FlexVolt DCB612 12.0Ah Battery Review

DeWalt has just announced that they have made their most powerful line of batteries even stronger.  A little under 2 years ago, DeWalt introduced FlexVolt, and they forever changed the way we look at the limits of cordless tools.  Now, they are pushing that limit again, with the new DCB612 12.0Ah battery!  It’s the biggest and baddest one yet, bringing a whopping 240 watt-hours to endure through the most demanding work.

As you may know, FlexVolt batteries provide either 60 volts or 20 volts and depending on the demands of the tool, and automatically adjust themselves to provide the right amount of power.  But what does that even mean?  Think of voltage like how much water pressure is in your sink, with a high voltage representing high pressure, letting you wash your hands faster.  With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the benefits these batteries have to offer. 

Thunderstruck

FlexVolt technology is completely unique in the market: the battery units can switch between 20 volts and 60 volts depending on what voltage the tool is calling for.  Thanks to this, there are suddenly several new tools available now that had never been possible before due to the limits of charge and runtime, such as a cordless air compressor and even a cordless table saw.  DeWalt also just released a 60-volt Max 9″ cut off saw, a tool typically powered by a gas engine!

The new DeWalt batteries are also the same size and weight as their predecessor 9.oAh batteries, so you get 33.3% more runtime without adding any extra bulk.

So What’s the Benefit of All That Power?

The high voltage combined with the astoundingly long runtime means you can use your tools a heck of a lot longer than ever before seen.  20-volt tools can utilize the full 12 amp-hours that the batteries provide, and larger 60-volt tools can still pull power for 4 amp-hours before hitting empty.  Considering that this is twice as long as they could go when FlexVolt was unveiled is an amazing sign of progress.

So How Does It Stack Up?

This is the part of the article where we start discussing math, so if that’s not really your thing, feel free to skip to the end.

The real way to determine how much power a battery can really provide is to calculate the Watt-Hours.  This number is determined by multiplying the Amp-hours by the Voltage.  In our situation, that gives us the equation (60Volts x 4.0Ah) or (20Volts x 12.0Ah) = 240 Watt-Hours.

240 watt-hours is an astounding accomplishment for a battery providing so much voltage.  Considering that the most powerful commercial-grade battery DeWalt has to offer gives 300 watt-hours, and the next former top-of-the-line FlexVolt brought 180, this battery packs a very serious punch.

Will It Still Work With My 20V Max Tools?

Yes, it will.

While it may take a little getting used to the size of this monster, you will get up to 8x as much runtime as standard DeWalt 20v Max battery units.  This might seem like overkill, but we assure you, you will soon wonder how you ever worked without it.  Having to change the batteries less frequently means less downtime, so you and your crew won’t lose momentum when a tool suddenly dies smack in the middle of a task.  Thanks to the LED fuel gauge on the front, you will also have a head’s up when the time comes to toss them on the charger and get fresh ones.

But Won’t It Take A Long Time To Charge?

With all this talk of how long the battery can last, you might be wondering how long it has to sit on the charger between uses.  For crews with lots of cordless tools floating around, DeWalt also recently announced a new 4 port fast-charger to top off four units in just about 2 hours.  With how much runtime you will get from a single charge, this is more than long enough so you won’t ever get left sitting around waiting without any live batteries in hand.

Final Thoughts

The power and versatility of this new unit mean that it can benefit virtually anyone.  Whether you’re running a full crew of workers, helping out with school projects on weekends, or doing yardwork, the extreme runtime lets you work longer than ever before.  DeWalt has offered yet another innovation to push the boundaries of cordless tools without adding any unnecessary bulk or mass.  Plus, since they will be compatible with the entire line of FlexVolt and 20V Max tools, you can have one set of batteries cover all your cordless needs.

Product Information

DCB612 FlexVolt 20V/60V MAX 12.0Ah Battery available for pre-order now