New Dewalt Heated Hoodies and Jackets for 2014

Dewalt has announced that they will be expanding upon their line of heated jackets, which came out in late 2013, with several new styles. The new heated workwear styles includes heated hoodies, a new jacket color option, a women’s jacket, a new vest with attachable sleeves, and a high-visibility jacket. In all, there are 7 new heated jacket/workwear styles.

In addition to the new models, Dewalt has made enhancements to all of the original jacket styles released last year.

New Dewalt Heated Workwear Summary

• Black Heated Hoodie, DCHJ067B
• Gray Heated Hoodie, DCHJ068B
• Hi-Viz Heated Hoodie, DCHJ071B
• Khaki Hooded Jacket, DCHJ064
• Class 3 Hi-Viz 3-in-1 Jacket, DCHJ070
• Women’s Soft-Shell Heated Jacket, DCHJ066C1
• Black Heated Vest, DCHJ065

Dewalt Heated Hoodies

As with the heated jackets, the new hoodies (DCHJ067, DCHJ068, and DCHJ071) can be powered by Dewalt 12V Max or 20V Max batteries. Runtime is up to 7 hours on the low setting and with a compact 20V Max 1.5Ah battery pack. Using a 2.0Ah, 3.0Ah, 4.0Ah, or 5.0Ah battery will allow you endure the cold for longer.

Hoodie Features

• Durable wind-resistant outer shell, made from a cotton blend
• 3 core heating zones: upper left & right chest, mid-back
• 3 temperature settings (high, medium, low) with pre-heat function
• LED temperature setting indicator
• DCB091 USB Power Source works with Dewalt 12V Max and 20V batteries, and features a fuel-gauge and (2) USB charging ports
• Expanding battery pocket
• Available in sizes S-3XL
• Colors options: Black, Gray, High-Visibility

Price: $109 (gray), $119 (black, high-viz) for bare jackets-only

Dewalt Heated Jacket Improvements

These new features have been incorporated into Dewalt’s initial-launch heated jacket offerings (DCHJ060, DCHJ061, DCHJ062 and DCHJ063), and will be included in all new styles.

• Stronger metal zipper closure
• Reinforced stitching on cuffs
• Built-in wind guard that shields against wind through zipper
• Metal snaps (instead of Velcro) for hood attachment (where available)
• Jackets and vest will come with an extension adapter that allows for battery pack placement in the back pocket or front pocket

The new enhancements are all welcome, but none more than the extension cable that allows for front pocket battery placement. When sitting down, the back-pocketed battery pack can be quite uncomfortable, especially if a higher capacity battery is used.

New Dewalt Heated Jackets and Vest

There will be several new heated jackets: khaki (DCHJ064, $149 bare, $199 kit), Class 3 high visibility (DCHJ070, $189 bare, $239 kit), and a soft-shell women’s style (DCHJ066C1, $209 kit), and a new heated vest with attachable sleeves (DCHJ065, $149 bare, $199 kit).

Kits will come with the jacket, USB power source, a 20V Max 1.5Ah Li-ion battery, and charger.

The 3-in-1 high visibility jacket and new khaki jacket feature 3 core heating zones – left and right chest plus mid-back, while the women’s jacket will have a 4th heating zone at the neck collar. The heated vest will also feature 4 heating zones.

The new khaki and high-viz jackets have a built-in hood with adjustable drawstring, while the vest and women’s jacket have removable hoods.

First Thoughts

Dewalt’s heated jackets were quite good, but they have been updated to be even better. New color and style options are definitely appreciated as well. Dewalt is now the second company to come out with a women’s heated jacket, and heated hoodie sweatshirts.

Milwaukee recently refreshed much of their heated jacket lineup, and released new styles as well. It’s no doubt that Dewalt is looking to compete head-to-head with Milwaukee in regard to features and breadth of style options. Milwaukee has a couple of more years of experience and iterations under their belt, but that doesn’t seem to be phasing Dewalt’s engineers or product teams.

I am particularly happy to see that Dewalt was quick to update their original jackets with enhanced features and the ability to move battery packs from a rear pocket to the front.

One area I find the new hoodies and jackets to be a little lacking is in the style departments. In terms of looks, Bosch’s heated jacket and Milwaukee’s newest 2014 heated workwear definitely have an edge over the utilitarian styling of Dewalt’s new offerings. Even so, workwear needs to be rugged, durable, and effective.

Dewalt heated workwear have an edge over competing styles and models in how the single USB power port can work with any of Dewalt’s current-generation Li-ion battery packs in 12V Max and 20V Max form factors. Plus, the DCB091 power port can charge or power 2 USB devices.