Dewalt batteries 18v vs 20v

[Mycrossover]

The fact that people are still complaining about the 20v being “false advertising” is borderline absurd, it is everywhere these days. IMO, this falls into the same category as whining that a 2x4 only measures 1.5”x3”, or truck manufacturers claiming towing capacities of “up to 12,500 lbs” only applying to regular cab 2wd trucks with the lowest gear ratios, rather than how 95% of the trucks sold are configured. 
 
It was necessary to call it something different both to promote the new line as well as prevent consumers from buying something that was incompatible with what they already had and being angry about that. 
 
To the OP, if the batteries are the same style (20v and 18v) with the slide in packs, they are interchangeable with chargers, etc. If they are the older style stem that plugs in, they are not compatible without the conversion kit. 

Almost every rechargable battery is higher than the nominal value at full charge. When was the last time you heard anybody refer to a car battery as 13.8 volts. NiCds and NiMH batteries are labeled by their nominal value, 1.2 volts per cell, but they, too are higher off the charger. It was not to distinguish between types but somebody got the bright idea to make their batteries look higher voltage than the competition and some, Like Bosch switched to the higher value to not lose sales to them. I am sure there are a few who are still taken in by the higher voltage claim. Milwaukee is in the middle with their lower voltage cells at 12 instead of 10.8 but the higher voltage ones are 18. It is all advertising and I wish they would settle on a standard.

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[Ricky]

I'm  thinking Dewalts need to pull their collective fingers outta their arses ,and stop screwing their Customers over .

I was a Dewalt product pin up boy ,Dewalt pretty much most things ,from Hacksaws,Tool belts to Boots and a bunch of 18v stuff, then screwed over with battery change frim Post to  sliders ,many tools still almost new ! 

Then the 20 v and 24 v ranges ,with different batteries !!!

Stop screwing us over, is this Tradie ,will move to Makita !!!

[fm2176]

5 hours ago, Ricky said:

I'm  thinking Dewalts need to pull their collective fingers outta their arses ,and stop screwing their Customers over .

I was a Dewalt product pin up boy ,Dewalt pretty much most things ,from Hacksaws,Tool belts to Boots and a bunch of 18v stuff, then screwed over with battery change frim Post to  sliders ,many tools still almost new ! 

Then the 20 v and 24 v ranges ,with different batteries !!!

Stop screwing us over, is this Tradie ,will move to Makita !!!

 

If DeWalt made any real mistake in the gradual change from 18v to 20v Max, it's that they continued to fully support the older system for so long.  Here in the States, the 18v line was only discontinued in the past year or two, meaning that for at least 7 years (2011-2018) new tools could be purchased in either style.  Our big box retailers like Lowe's and Home Depot offered multiple $99 holiday kits, with an 18v XRP often displayed next to the 2-3 20v max Models on sale.  While many of these were likely purchased for the replacement batteries, some people doubtlessly bought the 18v kit with the mindset that these tried-and-true workhorses were still top-of-the-line.

 

I consider the early 2010's to be pivotal in tool and battery technology, a time when many brands were optimizing their designs to drive ever more powerful tools.  Ryobi has proven that sticking with post-style batteries is possible, with their One+ system being almost universally interchangeable.  Most other manufacturers, however, decided that changes were needed to create the "battery of the future", if you will.  Despite alienating some established users, companies like DeWalt expanded the horizons of cordless technology.

 

DeWalt gets the brunt of the hate here, probably because the 18v system was so popular and well-established.  Let's not forget, though, that other brands had notoriously short-lived or under supported systems, such as the Milwaukee V18 or M28.

[Mackenzie]

The adapter works great with any 20v MAX battery, and with most all 18v tools. ... After the modification, it will fit in any 18v tool. Please note since all 18v dewalt tools are actually running on 20v, there is no harm in using this with any of the dewalt 18v tools.

[Biggie]

Continuing to use the "post-style" batteries would have been the death of dewalt.  For a home-owner grade tool like ryobi it works because people aren't using the tools every day to make a living.  With dewalt being a pro-grade tool they needed to keep current with battery technology and ergonomics.  Had they done it sooner I probably would have never jumped ship to milwaukee.  If you're really dead set on sticking with your old tools as its been mentioned you can still buy new xrp batteries or get an adaptor.  

[Khun Ling]

OK , after much confusion I can now draw the conclusion that my 18V Dewalt slide system is known elsewhere in the world as 20V. I'm from Australia, there has NEVER been any Dewalt stuff labeled as 20V sold here.

In hindsight, while my dewalt tools are fine, I wish I had gone the Makita route as the range available here is greater and Miwaukee , while they are fine tools, are overpriced in this country.

I just started out looking for dewalt to makita battery adapters and ran into a world of confusion with this 20V B.S.