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A trade in discount would be great. Trade in your old model for a discount on the latest model. +1 for modular boxes included with tools (with molded/foam inserts). Or at least just the molded/foam inserts included with tools.

I've been planning to upgrade to the larger 20V blower but the small jobsite blower does a good enough job on hard surfaces outdoors.

I prefer hard cases but I do have a few scenarios where I find a bag is better. One is for better size, weight and portability. To store and carry a 20V jobsite blower I use a small 38cm long Dewalt bag; it's the perfect size. Because of the shape of the blower, if I were to use a hard case I would need a large tstak or large tough box just so it would fit it's height. It's just far easier to grab a small bag and chuck it on the passenger seat (try that with a large tough box).

Thanks. I think I've developed a bad style for edging due to using a gas trimmer that wouldn't run when tipped to one side. I edge front on (with the edge directly in front of me) while walking sideways and moving the trimmer up and down as I go along (with a slight angle to trim it down to ground level). In some ways it's a good way to edge as it saves line (it doesn't contact the concrete/ground) and allows you to keep holding the trimmer in the normal position. I only started doing it this way out of necessity. I have to say, this 20V trimmer is very easy to use when turned it on it's side. Much faster edging than how I've been doing it so far.

17 would be great. Because the 20V swath is so short i'm finding that the bump feed is almost constantly in contact with the ground when the trimmer is angled downwards to trim the grass low. Maybe improving my style will help, but I suspect the trimmer head is too big and the line too short.

- Improve the design and strength of mechanism to clip the boxes together while maintaining backwards compatibility. Perhaps they could implement something similar to the L-Boxx and use something stronger like steel or aluminium. A hybrid of the L-Boxx and Ridgid mechanism would be great; imagine the L-Boxx red plastic spring loaded auto-clipping tabs (put on the top rather than the bottom like with L-Boxx so it works with the current tough boxes) but made of steel rod like the Ridgid clips. You would simply but a box on top of another and it would click together automatically (like L-Boxxes), but would have the strength of Ridgid. This should be backwards compatible and would still use the connecting points at the bottom of the boxes. Something like this would place it a lot closer to the Packout in usability than it currently is. - Single drawer boxes: one with a large drawer (same height as the double/triple drawer box), and another with a small drawer (same height as half of the double/triple drawer box).

The 20V battery packs don't seem to have air inlets like Metabo batteries. Does anyone know if the fan cooling on the yellow fast charger is actually effective on the 20V packs? Is it simply cooling the battery from the outside? Or, do the gaps around the terminals and release clip allow air flow into the pack? Any info would be great.

I just had this thing running in 39C heat for 20 minutes. Definitely impressed with the runtime. It's still showing full charge (90% was on low speed). I still don't like the 13" swath and after using it some more it's really the only thing remaining that leaves me to question whether I should have waited and went for Flexvolt (15"), Ego (15"), or even M18 (with it's 16" swath!). It's perfectly fine though, I'd still recommend getting this trimmer. It looks like there's another 1/2" of room under the guard so I'm thinking of making a custom blade to get the swath up to 14". If people are running larger line then I figure the extra length with the standard line should be ok.

I will be buying these for a pure drawer setup.

Interesting, the flexvolt has a filter built in. Edit: so does the 20V. It wasn't noticeable until you look closely into the vents.

(Rather than make a new thread I'll post this here) I've just used the 20V trimmer for the first time and I'm VERY impressed. It's the Australian version which has a wide guard and is a type 2 build. It's supposed to be a Christmas present so I've put it back in the box (the wife will never know). I had it running on low and it did everything I threw at it (what would be classed as home owner trimming). I definitely could have pushed it harder if longer grass was available. The high setting seems to have a good amount of power and I don't think there's been anything I've done in the past that it couldn't handle on high. Very smooth, great feeling grip, although a bit too front heavy and perhaps a little short (I'm 6'3"). It's probably fine and just a matter of getting used to the new ergonomics; I only just used my gas trimmer 2 days ago. I do not like the 33cm swath but I'll get used to it. Until now I've been using a 41cm swath so this seems way too small. I'm also used to a small guard (like the USA version of this), so the guard seems huge! I think I do have some regret not getting the flexvolt for the larger swath and longer length (it was $140 more but included a free 6ah flexvolt battery), although I figure it would be heavier and have less runtime. I wish I could have tested them both before buying. This is such a great tool though, and I'm looking forward to doing a full yard with it. Another tick for Dewalt. Every tool I've bought from them I'm impressed with.

The manual says to clear the vents of grass before use. I haven't used it yet.

Unfortunately I can't. Its imported from the USA. I may contact Makita to see if they can fix it (I pay), or i'll sell it cheap on Ebay (sell as faulty). Thanks for the heads up about not getting better. I'll start looking into these two options soon.

- 18V circular saw either from Makita, Dewalt, or Metabo (if the new version comes out and looks better than the others) - Dewalt 20V hedge trimmer - Another drill - Welding table - More Grip-On

I'm thinking about making a mesh filter to cover the vents on the motor. It could simply be a piece of mesh big enough to wrap over the whole top of the motor and secured with a rubber band. I figure the mesh will still allow good airflow but stop any grass getting into the motor. I could easily take it off and clean it. Can anyone see a reason not to do this? I know Dewalt have Engineers, and I assume they thought it was OK for grass to get in there. Could it have been an oversight? It would have been great to have something removable like the filters on the new brushless grinders.

Not normal. Another brushless special. My 796 randomly doesn't lock when trying to undo the chuck (sometimes it will turn a complete turn until it finally locks). Brushless tools are getting annoying. I've almost started to cross my fingers when I pick one up, hoping that it will work properly today. I don't know what it is, all my brushless tools seem flaky or buggy. The thing is, most work as expected 99% of the time, but that's not good enough imo. You should have seen my subcompact Makita yesterday. It was possessed. How unsafe is a drill that keeps turning for a few seconds (under power) when you release the trigger? Tomorrow I bet it won't do it again, or ever again. It's just reliably unreliable. @Yannishave you tested the hammer function yet? It works amazing on this drill.

I have 4. I regret not having enough time to use the batteries (since having a baby and only doing diy work). I hate the thought of them sitting idle for 6 months or more and possibly deteriorating quicker (is this applicable to lithium ion?). Across the 4 platforms combined I have 11 batteries. If I had less platforms, they would get more use. If I could use them at least once a month I wouldn't have a problem with it. I once had ambitions to have all the major platforms, but not any more, I just don't want anymore batteries sitting around unused. I may even downsize to 3. 2 platforms are a minimum I reckon.

@Yannis the BS 18 quick is made in China. My 796 (type 1) is also made in China. I ordered a 791 (type 2) that was made in Mexico and frankly it was rubbish compared to the made in China 796. There was significant chuck run out (1mm), the rubber over mold was softer, there were rough edges on the plastic shells, and the yellow colour was noticeably darker, towards a very light orange. I returned it. I couldn't get a 791 locally either, it was imported from the USA via an ebay store based here. All great drills. If Dewalt ever makes a subcompact version of the 791 I'll be queuing up for that! Let us know what you picked.

I have (all weights with a compact 2.0ah/5 cell battery): Metabo BS 18 Quick subcompact (1.3Kg but perhaps more like 1.25Kg, 1,600rpm, 48Nm) Makita XFD11 subcompact (1.3Kg, 1,700rpm, 40Nm) Dewalt DCD796 compact hammer (1.6Kg, 2,000rpm, 70Nm) Weight = Dewalt (heaviest), Makita, Metabo (lightest) Compactness = Makita (smallest), Metabo, Dewalt (biggest) Balance = Metabo (best), Makita, Dewalt (worst, but hammer drill) Power = Dewalt (most), Metabo, Makita (least) Best grip = Dewalt (best), Makita, Metabo (worst, but good) Power-to-weight ratio = Dewalt (highest), Metabo, Makita (lowest) Precision = Metabo (most), Dewalt, Makita (least) Price = Makita (highest), Dewalt, Metabo (lowest, all prices depend where you are) Build quality = Dewalt (best), Metabo, Makita (worst) Overall I would probably recommend the Metabo (if you are ok with brushed). It has a removable chuck (but only 10mm not 13mm like the other two), and feels a lot more powerful than the Makita. They are very close in size, with the Metabo being more compact in width but longer and taller. The Dewalt is just a beast, often too powerful for what I do (DIY). There's also the slightly bigger Metabo BS 18 LT BL and Metabo SB 18 LT BL (1.5Kg, 2,100rpm, 60Nm) which are made in Germany (? precision++). This looks like a good alternative to the Dewalt compacts.

Perhaps not worthy to be on the best of 2017 list but personally my favorite this year is an underdog; the Metabo 18V compact one-handed reciprocating saw (SSE 18 LTX). Very solid, very lightweight, low cost and for it's size very powerful. I've been using it a fair bit lately and with a 6.2ah LiHD battery it has perfect balance and virtually no vibration (if the blade is sharp). I love this thing. The impression it leaves on you is similar to the subcompact BS 18 Quick drill (see the TIA review). I hope someone eventually does a review on this saw. Or, if the Makita TD170 impact driver was a 2017 release (I have no idea), that for sure!

Yeah it's great. With a recip saw you can remove hot blades and handle splintery wood without a problem. I have a bit of a "find the perfect glove" mission going on at the moment. So far I really like the cheap Dewalt leather gloves. Have you had any experience with anti vibration gloves? I only just realised they were a thing yesterday. Supposed to be good for mowing etc. I'm looking for a pair to try now.

Same here. I use thin latex gloves but I will buy some better disposable gloves when these run out. I always wear leather gloves when using the chainsaw, recip saw and angle grinder. I see some people (stupidly) welding without gloves, but I always wear them. This summer I will start wearing gloves when mowing, primarily to keep from getting sunburnt hands. I'll probably just use cotton gardening gloves or whatever I can find that won't be too hot to wear in 35 degrees (Celsius).

Yep, pretty much the entire country experiences warm weather in December here. No one really lives in snow during winter either, only a handful of small towns in the snowy mountains. No such thing as a white Christmas, but, we are lucky that Christmas and NYE means having bbq's, swimming at the beach, drinking beer under the sun, camping, kids running around outdoors, 6 weeks of school holidays, fireworks etc. Something I am grateful for every year. ...but tools are expensive

Thanks Dwain. Hard to find any info on what's happening.

Thanks for the feedback. I've gotta say, every Dewalt tool I've bought since getting into the line-up earlier this year I have absolutely loved. Sounds like this one won't disappoint either. After I unwrap this thing on Christmas morning I will be mowing the lawn just to try it out. Now if I could just find a Santa suit to wear