A reader posed an interesting prediction, that Dewalt will be “abandoning FlexVolt in the next several years altogether,” and I’m not quite sure what to think of this.
In a comment to my post about whether Dewalt will be updating their cordless miter saws in 2021, Greg makes some very strong arguments to support his theory.
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It’s been out for 5 years now with not much traction if you compare it to other brands and lines out there.
This is true.
Of all the tools I bought you can only still get the circular saw, the angle grinder, and possibly the 12″ dual bevel. The problem is the dual bevel is still listed deep in the Dewalt website but nobody has it in stock, either in bare tool, battery kit form, or battery kit + 120v corded adapter form.
Hmm. There are a lot of tools on backorder from a lot of brands these days, due to high demand, parts shortages, and shipping delays, but it’s uncertain as to whether one of these is the reason for the increasing scarcity of FlexVolt tools.
Since 2016 there’s been about 20 or so actual different Flexvolt tools which isn’t a lot.
That is also true.
See Also: All of ToolGuyd’s Dewalt FlexVolt Tool Coverage
Dewalt has not come out with any additional 120V Max cordless power tools since the platform first launched 5 years ago in 2016. At this time, there is a 12″ sliding miter saw, with the non-slider having been discontinued.
Dewalt has been bringing an increasing number of tools from the FlexVolt platform over to their 20V Max cordless power tool system. Why?
We also have PowerDetect core cordless power tools, as well as 20V Max with FlexVolt Advantage. While not quite as powerful as the FlexVolt tools, these special 20V Max tools deliver improved performance when paired with higher capacity batteries.
However, before anyone gets too concerned, consider this: Dewalt recently came out with a new FlexVolt modular cordless outdoor power tool system. Attachments are on the way as well, right now only the trimmer and power handle have launched so far.
Dewalt will also be launching a new massive FlexVolt and 20V Max-compatible 15Ah battery. I would expect that this could usher in a new tier of FlexVolt cordless power tools and equipment.
They have also updated their FlexVolt rotary hammers.
It’s not quite clear what Dewalt is doing with their FlexVolt cordless power tool system, but I don’t think there’s any risk they they’ll “abandon” the platform.
After all, they did discontinue their 40V Max cordless outdoor power equipment lineup in favor of FlexVolt, and they seem to be putting continued energy into this and certain other FlexVolt product segments.
It seems that 20V Max brushless motor and battery tech has gotten to a place where you don’t need FlexVolt’s 60V Max battery to power higher performance tools, at least not the types of tools that they launched a few years ago. BUT, this seems like a good time for Dewalt to take FlexVolt to the next level, which could be where the new 15Ah battery comes into consideration.
Dewalt seems to be making changes to FlexVolt, and the emergence of comparable tools in the 20V Max system is certainly confusing things, but I don’t think they’re giving up on the system.