These DeWalt Power Tools Will Have You Rethinking Your Hand Tool Setup

Nov 11, 2024

The invention of power tools to replace traditional non-electric versions was a boon to craftspeople and DIYers alike. Most often, early power tools used electric or pneumatic energy in place of good old-fashioned elbow grease. While those vintage power tools are still popular among collectors, cordless power tools, such as the ones listed below from DeWalt, will have you rethinking your hand tool setup.

Raymond DeWalt started the DeWalt Products Company in 1924. In 1960 the company was brought under the Black & Decker umbrella. As a Black & Decker brand, DeWalt began making portable power tools in 1992, and today they are highly regarded as being among the best-value brands on the market.

The most popular cordless DeWalt power tools utilize batteries with voltages ranging from 12 to 60 volts. DeWalt 12V power tools include items such as oscillating tools, impact drivers, and circular saws. The more powerful 60V power tool lineup is geared toward commercial job sites. However, it's DeWalt's 20V power system that occupies the sweet spot of performance, weight, and affordability and offers the largest portion of the company's hand-held cordless power tools.

If you enjoy turning wrenches in your spare time, or perhaps you're a professional mechanic, you no doubt have a collection of sockets and ratchet wrenches. While a ratchet is much easier to operate when installing or removing threaded fasteners than a standard combination wrench, it's not without its limitations.

Among the most significant drawbacks associated with ratchets, even Harbor Freight's 24K gold-plated ratchet, is operating them in tight spaces. If there isn't sufficient space to swing the ratchet handle and advance the internal mechanism to the next cog, it becomes useless. A cordless ratchet overcomes this situation with a press of its trigger.

The DeWalt Xtreme 12V Max Brushless Cordless Sealed Head Ratchet provides up to 50 lb-ft of torque and spins up to 450 rpm without a load. Its design allows the use of square drive sockets and extensions in standard sizes such as ¼-inch and ⅜-inch using interchangeable anvils. In addition to the ability to drive fasteners clockwise or counter-clockwise (otherwise known as Righty and Lefty from the famous quote: "Righty-tighty, Lefty-loosey"), the DeWalt ratchet sports an integrated LED worklight and a trigger lock to prevent accidental activation.

Homeowners and lawn care professionals alike get the best results when using sharp lawn mower blades to cut grass. While it's possible to use a hand file to keep them sharp, the best tool for sharpening dull lawn mower blades is a cordless angle grinder for its speed, ease of use, and versatility.

Some might argue that a corded angle grinder is a better tool for sharpening lawn mower blades, but the portability of the DeWalt cordless unit makes it more versatile. Instead of grinding inside the garage on your workbench or dragging an extension cord to a more favorable spot, the cordless angle grinder allows sharpening mower blades, or other grinding chores, anywhere you'd like.

The DeWalt 20V Max XR Brushless Cordless Variable Speed Paddle Switch Grinder features adjustable grinding wheel speeds to match the material being worked with. Used correctly, this feature could prevent overheating lawn mower blades while sharpening, a condition that robs the steel of its temper, making it softer and more prone to dulling and damage.

When fabricating anything using metal conduit, strut, angle or flat bar stock, it's usually difficult for the average DIYer to find a way to cut the needed materials safely and effectively. Those on the tightest budgets typically attempt to make do with a hacksaw while others reach for a reciprocating saw. Both of these solutions can produce dangerous vibrations and crooked, uneven cuts that threaten to ruin the entire project.

A better option for smooth cuts on a variety of metals, including aluminum, iron, copper, and steel, is the DeWalt 20V Max XR Dual Trigger Mid-Size Bandsaw. Its safety features include a secondary trigger located on the foregrip to ensure two-handed operation. Maintaining a two-handed grip on the bandsaw helps keep your appendages away from the saw blade and provides better control of the saw to help prevent accidents.

The DeWalt portable bandsaw cuts at blade speeds up to 570 surface feet per minute (SFPM). That speed allows slicing through a 1.625-inch, 12-gauge strut in as little as 5.1 seconds using the included 18 tpi (tooth per inch) saw blade. In addition, equipping the bandsaw with the available 5Ah 20V battery (DCB205) allows up to 120 cuts through the same strut on a full charge.

It's often amazing to think back to a time (not that long ago) when framing a house required the use of hand saws and hammers all day. Carpenters back in the day were tough. The advent of radial arm saws and pneumatic framing nailers changed the landscape of carpentry but at the cost of peace and quiet.

The next time you're building a deck, backyard shed, or treehouse, consider using a cordless framing nailer, like the DeWalt 20V Max Brushless Cordless 21-degree Plastic Framing Nailer. Not only will your shoulders thank you for not swinging a hammer, but your neighbors will appreciate not hearing an air compressor used to power a pneumatic framing nailer.

DeWalt estimates that even framing pros can save up to 20 minutes each workday by switching from pneumatic framing nailers to cordless. That time savings are based primarily on set-up and end-of-day cleanup associated with air compressors, extension cords, air hoses, and "other nailer-related accessories and attachments."

The DeWalt cordless framing nailer is especially well suited to smaller DIY projects. When equipped with the available 5Ah 20V battery, it can shoot enough 3.5-inch nails to install up to 530 square feet of ¾-inch OSB subflooring or up to 100 feet of wall framing per charge. Using DeWalt's specified number of nails for both examples results in approximately 530 nails per full 5Ah battery charge.

The opposite of Spring Cleaning is Fall Fixit in many parts of the country in preparation for the coming winter months. The cool days and warm sunshine of fall have many DIYers looking for outside projects. One recommended home maintenance item is to check for signs of leaks around windows and doors. Weathered and cracked caulking on the outside of your home is one of the most likely pathways of water intrusion, but damaged caulking around sinks, showers, and bathtubs can also lead to water damage.

If you walk into a home improvement store and ask about tools for re-caulking your doors and windows, you'll likely be shown a selection of manually operated caulk guns. While these are fine for small jobs, the viscous nature of water-repellent caulk makes manual application to large areas rough on your hands. That's where DeWalt's 20V Max 10OZ / 300ML Adhesive Gun saves the day.

The DeWalt 20V Max Adhesive Gun accommodates standard-size 10.1-ounce caulk tubes. The cordless tool features a variable speed trigger and a speed dial to allow precise material flow for various applications. In addition, its anti-drip system automatically removes force from the caulk tube when the trigger is released. There's also an integrated LED light and a hook to hang the gun from a ladder or tool belt to allow using both hands for something else.

We picked these five DeWalt power tools out of the hundreds of tools the company makes available on its website and at retail outlets. As we combed through the list, we thought about past (and future) projects and explored tools that could replace someone's current hand tool setup with the biggest impact.

Some DeWalt tools, like the 60V Demolition Hammer, caught our eye when thinking about sidewalk demolition. However, unless you're in the demolition business, the price of the tool and the likely frequency of use makes renting an appropriate tool a better option.