Dewalt DC012 DC011 DW911 Review & Comparison

[kanxrus]

CHECK THIS OUT!

It's Been over 11 years since Dewalt launched the worlds 1st construction jobsite charger/radio. Dewalt has made a few changes over the years, and this will be a comparison from old to new.

Back in the late 90's Dewalt Power Tools were in it's infancy. Black&Decker wanted a Radio/Charger to compliment their new cordless lines. With some help from Altitude, the very first Jobsite charger/radio DC911 was born!

DeWalt Worksite Radio/Charger

Credit: Altitude Inc, and Black & Decker Inc.

Client: Black & Decker Inc.

The DeWalt Worksite Radio/Charger truly exemplifies the power of design by incorporating a must-have product (a battery charger) into a desirable product (a radio) giving customers "permission" to purchase the product.

Wrapped in a roll cage that shouts strength, this rugged boom box can withstand abusive treatment and harsh weather. Oversized control knobs are easily visible and accessible to a gloved hand and perforated steel protects speakers.

The Worksite Radio/Charger created a new product category for DeWalt while maintaining price point and sales volume in the cordless tool marketplace. Even though the typically product cycle in the cordless arena is two years, the cycle for the Radio/Charger, so far, has been 2.5 times longer, lasting over five years.

In addition, revenues from the Worksite Radio/Charger have increased the revenues of the system expansion category over 2.5 times, making up 60 percent of the revenues of the system expansion category, and have turned the category from a minor role with only one percent of the overall product revenues to 3.5 percent of the cordless division revenues.

The DeWalt Worksite Radio/Charger was a 2000 Silver IDEA winner in the Consumer Products category.

Data provided by IDSA

One of the first things you will notice about these radios, are display changes. Dewalt's first radio DW911 was the older analog style. Instead of turning on the system with the volume control, it has a separate function knob. The DW911 was the only radio to use the x style knobs.

DC011 was Dewalt's 2nd radio. First change was going from analog to digital. The knobs changed from  x knobs to round knobs. 4 preset button's were added, and the charging indicator light was moved to a more noticeable location. A clock was added, with a back-lit LCD screen.

DC012 is Dewalt's current radio. DC012 still uses the round knobs, but swapped the placement on the volume & tuner control's. The volume control is now on the right side of the radio. They added 1 more preset button, and another preset load. This allows for 10 total presets. The charging indicator light location was moved back to the top of the radio.

In order to keep clock memory, and preset memory. Dewalt added a on-board battery. The DC011 uses 2 AA batteries.

The DC012 uses a 3V lithium, this allows for longer memory time over the AA batteries.

All of Dewalt's Radios are chargers. The DW911 & DC011 will charge all of Dewalt's batteries from 7.2v-18v NiCd batteries only. The DC012 will charge all of Dewalt's batteries 7.2v-18v both lithium and NiCd. However, none of these radios will charge the new 12v Max battery DCB120.

Dewalt has kept the aux port on all 3 radios.

The DW911 has the aux port built into the middle lower front portion of the radio.

The DC011 has the aux port built into the back lower left corner. It provides easier access to the added CD player case Dewalt offered at that time.

The DC012 has the aux port built into the top portion of the radio. This allows easy access when you have your digital media player (MP3 player) sitting in the built in nest.

Another thing that has stayed consistent is the built in cord wrap on the bottom of the radio. The DW911 & DC011 both have the cord clip built onto the plug end. The DC012 has the cord clip as a stand alone item. I've misplaced it once already, but allows you the ability wrap the cord from either direction. Clockwise, or counter clockwise.

Another thing you'll notice after you've lugged these radios around  awhile, is the weight change. As Dewalt's radio's have progressed over the years, so has the weight. A near 3lb difference from the DW911 to the DC012.

Sound quality, and reception are also very important on a radio. I tested both, and did not notice any difference in reception. I put in a station that is hard for my home radio to pickup. Each radio picked up the station just fine. If anything, the DC012 had a fuzzier reception than the DW911 and DC011. You decide....

Sound quality has improved from the DW911 to the DC012. Although it's not a huge change, it is noticeably better. The DW911 has nice sound, just no bass what-so-ever. The DC011 has better stereo sound than the DW911, but not enough of a difference to tell, unless your playing them side by side. The DC012 has a bass control button. The DC012 has all around better sound, the HD weather resistant speakers sound good, even with the bass off.

The last noticeable mention is the addition of 3 receptacles on the DC012. It is a nice feature that the DC011 and DW911 don't offer. There are limitations to the plugs, and they are not GFCI protected. The rating on the outlets is 10 Amps total for all three outlets.

[Madtec]

The EUR version DC013 comes with a USB port, i have one at home 

[kanxrus]

Ya but I bet mine has better sound! 

[Madtec]

Not for long..............

thanks for the tip

[Tony1393434522]

Has anybody tested to see how long a battery inside the new DC012 holds a charge when unplugged?

The DW911 could be unplugged for many days with very little battery discharge.  The DC011 supposedly discharged a fresh battery in a day or two, which is a deal breaker for me.  Something about needing the battery to support the memory presets, which weren't present on the DW911?

I'd like to pick up a new radio charger, but it's not very useful to me if it depletes batteries so quickly when not in use.  The DC012 owner's manual says that it will drain a battery when not in use, but doesn't give an idea of how quickly this happens.

I can't wait for DeWalt's patent to expire on the radio charger so we can see some competition in features from Milwaukee and Makita radio chargers!  (DeWalt's patent is the only reason the competitors' radios don't charge batteries.)

[kjones]

The presets on both the DC011 and the DC012 are backed up by secondary AAA batteries, not the DeWalt battery.  Mke sure that your backup batteries are good and you won't lose your presets.  And if a couple of days worth of run time on one battery charge isn't enough for you, than I would say that your expectations are a little unreasonable.  I can understand being dissatisfied with run time of less than a day or something, but who cares if you have to swap the pack out every full day or two?

[Madtec]

Has anybody tested to see how long a battery inside the new DC012 holds a charge when unplugged?

The DW911 could be unplugged for many days with very little battery discharge.  The DC011 supposedly discharged a fresh battery in a day or two, which is a deal breaker for me.  Something about needing the battery to support the memory presets, which weren't present on the DW911?

I'd like to pick up a new radio charger, but it's not very useful to me if it depletes batteries so quickly when not in use.  The DC012 owner's manual says that it will drain a battery when not in use, but doesn't give an idea of how quickly this happens.

I can't wait for DeWalt's patent to expire on the radio charger so we can see some competition in features from Milwaukee and Makita radio chargers!  (DeWalt's patent is the only reason the competitors' radios don't charge batteries.)

You will have to wait a long time for that unless they lic out the patent, i am sure they renew the patent.  On the DC012 there are little to no battery discharge when you leave the battery in an unplugged radio, i have three of them, a DC011, DC012, and DC013.  I can go days without using the unplugged radio, and when the battery dies i just throw in another one or plug the radio.

[framer]

so will dewalt ever come out with a radio that actually has some bass?

[Gatorb8881393434512]

Unfortunately, having the charging feature also comes at a price, costs more to make. The radio is already over $150, would you pay $200+ to have more bass? I'm sure there are some that would pay it (me for example) but the more features you add the more expensive the product gets and the less the company sells. It's a balancing game all manufaturers have to play.

[framer]

Unfortunately, having the charging feature also comes at a price, costs more to make. The radio is already over $150, would you pay $200+ to have more bass? I'm sure there are some that would pay it (me for example) but the more features you add the more expensive the product gets and the less the company sells. It's a balancing game all manufaturers have to play.

whats the first thing one would expect from a radio?  good sound.  if it cant at least do that task good, then what's the point of buying it? 

i can seperatly buy a makita or milwaukee, radio and charger for around 150, and you're telling me dewalt cant combine two for the same price, and have decent sound?  i dont buy it.

i'll stick with my milwaukee and makita radios which blow away the dewalt, because in the end, i want a radio with nice sound, not a charger that can play music.

[Madtec]

Unfortunately, having the charging feature also comes at a price, costs more to make. The radio is already over $150, would you pay $200+ to have more bass? I'm sure there are some that would pay it (me for example) but the more features you add the more expensive the product gets and the less the company sells. It's a balancing game all manufaturers have to play.

whats the first thing one would expect from a radio?  good sound.  if it cant at least do that task good, then what's the point of buying it?   

i can seperatly buy a makita or milwaukee, radio and charger for around 150, and you're telling me dewalt cant combine two for the same price, and have decent sound?  i dont buy it.

i'll stick with my milwaukee and makita radios which blow away the dewalt, because in the end, i want a radio with nice sound, not a charger that can play music.

Place your Makita or Milwaukee radio very close to a charger when charging a battery and let's see if you get any distrotion or interference.  The bottom line is, adding a charge supply feature into a radio will cause distortion and or interference, that is why Dewalt isolated the charge supply as best they could to allow for a better sounding radio.  So i understand what your trying to say; if you want a radio, get one that sounds good, but if you want flexability, then it is up the the user perference.  I am a bose fan regardless.....

[sparkey]

I had the DW911 and loved it even after I blew up the charger by crossing the hot and neutral with my fish tape when it was partially unplugged. I had the Makita for a while but blew up the power cord transformer, then after the batteries died when they were 14 months old I gave up on Makita cordless. Plugging in chargers anywhere near the Makita killed reception even with the transformer. The Makita sounded great but the Dewalt built a better product all the way around.

[ToolGeek]

Now I see why your called SPARKY! LOL......

[mohawkdec]

how can i get my hands on a dc013

[kanxrus]

Fly to Europe and..... j/k I would assume you would find them on Ebay.uk? Not sure if they would work over here or not based on hertz, AM-FM programing, and the plug? Not my expertise.

[Madtec]

Fly to Europe and..... j/k I would assume you would find them on Ebay.uk? Not sure if they would work over here or not based on hertz, AM-FM programing, and the plug? Not my expertise.

I use my DC013 to play music and that's all, so the programming is same, and if i want to use the charger on the radio all i have to do is get a 110/220v converter...........ding, instant charger 

[kanxrus]

Why do you have the DC013? Other than the USB port, is it not pretty much the same thing?

[Madtec]

Why do you have the DC013? Other than the USB port, is it not pretty much the same thing?

Yep

[mohawkdec]

using the usb port with your mp3 player will give you unlimited run time, correct? i use my dc011 with ipod mostly. the  ipod will not last the 8 or 10 hrs i have the radio going. i work on a lot of jobs that have flores. lights, the radio tuner picks up alot of interference. try plugging your radio into the dewalt flores. work light. my radio doesnt like this at all.  so im stuck with the mp3 player, not that this is bad. but i think having usb on the american version would be great. i would upgrade for this feature alone. i see the bosch has it on theirs.

[Mr. Yellow]

Didn't the US have/had the DC010 model also? It's more ore less the same as the DW911, but without the charger function.

It had grey speakercovers instead of black ones. I got a few for free as one DeWalt Center would give them away on orders over an x amount. One is in the workshop, the other I gave away recently (it came with my compressor).

I'm using the DC013 now and do like it. It's quite a bit heavy though and when runing on a 18V Li-ion battery it will play for about 8 -10 hours, depending a bit on the volume level and bass on/off.

Sometimes there's little interference when charging, but no biggie. The USB feature I haven't used. Rather would see it inverted to put a USB stick with music in there so it will play. Some radio's do have this feature and I like it. Don't wanna have an iPhone or iPod attached on the jobsite. An USB stick however... 

[Tony1393434522]

Has anybody tested to see how long a battery inside the new DC012 holds a charge when unplugged?

The DW911 could be unplugged for many days with very little battery discharge.  The DC011 supposedly discharged a fresh battery in a day or two, which is a deal breaker for me.  Something about needing the battery to support the memory presets, which weren't present on the DW911?

I'd like to pick up a new radio charger, but it's not very useful to me if it depletes batteries so quickly when not in use.  The DC012 owner's manual says that it will drain a battery when not in use, but doesn't give an idea of how quickly this happens.

I can't wait for DeWalt's patent to expire on the radio charger so we can see some competition in features from Milwaukee and Makita radio chargers!  (DeWalt's patent is the only reason the competitors' radios don't charge batteries.)

You will have to wait a long time for that unless they lic out the patent, i am sure they renew the patent.  On the DC012 there are little to no battery discharge when you leave the battery in an unplugged radio, i have three of them, a DC011, DC012, and DC013.  I can go days without using the unplugged radio, and when the battery dies i just throw in another one or plug the radio.

Sorry-  Maybe I misstated-  My understanding is that the DC011 depletes a fully charged battery over the course of a few days while the radio is turned *off* and is unplugged.  So, if I put a fresh battery in Friday, and put it in my truck, it will be dead on Monday when I want to listen.  This is what I'm asking for people's experience with... can anybody validate that this is no longer a problem on the DC012?  Thanks & great site! 

[Tony1393434522]

Has anybody tested to see how long a battery inside the new DC012 holds a charge when unplugged?

The DW911 could be unplugged for many days with very little battery discharge.  The DC011 supposedly discharged a fresh battery in a day or two, which is a deal breaker for me.  Something about needing the battery to support the memory presets, which weren't present on the DW911?

I'd like to pick up a new radio charger, but it's not very useful to me if it depletes batteries so quickly when not in use.  The DC012 owner's manual says that it will drain a battery when not in use, but doesn't give an idea of how quickly this happens.

I can't wait for DeWalt's patent to expire on the radio charger so we can see some competition in features from Milwaukee and Makita radio chargers!  (DeWalt's patent is the only reason the competitors' radios don't charge batteries.)

You will have to wait a long time for that unless they lic out the patent, i am sure they renew the patent.  On the DC012 there are little to no battery discharge when you leave the battery in an unplugged radio, i have three of them, a DC011, DC012, and DC013.  I can go days without using the unplugged radio, and when the battery dies i just throw in another one or plug the radio.

Thanks - That's the info I was looking for!

[kanxrus]

I have left my DC9180 in my DC012 for a month un-plugged and it had plenty of juice to run the radio.

[Steven]

Not only does the built in charger create reception problems, but so does the short rubber ducky antenna.  I noticed that all the Dewalt charger/radios so far have these.  I worked in a radio shop straight out of high school years ago (so this might be old school).  The higher the MHz (like Police scanners or phones at 900+ MHz) needs a shorter antenna.  Likewise, the lower the MHz (like CB at 25 MHz or FM radio at 100 MHz) needs a longer antenna.  High frequency = shorter, low frequency = longer.  So if u get rid of the short rubber antenna & get a long collapsible multi section whip (stiff rod) antenna at maybe a place like Radio Shack, your reception should be stronger & clearer.  But I do realize Dewalt has made this radio to handle abuse at a job site, so placing the stiff rod antenna on it will not last.  Most of job sites I go to will usually have an old regular boom box playing & they do look like they have seen better days.

[martinabbi]

so which one is good give me some idea regarding this .