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We recently posted about new Dewalt 20V Max cordless power tools, and as many readers noticed, they’re kitted with a brand new battery charger.
So far, it looks like the new boxy-looking charger is only being rolled out with specific Dewalt cordless tool kits, but we expect to see more of it soon.
The new Dewalt DCB1102 battery charger is described as being compatible with Dewalt 12V Max, 20V Max, and FlexVolt batteries.
It features 2-stage charging indicator lights.
When you put a cordless power tool battery to charge, the majority of the charge capacity is replenished faster than the final top-off charge. Because of that, this type of feature typically makes it clearer to know when it’s effective to swap batteries.
For example, let’s say that a hypothetical 2-stage charger might recharge a battery to 80% in 30 minutes, and then take 15 minutes to top it off to 100%. If you need that battery off the charger and powering a tool, it can be a good idea to wait until stage 2 charging as indicated by the LED lights.
Retrieving a battery while it’s in the final charging stage can be an efficient compromise, compared to pulling it earlier or waiting for it to reach a full 100% charge.
The DCB1102 is advertised as having a 2A charging rate.
The charger has 2 keyhole-style mounting slots on top, for attaching it to a wall or other vertical surface.
As reader BigRichard pointed out in the comments, there’s also a new DCB1104 charger, which has a 4A charging rate and is advertised as being 15% smaller than [Dewalt’s] DCB115 4A charger. It’s compatible with Dewalt 12V Max, 20V Max, and FlexVolt batteries, and also has a 2-stage LED indicators.
LED-indicated two-stage charging is not a new development, and was featured in the 6A and 12A chargers that Dewalt launched in 2020.
Pricing details aren’t available yet. As with Dewalt’s other power tool battery chargers, these will likely be sold separately and as part of kit bundles.
Discussion
That the new 4Ah charger is more compact than the existing DCB115 charger, which is bundled in many of Dewalt’s more premium 20V Max cordless power tool kits, is notable.
However, the DCB1102 is much more of an attention-grabber due to its less conventional and somewhat boxy design.
It’s not as compact as other slide-on chargers, where the charger is attached to a battery rather than the battery being attached to a charging dock, but this also gives it a much more robust appearance.
Additionally, the DCB1102 can be wall-mounted via keyhole slots, which can’t be said about typical compact slide-on chargers.
If you need something more compact, the Dewalt DCB094 USB-C power adapter (reviewed here), is a good choice.
In my opinion, the DCB1102’s unique appearance helps to differentiate it from existing and faster chargers.
Dewalt’s existing DCB112 charger is slower than their DCB115, and doesn’t have any obvious benefits. With the two new models, the DCB1102 looks to have a more compact footprint – on a workbench and likely on the wall as well – than the DCB115 and new DCB1104 chargers.
Because of that, I know I’m more likely to keep it around if I get one with new tools as part of a kit or bundle.
What do you think about the new 2A charger’s form factor?
