New Dewalt 20V Max Cordless Air Compressor with “FlexVolt Advantage”

Dewalt has officially announced their new 20V Max cordless air compressor, model DCC2520. The new Dewalt cordless air compressor features FlexVolt Advantage technology, which gives it a power and performance boost when paired with a FlexVolt battery.

The new Dewalt 20V Max air compressor is said to be ideal for general contractors, remodelers, finish carpenters, cabinetry installers, and trim installers. It can be paired with pinners, staplers, brad nailers, and finish nailers to satisfy a wide range of fastening tasks.

When paired with a 20V Max Li-ion battery, the Dewalt DCC2520 delivers a max pressure of 125 PSI. The max pressure specs increase to 140 PSI when it’s powered with a FlexVolt battery.

The compressor has a 2.5 gallon air tank and Dewalt’s “OneTurn” regulator for quick and precise adjustments.

The compressor is oil-free, but also quiet (for an air compressor), with an 80 dBA noise rating. It also has a covered on/off switch and a heavy duty rollcage for jobsite durability

Dewalt DCC2520 Features & Specs

• 2.5 gallon air tank
• 125 PSI max with 20V Max battery
• 140 PSI max with FlexVolt battery
• 1.0 SCFM at 90 PSI
• Weighs 21.5 lbs (bare tool)
• OneTurn regulator
• Oil-free pump

Price: $199 for the bare tool (DCC2520B), $299 for the kit (DCC2520T1)
Availability: Bare tool is out now; the kit will start shipping in September 2021

The Dewalt DCC2520T1 kit will come with a DCB1106 6Ah charger and DCB606 6.0Ah FlexVolt battery.

Buy Now: Bare Tool via Home Depot
Buy Now: Kit via Home Depot

The compressor is made in the USA with global materials.

Discussion

Here’s where things might get a little complicated. Dewalt already offers a FlexVolt cordless air compressor, and it’s been out for four years now. The FlexVolt air compressor has only ever been available as a kit.

Now, the new 20V Max with FlexVolt Advantage air compressor has already launched as a bare tool and will be launching soon as a kit which will include a charger and the same 6Ah FlexVolt battery as the FlexVolt air compressor is bundled with.

The 20V Max with FlexVolt Advantage kit will be priced the same $299 as the FlexVolt kit, and it comes bundled with the same 6Ah battery.

At the surface, it looks like Dewalt updated their FlexVolt air compressor to be compatible with 20V Max batteries.

But, there are some performance differences, at least on paper.

Dewalt 20V Max (DCC2520) vs. FlexVolt (DCC2560) Cordless Air Compressor Comparison

When powered with a 20V Max battery, the new air compressor delivers 125 PSI max pressure. It delivers 140 PSI max pressure when powered with a FlexVolt battery. The FlexVolt air compressor delivers 135 PSI max pressure, and it’s only compatible with FlexVolt batteries.

FlexVolt batteries can power the brand’s 60V Max cordless power tools, as well as their 20V Max tools and accessories.

Whereas the FlexVolt air compressor delivered 1.2 SCFM at 90 PSI, the new 20V Max with FlexVolt Advantage air compressor delivers 1.0 SCFM at 90 PSI. In other words, the FlexVolt model delivers 20% more air volume, and the 20V Max model 16.7% less.

The two air compressors look to be nearly identical, at least in general construction and form factor, although there could be minor tweaks, optimizations, or other subtleties that aren’t visible in the product images.

Given the air volume specs, I would expect for the new Dewalt cordless air compressor to fill a slightly slower rate than the FlexVolt model. Since the tank pressurizes to 125 PSI with a 20V Max battery, compared to 135 PSI for the FlexVolt model, fill up times might be shorter. When powered with a FlexVolt battery, the tank fills to 140 PSI, and if the airflow rate doesn’t change then this will mean for longer fill times, although a higher tank pressure means less frequent fill-up cycles.

Basically, what this all means is that the new 20V Max with FlexVolt Advantage cordless air compressor has slightly lower specs compared to the FlexVolt model, at least when paired with a 20V Max battery. When paired with a FlexVolt battery, it has a slightly better max pressure spec and slightly lower airflow rating at 90 PSI.

The new 20V Max model is compatible with both 20V Max and FlexVolt batteries, and it’s available with bare tool and kit options. The kit is launching at the same $299 price as the FlexVolt kit. The chargers are a little different, but both kits have a FlexVolt battery.

I reached out to Dewalt with two questions that I hope will help us better understand the new compressor:

1) Will the new 20V Max with FlexVolt Advantage air compressor be replacing the existing FlexVolt model?

2) Will higher capacity and larger form factor 20V Max batteries (such as 6Ah, 8Ah, and 10Ah batteries) also provide a performance boost?

This seems like a good move. Personally, I would sacrifice a tiny bit of performance for FlexVolt tools to also be compatible with 20V Max batteries. But with FlexVolt batteries backwards-compatible with 20V Max tools, is this version of the air compressor really needed?

With this news, I now have the feeling that maybe a new larger and higher performing FlexVolt air compressor is coming next. I think that such a development would help put this new 20V Max FlexVolt Advantage model into better context.