Dewalt Garden & Power Tools

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 .

A great bit of kit - with some limitations – I’ve had a couple of hours using this pole hedge trimmer, and I’m very pleased with it. It is very easy to use. I also bought a pole chain saw… Read more

(reviewed separately) and discovered that the extension tube that comes with the saw will fit the hedge trimmer. That allowed me to get to very high parts of a neighbour’s hedge without leaving the ground (yes, it was a little unwieldy, but totally do-able).

I think Dewalt missed an opportunity to make these two pieces of equipment more versatile. Neither can be used up close. The pole hedge trimmer is a bit too long when you just want to finish off a job down at face level and the pole chain saw is a bit awkward cutting up branches on the ground. Dewalt sells other trimmers and saws for these tasks, but why not allow the pole tools to collapse to handy, short machines (as some other brands have done)?

I’m very happy with my pole hedge trimmer (and pole chain saw), but may have looked more closely at other brands if I wasn’t already locked into Dewalt.

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.

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.

AAA – shits over hitachi or paslode 16 ga nailers... i have a hitachi nt65m2 , good gun but you need earmuffs to use it.... dewalt can hold an extra… Read more

clip of nails , so much less reloading........ the dewalt seems to have a lot more power the other big brand nails.... i have owned a paslode and never again.... the best , quietest 16 ga nailer available

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.

It's the one tool you thought you never needed until you have it! – If there is one thing I hate is spending money on tools that I end up not using or worse, regret buying! Try to explain that to your wife! Well this… Read more

isn't the case with this little gem, it can do a lot with its small package and I end up using far more than its bigger counterpart the angle grinder.

Few reasons why: 1 the size, it fits in any tool bag, 2 the weight, it's super light with my 2A battery and it last 3 in most cases you want to cut something on the fly, you hold it in one hand and you use the tool in the other, try that safely with the angle grinder. 4 dust extraction! 5 you can change the direction of cutting! 6 setting a depth of cut 7 flat and square shroud plate 8 over 20mm of cutting depth 9 dust extraction I am sure there is more but I can't think of the others.

No joke, this tool is a fantastic addition to my collection, and I wished it was on the blue skin but theirs has a massive flaw that the Dewalt doesn't. The shroud can be removed easily, without having to use any tool or remove the blade. that's genius! It comes with 3 blades, metal, ceramic and the universal, and I have used them all, only concern that I have is the availability of the blades but I will find them but overhaul I am very happy with the results if I had to describe the tool in only a few words, It's like having the circular saw on your angle grinder.

So to finish, For the price point you can't go wrong ($236.50 at the time of writing), and it will be as versatile as the angle grinder, except a lot safer.

A powerful and easy to use reciprocating saw – 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!

Initially I wasn’t sure whether I needed a reciprocating saw in my collection. I’d used my friend's Makita reciprocating saw and found it useful, though I thought a handsaw could be used instead for many applications.

However I’m glad I did buy a kit with this reciprocating saw, because there’s just the odd application where a reciprocating saw is indispensable, and many where it is the ideal tool, including cutting through wood embedded with nails, or when the circular saw blade isn’t deep enough or is the wrong shape to access the wood you want to cut. I’ve mainly used mine with hardwood, and occasionally with metal. I bought a carbide-tipped metal-cutting blade, and having that is a good back-up option for metal cutting when you don’t have the angle-grinder or when the reciprocating saw is a better option (sometimes it is). With such a blade, it’s like a high-powered hacksaw.

I’ve also used the saw for tree pruning when my chainsaw has been out of action or unavailable. Using a bi-metal general purpose blade, it’s fairly slow-cutting, though pruning is not really its intended purpose. You need to be careful not to overheat the blade, which will damage/blunten it. Because this reciprocating saw is pretty quiet, my friend used it one morning to prune a couple of pittosporum trees by the house while I was sleeping, to avoid waking me up with the chainsaw.

I can’t actually think of anything to fault this tool. It’s pretty heavy and bulky, but I guess that’s just the nature of reciprocating saws. Blade change-over is very quick and easy. Battery life seems great. The tool is comfortable to hold, powerful and well-made. It seems to tick all the boxes.

Incredible machine. Should be a staple part of your tool kit – I had a very big stapling job to do. Underfloor insulation. 36 monster bags of insulation that needed to be stapled to the underfloor of our… Read more

place. Seemed easy enough...

What makes a huge difference between swaggering and crying into your weetbix for this kind of job is the stapler! I started this monumental "DIY" job with a Trojan stapler I inherited from a friend (a stapler kit from Bunnings). The Trojan wasn't a terrible stapler, but for this job it just couldn't nail it. If there's a bigger job that uses staples I don't know what it is but in the end, I had used roughly ~10,000 staples, 7,000 of which came through the DeWalt. I used the stapler both on the ground (standing) and up on a ladder, at all kinds of angles. Here's why it's so good.

1. It tolerated multiple staple lines in it without failure. The Trojan would only work if you put a single unbroken line of staples in it. It failed nearly every single time you put several lines it it. As soon as it got to the break in staples it jammed. When you're on a ladder and stapling upside down this is enraging. The DeWalt never failed, never jammed once!

2. The method to change staples was clean and crisp, hit a button, the slide rail comes out, you load up the cargo and jam it back home (it's heavy duty so needs to be done with a push). The Trojan had a very lightweight stick with a wing-nut kind of end on it that you unclipped, pulled out and loaded the staples back in. This is absolutely lousy. Multiple times, the wing-nut end caught on my overalls, unclipped and dumped the staples onto the ground. Enraging.

3. The Dewalt is very smooth lined with nothing to catch on. The Trojan has bits that snag on you besides the end bit mentioned in 2. above.

4. The DeWalt has a clip on it so you can suspend the stapler on your jeans / overalls. Up and down the ladder so often meant this was a life-saver. Carrying the insulation, carrying the stapler was something you didn't want to know about with the Trojan.

It's quite a heavy duty thing to hold continuously and use. The punching power is excellent and I had to go through the insulation which can be quite thick requiring you to really push into it.

The only thing which got me was the trigger mechanism that has quite a span on it. No doubt this is part of the punching power distance it needs but I felt like I needed a bigger hand when I first started using it as when you punch the staple in, the handle comes back out quite a lot and it automatically pushes your hand back up the handle towards to body of the stapler, so you have to reposition.

In the end, I had figured out to do it all smoothly in a single motion and think this is an incredible stapler.

Note : I only used Stanely 10mm staples for this (approved for use in this particular stapler) . They are likely a good part of this story as well. I never tried tacks so can't comment on those.

It is so GOOD puts out better than the petrol engine one. I've been trying to give it away now. clears the driveway drys my wet car engine if. I need… Read more

it to clear the tracks for the shed sliding door it doesn't take 5 minutes to start . bonus it can blow me down the street on my push bike at about 10 km an hour . slow start GET ONE

Work great all the time – Love the Dewalt Hammer Drill. This drill works great especially drilling into brick and concrete, so quick and easy. Very reliable and never overheats. One of the many Dewalt products I’ve got this year, I’m very happy with.

What an incredible little tool! – After years of fighting with corrugated roofing I purchased the Dewalt Metal Cutter Shear Attachment ( DT70620-QZ). I must say I was a little… Read more

skeptical after some reviews online said it was ok on sheet metal but not so good with corrugated Colorbond, but this is an incredible little tool and it works flawlessly for me.

It took a couple of cuts to work out a technique for keeping the cut straight on Colorbond, but rotating the head slightly to the side (say 1:00pm on a clock) and lifting the back of the impact driver when cutting “down” towards the troughs and raising the back when cutting “up” to the peaks worked a treat.

I’m using it with a Dewalt impact driver, and it’s attaches easily and very securely.

Can’t recommend this little device highly enough. A great buy … and no more cuts on my arms from fighting corrugated tin with hand shears.