DeWalt is a power tool company that makes tools for contractors that we woodworkers take a liking to. If you are a power-tool guru, a contractor, or if, like me, you’re a woodworker who does an awful lot of work around my house, the new tools DeWalt introduced last week are certainly intriguing.

The woodworker in me went to the event hoping to hear about a few things: planers, routers, and 12-volt cordless power tools. Unsurprisingly, I didn’t hear about much on my wish list. DeWalt set the standard with their 735 benchtop planer, and until someone gives them a run for their money I’m sure they’re more than happy to leave it as is. The DWP611 is always mentioned in the list of favorite trim routers, and I had hoped that they would add its great dust collection and powerful LED lights to a larger router in the 1-3/4 hp range. Last but certainly not least I wanted to see more 12-volt tools. For woodworkers, 12-volt cordless power tools are an ideal combination of size, weight, and power. We’re not driving 10-in. lag bolts or boring dozens of 2-1/8-in. holes in framing lumber. Most of the time we work on a much smaller scale and at a much slower pace, and 12-volt tools seem to be a perfect fit for many of us. Sadly, there were no new announcements about DeWalt’s 12-volt line.

However, if you are like me you live in an old house that constantly needs work and updating. In the shop I reach for a drill pretty infrequently, but when I’m working on my house I want the same speed and power that a contractor requires. That’s why I left DeWalt’s event excited about the future of power tools. DeWalt left little doubt where they are focusing their attention in their own future… cordless.

Many argue that cordless tools don’t have as much power or enough run time. That used to be true. Lack of power and run time isn’t necessarily a function of cordless tools, it’s a function of early cordless tools. DeWalt (and many other manufacturers) is looking to change that perception. 

With the release of their Flex Volt line I think they may have done it. The heart of the new line is a new battery pack with 15 4-volt cells. When plugged into a 20-volt tool they run in 3 groups of five cells, each group running in parallel, outputting 20 volts. In a 20-volt tool, the flex volt batteries give up to four times the run time of their 20-volt max predecessors. The magic happens when they are plugged into one of the new 60-volt tools. The 15 4-volt cells switch into series outputting 60-volts. The new 60-volt line of tools includes a 6-in. angle grinder, a stud and joist drill, reciprocating saw, 7-1/4-in. circular saw, and 8-1/4-in. tablesaw. Two battery packs can be combined to power one of the new cordless 12-in. miter saws.

In our short time with the new Flex Volt tools, each of them performed at or above the level of its corded counterpart. Myonly disappointment in the new line is that they didn’t introduce a 10-in., two-battery 120-volt tablesaw. DeWalt’s thinking seems to be that on the job site a tablesaw is primarily used for cutting sheet goods, and an 8-1/4-in. blade handles those tasks just fine. The smaller blade allows one battery to power it effectively. After seeing the 12-in. 120-volt miter saw perform as well as the corded version, it would be nice to see the performance gap eliminated between their corded and cordless tablesaws.

Even though these tools aren’t likely to wind up in a woodshop near you, they are likely to wind up on a job site near you. The future of cordless tools is pretty bright thanks to DeWalt’s Flex Volt technology. Now if we could just get them to add more lights to their routers!