DeWalt Power Station DCB1800 vs Flexvolt chargers

Just trying to justify buying the power station and was wondering how slow it charges batteries vs the fan cooled Flexvolt chargers. Anyone thoughts would be appreciated [emoji106]

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I don’t remember the numbers on charging but it’s significantly slower.

2 amps per battery x4 batteries vs 8 amps per battery x1 battery. 

I guess I will save my money [emoji383]…..thanks guys


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I would sure like to see a 6 or 8 pack flexvolt charger similar to the 40v outdoor charger.

I’m still not convinced I won’t buy one of these for camping etc. but as a charger it’s quite subpar. Ought to be 3-3.5 amp per battery. Or for it’s price intelligently switch amps based on number of batteries drawing current. 

Heres an idea. fan cooled. has 6 bays. can either do 2 batteries at a time at 4 amp each or one at 8 amp. also has smart charging like the 40v 6 bay.

How does the hypothetical 6 bay work? It sounds like it wouldn’t work on 15 or 20 amp breakers?

Bremon wrote:

6 hours ago, Bremon said:

How does the hypothetical 6 bay work? It sounds like it wouldn’t work on 15 or 20 amp breakers?

I have 6 20v chargers plugged into a 8 socket surge protector, 20ft of Romex wire to a exterior plug on my trailer, and I’ve run 100ft of extension cord to the outlet. All 6 go at once with no issues at all, and I’ve never tripped a breaker, even the 15A dedicated circuits. 

Hugh Jass wrote:

19 minutes ago, Hugh Jass said:

 

I have 6 20v chargers plugged into a 8 socket surge protector, 20ft of Romex wire to a exterior plug on my trailer, and I’ve run 100ft of extension cord to the outlet. All 6 go at once with no issues at all, and I’ve never tripped a breaker, even the 15A dedicated circuits. 

The 4 amp ones or the crappy 2 amp ones lol

I had all 4’s but gave 2 of them to a buddy who was in need and bought 2 kits that had the shit 2amps. 

77 ford ….but for a penny it’s worth it 🙂

Well I bought it anyway…….CPO @ 17% off……[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]


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Ford …what do you think about it ?

I think it is great [emoji106]. A little expensive and limited use for me but nice to have since I have a ton of batteries to power it [emoji106]


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77Ford wrote:

I think it is great [emoji106]. A little expensive and limited use for me but nice to have since I have a ton of batteries to power it [emoji106]


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Happy for you,I want one…didn’t pull the trigger yet…very cool idea…I see it’s value ,I wish the bare tool price was more like 199…I have boat loads of batteries tooo..

JimboS1ice wrote:

Probably good for running lap tops and lighting and stuff to that nature


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Charges 4 / 4.0ah in 2 hr………4 / 5.0ah. In 2.5 hrs…..4 / flex 20v 6ah in 3hr …at the same time

I love how they’d put a TV on the list. That’s actually pretty cool.

I imagine tailgating is one of many applications for this unit @ChrisK lol

That would be sweet to have for tail gating?? 

yea …and that’s with 3/4ah and 1/ 6ah…..with 4/6ah it’s even better ..and very impressive with 4/9ah….and beyond

Jronman wrote:

On 12/25/2016 at 11:42 PM, Jronman said:

Heres an idea. fan cooled. has 6 bays. can either do 2 batteries at a time at 4 amp each or one at 8 amp. also has smart charging like the 40v 6 bay.

“That’ll be $1299 please, cash or credit?” Lol…

Framer joe wrote:

11 hours ago, Framer joe said:

I want to see this list again with the 9ah. Total of 18ah vs 36ah with upgraded cells should push run-time about 2.5x as much. 

Hugh Jass wrote:

12 minutes ago, Hugh Jass said:

 

I want to see this list again with the 9ah. Total of 18ah vs 36ah with upgraded cells should push run-time about 2.5x as much. 

Ha. Who needs a generator with four of them plugged in? I could power the house for a while 😀

ChrisK wrote:

Just now, ChrisK said:

Ha. Who needs a generator with four of them plugged in? I could power the house for a while 😀

The argument is very compelling honestly. Though not cheaper than a small good quality, quiet generator (Honda 2000 for instance), there’s no exhaust, no fuel outside of changing batteries, and no motor noise. You won’t be saving any money by outfitting the Dewalt with 9’s but it’s superior in every other way. 

Now if only the chargers weren’t shit I’d own it already. Only thing holding me back. 

I hear you. My Makita dual port is awesome though the new quick chargers with the flexvolt seem to be pretty decent though I just started using them.

The new rapid charger is honestly going to be my entry into the flexvolt market. I’m actually more excited by that than the tool lineup as goofy as that sounds. One charger can replace 3 in my trailer, and that’s a very valuable thing. Once I’ve outfitted my trailer’s battery bank with these things, maybe 3 of them, I’ll not need anymore chargers at all. I’m actually thinking about growing my feet of 2ah batteries since the charge times will be so damn fast on the rapid charger I’d never be wanting. If not for the increase in power from some tools at higher AH it might not even be necessary to have anything bigger than a 2ah at all. More frequent changes but they’d charge faster than you could deplete them under normal circumstances. 

^ plus if they make a new compact battery with 20700 the voltage drop on many 20v tools might be negligible. 

The only way it isn’t superior to a little Honda is the Honda can be pure sine instead of modified like what I’m pretty sure the Dewalt gives you.

Plus the Honda can go basically indefinitely for cheaper than buying more batteries. 

Hugh Jass wrote:

5 minutes ago, Hugh Jass said:

The new rapid charger is honestly going to be my entry into the flexvolt market. I’m actually more excited by that than the tool lineup as goofy as that sounds. One charger can replace 3 in my trailer, and that’s a very valuable thing. Once I’ve outfitted my trailer’s battery bank with these things, maybe 3 of them, I’ll not need anymore chargers at all. I’m actually thinking about growing my feet of 2ah batteries since the charge times will be so damn fast on the rapid charger I’d never be wanting. If not for the increase in power from some tools at higher AH it might not even be necessary to have anything bigger than a 2ah at all. More frequent changes but they’d charge faster than you could deplete them under normal circumstances. 

I never thought of it from the perspective before. Smart.

I don’t have it yet to test but I think the charge rate for 2.0ah on the rapid charger is something like less than 20min. With 3 chargers and 9 2.0ah batteries, you could cycle them all in 1 hour.  Stagger the start times to every 5 minutes and you’d have a fresh battery available every 5 minutes of continuous charging. I’m not even sure the 20v grinder could kill a 2.0 in 5 minutes under normal use. It’s nearly perpetual. I have 6 chargers and an assortment of batteries to keep up with demand if 2 people are running cordless at the same time all day. The cost to maintain this drops dramatically with the new charger, truly making it the most valuable thing on the entire lineup. 

Anyway this is off topic but just highlights how the charging ports on the power station are so inferior it’s hardly even worth the functionality. I’ll wait for a 2nd version to arrive and see what improvements they might make, though I’d expect it’s years down the pipeline. 

Bremon wrote:

16 minutes ago, Bremon said:

^ plus if they make a new compact battery with 20700 the voltage drop on many 20v tools might be negligible. 

If that were the case I’d be forgetting about big batteries all together and stick with 2/3’s in upgraded form factor. It’s not worth the weight, bulk, and waiting for charge times to justify saying I didn’t have to take 60 seconds to change a battery out today. Reliability through redundancy. There’s no sense in it for 90% of the lineup. And for the other 10%, I’d be going straight to flexvolt to fill that gap with the likes of grinder, chipping hammer, chainsaw, and such. In a few years we’ll have 12ah and beyond for that big stuff. 

Ya ..power station charge time bites….I only use 2ah on 16g finish gun,lasts all day. If your framing or building decks as i do…you must have min 4.0 but for the same size and weight I use 5.0…hundreds of deck screws and timberlocks…you cant keep changing out 2.0 battires …plus remember if your cycling through 2.0 batteries that often you will kill the battery…you only get so many charges on a battery…so at that rate your battery is dead in a year…….higher ah means more runtime and less charges ,thus extending battery life……plus far more production..which equals $$$… my 2cents

As far as cost…I have a Honda eu2000.pure sine..love it..I paid 825.,,it can run my Dewalt 200psi small compressor alll day on 1 gal…..but the power station (modified sine) could have been bought on sale for 331$,,,2pack Flexvolt 179-(25 discount..154)….so for a power station and 4flexvolt 6ah…total 639$  no tax free shipping …I think that’s a good deal and when 2packs of 20v/9ah go on sale that’s going to be impressive runtime for most anything…no gas..no fumes……..but I haven’t pull the trigger yet

Framer joe wrote:

1 hour ago, Framer joe said:

Ya ..power station charge time bites….I only use 2ah on 16g finish gun,lasts all day. If your framing or building decks as i do…you must have min 4.0 but for the same size and weight I use 5.0…hundreds of deck screws and timberlocks…you cant keep changing out 2.0 battires …plus remember if your cycling through 2.0 batteries that often you will kill the battery…you only get so many charges on a battery…so at that rate your battery is dead in a year…….higher ah means more runtime and less charges ,thus extending battery life……plus far more production..which equals $$$… my 2cents

Frankly if you’re running hundreds of screws and are even thinking about production, you’re doing it wrong. Get yourself a Senco auto-feed screw-gun (lots of systems available but this one is dirt cheap) designed for standing instillation. You’re killing yourself for peanuts man. 

ah,thanks I appreciate the comment,but that doesn’t work…first,there is no screw gun for cortex screws…it’s a screw and plug system for composite (azek) decking,,,must be done by hand drilling or impacts..also screw guns do not work well for exterior applications on large decks,pressure treated wood ,oak,teague,,ipe,,varies in thickness and density..and are more expensive for the screws and they break a lot…( 30 yrs experience) screw guns are made for underllayment on the interior..or sheet rock.. also screw guns cannot even come close to penetrating 5/4 ipe (impossible…1″ Brazilian hardwood,commonly used ) that install is done by countersinking and predrilling then screwing ……l appreciate your input,but if there was a quicker or more cost effective way ,I hope I’d know about it,( I read every trade magazine there is and joined  forums to learn more about upcoming tools) I build multimillion dollar homes with huge custom decks everyday..360 days a year,for over 30 years…..

……..I use impacts,drills and impact wrenches everyday(along with every framing tool ) a small powerful impact (dcf877) drill (dcd791 ) or my fuel m18 set work perfect for deck building …I hope they come out with a smaller more powerful version soon and smaller more powerful batteries.(probably not)……A typical day of building decks uses::: 

.    6/ Flexvolt 6ah (2 mitresaw,3 circ saw,1table saw)

.   16/ 20v max 5ah ( 3 for 1drill,3 for 1impact,2

for 1 jigsaw ,1 impact wrench, 1 oscillator,1 sawzall,1 planer,2/2framing guns,1/hanger gun) and finish gun..more for lights…it’s a massive expensive cordless system …but still so much better then bringing a gas can ,oil,generator,compressor ,400ft hoses,400 ft cords..winter pneumatic oil,dry gas,etc……you can  a 2 pack of 5ah new on eBay for 65$ sometimes…..

Bigmikez wrote:

That would be sweet to have for tail gating[emoji106][emoji106] 

Framer joe wrote:

As far as cost…I have a Honda eu2000.pure sine..love it..I paid 825.,,it can run my Dewalt 200psi small compressor alll day on 1 gal…..but the power station (modified sine) could have been bought on sale for 331$,,,2pack Flexvolt 179-(25 discount..154)….so for a power station and 4flexvolt 6ah…total 639$  no tax free shipping …I think that’s a good deal and when 2packs of 20v/9ah go on sale that’s going to be impressive runtime for most anything…no gas..no fumes……..but I haven’t pull the trigger yet

You inspire me…that’s  bad ass.!!!!…I have 2 more at work on my mitre saw…

You guys make me jealous. I need more power!

wow. how do you even use that much battery in one day @Framer joe? I struggle to use a 2.0 in one week.

Looks like a bunch of over sized 20v batteries! lol I kid I kid you can power a neighborhood with that


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I’ll be reaping the be if it’s with the 60v in my framer. That thing eats through 4.0s!

Damn I need more to keep up only have ten 6ah packs.

Oh and why did you keep the red lids I threw those suckers right in the trash did I miss something?

Jronman wrote:

8 hours ago, Jronman said:

wow. how do you even use that much battery in one day @Framer joe? I struggle to use a 2.0 in one week.

Easily….gotta remember I do this for a living…screwing off decks eats up batteries…cutting pressure treated or oak and diagonal cuts eats batteries……the real world is not like videos of guys cutting dry,spruce 2x4s…..I love building homes and decks though….I do have over 20 fast charges in my tool shed and a few in my garage , so all batteries are charged at once,in about an hour…when I get home…I don’t bring charges to work,I have enough batteries…..most guys are diy which is cool, easier on the wallet…but …anyway

.     I do love tools any way, ..I’m so envious of Ricky penny and 77ford they are bad ass. tool deal guys…..thank you

jrs5565 wrote:

1 hour ago, jrs5565 said:

Damn I need more to keep up only have ten 6ah packs.

Oh and why did you keep the red lids I threw those suckers right in the trash did I miss something?

 

Those “lids” are supposed to provide a positive disconnect for the the cells in FlexVolt batteries, because without them they become a hazard to ship. On my old 18 volt NICad batteries I used the red covers to tell which were charged and which were dead.  

jrs5565 wrote:

Damn I need more to keep up only have ten 6ah packs.

Oh and why did you keep the red lids I threw those suckers right in the trash did I miss something?

 

JimboS1ice wrote:

Nice for storage, also designed for shipping for it to “act” as smaller batteries as opposed to 1 big one


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