One of my first five major tool purchases was the 7-1/4 inch Worm Drive Style Circular Saw (DCS577). If my memory serves me correctly that saw was also my first FlexVolt specific tool purchase. A few months earlier I picked up the FlexVolt Advantage Hammer Drill (DCD999) from Lowes. One year prior to buying my house I purchased the 12 inch Double-Bevel Compound Miter Saw (DHS790). Pretty much from that point on there was no looking back as I had grown a strong preference for the power and agility that the FlexVolt tools have to offer.
In the year or two since acquiring all of my FlexVolt OPE I decided to step up my Angle Grinder situation.
First I snagged the 4-1/2-6 inch Angle Grinder (DCG418) then a little bit later I stepped it up to the 7 inch Angle Grinder (DCG400). Both of those Angle Grinders have been exceptional in a variety of areas from masonry and metal and everything in between. Somewhere in between several of those points I picked up the 60v Mixer/Drill (DCD130). That purchase by itself made the task of mixing five gallons of paint for a 1000 square foot area of my basement a total breeze. Needless to say FlexVolt tools are absolute game changers pretty much across the board.
60V Max FlexVolt String Trimmer
DCST970
Purchase On Amazon
By the time I’d purchased my first house three years ago I had already become well acquainted with the superiority that FlexVolt power tools brought to the table. From my Miter Saw to my Hammer Drill and my Mud Mixer, all of the FlexVolt power tools that I’d acquired up until that point have proven to be superior options over pretty much anything gas powered or corded. Therefore I knew that going into the battery powered Outdoor Power Equipment transition it only made sense to opt for FlexVolt over all else.
I recall searching for the 60v String Trimmer (DCST970) for a couple of weeks before I was able to find this specific model. Having already accumulated a more than reasonable number of FlexVolt batteries by that point I knew that I would have great coverage in the power category. The preceding uses have been nothing short of amazing and have overall exceeded my expectations as to what a String Trimmer should do. Especially a battery powered String Trimmer.
General maintenance has been the only thing that I’ve had to make sure to keep up with. Keeping the rotating head area clear of debris and other things that can get bound underneath it is critical for optimal performance. After about a year of owning the String Trimmer I started to notice that I couldn’t get the line to feed consistently. I was able to find a couple of videos online of people experiencing similar issues and I was able to take the rotating head off and clean the small amount of built up grass away from the shaft. Afterwards, I sprayed the area with WD-40 and then I reassembled everything and I haven’t had the same issue in the two years since.
This thing has been an absolute lifesaver in helping me to make sure that my yard stays on point and presentable at all times. Reloading string or the ease of doing so is certainly one of the key benefits to this string trimmer. Just be sure to remember that a little goes a long way. The battery life is also exceptional as I’m able to use about one battery pack per month at the most. The most persistent gripe that I’ve heard from other owners of this String Trimmer is that it doesn’t accept the big 15Ah battery pack. After a handful of years of consistent use I can assure you that you don’t need the 15Ah battery pack for this tool at all.
Just a few weeks ago as the Summer growing season was officially ending I found that the trimmer head was slowly breaking apart. Once the entire unit developed a noticeable wobble I realized that a replacement head couldn’t wait until next Spring. While replacing the trimmer head wasn’t at all ideal the overall process and outcome was above average. Removing the original head has always been a slight pain so once it was off and I was able to replace it with the new one I realized how much improved the newer version was. It didn’t take long for me to run out of string after my first two rounds of using the new trimmer head. Replacing the string was markedly easier than it used to be when I was using the original trimmer head.
60V Max 20″ FlexVolt Chainsaw
DCCS677
Purchase On Amazon
I purchased the 60v Max 20 inch Chainsaw (DCCS677) three years ago out of sheer necessity. I had just purchased my first home and within the first 90 days a very large cherry tree fell to the ground. Instead of contracting out the clean up to someone I saw that this chainsaw was newly available at the time.
I have to say that I put this thing through a very rigorous stress test immediately out of the box. The cherry tree I had to tackle was every bit of 100 feet long and required several weeks worth of evening and weekend cutting sessions. As I’ve mentioned before, I already had plenty of FlexVolt battery packs on hand so I was able to work through very reasonable loads of cutting each time that I used it.
The power is undoubtedly there. The runtime leaves quite a bit to be desired. It seems as though the battery packs heat up quickly and often. This is ultimately the productivity killer that makes this chainsaw inferior to a gas powered counterpart. As for cutting all by itself there really isn’t any comparison. The cut quality is superb and the effort required to work is minimal at most. This tool performed like an absolute beast and helped me take care of what seemed to be an impossible task. I’m now onto my third chain and all I’ve had to do is change out a chain tensioning gear. I was able to pass along a communication to DeWalt and they were incredibly helpful in getting the issue sorted out for me.
60V Max FlexVolt Handheld Blower
DCBL772
Purchase On Amazon
Having had great experiences with my FlexVolt Chainsaw and String Trimmer I knew that I couldn’t miss with the 60v Handheld Blower. As soon as I pulled this thing out of the box it was go time. This thing blows with an absolutely noticeable force. The only caveat to the blowing force is that it is equally impressive in how quickly it burns through battery packs. It doesn’t literally heat the packs at all but it does drain the charge unlike any other power tool that I’ve ever seen. The quickest and easiest remedy is of course to own more DeWalt FlexVolt batteries which will of course multiply your working time. To give a little better context, I own about a half an acre lot and it takes me one 9Ah battery to blow off the grass clippings around my walkways and driveway after each cut. In the Fall when I’m working on leaves I can easily go through eight 9Ah batteries within a single two hour time span.
Closing Thoughts
As I was purchasing the first few of my FlexVolt tools I was often encouraged to buy them due to a could-not-resist battery promotion. If I had to do it all over again, I’d probably purchase my Outdoor Power Equipment first and then supplement the other power tools over time. This would have hindered my battery accumulation somewhat but I think for new users of FlexVolt, especially non-professional homeowners, this is a more effective way to become acclimated to the platform. On the flip side if you are a professional user in any capacity then where you start with the FlexVolt platform won’t matter much.
The overall power and often-time, the runtime offered via FlexVolt battery packs often rival that of gas powered or corded alternatives. When compared to DeWalt’s 20 volt Max lineup there really isn’t anything worth comparing. You’ll notice that most FlexVolt tools don’t bog down under heavy load. As a matter of fact I’ve found in numerous instances that some of the tools are able to detect higher workloads and subsequently boost the power output in order to power through the task. All of DeWalt’s power tools are not compatible with FlexVolt batteries, however all FlexVolt battery packs are backwards compatible with all 20 volt Max tools.
Some of the most notable upsides to running on the FlexVolt platform are the increased runtime and power as well as a lower likelihood for failure which decreases overall downtime. Some recurring issues with specifically FlexVolt batteries are the propensity for the battery packs to fail over time. In the two instances that I’ve had a FlexVolt battery fail both times occurred within the three year warranty window and both battery packs were the 12.0 Ah (DCB612) packs. This could be a matter of coincidence or it could be a known manufacturer defect. Regardless, each time DeWalt was more than helpful in rectifying the issue quickly.
FlexVolt Power Tool Lineup
- 60V Max Brushless Cordless 7-1/4 in. Worm Drive Saw Kit
DCS577X1 -> Purchase On Amazon
- 60V Max Brushless Cordless 7-1/4 in. Circular Saw with Electronic Brake Kit
DCS578X2 -> Purchase On Amazon
- 60V Max Brushless Cordless 6-1/2 in. Track Saw™ Kit
DCS520T1 -> Purchase On Amazon
- 60V Max Brushless Cordless 4-1/2 in. – 6 in. Grinder With KICKBACK BRAKE™ (Tool Only)
DCG418B -> Purchase On Amazon
- 60V Max 7 in. Brushless Cordless Grinder with KICKBACK BRAKE™ Kit
DCG440X2 -> Purchase On Amazon
- 60V Max Cordless Mixer/Drill With E-CLUTCH® System (Tool only)
DCD130B -> Purchase On Amazon
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