I know Red has hit the foray this year in OPE, while I’ve enjoyed using the 40V for the last 2-3 years.
RX9
Yeah, Milwaukee really missed the boat when it came to OPE, and releasing a bunch of weak sauce 18V stuff at this point is kinda missing the boat. Honestly, I think the reason was because TTI (which owns Milwaukee and Ryobi) was concentrating on Ryobe as the official OPE brand, and making some good progress on the 40V line.
At this point, I would really like to see Milwaukee launch 40V or even 80V OPE, preferably with a battery system compatible with Ryobi’s 40V line.
The fear, of course, is contaminating Milwaukee’s brand image with Ryobi, but I think they could pull it off by releasing 40V Milwaukee-branded batteries with higher Ah ratings than the current Ryobi line.
Dave Wittmann
Dewalt is marketing these toward the pro market. As a landscape professional, I have done extensive research on moving to the rechargeable tools. As of now, including the dewalt systes, they are not practical for pro use. They are under powered, weigh more than their gas counterparts when batteries are installed and run time is too short to use on a professional basis. Plus the cost is higher than comparable gas units.
Dave Wittmann
Wittmann Property Services
Jon
I don’t think they are marketing these to “pros” at all. They are aimed at home owners and as you pointed out “commercial” models are far better suited to professional use.
The benefit for home owners is they don’t need to use any extension cord or mix up any gas/oil in a jerry can. For professionals they would already have plenty of gas cans full of pre-mix and wouldn’t save any time or hassle by using rechargeable.
I would predict that in “commercial” type use the DeWalt products wouldn’t last a full season because they just aren’t built for that kind of duty cycle.
DillonCorr
I have to disagree. In the commercial construction market (maybe not landscaping yet) there is a big push by several owners/clients/insurance companies to eliminate or reduce gas generators and extension cords. I think the flexvolt line is designed to try and “jump on” this trend and push it further by offering “corded power”. Small gas engines (like blowers and chain saws) are becoming a target for these entities. Creating a cordless option and tailering it to “gas power” with realistic run times like 7.5 AH batteries will be a tempting option for large contractors to utilize on jobs with owners like Monsanto, P&G, or insurance companies like FM Global. While these might not be optimized for a landscaping crew running 10hrs/day 5 days a week, concrete companies, GCs, masons, and a multitude of other trades all currently own backpack blowers, chainsaws, and many small gas engineer these could be replaced and avoid a lot of paperwork/grief. Also, consider how many facilty managers have a blower and trimmer laying around to use from time to time. No more maintenance and worrying about bad gas/rot. It’s powerful enough to work, and doesn’t need the attention gas motors need. While these folks might not be professional landscapers they certainly are a “professional” grade market that is totally open for an overhaul in the current “safety” environment.
Brad
Didn’t see it posted here, but did anyone else notice the Wera tools for Amazon’s deal of the day yesterday? I tried to price-match with Chad’s, but they said they couldn’t (understandably, IMO), because the prices were way below cost. Wish that sale had happened a couple weeks ago, but I don’t need two 3/8 swivel zyklop.
alan
There was a comment on blurb on the 7.5……..I know it fits fine on our blower.
FWIW, I just tested this on the rest of my lineup and they fit fine as well…
RC Ward
“Ego” is still the way to go on outdoor equipment, hands down
Will
Ugh what a great deal,those batteries alone are $250 each I believe. If i had the money I’d have it on the way to my home, but great deal nonetheless. Thanks for the heads up btw, love this site!
JC
Tempting deal but I am leaning toward the EGO backpack blower with 600 cfm. I’m not convinced that 450cfm gets the job done
Jason
The other thing Ego has some other options like Dewalt doesn’t have yet like the mower or snowblower if you want them.
Bill
Stuart, at the end of this post you talk a little bit about “FlexVolt vs. 40V Max”. While the difference in the battery watt-hours available in the two different platforms translates into a difference in run times, I don’t see how you reach the conclusion that the “40V Max outdoor power tools are for heavy duty and everyday use”, with the implication being that the 60V Max line is not as robust or capable. Because I am in the market for both the string trimmer and the chainsaw of either line, I went to Dewalt’s web site and found the specs and performance to be almost identical between the two lines. Any additional information you have on this would be helpful.
Stuart
I’ll work on getting a good answer for you, but here’s my take based on assumptions and generalizations:
40V Max battery packs are available in 4.0Ah, 5.0Ah, and 7.5Ah sizes.
Let’s compare 40V Max and 7.5Ah to the latest and greatest FlexVolt battery pack size, FlexVolt and 9.0Ah.
That FlexVolt battery is 20V Max and 9.0Ah, or 60V Max and 3.0Ah. 180 Watt-Hours is fixed.
40V Max and 7.5Ah is 300 Watt hours. 40V Max and 5.0Ah is 200 Watt hours, 40V Max and 4.0Ah is 160 Watt hours.
60V Max and 2.0Ah is 120 Watt hours.
I’m not implying that FlexVolt outdoor power tools aren’t as robust as capable. My point is that 40V Max battery packs offer much higher energy storage. They can be more capable, but I’m not sure.
FlexVolt outdoor power tools give users the opportunity to use other FlexVolt or 20V Max tools with the same battery packs.
Which one should landscaping professionals or very heavy users choose? 40V Max, from what I can see.
I haven’t done side by side tests between the two lineups, but the battery pack numbers tell a lot about the potential.
If I had to choose between FlexVolt and 40V Max lines, I’d go for 40V Max for harder and longer jobs. That’s what they were designed for.
Dewalt also recently came out with a 6-bay sequential charger for 40V Max packs.
Let’s look at the 40V Max and 60V Max air blowers.
40V Max: 120 MPH and 400 CFM
60V Max: 129 MPH and 423 CFM
That does match up well. But the difference here will be runtime – the 40V Max likely goes a lot longer than the FlexVolt.
Which would I rather own? FlexVolt, because I don’t need a system of dedicated cordless outdoor power tools. But if I earned a living through the use of outdoor power tools, 40V Max is the way I’d go.
From the looks of it, the FlexVolt outdoor power tools could be rejiggered versions of 40V Max tools. They’re going to be more capable than 20V Max versions, and possibly nearly on-mar with 40V Max.
It comes down to what the user needs. Cross-compatibility with other types of power tools, or the ability to pair the tool with a larger if not beefier power source?
Bill
Yes I see your point and I too will most likely go with the 60V Max line as it offers me more cross compatibility and the opportunity to expand into a wider range of tools. Again the only real difference I can see is in run time, but if you or anyone else can provide more insight I’m all ears. Thanks for the reply.