Dewalt

I originally had a pressure washer with a Honda XR engine in it. I had it for around 12 years paid over $2,000 for it, but it became increasingly… Read more

harder to start, and of course with me getting older and losing my strength I would battle for an hour getting started .

In the end, I just gave up and gave it away............wow I was gang tackled by prospective owners they were literally falling out of trees to get their hands on it.

Anyway, I digress .

After doing my usual thorough search and being torn between el cheapo and brands I didn't know to a moderately priced DeWalt 3400 psi . I went with the DeWalt for a number of reasons.

Not knowing some of the brands on eBay and Amazon and a few retailers based in Sydney, I began to wonder about their wild claims of engine size and pressure .

The other thing I noted was some cheap ones with unbelievable power , but on closer inspection they were coming in from China and the return process and the service required me to pay the freight back to China, so the cheap price began to add up . A couple of others also required me to pack it up and send it back to Sydney for service and repairs.

In the end the DeWalt from Bunnings made sense. It was just down the road, so repairs and return, no problem, plus it was a DeWalt.

I have it on good authority that Simpson make the DeWalt brand , still Made in China ,so considering Simpson is the big name in pressure washers I felt I was doing the right thing.

I paid a lot more than the other brands but peace of mind was a priority . This unit came with a power nozzle and a scrubber thrown in.

The engine was not a Honda and it was 210cc sold as a commercial engine, a nice size. The pump was delivering 3400PSI and 9.4 litres per minute.

It came with a 7.62 metre steel braided hose .

4-ply pneumatic tyres with run flat technology

Low-oil shutdown system protecting the engine when oil level is low

The length was just fine for my use and the only extras I purchased were quick connect fittings, a wand extension, and another trigger assembly, and a foam cannon. I could have gone for the battery startup but adding another $500.00 for the privilege did not make sense, I would just hope that this thing was easy to start .

As it turns out it was easy to start and I quickly learnt not to tear at the starter handle as I got kick back, the method seems to be just give it a pull till it gets over the first compression hump and then just pull it at a moderate speed. It kicked first time and burst into life .

I already had the wand attached and a spray fitting , so I dove straight into it, blasting my steps and some concrete and then falling over and twisting my foot , which is just starting to come good as I write.

In other words ,I had to stop cleaning and rest up for a week.

None the less the pressure was better than my old Honda unit ,I was pleased .

I have included one photo of the result and you can see it stripped years of grime and dirt right off, so, I am looking forward to when the wind stops blowing and the days get warmer to tackling the rest of the driveway, the path to the left, the area out the back and the outdoor furniture, should take me about a week at my pace . If I get game I might even have a go at the solar panels.

August Update : I finally got some warm weather, my foot is OK so I had to get off the lounge chair and do some work.

I headed for the front driveway, hooked up the Dewalt surface cleaner, and blasted away.

Why I had not used this from the start is beyond me, I had one I purchased for my old washer but had never used ,so, I was not expecting much. To my surprise this thing blasted the dirt away as quick and as thorough as the power head attachment.

I completed the driveway and front path in 30 minutes , a time saving of nearly one and a half hours compared to my previous use of a power wand .

Also, a substantial saving in fuel . I have added some photos to show what I did. This tool is a must , I would say it's essential, for those doing large flat surfaces , and if you didn't get one with the kit go out and buy it now, you want be sorry and it will be the best investment you have ever made in power washer accessories

What else can I tell you. It comes with a 2 year warranty on the motor and the pump and 5 years on the frame, I don't know that I will be alive in 5 years so I hope this goes to a good home. Highly recommended and beats the you know what out of electric models.

Oh , there is one other thing. Be careful when buying fittings you will need M22 14mm 3/8th quick fittings and M22-14mm to 1/4 Inch, Pressure Washer Adapter Set with 1/4 Inch Female and Male NPT, there are two sizes I ended up with a different size at the tip of my wand and the pump .These quick fittings are not interchangeable .

Amazing and what you expect for the money – As a follow up to 1 of my earlier reviews, thought I would mention this. Now what a machine this is. Yes twice the price of the Blackjet Oz, but 20… Read more

times the machine. Starts first go and has so much grunt with all the attachments you can barely hold it back. Tim at Total Tools in Brooklyn, did a great deal for me. My only 2 tiny little gripes is 1. Pull cord should be just like 150mm longer... It is very short. But 1 quick hard pull and it starts anyway, so no big deal 2. The connections where the hose and pressure hose are just a little too close together.. There is only about 10mm and you have to get your hands in really close. Neither of these items stop it being probably 1 of the best, if not the best machine 1 could buy.

Lightweight electric mower, reasonable power for a kikuyu grass lawn that can get a bit thick in some places. Occasionally stalls in the thicker… Read more

grass but ok. Easy to push, most of the mower is plastic. Battery life is terrible. Requires 2 batteries but only one charging slot provided in the supplied charger. Batteries only last about 200m2 and the charging time takes a few hours. It takes 3 separate mowing sessions spread over 3 days to do our small lawn.

Purchased from Total Tools in Feb 2022. Made the decision to purchase this due to its Honda motor and their renowned reliability. Fuel tank has now… Read more

started to rust internally, badly (intake screen is clogging with rust particles and causing the machine to stop). Disappointing as I have always taken great care regarding servicing etc and have always used Premium fuels. Have been told by Total Tools there is nothing they can do as it is outside the 3yr warranty (by a month???!!) and that Dewalt will simply wash their hands of it. They recommended I take it to a local service rep and plead my case. So frustrating!!

A great router kit, well built and with almost all accessories you'd ever need... unless you need so – Intoduction: Some of you might be thinking "5 Stars, isn't that just some form of confirmation bias?" but the truth is, for what this kit can do,… Read more

the accessories included, and the price charged, I really can't fault this router!

Ok, I reviewed the full-sized Bosch GOF-1600CE router, and that is still going strong. However, I decided to get a smaller router for smaller jobs, and so my better half can build her picture frames without stealing mine. I have to say, I'm quite impressed with this little unit. I've owned this unit for about a month now, and trimmed a variety of materials from softwoods, hardwoods, and plastics. However, I do recommend that you take it slowly with the harder woods.

A comparison of this kit overall, with other routers in Australia:

Some routers, like my previously reviewed Bosch, just came in a cardboard box with the plunge base, and a vacuum attachment. When buying my Bosch 240V model in Australia, the complete kit just wasn't available. So I had to buy a fixed base, a router guide, and a few other pieces separately which added another 50% to the cost. Not so with this DeWalt kit.

This kit, is the ALMOST complete package. It comes with BOTH fixed and plunge bases, a router guide, vacuum attachments for BOTH bases, and comes in a nice plastic carrying case. Could the guide be better... well yes. But will it work... absolutely! Does it include router bits... well.... no. In fairness, this is true of every router I've ever bought.

A note about shank sizes, a comparison of routers in general:

Compared to my nearly 6Kg 1600W 1/2" shanked Bosch router, this 2.9Kg 900W 1/4" shanked router is going to be inherently lighter to use. This makes it's use and carrying it around easier in many ways, but it's also a little less stable, and can kick back if it bites into something it can't chew up. However, having said that, the DeWalt router is nice to use, and if I were just trimming smaller, softer materials, this router would be an ideal choice. It can certainly do hard woods, but it may take a few passes to get there. I don't have a problem with that, since it is just a good routing habit to be in anyway, regardless of how powerful your router might be. I just do a little too much large-scale, very hard wood work that needs a bigger router to do it all safely. Your needs will probably differ from my own.

Routers in Australia (and probably many other countries) come in two different shank sizes which determine which bits the router is compatible with. The larger bits have shafts that are a half inch in diameter, and the other use quarter inch diameter shafts on their bits. Obviously, you can't directly insert a 1/2" shaft into a 1/4" socket, but with a reducing collet, you can put a 1/4" bit in a 1/2" router. I've heard that there are attachments that enable you to attach a 1/2" bit to a 1/4" socket, but I don't think that's a safe approach, and I certainly wouldn't use one.

The bigger shanks are great for heavy-duty tasks. Some people are more intimidated by bigger routers, but aside from the weight, I find they're actually more stable, less likely to wander than smaller models, and are more versatile in general. But the Dewalt 26204K, despite it's comparatively lesser power, and 1/4" socket, can still do a LOT, if you use it with the right bits, care and caution. I also like the spindle lock (It stops the shaft from rotating while you change the bits)... I've had a couple of routers without this feature, and they drive me nuts!

I've used a variety of routers over the years, ranging from cheap to expensive, large to small, and even used a Dremel once for routing purposes... and that works for really fine and very small jobs too. Regardless of the router you're using, I will always recommend using goggles, dust mask, vacuum or dust extraction, and quality bits. Some people ask "Do I really need all that personal protective equipment?" and I'd say vehemently, "Yes!" Routers are notorious for generating large amounts of shavings and sawdust. Especially when routing out large amounts of wood, and things can, (and do) get thrown in all directions.

The electric controls and comments on noise levels:

Aside from the soft start (a nice graceful way to turn on the router, which reduces the initial kick on my arms) the other great speed-related feature of the D26204K router is a variable speed switch, which according to the spec sheet, range from 16000 to 27000 RPM, and that helps! Slower speeds are less likely to melt plastics or overload the engine when routing with heavier loads, and higher speeds are better for smoother cuts. During operation, I was a little surprised to find that this 900W router is actually more quiet than my 200W finishing sander, and is FAR quieter than some other routers I've used. Regardless, longer periods of exposure to noise can damage hearing, so make sure you wear goggles, dust mask, as well as some sort of hearing protection at the very least.

The Bases:

The fixed base has a twist, screw type height adjustment ring. It's a little odd, but easy to use once you're familiar with it. The plunge base is like many others, and uses a thumb lever to loosen the height lock and is spring loaded so you have to push down a bit to lower the router. Both bases are pretty easy to use, and accurate. I haven't noticed much "play" or wobble in either base.

A note about bits:

These days, aside from having two sizes, bits come in either Tungsten Carbide tipped (second hardest material known to man) or are made of High Speed Steel (HSS). High speed steel doesn't hold the edge as long as carbide. But can be sharpened (repeatedly) to a much finer edge, so when they're sharp, they place less load on the motor, and cut a much smoother surface. They may be the older style of technology, and a less popular choice, but they can do a job so smooth that sanding is not really needed.

Tungsten Carbide bits are the default in most shops, and while they are harder wearing, and hold an edge longer, once blunt, they cannot be sharpened effectively. Dropping a Carbide bit is also far more likely to chip, crack, or fracture the bit, and I wouldn't use one if it looks too damaged as it may break more while spinning at high speeds.

The plastic case that the kit comes in:

The carrying case is your standard plastic tool box, shaped to fit the equipment that came inside it. However, I don't feel that there's a good spot to put any bits in, so you'll probably be carrying those in a separate box.

Conclusion:

Overall this is a great router. It's quieter than most in it's class, it's well built, it's powerful enough in most cases to do a lot of work, but light enough to be manageable by many. I like the fact that it has soft start, variable speed, comes with two bases, and a guide, and doesn't leave a lot out. For the money, that's good value. Just keep in mind that this is not an industrial router, treat it accordingly, and you'll be fine.

I hope this helps with your decision making!

Works well, powerful despite only being 18V – I added this blower to my growing collection of DeWalt tools in March 2021. I had never owned or used a blower in my life. I didn’t really have a… Read more

need for one, I was happy enough with my rake, and always got annoyed by people using a blower, particularly super noisy petrol-powered blowers, creating noise pollution for no good reason.

I bought one because we were moving to the country and I thought it’d be a handy tool for cleaning the leaves, sticks and debri from our extensive veranda, as well as cleaning leaf litter off shed rooves and out of their gutters. I’ve been pleased with it’s performance. It blows pretty hard, generally sufficient for my purposes. It’s only downside is that, despite being electric, it’s still pretty loud and warrants the use of earmuffs. It feels light and well-balanced. The variable trigger and ability to lock it in the on position are neat features. It does burn through the batteries pretty quick, so I usually use mine with my 6 Ah or 9 Ah batteries.

It’s a handy tool to have in the collection, blows hard and saves time using a rake and/or broom. I can’t fault it.

Built like a shop vac, not quite a dust extractor, yet claims to be both, and is neither "out of the box" – Ok, I am normally a big DeWalt fan, but I've owned this for a few months, and this has been a negative experience like no other. I cannot in good… Read more

conscience recommend this unit. The fact is that the kit (by design) is almost unusable by itself because essential accessories (which ought to be included), aren't included by default. To bring the unit to a usable state, the accessories are a surprisingly large additional expense on an already expensive unit. Even once you have the accessories, it performs rather poorly compared to cheaper models of both shop vacuums and the cheapest dust extractor I've ever bought.

I bought this DeWalt DWV900L-XE Shop vac to replace my old one that died. I was time poor, and having had my cheaper one die after a few years of use, at the worst possible time, I just wanted a "good one that worked reliably". I've had a lot of positive experiences with DeWalt, and so I bought this one without doing my due diligence. This is one case where "you DON'T necessarily get what you pay for. I have to say that I'm BITTERLY disappointed. I literally could not use it as a shop vac when I took it home. I had to resort to taping up connectors in order to get it work (poorly) as a dust extractor.

ASSESSING IT AS A SHOP VAC:

Now let's just start that for $539 Australian, it's by no means cheap for a shop vac. There are significantly better models for less money out there. In fact, $539 is just the start of the costs because you CANNOT use it for anything much at all out of the box. You need accessories which aren't normally included in the kit.

So let's start with the problems I've found with this unit as a shop vac:

SHOP VAC PROBLEM 1: YOU CANNOT CLEAN FLOORS "OUT OF THE BOX":

There's a single two metre long, 32mm wide, flexible hose, but NOTHING else. If you want to clean the floors, you need to purchase the DWV9350-XJ "Floor Cleaning Kit". Which includes the rigid piping, and floor vacuuming head. (Only an ADDITIONAL $48.90 when not included in a promotional period... which I did not buy my unit in).

DeWalt, if you are reading this ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Who builds a vacuum that cannot be used to vacuum the floor? Yes, this really IS a shop vac, despite what your marketing team would have me believe.

SHOP VAC PROBLEM 2: BAGGAGE ISSUES:

This is where I got really disappointed. I only got one disposable DeWalt paper dust bag with this unit, and it burst on nothing more than 20 minutes of sander dust! No I am not kidding you. DeWalt, where are the reusable bags for this unit? How is this a "Wet/Dry" vacuum when there are no available fleece/fabric bags? Paper will not stand up to moisture, and I'm pretty sure you know it. Your bags can't stand up to simple demands of vacuum pressures, so I have little confidence.

When the cost of DeWalt bags are $29 for 5 PAPER bags (I choked, I could get 5 fleece bags for my old Karcher for that price), I then went to Bunnings, and got 5x 30L generic bags for $14, which work more reliably and longer than the DeWalt bags.

SHOP VAC PROBLEM 3: A SAGA OF PIPES AND ACCESSORIES:

This shop vac runs 32mm wide pipes which offers considerably less airflow than the usual 55m found on other models of shop vac. This means that vacuuming up shavings and larger debris leads to more frequent blockages. If I had to say the biggest problem with this unit overall, is that DeWalt REALLY skimped on the intake pipes.

I wish I could say that that was my only complaints about this unit, but I haven't even started on the dust extractor side yet....

ASSESSING IT AS A DUST EXTRACTOR:

If we look at this unit from a dust extraction point of view, comparing it to other units in the market...

If you look at Festool's portable "Dust Extraction unit" with all sorts of nifty features, you'll see the price tag of $1399 which is of course, more expensive than the DeWalt unit. Honestly, it's like DeWalt tried to make a "poor man's version of the Festool CTM 26 Dust extractor"... and failed... miserably. (which despite the Festool being marketed as a dust extractor, INCLUDES the floor cleaning attachments).

DUST EXTRACTOR PROBLEM 1: THE SAGA OF PIPES AND ACCESSORIES CONTINUED:

The DeWalt connectors work well with DeWalt attachments. However, you simply CANNOT connect this unit to ANY tools with the included pipe. So to do that, you either improvise an adaptor, or use the separately purchased accessories. These have been another significant additional expense to me, so let's break that down:

1x 4m Hose (DWV9316-XJ) another $109. 1x DeWalt Dust Connection System (DWV9220) yet ANOTHER $109 add in that floor cleaning kit (DWV9350-XJ) for $48.90, and we've spent $266.90 on top of the $539 on the vacuum itself.

So the total costs for this unit are $539 +266.90 = $805.90 That's to bring this unit to a usable shop vac and connectable dust extraction unit. That's certainly starting to get into the ballpark of much better dust extraction units, and may even make it easier to consider cheaper end Festool units, which have considerably better features, warranty, and reliability from my experience.

Note: You could forgo the the 4m pipe to save $109, but I use a cyclonic separator and needed two separate pipe stages. The 4m pipe is a VERY hard thing to get in Australia. After months of delays, numerous calls and visits to my local Sydney Tools shop, I finally gave them an ultimatum to deliver it or refund me. It turned up on my doorstep two days later. You'll often see "not in stock, will be back sometime soon" on the Sydney Tools site.

DUST EXTRACTOR PROBLEM 2: This is, in all honesty, a shop vac, not a "real" dust extractor:

Looking at this unit, reading about it, you could easily be forgiven for thinking it's a shop vac. (After all, if it looks, sounds, and sucks like a shop vac, then it probably is indeed, a shop vac). Many people know that shop vacuums work on high speed airflow, but low volume suction. Whereas a true dust extractor works on sucking large volumes of air with relatively lower speeds. By that definition this is DEFINITELY more a shop vac than a dust extractor. It really ought to be priced, and marketed as such.

For connecting to hand tools like sanders, I think this DeWalt unit can handle the smaller debris. However, things become significantly less useful for the larger debris created by thickness planers, jointers, etc. Things might be better if your tools use a spiral cutter head (which makes smaller wood chips/shavings) but regardless of the tool used, nothing can change the fact this is not going to match a true dust extractor for sheer airflow. The 32mm wide tube this unit uses, significantly hinders the ability to connect this to larger woodworking machines which usually need a 4" port (roughly 100mm). It also makes this unit ill-suited for the particularly efficient "dust/chip makers" like router tables, regardless of port size. The piping diameter, and lack of airflow is just not enough for large scale extraction.

With airflow rates of 144 cubic feet per minute (CFM) ...according to DeWalt's specs, the airflow is a shadow of the 500 CFM of the cheapest 1HP dust extractor from Carbatec ($239). That leaves $300 for a shop vac AND piping for the extractor, which if you're handy would be possible for this budget. Both would be better at their tasks than this unit, and not require half as many piping accessories.

DUST EXTRACTOR PROBLEM 3: POWER OFF-TAKE WILL DISAPPOINT FESTOOL USERS:

I was actually pretty excited about this, having used Festool's dust extractors. Festool extractors can turn on and off in response to you turning on connected tools by detecting the power use on the socket. This saves moving back and forth to turn two devices on and off, as well as saving power and noise. The DWV900L has up to 1000W available for tools, but this has no control over the extractor/vac itself.

<cue disappointment here>

I guess it's convenient to simply plug in your tools into the vac which is usually nearby, but the socket is only ever powered WHEN THE VACUUM IS ALREADY ON. If you turn the vacuum off, the connected tools will lose power. But this isn't as safe as controlling it from the tool itself, especially if you use trigger locks, turn off the vac, and then put the tool down without thinking. Just wait until you turn that vac back on first.... and watch as your unattended belt sander screams across the room unexpectedly at high speeds. I've seen people do this.

DeWalt's version of powered take off, is much like having a double power adaptor on your vacuum, where one goes to the vacuum and the other, your tool. Frankly, I prefer a power board with individual switches. You can glue one onto your much cheaper shop vac for considerably less money than buying the DeWalt DWV900L.

CONCLUSION:

Ultimately, the fact that you can't attach this unit to ANY tools for dust extraction, or clean the floor (without promotional inclusions/additional expense add-ons) means that this unit USELESS out of the box... unless you already have connectors on hand for some reason.

A cheap dust extractor, and wet/dry shop vac with reusable bags and 55mm piping is going to be superior in EVERY WAY for less money. Certainly less than $800. I keep using this unit to remind myself to research ALL purchases. However, I made a snap decision, and I've paid for it.

Once you've kitted the unit out, and used a non-DeWalt bag, it works as you'd expect a narrow piped shop vac to run. After a while, I found the noise levels to be quite bad, (73dB Sound Pressure, 93dB of sound power according to the DeWalt spec sheet) so I've built an enclosure to reduce it down to much more tolerable levels. However, that has been yet another expense.

Honestly, if someone from DeWalt would like to at least include some wider piping, the floor cleaning attachment, and one rubber adaptor to attach at least ONE tool as a dust extractor.. I might have considered this a much better buy.

I think the way the DWV900L has been sold to this point has been a shameless marketing ploy to sell accessories at exorbitant prices (109 bucks for a plastic tube? really!) The fact that it contains no usable adaptors or attachments is ludicrous.

Spend your money much better than I did, and avoid this unit.

DeWalt, I'd really like to see your responses to my suggestions. I'd like you to redesign this from the ground up, cut the costs of your accessories considerably, and include a REASONABLE array attachments so people might actually USE your products without so much bitterness.

I hope this helps someone. Take care! Hamish.

This is the most amazing, robust & reliable cordless spotlight you will ever own! – Whenever I go camping or boating and have this with me, people fall in love with it. It has a really bright (1000 lumens rated) spotlight which has… Read more

a true 400 metre throw!

Whilst Dewalt rates this torch at 1000 lumens, I suspect that is very conservative as it outperforms many torches I have which are technically rated above 1000 lumens. It runs on the 18V or 20V slide style rechargeable batteries.

I have just bought my second one of these so I can leave it in my boat. Exceptional performance and remember if you don't like it, Dewalts 30 day satisfaction guarantee has you covered! You can return it for ANY reason if you should not be satisfied with their tools, providing you bought it from a registered dealer of theirs.

Having said that I am a true Dewalt fan and have never had to return any of my 40 plus Dewalt tools for ANY reason whatsoever! You can hence see why I am such a fan.

A powerful and versatile grinder – I bought this saw as part of a five piece kit in June 2020, when I finally decided on DeWalt as the tool brand I would buy into, after some research… Read more

and asking various friends. In hindsight I think I made the right decision, and I wish I’d taken the plunge into the DeWalt cordless tools sooner!

This angle grinder was a significant upgrade from a corded Ozito model that someone gave me. An angle grinder is a handy tool for a range of applications. I’ve used mine for grinding metal, cutting metal, brushing metal with a wire brush and sanding and shaping wood with a flap-disc. I can’t fault the performance. The grinder has plenty of power and seems to be of quality construction. It’s also pretty light-weight, maneuverable and comfortable to hold. Battery life isn’t amazing, but seems reasonable - it’s just the nature of a high-powered tool. From memory I was getting about ten to fifteen minutes on a 6 Ah battery while running it constantly with a wire brush. It’s neat that the grinder has a brake to stop the disc quickly when you release the trigger. The adjustable guard and ability to attach the handle either side is also neat.

There’s just a few niggles I’ve found with the tool. Firstly, sometimes the clamp nut which holds the disc in place is a little tight to undo by hand, though this could be to do with me gumming up or wearing down the grip on the nut. At any rate, I sometimes need to reach for the multi-grips to undo it. Still, I can usually unscrew it by hand, which makes for much quicker disc change-overs than Ozito which requires a wrench.

Secondly, the spindle lock button on my grinder is difficult to press. I usually need to gradually rotate the spindle to find a spot where the button can be depressed and lock the spindle. I’m not sure if this is due to poor technique on my part, a design flaw, or a manufacturing fault in my tool. Nonetheless, it’s only a minor issue on what I’ve found to be a well-made high-quality and powerful grinder.

Powerful, fast cutting and well built, can’t fault it – I bought this saw as part of a five piece kit in June 2020, when I finally decided on DeWalt as the tool brand I would buy into, after some research… Read more

and asking various friends. In hindsight I think I made the right decision, and I wish I’d taken the plunge into the DeWalt cordless tools sooner!

For a long time, I was using my housemate's corded Makita circular saw. It was a good saw, and I even bought the same saw after he moved out and took his saw with him. However I probably should have bought one of these instead, because having a cord on a circular saw is just a major inconvenience. Since I got this saw, I’ve hardly used my corded Makita.

I don’t use my circular saw for that much cutting since I now own a corded Makita sliding compound mitre saw, which I use for accurate right angle or other angled cuts. I find the circular saw particularly useful for ripping (since I don’t have a table saw). It comes with a rip fence, which makes ripping easy, though simply following a ruled line is also easy enough. I also use it for convenient cutting when I’m not near a power-point or can’t be bothered lugging the sliding compound mitre saw to location.

I’ve found this DeWalt saw to be an excellent saw. I’ve mostly used it with hardwood. It’s powerful and cuts very quickly. It’s well-balanced and comfortable to hold. It has an LED which is effective at lighting up your cutting area. The blade depth can be adjusted easily, and the blade angle can be changed to make bevel cuts (which I don’t do much but it’s good to have the option). The weight of the saw is fine, it fits my expectations. The runtime also seems pretty good; I used mine to cut firewood from a bunch of off-cuts from some hardwood milling and I could get a decent little pile out of each 6 Ah battery. I also like the electric brake, which stops the blade pretty quickly when you release the trigger, for a bit of added safety.

So, I’m very happy with this saw, and can’t think of anything to fault it.

Bright, simple to use and good runtime – I got a couple of these lights via redemption on a couple of other DeWalt tools I bought. I’ve used them a few times now and I’ve found them to be… Read more

very bright. The DeWalt Australia website specifies a maximum output of 1500 lumens, while Total Tools, Sydney Tools, Bunnings and Mitre 10 specify 1000 lumens. A reader has informed me that DCL043 Type 1 is 1000 lumens, while DCL043 Type 2 is 1500 lumens (and I have the latter).

I haven’t used them for long enough to drain a battery, though run-time is allegedly more than 10 hours, which seems good. In addition to projects around the home, I reckon they’ll be a useful light to take camping, although their cool temperature light lends themselves more to jobs/projects/work than relaxing at camp where a warmer light would be better.

The lights are simple to operate with just one button used to cycle through two light settings (low and high) and off. There is a decent spread of the beam, with stronger focussed light in the centre of the beam. I can see the hook at the back of the light being useful at times. One thing I would have liked is the ability to point the light downwards, so that it could be sitting on a surface (e.g. a table) and directly lighting up that surface. However it only has the ability to shine between horizontal and vertically upwards, with indexed positions in between.

At $189 a piece, I’m not sure I would have bought one of these if I didn’t get them via redemption, as I prefer to use a headtorch. Portable/hand-held torches seem a bit redundant to me with such good head torches available nowadays. But now that I have them, I’m sure I’ll find uses for them every now and again. They’re a very powerful light with good runtime, and seem to be well-built and durable.