As we recently reported, Dewalt is changing their 20V Max XR cordless power tool system branding in several ways all at once.
From the conversations I’ve seen on social media, there’s a lot of confusion about what exactly this means for the batteries.
XR branding will now be given to Dewalt’s highest power 20V Max batteries, and stripped away from all the others.
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Thus, there will be 20V Max and 20V Max XR.
Not all batteries in each category will deliver the same power levels – 20V Max and XR batteries have a range of power delivery capabilities.
Here are the 3 Dewalt XR batteries:
- PowerStack 1.7Ah (compact)
- PowerStack 5Ah
- PowerPack 8Ah
Here are the 20V Max non-XR batteries:
- 1.3Ah (compact)
- 1.5Ah (compact)
- 2Ah (compact)
- 3Ah (compact)
- 3Ah
- 4Ah (compact)
- 4Ah
- 5Ah
- 6Ah
- 8Ah
- 10Ah
Prior to this change, there were only three Dewalt 20V Max batteries that did not have XR branding – 1.3Ah, 1.5Ah, and 3Ah. Every bump up in charge capacity, starting with the 4Ah back in 2012, received XR branding.
The compact 2Ah battery launched with XR labeling, but lost the designation at some point.
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The compact 3Ah, and 4Ah batteries also lacked XR branding. When we spoke to Dewalt about XR branding in 2018, they said that their more premium “2P” (10-cell) batteries were being given XR branding. Higher-performing “1P” (5-cell) batteries at the time were given yellow housings, as opposed to black for Dewalt’s entry-level packs, with the yellow intended to “signify that a battery is a ‘step up.'”
There are also several 20V Max-compatible FlexVolt batteries:
- 6Ah FlexVolt
- 9Ah FlexVolt
- 12Ah FlexVolt
- 15Ah FlexVolt
The XR PowerStack 5Ah battery features stacked pouch L-ion cells, and the XR PowerPack 8Ah has tabless 21700-sized cylindrical cells. Both batteries will provide similar power delivery levels
XR isn’t about battery cell form factor, it’s about relative power.
Dewalt has two 20V Max batteries with 5Ah charge capacity, and two with 8Ah charge capacity. The XR batteries run cooler and are capable of higher power delivery.
The compact PowerStack battery doesn’t deliver the same power level as the larger 5Ah size. However, the PowerStack 1.7Ah is capable of greater power delivery compared to Dewalt’s older 2Ah battery.
That’s why I describe XR as an indicator of a battery’s relative power, rather than just power.
The compact PowerStack battery is included in the XR battery family and received a new look consistent with this.
To ensure everyone is on the same page about this, the XR PowerStack 1.7Ah battery does NOT deliver the same power as the XR PowerStack 5Ah or XR PowerPack 8Ah batteries. It DOES deliver more power than the now non-XR 2Ah battery.
This is all very similar to what Milwaukee is doing with their M18 FORGE batteries.
With Milwaukee, M18 FORGE batteries deliver higher power. Compared to the M18 High Output 6Ah battery, Milwaukee’s FORGE 6Ah battery – built with stacked pouch cells – runs cooler and can deliver more power.
There are more nuances to what Milwaukee FORGE batteries offer, such as faster charging, but we’re focusing on power here.
Milwaukee’s upcoming FORGE 12Ah and rumored 8Ah battery are expected to deliver higher power potential compared to M18 High Output batteries of the same charge capacity.
The idea of “same size, more power” can be confusing.
Milwaukee created new FORGE branding to describe their new generation of best-ever rechargeable Li-ion cordless power tool batteries. They built upon previous generations.
Technically, Milwaukee has RedLithium, RedLithium High Output, and RedLithium FORGE battery tiers now.
Dewalt is reusing their XR branding, essentially redrawing the line between “standard” and “highest performance.”
Dewalt’s XR shift is simply one of branding; they’re not changing anything about the older batteries aside from just erasing the XR label.
Dewalt used XR branding to separate their extended runtime batteries from their lower capacity introductory offerings, with increases made possible by progress in battery technologies.
Now, XR batteries will simply be Dewalt’s highest performing ones.
If someone wants to know which Dewalt batteries are best, it’ll be the 3 XR batteries.
The XR PowerStack compact battery is their smallest, the XR PowerStack 5Ah delivers high power in a mid-size form factor, and the XR PowerPack 8Ah delivers high power and longer runtime.
At this time, it looks like Dewalt has also made it unnecessary for 20V Max cordless power tool users to look to larger and heavier FlexVolt batteries for higher power delivery, although the largest FlexVolt batteries allow for longer runtime.
Dewalt’s non-XR batteries are still as good as they’ve been, and might be suitable choices where maximum power is not needed.
What adds to the confusion is that users can achieve XR-comparable power levels without having to buy one of the three XR batteries, you just have to look towards larger sizes.
Milwaukee has a handy “Power Scale” chart that shows how their M18 batteries are positioned against each other, and I expect to see an update once their next FORGE batteries are announced.
Dewalt is also using XR to replace special family branding for 20V Max tools that are capable of higher performance when paired with higher power batteries. Meaning, there will no longer be separate XR, FlexVolt Advantage, and Power Detect offerings, they’ll all simply be “XR.”
XR is kind of like Dewalt’s version of Milwaukee’s M18 FUEL and FORGE. Or Bosch’s PROFACTOR.
We’re going to see things clear up in coming weeks and months.
I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Dewalt simplify their line of 20V Max cordless power tool batteries.
Here’s a condensed list of all Dewalt 20V Max-compatible batteries available today, not including oil-resistant or Bluetooth models:
- Compact
- 1.3Ah
- 1.7Ah (XR PowerStack )
- 1.5Ah
- 2Ah
- 3Ah
- 4Ah
- Mid-Sized
- 3Ah
- 4Ah
- 5Ah
- 5Ah (XR PowerStack )
- 6Ah
- 8Ah
- 8Ah (XR PowerPack )
- 10Ah
- Large
- 6Ah FlexVolt
- 9Ah FlexVolt
- 12Ah FlexVolt
- Huge
- 15Ah FlexVolt
This list represents 4 major battery technologies (18650, 21700, and tabless 21700 cylindrical cells, stacked pouch), and I’d say 4 size classifications.
The 1.5Ah and 3Ah batteries were first introduced 13 years ago in 2011. So much has changed since then, and it’s time for a refresh.
Things are going to be bumpy for a bit, but I think everything will fall into place in coming months.
And if not, I’m happy to answer any questions you might have.
Read more about XR: Dewalt has Revamped 20V Max XR with Major Changes
Read more about FORGE: Milwaukee Pipeline Primer: M18 Forge Batteries
eddiesky
Stuart, that was much work and clears up the confusion of the DeWalt XR vs Non batteries. I was at home and lined up my 20V Dewalt batteries and… not one is labeled the same, yet all are 5.0Ah. But you know what? They all work well.
Stuart
Things used to be much simpler. Want a smaller and lighter battery? 2Ah. Higher capacity? 3Ah, 4Ah, or 5Ah depending on your budget.
While 5Ah batteries still work well for a lot of tools, there is an increasing number of tools where higher power output batteries work better.
It’s great that batteries that launched 10 years ago are still compatible with today’s latest and greatest tools. But tools are no longer designed around the peak power performance from 10 years ago.
Jared
Thanks for clarifying!
I’m still undecided if I like this XR categorization or not, but it makes sense I suppose. It basically just means the XR-branded battery will deploy some type of new cell tech to achieve comparably higher discharge rates for its physical size.
The part that feels a bit… odd, is that you might get higher performance from a non-XR battery in an XR tool – meaning “XR” shouldn’t be used as a guide for matching batteries to tools.
For example, I presume a 9ah Flexvolt will outperform both the 1.7 and 5ah XR packs in a 20v tool (the 9ah Flexvolt being, up till now basically, the best usable-sized Dewalt pack). So it might make more sense to use the 9ah Flexvolt in an “XR” grinder.
Jared
Also. it will be interesting to see if the 8ah Powerpack starts to erode the need for Dewalt to have both 20v & 60v options.
E.g. I presume the 8ah Powerpack must outperform the 9ah Flexvolt when used on a 20v tool (no reason to make a slightly smaller Powerpack if it can’t). Will it work so well on high-draw tools that the jump to Flexvolt becomes redundant?
Speaking of grinders, that might make a good comparison. I just bought the DCG418. I was under the impression it was a smidge better than the “Power Detect” and “Flexvolt Advantage” grinders. But with an 8ah Powerpack on offer… might that make those 20v-platform options perform just as well?
Or might Dewalt give us a Flexvolt Powerpack next and take the 60v platform to a new level? That would be cool.
Harrison
Yes, the new 8ah Powerpack will likely outperform the smallest 6Ah Flexvolt, but that doesn’t make the Flexvolt range obsolete.
Even if the tabless cells in the Powerpack were capable of 50% more current than the classic cells in the Flexvolt 9 and 12Ah, (unlikely) that would only just put them on par.
The latest Flexvolt grinder is advertised as putting out 2300w on the current medium sized Flexvolt packs, which is more than the 2100w Makita claims their XGT 4Ah (8ah equivalent) tabless pack is capable of. (Similar cells to this new 8ah PowerPack.)
Moving beyond batteries, higher voltages cut the amperage running through the motor, wiring and electronics. Pushing the 110+ amps required to approach 2000w from an 18v tool is an insane amount of current (and heat) for the tool to handle for more than a few minutes. Jumping to 36v cuts that down to the 55 amps, and 54v down to 37 amps, which are both much easier to engineer for. This is why Milwaukee’s most powerful m18 tools can’t be used continuously at full power, but Flexvolt and the other higher voltage systems can.
Doug N
Just to help prove your point further, the newest model DCG460 9″ Flexvolt grinder is advertised as 3000 max watts out, which equates to about 55 amps drawn from each of the 15 cells at peak power output. There’s no way a 10 cell battery can match that. I’m glad they have the flexvolt line for tools like this.
Stuart
I doubt that the cells in FlexVolt packs can output 55A continuously. But besides that, max watts out is usually a factor of max torque at operating speeds.
You can’t equate max watts out to power watts in.
Will
I’m being that dewalt will test the water with the 8ah tabless. If it goes well, it only makes sense that they offer a tabless 4ah compact, since it would be the same cells as the 8ah, just half as many. For the same reason, I think they’ll release a flexvolt 12ah tabless, as it would be the same cells as well, just more if them. That would fix the issue of newer tools that are pushing the limits of the current flexvolt batteries, like the DCG460 grinder and the 20″ chainsaw that seems to overheat the current 12ah.
Stuart
A tabless FlexVolt 12Ah battery seems likely. 4Ah? Not so much, as I think it would deliver less power than the PowerStack 4Ah without much size or weight savings.
It’s possible, but a pouch cell battery mid-sized between 1.7Ah and 5Ah seems more practical. Even such a battery might not work too well. Higher sales volumes of 2 SKUs might allow for more attractive pricing than adding another size.
Big Richard
“Prior to this change, there were only three Dewalt 20V Max batteries that did not have XR branding – 1.3Ah, 1.5Ah, and 3Ah.”
The slim 4Ah DCB240 did not have XR branding either
Stuart
True, but that was about capacity rather than capability.
I grew accustomed to treating yellow-cased batteries to be XR in a power sense, even if not branded in such a way regarding runtime.
OldDominionDIYer
Seems like DeWalt is late to the party in better clarifying their batteries. I guess it’s better late than never. Now would have been a great time to follow the industry standard and reclassify their batteries as the 18 volt batteries they are but I guess that’s way too much to ask! It’s going to be a little confusing for a while until the idea about the new XR is solidified. For me, anything 0ver 5ah was extended runtime in my mind then you have the pouch and tabless adding power.
Alexk
Is this as simple as, “All XR batteries will now be DeWalt’s most powerful batteries, when comparing them to any other DeWalt battery of equal amp hours”? If so, it would make sense to me. My first cordless kit was the XRP (nicad) and I associate it with DeWalts best, most powerful pro tools. So an XR designation would be something I associate with most powerful.
It’s getting exciting to see where batteries are going. This weekend I picked up the new m12 circular saw (for $54 – thank you D from HD) and with my 4ah battery, couldn’t cut thru butter (actually, a 2×4). Bought a high output 5ah battery and man, that saw can sing! Can’t wait to try it on the hacksall, which has been an underpowered disappointment so far.
Bremon
Dewalt tools continue to dominate my lineup, but their product lineup and branding over the past 3-5 years has been an absolute mess. XR and FlexVolt made a fair amount of sense. Then came Atomic, Power Detect, FlexVolt Advantage. Then you have the battery differences where plenty of people wouldn’t even have realized which packs had 18650 cells or 21700. Then comes Powerstack. Now PowerPack and folding those into XR branding. Easy enough for tool nerds like me to keep track of I guess, but the average person probably doesn’t see it as very straightforward. Has Dewalt subcontracted marketing consulting to half a dozen different firms? What the hell is going on there.
At least with Milwaukee you know they have basic packs, XC, then those grew into HO High Ouput… and now Forge I guess. A little messy, but at least you know as you move up the scale, you get more power on your tools. Dewalt wants 8ah and 10ah on power detect for more power, but FlexVolt packs on FlexVolt Advantage, when the only difference is electronics and giving the big orange box and their biggest competitor their own lines.
For all the hate they get at least Makita keeps it simple. “We have 18v. If you want more power buy XGT”. They don’t have time to complicate their battery offerings because they’re busy wasting time on microwaves and kettles rather than inverters than can power whatever you want to plug in.
Stuart
I have a feeling that Power Detect was a customer request. Keep in mind that we’re end users, with retailers such as Home Depot and Lowe’s being Dewalt’s top customers. Think of things in those terms and a lot of decisions start to make more sense.
Insider
That is the exact reason. HD gets FV exclusively so Lowe’s gets Power Detect. HD has enough buying power to pick their exclusives.
Lyle
When I look at the pictures of the Dewalt batteries that were XR and are not now, I think it makes them all look like counterfeits now.
Pete_M
Most industries have done a decent job in providing battery characteristics and performance in meaningful voltage, current and power delivery terms.
The power tools industry is the most screwed up one when it comes to batteries where they left the marketing dpt to define specs using meaningless terms such as extended run, higher power delivery and countless similar gimmicks.
I wouldn’t care less what they market them as long as I can go to a tool manufacturer website look at the specs of a battery and find Voltage, Capacity, chemistry of battery, preferably type of cells used and a discharge graph so I can see what to expect from a specific battery.
Unfortunately, they have created a hole for themselves and instead of trying to get out they are digging in deeper and deeper into this mess.
Nathan
Instead of “relative power” how about current throughput or some designation of instantaneous power delivery
The 20v 5ah battery and the 20v 5ah power stack or xr battery have the same power to give. But the new battery teck can push out more current for a moment than the other
Example use the power stack on the circ saw and it will bog down less. If at all. Use the non xr battery and it might slow a bit against a knot. But in theory both batteries will cut the same or similar stack of wood
Stuart
I don’t mean to pick on you, but I think your comment is exactly why brands are hesitant to add more numbers to the mix.
You’re a regular reader and you tend to know your stuff. But, you got a couple of things very wrong here.
Amp-hours are like the size of a gas tank. It’s a relatively easy concept to understand, and I’d say that most people only need to have it explained once.
Power? That’s very different. Even if someone is more familiar with rechargeable batteries in other contexts, such as RC cars, cordless power tool batteries are different.
Going back to what you said, the 20V Max 5Ah battery and XR PowerStack 5Ah battery do NOT have “the same power to give.”
The 5Ah and PowerStack 5Ah battery should have roughly the same amount of *energy* stored.
Volt x Amp-hour = Watt-hours, which is a measure of energy storage. The same output voltage and the same charge capacity means both batteries have similar energy storage.
There would need to be tool and battery standards before power ratings would prove useful. Even then, accessories (such as saw blades) and work materials differ depending on user’s selection and project needs.
Brands might then compete with numbers that have no practical relevance.
Also, the difference isn’t just about the newer batteries “pushing out more current for a moment.”
The difference is in sustained current output. Maybe there’s a difference in instantaneous power, but that’s not where the benefits come from.
Let’s say there are two rooms of equal size. Both have the same amount of people. One room has desks spread out across the room.
Everyone in each room lines up on one side of the wall. Run across! The room with more desks – more internal resistance – is going to slow everyone down.
If you try to have everyone run across at a faster speed, some people in the room with desks are going to bang into everything and fall on the floor over each other.
But if you tell everyone to walk slowly, there might not be any difference in run-across speed between the two rooms.
Lower internal resistance is like removing desks in a room. Such batteries can then deliver more current while operating cooler.
Two other brands, Makita and Bosch, released data for their XGT and Profactor tabless cell batteries, respectively, and it shows that the batteries can drive performance differences across the board, with exact benefits depending on the tool and application.
It’s like… throwing a heavy bowling ball 3, 10, 20 feet. Unless you’re ambidextrous, there’s going to be a throwing distance where there’s no difference, a throwing distance where it’s quicker with your dominant hand, and a throwing distance where your non-dominant hand isn’t strong enough to reach. There’s also a strong chance your non-dominant hand will tire and give out quicker, requiring a longer rest.
Nathan
Indeed went through that too fast. Power vs energy. Thing is since you brought up hobbyist batteries. They do have another rating exactly for what I describe. C. Or coulombs as a rating for how many coulombs it can push out at a time. And coulombs per second is amps.
Thing is they have to do something and I think an insteanous amp rating or a c rating is the way to go. But I also agree it’s too much for the average user. And most won’t care
Or as has been alluded to. Look for the color pattern. In this case yellow with a grey band.
Oh and pick away I don’t mind especially when I’m wrong
Stuart
C-ratings are flawed for power tool batteries.
Let’s say a 3Ah battery has a 10C max discharge rate. That would be 30A.
Let’s say a 4Ah battery has the same max discharge current. That would then be 7.5C. What sounds better to you, 7.5C or 10C?
As charge capacity increases, max continuous power output decreases, at least at the Li-ion cell level.
The cells in a Dewalt 10Ah battery might not be able to deliver as high a power output as a 6Ah or 8Ah battery in demanding applications. Thus, the C-rating would be lower due to the math, and it might be even lower due to cell datasheet specs.
We can’t use current because different cordless systems operate at different voltages. What about watts? Maybe, but will it be theoretical outputs for a battery pack, an average, or a different metric based on some kind of industry standard that doesn’t yet exist?
In cordless power tool applications, instantaneous power is important, but sustained perhaps more so.
Big Adam
I miss the days.of ‘yellow top’ vs. ‘black top’ to determine if I was buying a premium Dewalt battery or not.
Tommy W.
Why bother having the XR branding at all, if the only ones now labeled XR are powerstack batteries? Just call them 20v Max and powerstack. Or ditch the powerstack branding and call them 20v Max and XR. Seems completely pointless if they’re only grouping it that way.
Stuart
There’s a new XR 8Ah PowerPack battery, and there could be more.
Big Richard
4Ah PowerPack and a 3.5Ah PowerStack have been teased at promo events. No Guarantee they make it production, but it seems like they would to bolster the XR line a bit.
Ken
Is it possible to have tables 18650 batteries so M12 could get in on Forge branding?
Stuart
There are no 18650 tabless cell batteries yet.
Alexk
Is there someone at DeWalt who can write in and explain their battery system? I thought it was as simple as XR becoming the most powerful battery per amp hour.
Big Richard
When 20v first launched, they had two batteries. The compact 5 cell 1.3/1.5Ah DCB201 and standard 10 cell 3.0Ah DCB200. When the compact 2.0Ah DCB203 XR and standard 4.0Ah DCB204 XR batteries were introduced, they were the same physical size as their counterparts but provided eXtra Runtime. So that was the differentiator, higher capacity yet the same size as the base batteries.
Eventually, sometime around 2018(?), anything that was NOT a compact 5 cell battery (compact batteries being the 1.3/1.5Ah, 2.0Ah, 3.0Ah slim, 4.0Ah slim) was labeled as XR as they provided eXtra Runtime compared to the compact batteries.
And now, DeWalt is reserving XR for only the highest performing, i.e. newest tech, batteries: the pouch based PowerStack and tabless based PowerPack.
Ryan
I would just eliminate half of the low end batteries since here are way too many. Get rid of the 1.3, 1.5, 1.7 powerstack, both 3.0, and both 4.0. I don’t see how it is beneficial to manufacture and warehouse so many options. Dewalt customers aren’t low end users so why treat them as such with the batteries. SBD has craftsman for lower end user.
Start out with compact 2.0 only available in kits and add a 3.0 powerstack as the smallest you buy retail. 4 batteries could cover a large portion of users.
2.0 compact
3.0 powerstack
5.0
5.0 powerstack
Get rid of XR and powerpack branding all together so then there will be no confusion, 3 categories:
Standard black case no marking/standard yellow case tabless with tabless markings
Powerstack
Flexvolt
Jared
The Powerstack 1.7 is for compact tools that benefit from high power delivery. The jigsaw and 3″ cut-off tool for example, might perform best with a traditional 4ah or larger pack, yet batteries that large might be a bit cumbersome.
Bremon
Unless a 3ah Powerstack is the same size as the 1.7 I’m not interested. The tiny Powerstack packs are awesome for small tools without swapping to a 12v alternative.
Lyle
I love the 1.7Ah PowerStack. It’s my favorite Dewalt battery. Since I’m just a DIYer I even use it on my larger tools since I don’t need a long run time. The ergonomics of it for occasional tasks is amazing. Feels like it has the power of the traditional 5Ah battery in a much smaller package. I used to use the 2Ah batteries for all my drills/impact drivers/cutoff tool, etc and now I just use the 1.7Ah battery. I think I have 12 of them. I took advantage of a bunch of promotions and sold off all the tools that they came with when they were heavily promoting them.
Nathan
Wonder what they will do for the oil batteries. Grey overmold? And will there be a flexvolt upgrade too? I imagine there might be. None of the flexvolt tools appear to benefit from compact battery but maybe weight
Say pouch cell 2ah 60v. For the circ saw or the track saw or ? And a tabless 6ah 60v for the others
Greg
I am still confused. I bought a powerstack battery 1.7. my impact driver runs faster and drives sheet metal screws in faster and more efficient. It drives them in better than dewalts bigger flex volt or an older 5 ah battery. Doesnt last as long, but I don’t care they are being in so much more effectively.
So I want to get some more powerstack batteries. But i see some powerstack batteries that say XR but mine does not say XR? Is there a difference in powerstack batteries? Please help!
Stuart
No difference, just rebranding.
Greg
Thank you Stuart!
Greg
Well, the 1.7 ah batteries do have a smaller footprint and are very lightweight. They drive in sheet metal screws faster and easier than dewalts non powerstack batteries. The 5 ah powerstack also drives in screws faster and easier, but it has a larger footprint and weighs more than non powerstack batteries. I bought 2 of each. In my application I find the lightweight batteries to be best. They have nowhere near the runtime of the 5ah, but are just as powerful. The 5ah are also heavier. I recommend the 1.7 over the 5ah in driving in sheet metal screws because of the smaller footprint and lighter weight, same power.
Big Richard
They also have the new DCBP320 3.5Ah PowerStack, which fit perfectly in between the 1.7Ah and 5Ah in terms of size, runtime, and performance. You may prefer them over both the 1.7Ah and 5Ah, as they are kind of the best of both.
Greg
Very true. But I saw no discount prices with those. Perhaps after they have been out for a little while the price will come down for those as well. The 3.5 powerstacks sound perfect though. Thank you for bringing them up!