[ih4366]

About eight months ago i became fed up with stringing out airlines or cords at my job and on the farm. So i bought a dewalt 20v brushless impact and drill combo. I love the set my only real complaint is that the 1.5 amp hour batteries dont last well on the drill. I build bucket and digger derrick trucks so i drill through a lot of steel and aluminum as well as helping a friend of mine whos an electrician.Ive done some research and shopping but there isnt alot of information out there so i would just like to know if the 4.0 and 5.0 amp hour batteries really deliever the better run time promised and even more importantly worth the money.

Thank you

 

[RobertCDF]

Go for the 5.0's they'll give you a bunch more run time. Go to factoryauthorizedoutlet.com to buy them.

 

[ih4366]

Oh and one more thing will i have to buy a new charger for the bigger battery?

 

[Spencer]

I milked my 18v set for so long then bought the brushless drill/impact set with the 4.0 batteries. That was about 3-4 weeks ago and I still haven't had to charge them yet. I have another regular 20v set with the "compact" batteries. "Compact" is code for "cheap DIYer junk", they don't last.

Get at least the 4.0's and you'll be happy. I honestly wasn't even aware that there was such an animal as the 5.0. Hubba hubba...

 

[Spencer]

Oh and one more thing will i have to buy a new charger for the bigger battery?

I think there is a big difference on charge time. Don't know if you can charge a 5.0 on the compact charger or not...

 

[Rustbucket]

Think of the ah as the capacity of the fuel tank. 3 would be twice as much capacity as a 1.5, etc. I would suspect the charger would be the same, but you need to confirm that.

 

[TBFGhost]

Think of the ah as the capacity of the fuel tank. 3 would be twice as much capacity as a 1.5, etc. I would suspect the charger would be the same, but you need to confirm that.

This is true, but I will be damned if my 1.5 amp hour batteries push the tools as hard as the 3.0s. I seem to have more grunt with the 3.0 then then a 1.5

 

[Inner10]

3, good power to weight ratio.

 

[Agility]

I have the 3's and am content with them in my impact and drill. I'd like to add a few 5's to the pile for the mini circular and recip saws.

 

[ih4366]

How often do you have to charge those 3 ah batteries?

 

[jb4211]

I love mine! Best tool set I have. I don't charge mine nearly add much as my other ones. I have another DeWalt lithium set and a Makita set. The 20v seems to lay a long time.

That said, if i was drilling into hard steel or screwing down a deck it might be another story.

 

[Inner10]

How often do you have to charge those 3 ah batteries?

Not that often.

 

[Agility]

How often do you have to charge those 3 ah batteries?

Yes, not that often when using the impact and drill. Even when screwing decking I have always found two 3ah batteries to keep up through the charge/use cycle.

The saws are a different story. I like the cordless option enough to spend another hundred or two on more batteries, though. I was just waiting for the 5ah line to come out, haven't used one yet.

 

[madmax718]

the 5ah has something like a 75 min charge time. Its heavy, kinda like the extended cap nicads. I didn't really bother with the 1.5's, as I don't think their usefulness in heavy work is adequate.

 

[Inner10]

the 5ah has something like a 75 min charge time. Its heavy, kinda like the extended cap nicads. I didn't really bother with the 1.5's, as I don't think their usefulness in heavy work is adequate.

Exactly, big battery slow charge, small battery fast charge. The 1.5s are fine for light duty but a little skinny for doing rough-ins or deck screws. 3ah is perfect.

 

[RobertCDF]

Exactly, big battery slow charge, small battery fast charge. The 1.5s are fine for light duty but a little skinny for doing rough-ins or deck screws. 3ah is perfect.

The 4s are the same size as the 3s... probably the same weight too. I don't think the 5s are supposed to be much bigger if at all.

If my guys started whining about the weight of batteries I'd mock them non stop and call them sissy women. Just saying... if that shoe fits...

 

[brhokel606]

If my memory serves me right the 5ah battery is just a tad lighter than the 4ah. They all use the same charger just charge times are more for bigger batteries, which really doesnt bother me. The run time on the 4's in super impressive so I cant imagine the 5's.

 

[Spencer]

I looked and this is 3 weeks that I have been running my 4.0's and I still have two bars. I would have charged the old 18v nicads at least 20 times by now. The discharge was so bad on those I had to charge them everyday.

 

[brhokel606]

DeWalt Announces 5.0 Ah Battery
By David Frane (JLC)


DeWalt recently became the third company to offer an 18-volt pack rated 5.0 Ah or higher in the U.S. (Bosch and Metabo are the others). The new DCB205 20V MAX pack stores 25% more power than a 4.0 Ah pack—which should translate into 25% more runtime for any given tool. The boost will be greater (66%) for those who are switching from 3.0 Ah packs.

At 1.4 pounds DeWalt’s new lithium-ion pack is only 1 gram heavier than the company’s 4.0 Ah pack. A built-in 3-LED fuel gage provides immediate feedback on the state of charge. The DCB is expected to retail for $139 and will be available by itself and in a select number of tool kits released in June of this year.

 

[madmax718]

only 1 gram??

The 4 is pretty much the same physical size as the 3. I have not seen a 5 in person. The 3's are not XR's, so I assume the 3's use a different lithium variant (cheaper? bulkier? more durable? who knows).

Funny thing is, on the old 18v nicads, the first thing we'd do is plug in a spare. lol. Now we just juice them up at the end of the day for work tomorrow. Don't need to plug them in during the day. The 3 year warranty is nice (though not as long on paper as the rigid's) though I haven't heard of anyone turning in a battery yet.

Oddly so, I have not gotten a voltage cut off while operating a tool. It just slows down. My bosch will just cut off as the voltage gets low.

Low power cut off on lithiums is very critical. Over draining them shortens their life significantly.