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DeWalt recently released their new Power Stack 5 amp hour battery and many people have been wondering whether it will outlast the XR 5 amp hour battery. Some people have suggested that they should last the same amount of time, but we decided to put that theory to the test by using a DeWalt heat gun to take voltage measurements at the beginning and end of each battery. We also tested their run times to see whether there were any significant differences between the two batteries.
Before we begin, it’s worth noting that both the Power Stack battery and the XR 5 amp hour battery were brand new and had each undergone three discharges. To start the test, we checked the initial voltage of the Power Stack battery, which started out at 20.57 – not bad. After 16 minutes and 35 seconds, the battery had a resting voltage of 16.35, which started taking a dip at the end. We also noticed that the temperature of the battery was warm to the touch, but not overly hot, with a maximum of 86 degrees.
We then moved on to testing the XR 5 amp hour battery, which had an initial voltage of 20.79. Interestingly, this battery outlasted the Power Stack by only a small amount, with a run time of 17.17 – just over a minute longer than the Power Stack. However, the thermal differences between the batteries were significant. The XR 5 amp hour battery reached temperatures of up to 122 degrees, while the Power Stack only reached temperatures of up to 94 degrees. This is a substantial difference, and one that could impact the battery’s overall lifespan.
What’s more, we noticed that the Power Stack was able to deliver a higher level of power output for a longer period of time – up to the 15 minute mark – than the XR 5 amp hour battery. The latter gave out all of its power in the first 8 minutes or so. This suggests that while both batteries may have the same capacity, they may not necessarily have the same power output.
Overall, our test revealed some interesting findings. While both batteries may have the same amp hour rating, they are not necessarily equal in terms of their power output or overall lifespan. The Power Stack was able to deliver more consistent power output over a longer period of time, while the XR 5 amp hour battery had a higher thermal output. For those in the market for a new battery, it’s worth weighing up these factors before making your final decision.
In the future, it would be interesting to see how both batteries compare against a 6 amp hour battery. While this was just a simple test, we hope that it provides some insight into the differences between the Power Stack and XR 5 amp hour batteries. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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Both containers hold might 5 gallons of water, the XR is just a bit sloppy when it's pouring that 5gal out.
The higher voltage cutout of the PS would also seem to indicate it does have more total capacity theoretically but the pack is using a BMS that cuts it off short, probably to protect these pouch cells for heating up and expanding. With more voltage on the table before the BMS calls it "dead" it's going to deliver more power throughout a charge. Like a 6-7Ah battery they label and cap at to 5ah of discharge.
but in the uk I can get 2 5ah XR for the price of 1 power stack 5ah
Is it worth to close to double the price? I really don’t think so. If you have enough batteries and the proper charger, it makes sense to maintain the XR batteries.
That’s what the powerstack package says. Right on dewalt!
I like the 1.7ah power stack batteries but I do not like the 5ah power stack it is too big and clumsy looking I would rather use the standard xr5ah battery it is more compact than the 5ah power stack why couldn’t DeWalt make the larger ah power stack batteries more compact ? Maybe later down the road hopefully
So what’s better ??
What about gun heat output temps, run time is one thing, heat time matters here 🤷♂️
Can you please do a Powerstack 5aH VS THE 6Ah one? Thanks.
Hmmm weird honestly i heart the by the 18650 on 16 really take slower an litterly stopped at 17 minutes an a few seconds it was for real to notice the pouch cell litter stopped early than the 18650 dewalt bettery pack of the 8 amp an i worked with pouch cells but they are really weaker than the 18650 cell if you had noticed a bit and pouch cells wont last long honestly than the 18650 cell bettery an wont have much good effect in cold so in my opinion pouch cells are weaker an wont last long than the traditional 18650 an the 18650 cells are much safer an last longer i ain't lie bc i have an first Hitachi impact driver you know generation 1 with lithuim made in 2009 or 2007 but it still works very much good the job an pouch cells after 6 years its dead flat completely an it going get swollen either till it can explode pouch cells Arent safe at all
So my wife is having me redo our siding and I’m picking up the dewalt cordless roofing nailer. Started looking into getting one of these in a double pack. Since I’m saving a lot with doing the siding myself I guess my question would be which one for a nailer should I get?
Will you compare the 1.7Ah with the 5Ah packs? Curious how the weight and size changes feel. Is the capacity gain in the 5Ah resulting in a linear performance improvement? Or is the power a little worse? Same with weight/dimensions. The ergonomics of the 1.7Ah were a really attractive point, but it looks like it’s gotten quite a bit larger now.
Combine PowerStack with Flexvolt technology!!!
Heaven help SBD/Dewalt trying to explain the benefits of this technology to the average folks to use these tools out there lol…I can't imagine it makes much sense to someone why their battery is 2x as expensive now lol….The Stack batteries are superior in every single way. AMPERAGE OUT is the main benefit. You get all that power, all the time until it's dead. The tool doesn't have to constantly step down in performance like they do with Normal Cell batteries. Great video as always Brian. The advantages are more than clear from this method. Still somewhere, someone will say "But the old style lasted 30s longer! lol..
but one is cylinder one is stacked one does cost more than the other.
regular cells quickly drop this output or performance if you introduccing screws , at 8 minutes your speed noticeable down ..
I said that because most common work is with the drill or grinder may be with 5 ah battery it s half day run time.. not 16 min..
Wh is the correct unit. To test them properly do it on a battery tester and plot voltage and current and power over time. Your test didn't prove anything much really. As for voltage vs capacity, lithium ion does NOT hold doable voltage to empty. Quite the opposite. It linearly degrades from full to empty, hence the dumb led capacity meters on the tools work fine. This is chemistry based, so both should be identical. The lower cut off could be real or could be a faster spring back, again, flawed methodology. If you'd like some help designing good tests to avoid comments like this, reach out, happy to help.
Excellent work
Thank you
As the blower, with the XR battery, is going lower it would be interesting to know what temperature the heat gun is putting out. If it’s not putting out the same heat after 8 mins you may find yourself heating up the surface longer to get the same results you were getting before 8 mins.
I know this test is the most “fair” you can get for consistency reasons but from the results I’m seeing, if this battery was attached to a motor using high strain such as using a hole saw to cut as many holes as you can in a 2×12. In that case, I believe, the stack would outlast the XR which kinda translates to more run time, with technicalities. Like I said before, it’s less “scientific” because you can’t guarantee the same consistency throughout the lumber.
Check out this Dewalt video:
"How much more drilling power does the DEWALT 5Ah Powerstack battery have in our runtime test?"
They compare the 5Ah PowerStack and the standard 5Ah battery while using the DCD805 drill and are basically saying that because the PowerStack delivers more power it will get more done in the same amount of time. Which obviously makes sense, and i think this is why some people are getting the impression that it lasts longer when you've just proven it doesn't. It would be cool if you replicated the same setup. Great vid btw!
I have only used the standard 5ah with the heatgun. 2ah was abysmal.
I was surprised that the classic batter discharged below 13v because I knew makita batteries don't discharge below 14v. Interesing video
Just spit-balling but what if you test each battery at its rating? What I mean is test the 5Ah batteries under a 5 amp load to see if they last an hour. Test a 6Ah under 6 amps, a 4Ah under 4 amps, etc. See if they actually run as advertised (since that's all the Ah ratings actually mean).