Five years on Dewalt 5.0 AH string trimmer

[Snagglefoot]

I’m about to start year six on my Dewalt 20 V string trimmer with a 5.0 AH li-ion battery. So far so good. I also bought a Waitley knock off battery for cheap. I always start off with the Dewalt battery and it is still performing like knew. These are not your grandpa’s nickel metal hydride batteries. Here is a photo of when I purchased it in 2018.

 

[Cujet]

I have a good number of Dewalt batteries. Some 12V and a bunch of 20V. The smallest 20V I have is the 4AH, the largest is the 10AH for the blower.

Batteries dated 2011 have all bricked. Batteries dated 2014 are very clearly getting weaker (and the plastic housings are cracking) and those 2016 or later are still pretty good. The 10AH unit is new and pretty epic, it will run the blower for 5 minutes without slowing, after that, the blower becomes too weak to be really useful.

I'd say the lifespan is about 11 years in casual use.

 

[MasterSolenoid]

Anyone new to OPE rechargeable batteries, I suggest they read the Owner's Manual.
I'm going on six years with my Ryobi batteries.

During the summer, I keep the batteries in my basement, (not in a 'hot' garage).

 

[CST Q]

I have a good number of Dewalt batteries. Some 12V and a bunch of 20V. The smallest 20V I have is the 4AH, the largest is the 10AH for the blower.

Batteries dated 2011 have all bricked. Batteries dated 2014 are very clearly getting weaker (and the plastic housings are cracking) and those 2016 or later are still pretty good. The 10AH unit is new and pretty epic, it will run the blower for 5 minutes without slowing, after that, the blower becomes too weak to be really useful.

I'd say the lifespan is about 11 years in casual use.

I would have thought a 10 Ah battery would go full or at least useful power longer than five minutes. Granted, I have no battery powered OPE experience but just seems like it would be a bit longer.

 

[Cujet]

I would have thought a 10 Ah battery would go full or at least useful power longer than five minutes. Granted, I have no battery powered OPE experience but just seems like it would be a bit longer.

The 10AH battery, like all the others, drops in output once it reaches 2 bars on the capacity display. It will run the blower at a lower output for some time. But the blower is kind of weak to begin with, so it is an exercise in frustration to use it when the battery is low.

Dewalt probably should have employed a better voltage management system that maintains adequate voltage to the blower motor. But that does not seem to be the case.

I have an EGO and Kobalt battery blower for the hangars. Both have a lot more output and last many times longer, although not as good as the better gas blowers. The Dewalt is superb for light duty use as it is very light, we use it to clean out the bird feeder and clean the sidewalk.

 

[fantastic]

I purchased the 20v Dewalt trimmer when it was first listed on Amaz. Mine quit shortly after using it. Battery life was not good. That being said it appears they've redesigned the 20v version since I purchased one. My review wasn't to give up but to direct folks to look at other 60v options if they have any meaningful grass/weeds to trim. Dewalt did not have a 60v at that time but there where some other brands that were offering a 5 year warranty on their 60v.

I went back to a gas since a battery offering wasn't sufficient for the power & amount of trimming I had to do.

If you have a postage stamp size lot then it should work great. I wanted to like it really. I'm a big Dewalt fanboi & I do have Dewalt tools across the board. My lithium batteries, from 2014-2015, are now 8-9 years old & still working fine. I am going to buy their 20v chainsaw though soon. I'm happy to hear you had good service from their trimmer.

 

[John105]

Speaking of which, where does everyone feel comfortable in getting new batteries? For my case, it's the Dewalt 20V XR 5 Ah.

Today, I decided to order qty 2 XR 5 Ah batteries from amazon, $120. Price drop. These are $239 at the big box stores.

I last purchased in 2018, and the same was $90. So $120 is no bargain. I am adding to the collection so to speak, no batteries have failed.

Go on eBay, you can get these batteries all day long $84-$89 (claim to be the Dewalt OE). Problem I have is the sellers, although they've sold 200-400 of them, they only have 200-400 reviews. No so called power sellers etc. at this low price.

When I think back, I do believe my 2 daily driver batteries are in fact eBay that came in Dewalt packages. I bet back then $60-$70 for 2. But even though no issues, I decided to go authorized eTailer/amazon for $90 on the next batch. I'd rather do this with Dewalt products, i.e. get from an authorized eTailer, not some unknown store. Even authorized a small fraction of the time we get returned or used products.

But along the lines of the OP, my original batteries are now 6 years old. I did add the folding weed trimmer to the collection. The original has a problem with the head, which I'll deal with, but fine in every other regard.

edit Today bundling in an extra charger is $46! Back in 2018 it was under $20. There will come a point where we can't even afford these price increases at all. I was looking online at the Escalade that I'm dreaming about and starting at $110k? Give me a break. Looks like it's Tahoe and 5.3 for me!

 

[John105]

I purchased the 20v Dewalt trimmer when it was first listed on Amaz. Mine quit shortly after using it. Battery life was not good. That being said it appears they've redesigned the 20v version since I purchased one. My review wasn't to give up but to direct folks to look at other 60v options if they have any meaningful grass/weeds to trim. Dewalt did not have a 60v at that time but there where some other brands that were offering a 5 year warranty on their 60v.

I went back to a gas since a battery offering wasn't sufficient for the power & amount of trimming I had to do.

If you have a postage stamp size lot then it should work great. I wanted to like it really. I'm a big Dewalt fanboi & I do have Dewalt tools across the board. My lithium batteries, from 2014-2015, are now 8-9 years old & still working fine. I am going to buy their 20v chainsaw though soon. I'm happy to hear you had good service from their trimmer.

The only 20V tool that amazed me in how quickly it depleted a 5 Ah battery is the polisher. I needed to remove paint all over my wife's car from some lousy church that was spraying their front door and got red paint all over my wife's car that was parked at the corner (of course they denied it, why would they take responsibility for their actions--this opens up another can of worms/topic for me lol). But it was in fact amazing to not be able to do the job without 2 fully charged batteries (every other tool seems to sip the energy).

 

[Pablo]

I have read some bad rap on DeWalt 20VMax batteries. I've owned DeWalt 20V tools since they hit the market. I still have some of the original 2010-11 batteries! And while they are slipping quite a bit, they still charge (but decline a bit more rapidly). 2014's perform as new. I had one newer 4Ah XR 2021 battery die and DeWalt sent a replacement super quick.

I bought two no name knock off 20VMax batteries from Amazon. Complete garbage. Got my money back!

That said I have a number of 12V (Milwaukee) PowerExtra and Waitley batteries that I am very pleased with. A couple of the beast sized ones in 12V are awesome.

 

[Snagglefoot]

I’m presently finished with season six and all is fine. The Waitely battery is holding up as well. A replacement battery can still be had for $72 US, in spite of inflation, the batteries are “ coming down “ in price enough to stay static, inflation wise.

 

[John105]

amazon has the 2 pack 5 Ah XR batteries on sale again, $108!

Amazon.com

I did recently buy $8x eBay ones and I cannot tell, but I do think counterfeit.

 

[football]

$50-$130 batteries??!! Exactly why I went with Ryobi. I buy 4AH batteries all year long for $18-$22 each, brand new from Home Depot during the sales. I have a ton of them.

I have a blower, three chain saws, a weed trimmer, and many power tools. I keep a $49 1/2 Ryobi impact, $4 lug socket, and $29 Ryobi tire inflator in the trunk of every car.

You can’t beat the price per amp hour anywhere. Ryobi sales are epic.

 

[Pablo]

I’m presently finished with season six and all is fine. The Waitely battery is holding up as well. A replacement battery can still be had for $72 US, in spite of inflation, the batteries are “ coming down “ in price enough to stay static, inflation wise.

View attachment 184913

Waitly 12V for Milwaukee are GTC as far as I am concerned. Awesome for the price.

 

[fantastic]

$50-$130 batteries??!! Exactly why I went with Ryobi. I buy 4AH batteries all year long for $18-$22 each, brand new from Home Depot during the sales. I have a ton of them.

I have a blower, three chain saws, a weed trimmer, and many power tools. I keep a $49 1/2 Ryobi impact, $4 lug socket, and $29 Ryobi tire inflator in the trunk of every car.

You can’t beat the price per amp hour anywhere. Ryobi sales are epic.

Yeah the Dewalt stuff is quite expensive. I ran over my dewalt flashlight with my mower 2 months ago & decided to buy a no name brand LED flashlight, for really cheap, that fit my existing dewalt batteries & I have to say I like it much better.

 

[John105]

Yeah the Dewalt stuff is quite expensive. I ran over my dewalt flashlight with my mower 2 months ago & decided to buy a no name brand LED flashlight, for really cheap, that fit my existing dewalt batteries & I have to say I like it much better.

Did you have the “spotlight?” It’s my go to. Got one for $50 and another for $58. The one I use daily is all banged up, scuffed, greasy, but it’s simply my favorite. Disappointing that it’s $84 today.

Dewalt sometimes has nuts pricing on Amazon. Like a vacuum $149 at Home Depot, suddenly $99 on Amazon. Why? Don’t know. I’ve not gotten a returned Dewalt from Amazon yet, but have at both HD and Lowe’s. Many folks today seem to mistake easy returns policies with a free tool
Rental program imho

 

[fantastic]

Did you have the “spotlight?” It’s my go to. Got one for $50 and another for $58. The one I use daily is all banged up, scuffed, greasy, but it’s simply my favorite. Disappointing that it’s $84 today.

That thing looks very bright! No, I had the smaller one.

Then bought this knockoff as a replacement which is much brighter than the one pictured above. Has a sideways rotatable head to boot.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/334961513794

 

[blkwtr]

You can get the 20v 5 amp Dewalt Max batteries on EBay 2 for $88.00.

2 Pcs DEWALT DCB205 20V Max XR 5.0Ah Li-ion Power Tool Genuine | eBay

Lightweight at 1.4 lbs and compatible with entire line of 20V MAX tools.

www.ebay.com

 

[skyactiv]

@blkwtr, those batteries are most likely stolen or fake. The only Dewalt listing that seller has is for those batteries.

 

[John105]

You can get the 20v 5 amp Dewalt Max batteries on EBay 2 for $88.00.

2 Pcs DEWALT DCB205 20V Max XR 5.0Ah Li-ion Power Tool Genuine | eBay

Lightweight at 1.4 lbs and compatible with entire line of 20V MAX tools.

www.ebay.com

I bought them and I do believe they are counterfeit. But I got the Allstate protection. Again I searched online, people think they are made by the same co who makes Dewalt for Dewalt, or, they lost a contract and have leftover materials, who knows. They do work. And short of opening them up or calling dewalt with the numbers on the case, we'll never know..

 

[cptbarkey]

There are tons of fake batteries out there. I do have a Ryobi 18v 4ah knockoff, and a Dewalt 5ah knockoff that have been working great, but recent invested heavily in real batteries.

I tested the waters on 2x 8AH Milwaukees from Ebay, they were absolute fakes and I returned them, for the price I paid I expected the real thing which the description said. Be careful and set your own expectation.