Dewalt’s newest 20V Max cordless Li-ion power tool is a drywall cut-off tool, DCS551. Similar to the 18V version, DC550, the new 20V Max drywall cut-out tool features a 26,000 RPM motor, tool-free bit change mechanism, dust-sealed switch, and adjustable depth stop. It also sports an LED work light.
Dewalt says that the new drywall cut-out tool is over 30% lighter than their previous 18V version.
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The kit, DCS551D2, comes bundled with (2) 2.0Ah batteries and charger. A bare tool version, DCS551B, is also available. Both will ship with 1/8″ and 1/4″ collets.
The kit is available for $199 and the bare tool for $129.
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Buy Now(Bare Tool via Amazon)
First Thoughts
The new 20V max drywall tool is said to be over 30% lighter than the 18V version, but I wonder how much of that is due to the battery pack. A 20V Max 2.0Ah Li-ion battery pack is a lot lighter than an 18V XRP 2.4Ah battery pack.
While I have used cut-off tools and rotary tools on other materials, I have zero drywall work under my belt. After looking around, I noticed that there aren’t many cordless drywall tools on the market. According to Dewalt’s press materials, many drywall carpenters are converting to cordless power tools as they are a more portable and productive solution.
While I’m sure it took Dewalt engineers some time and effort to rejigger their 18V drywall cut-out tool for the 20V Max Li-ion platform, it seems to me that these product line expansions shouldn’t be spaced out so much. Other tools, such as the new Dewalt 20V Max cordless band saw appear to be close adaptations of existing 18V tools as well.
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There are still plenty of tools Dewalt needs to come out with before their 20V platform is on even ground with competitors’. While they have released all of the higher demand types of tools, such as drills, impact drivers, circular saws, and reciprocating saws, less common specialty tools can be a deciding factor when it comes time for a user to buy new tools. Specialty tools like this one should help Dewalt grab back market share from competitors such as Milwaukee and Makita.
Julian Tracy
OR – they could be a guy and simply produce an adapter that would allow their new slide pack batts on all of the millions of pod-tipped xrp tools that folks are still using…
Puny tool range lineup means you’d have to be a diehard yellow and black guy to buy into the new system without some legacy love from Dewalt for all the tools still working hard for people…
Michael Quinlan
I was looking for just such an adapter as my aging 18V XRP batteries were on their last legs – it would have kept me as a DeWalt user. Instead, I replaced my entire 18V DeWalt set with Milwaukee M18 due to DeWalt’s limited lineup. THAT was over 18 months ago.
Chad
Brushless?
Stuart
Not that I am aware of. If it were brushless, Dewalt would be boasting it. A brushless version would likely be prohibitively expensive right now.
ToolLady
“A brushless version would likely be prohibitively expensive right now.” What is your basis for this statement? “Prohibitively” is a strong statement.
At a$ 129 street price, it is $10 more than the Makita brushless Impact, LXDT08 ($119) or Brushless Drill, XPH06. ($119) And more than the DEWALT DCD790B Brushless Drill ($124) and DEWALT DCF886B Impact ($113) All of these tools have more components and assembly labor that the cutout tools. Plus, if they do a future brushless model, the engineering work and tooling for the current model would all have to be redone.
Matthew Fant
I agree, I think it could be brushless. And I also agree with you Stewart. I think the dewalt 20v line is getting stale. Why? Because they take so long to release new products. And when they do, they seem to be re releases of the older 18v tools, with minimal updates. I think the problem is the split support in the old 18v and new 20v.
Stuart
By prohibitively expensive I mean that Dewalt would likely sell fewer brushless drywall cut-out tools than brushed motor tools, assuming that a price difference of at least $10. If a brushless version could be built for say $149, fewer tools would be sold than this brushed motor version at $129.
Maybe the kit price was the deciding factor and Dewalt really wanted to offer a bundle for $199. If they could have bundled a brushless version with just a single 2.0Ah battery for the same $199 price, they probably would have.
Can the drywall tool use the same size and configuration motor as the drills or oscillating tool? If not, then a lot of added R&D would have to be rolled into the cost of a brushless drywall tool.
Then you have to think about how many people will be buying drywall cut-off tools. Demand for this type of tool is going to be a lot lower than for a brushless drill or impact driver. R&D and production costs are then going to be proportionally higher.
Maybe Dewalt will come out with a brushless version later on if the premium isn’t too high.
The cut-out tool is bundled in a kit with 2.0Ah batteries. To me, this suggests that runtime will be decent already. Otherwise it might have been kitted with one or two high capacity battery packs. Given what the tool is designed for, it should perform well and last long even with a brushed motor, or at least no worse than the 18V version.
Dewalt’s 18V drywall cut-out tool is $79-89 for the bare tool. Their corded tool is under $60. This new 20V Max version is $129. How much do you think a brushless version would be? If Dewalt could have put it on the market for only a few dollars more, they likely would have.
I am sure Dewalt did a pricing survey when developing this tool, and asked contractors and drywall guys how much they would spend for the tool. Maybe that’s what led to the decision to release a brushed motor version instead of brushless right now.
It’s not fair to look at other brushless tools and say that Dewalt could or should have released this tool with a brushless motor. Consider Dewalt’s position – they want to sell more tools. Could they sell more brushed motor tools at lower prices, or brushless ones at higher prices? Are there any competitors in the USA or international markets right now?
Makita’s soon bringing a brushed motor version to market as well, but besides them, who else makes cordless pro-grade cut-out tools?
Rick
Considering all the abrasive dust a drywall cutout tool produces, and how the motor’s cooling fan sucks it through the inside of the motor, a cutout tool would benefit even more from a brushless motor than most others. I just bought a DCS551 yesterday, hoping it had a brushless motor, since I couldn’t find an answer to that question anywhere. I’ve turned it on in the dark, and can see no evidence of sparks looking through the vent holes. I guess I won’t know for sure unless I take it apart, which I’m not curious enough to do.
Jerry
Cordless drywall tools are great. It seems like 90% of the time, when doing drywall, power to the room you are working on should be cut, for safety reasons. Far easier to have a charger in another room, rather than string extension cords.
Hang Fire
Drywall contracting is heavily time-pressured, both for labor cost containment and schedule reasons. Drywall crews often work through the night to get drywall up and move on to the drying process and keep the construction on schedule. They can’t depend on site power and have to have their own generator, lights and heaters with them to get the job done, but anything that could speed up the process- even just avoiding stringing extension cables and picking them up again- could be a big success.
joe
I have patched hundreds of ceiling water leaks where I work my favorite tool to cut drywall is the multi tool with any of those triangular blades. Even cuts it with the sides of the blade like butter.
If i was a drywall installer i would buy this thing easy…i’ve seen where the guys stick the thing in the center of an outlet box and cut along the edges of the box in 10 seconds or less…the old school way was to use tape measure then use a handsaw. at least that is what i would see drywall installers do back when i use to install tile years ago.
joe
What ticks me off is how long the joint compound takes to dry even after using a fan on it….anyone know of a fast drying compound? thanks.
blythe
Stop buying the stuff in buckets. Switch to the bagged dry stuff and you’ll never go back. Start with 90 min or 45 min, and when you get better and faster drop to 10-15 min and you can do a couple coats a day.
joe
I always buy the bucket stuff… didn’t know there was a 10-15min one.. man, thanks for the info.
Blythe M
They make a 5 min even, great for small patches or for running around being stressed if you mix too much lol
Matt
Heat gun…. low heat dries the 5 min compound in under a minute.
Rick
Mix a little bit of patching plaster in with the mud, and it’ll set up much faster.
Yvon
Seems like a good tool, but it looks kinda big and clunky in the picture. I would like to see someone holding it so that we can get a reference for the size. Does it also have an attachment for a saw bit, or is it only a drill. Thanks for your in depth analysis.
Yvon Lebras | http://brandxmetals.com/products/extruded-aluminum/drywall-trims