DeWalt DCBL777 60v Brushless Leaf Blower vs DCBL720 20v

[@TrailBoundco]

is there a trigger lock like the 20v

[@SomeGuysGarage]

See 5:59 in the video.

[@blahbaconblah]

I bought this basically because you buy a battery and charger and get a leaf blower with it for free. (Not exactly, but close enough). I have been using these higher capacity flexvolt batteries for years and have had great success with them simply lasting longer on jobs were I don't want to bounce back to the truck for a fresh battery. I always look out for tools that offer these flex batteries with the kit because it is an efficient way to build up a supply of them.

[@SomeGuysGarage]

Yup, most of my 60v batts have come from the kits, I did get a really good deal on a 2 pack of 9ah's but otherwise, kits are the way to go! Plus the blower ain't half bad either ;)

[@hugoghernandez3423]

Funny, thought i was going to see some leaves in a leaf blower article....

[@SomeGuysGarage]

@@hugoghernandez3423 wasn't quite the time of year yet when I made the video

[@Turbochargedtwelve]

Woof that charger is Sloooow. I know dewalts chargers are always slow but why pair a 4A charger with a battery that it’s gonna take 3hrs minimum to charge from dead. I’ll stick with my EGO blower, the batteries are cheaper and the chargers are faster. A 5Ah EGO which would be a 15AH dewilt can get ran dead in under 15mins with heavy use

[@SomeGuysGarage]

Slow charging is technically better for the cells. You can get upwards of 12 amp chargers from Dewalt to take this to around an hour charge time. I have 6 and 8 amp chargers as well as a bunch of 4's...I almost never bother using the big ones since I rarely run through a battery that fast that I need to charge multiple times a day. That said, the EGO stuff is pretty awesome for yard equipment from what I hear. I only go Dewalt since I have a ton of their other tools that I can use these batteries with (I have 60v saws and grinders and drills and such).

[@Turbochargedtwelve]

Batteries have “C” ratings that describe their maximum charge and discharge rating. If it is safe to discharge it in 10mins it should be safe to charge it that fast too. These higher voltage packs are awesome because particularly in the 2p-3p and higher arrangements they can deliver more power than an outlet. 2500mAh with a 10c rating in a 15s2p can put out 50A@60V which is 3000W which is just under 4hp!

[@tcv4]

@@Turbochargedtwelve Most batteries are much more willing to supply current than accept it. There are separate C ratings for charge and discharge. My hobby batteries are 50C discharge but only 1C - 2C for charging.

[@emmettturner9452]

The downside for me is not being able to use any of my 20V Max batteries. It would only be able to use the battery it came with and wouldn’t exactly help me transition to FlexVolt tools. They really need to make some transitional tools that actually benefit from 60V Max but can still use 20V Max… and I don’t mean that gimmicky FlexVolt Advantage or PowerDetect nonsense. I have a DCL045 folding, retractable, hood light that operates from both 12V Max or 20V Max batteries so dual voltage tools are certainly possible.

[@emmettturner9452]

I do have the current 20V Max XR blower that’s different from the one you have and it performs well enough, I guess. I love the adjustable lever on the back of the handle that holds the minimum speed, letting you set a base airflow rate and still use the main trigger for a boost. Really helps when I need to blow plant debris out of gravel without displacing the rocks, then I can just pull the trigger to ramp it back up when I’m blowing away from the gravel. Who would have thought essentially two triggers, one spring loaded and one that stays where you put it, would be so intuitive and useful? I didn’t see the lock demonstrated on the 60V blower. Does it approximate this? If so, it should not lose the setting when you pull the trigger for a boost and should fall back to the setting it was locked to when you release the trigger again.

[@SomeGuysGarage]

Yeah, it's a big jump to get into the 60v stuff and I really don't mix and match the two (ie 60v batts on the 20v tools). I do have the flexvolt advantage grinder, it gets a little boost on 60v over 20v but the problem is you're buying the big batteries to make that happen at which point you might as well just buy the 60v grinder in a kit. The light is probably very low draw, so it doesn't matter...at the higher draw, designing a circuit to adapt to 20v or 60v would be complicated/heavy/waste a lot of power. The advantage/detect tools I think are just drawing a bit more current but still operating on their native voltage. That all said, the 60v tools I do have (grinder, circular saw, sawzall, mixing drill, this blower) are all a BIG step up from their 20v cousins. Where 20v still feels down slightly on corded tools, the 60v makes cordless irrelevant since they're actually even more powerful in many cases.

[@SomeGuysGarage]

I did show the lock on trigger earlyish in the video when going through the controls...it's only a lock on at full (based on the low/mid/high settings), not the nice variable lever of mine or your 20v. The new 20v is a decent step up from my old 20v...and from everything I heard the old 60v was super noisy, so it's not worth it. This new 60v definitely moves a ton of air, but probably not worth an upgrade if you have the newer 20v already and don't feel it's lacking (my old 20v felt lacking at times).

[@emmettturner9452]

@@SomeGuysGarage I have the DCD998 PowerDetect hammer drill myself. It’s essentially the same as the DCD999 FlexVolt Advantage except they each get a boost from a different battery type… and both are essentially the same as the old DCD997 with every other battery. Both are arbitrary programming differences and not a legit performance upgrade over the 997. Yes, the light is a relatively low power draw. I bought a “IcyBreeze” battery from a thrift store thinking it was a DeWALT 20V Max clone only to find out it was actually 12V in the same housing as a ubiquitous 20V Max 5Ah XR battery (6 of 10 cell positions filled inside). DeWALT chargers seem to work fine with it as does the light, so it wasn’t entirely useless for me. When trying to think of something that could conceivably get a boost at 60V and still operate well at 20V, I thought of portable open-source soldering irons like the popular TS-80, TS-100, Pinecil, and more. They are DC powered cartridge-type irons that accept a range of voltages so they are popular to use with battery packs or USB-PD. They support higher wattages with higher voltage PSUs, so there would be a genuine reason to upgrade to FlexVolt if DeWALT made a similar iron. I hate that Milwaukee and Craftsman make battery powered Hakko clones that take the obsolete T18 style tips even though JBC’s patent on cartridges expired years ago. I know why FPV drone enthusiasts like using those with homemade LiPo packs and an XT-60 connector but having one that uses a 20V Max or FlexVolt battery for a stable base would be so much better for me. The USB-C version is severely limited by the max voltage of the Power Delivery spec. Adam Savage of MythBusters fame kinda made his own portable soldering station for use with DeWALT batteries so I know I’m not the only one who’d like to see it. Similarly, a heat gun or hot glue gun could be a good 20V/60V tool… instead of an iron being unable to handle the highest thermal masses at 20V, it just takes longer to heat at a lower wattage.

[@SomeGuysGarage]

@@emmettturner9452 interesting thoughts. The new dck094 usb-c adapter will provide 100w, so with those usb pd soldering irons you could get the full beans out of one even on a 20v pack, doesn't need the 60v...though would be more efficient without the switch mode power supply or whatever is going on inside the dewalt adapter. I suspect it's just a little too niche to make the business case for Dewalt to have truly crossover tools with more capability and/or would erode their ability to sell two different battery systems. The fact that they even let the 60v packs drop down to 20v with higher ah is a plus for those who buy into the 60v lineup.

[@Williamxmr]

Nice job

[@SomeGuysGarage]

Thanks, hope it was helpful! :)

[@martymcfly4838]

I bought one a few weeks ago & I would not recommend it. Battery dies super fast. The design is terrible because of where the venting is in the back. Also, not nearly enough power. Most disappointed I’ve ever been in a Dewalt product & I own nearly all of them.

[@SomeGuysGarage]

No issues with battery life here, plenty for each time I do yard cleanup. Venting in the back? Not sure what you mean like that, all the axial blowers are this design? Power wise it's way more than my old 20v...I'm fine running it on eco most of the time without even using the higher modes. I think maybe you're expecting too much, this isn't a Stihl backpack blower lol

[@martymcfly4838]

Battery dies in less than 15 min sometimes 10. I have a cheap Works blower I’ve had probably 15 years & it’s a way better value for the money. I’m referring to the end of the unit that always sucks in your shirt or strap & bogs down the unit constantly. Glad you like yours but I think it’s a waste of $400.

[@SomeGuysGarage]

@@martymcfly4838 With the 12ah battery? And ya, definitely isn't the "value" option, I will give you that. No issues with it sucking on me lol shame :D

[@martymcfly4838]

@@SomeGuysGarage Yep. 12 amp battery. Maybe I did expect too much.

[@SomeGuysGarage]

@@martymcfly4838 hard to say, I only have the two reference points (the new 60v and old 20v)...maybe I'm just easily impressed :) lol

[@lidoz]

Blood in my ears confirms that it’s above 90 disables

[@SomeGuysGarage]

The old 772 was apparently brutal, I find the 777 quite chill...lower pitch.