At DeWalt’s Built Black and Yellow experience in Baltimore, I spent some time with the experts in batteries and chargers. Part of the big news included changes to DeWalt’s 20V Max battery lineup. Specifically, you’ll no longer see the Powerstack and Powerpack names.
Don’t worry, though, the technology isn’t going away. Rather, this is primarily a rebranding to help simplify how Pros select batteries.
So, let’s get you up to speed on what’s changing. While I’m going to focus on the standard and advanced packs, there will also still be oil-resistant and tether-ready versions of some.
READ
DeWalt Powerstack Battery and Technology Review
DeWalt 20V Max XR Powerpack Tabless Battery
DeWalt 20V Max Standard Batteries
The big change to DeWalt’s standard 20V Max batteries is on the pack itself. You’ll notice the “XR” branding is no longer there. Most retailers didn’t include XR in the name, and the model numbers aren’t changing, so it’s just a different look than you’re used to.
- DCB203 20V Max 2.0Ah
- DCB230 20V Max 3.0Ah
- DCB204 20V Max 4.0Ah
- DCB205 20V Max 5.0Ah
- DCB206 20V Max 6.0Ah
- DCB210 20V Max 10.0Ah
DeWalt 20V Max Advanced Batteries
The advanced batteries are where things get a bit complicated. Both Powerstack and Powerpack batteries are shifting to XR designations.
Keep in mind, these are two different technologies. Powerstack uses a pouch cell design while Powerpack uses a tabless design. You can read more about the differences between the two below.
READ
Pouch Cell vs Tabless Cell Batteries
For the five advanced batteries currently available, it’s straightforward since there’s no Ah capacity overlap. As long as you remember the Ah rating of the batteries you prefer, you can match that rating up with the XR battery of the same capacity.
New Powerstack Designations
Here’s how the Powerstack batteries map over:
- DCBP034 1.7Ah Powerstack → 20V Max XR Compact
- DCBP320 3.5Ah Powerstack → 20V Max XR 3.5Ah
- DCBP520 5.0Ah Powerstack → 20V Max XR 5.0Ah
New Powerpack Designations
This is how you’ll now see the Powerpack batteries labeled:
- DCB2104 4.0Ah Powerpack → 20V Max XR 4.0Ah
- DCB2108 8.0Ah Powerpack → 20V Max XR 8.0Ah
There is one complicating factor: a new 5.0Ah tabless battery is coming soon. Under the old naming system, it would have been Powerpack, but like the others, it’s going to launch as an XR battery.
- DCB2105 20V Max XR 5.0Ah (coming soon)
Aside from checking the model numbers, the easiest way to tell the difference between the tabless (left) and pouch cell (right) versions is their form factor. The tabless pack is shorter from front to back, but a little thicker from top to bottom compared to the pouch cell pack.
The Bottom Line
The key takeaway from DeWalt’s new 20V Max battery naming system is that standard batteries are labeled as 20V Max, and advanced batteries are labeled as 20V Max XR.
As you get used to the new naming system, double-check the model numbers to make sure you’re getting the battery you intend. Here’s a quick cheat sheet:
- 20V Max standard batteries: DCB###
- 20V Max XR pouch cell batteries: DCBP###
- 20V Max XR tabless batteries: DCB####
