Pennsylvania-based tool manufacturer Dewalt has two different 20V blowers with the model designations DCE 100B and DCBL 720B in its range. In this article we provide you with the most important information about the two outdoor tools. In the first chapter, we provide deep insight into the characteristics of the Dewalt cordless blower DCE100B. Therefore, we classified the most important features and specifications into four different categories. We will discuss them in the following order: (1) performance, (2) ergonomy, (3) technology, (4) scope of delivery & price. Afterwards, we introduce the more powerful Dewalt DCBL720B in the second chapter. In chapter 3, we summarize the main differences between the two devices. The fourth chapter contains a short summary of the company history of Dewalt.
I. Dewalt Cordless Blower DCE100B – Review
The maximum air speed of the Dewalt DCE100B is 135 mph and its air volume goes up to 100 cfm. The battery blower is ideally suited for clearing debris from the ground and overhead. There are three speed levels to control the power of the battery operated device, which offers adaptability to a variety of jobs. The individual weight of the Dewalt 20V blower is only 2.5 lbs. Including the lithium-ion battery, the weight increases to around 3.5 lbs, depending on the capacity of the battery. In addition, the battery-operated blower has an ergonomic design and enables the user to work comfortably.
The 20V lithium-ion batteries from Dewalt are available in eight different sizes. The smallest battery has a capacity of 2 ampere hours (ah). The seven other batteries have capacities of 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 8-, 9- and 12 ah. With the 5 ah battery, the Dewalt cordless blower runs between 20 and 25 minutes. To reduce undesirable interruption of work, a variety of fast chargers is available. With such a fast charger, the 5 ah battery can be taken to 80% charge status in less than 45 minutes. The just introduced 20V lithium-ion batteries cannot only be used with the Dewalt 20V blower DCE100B, also be used with all other 20V power tools from the 20V Max System of Dewalt, such as chain saws or hedge trimmers.
Overall rating
-
1. Performance - 8/108/10
-
2. Ergonomics - 10/1010/10
-
3. Battery & charging technology - 10/1010/10
-
4. Scope of delivery & price - 9/109/10
1. Performance: 8/10
With an air volume up to 100 cfm and a maximum air velocity of 135 mph, the Dewalt 20V blower DCE100B ranks at an average level in context of blower performance. The device has a 3-speed design which provides not only control, but also huge flexbility for the user. In addition, it has a trigger lock so that you don’t have to press the trigger all the time. This feature is especially helpful when performing longterm jobs as it minimizes arm fatigue. Furthermore, a variable speed trigger to adjust the blowing power in use.
2. Ergonomics: 10/10
The Dewalt cordless blower only weighs 2.5 lbs. As already mentioned at the beginning of this review, the weight goes up to around 3.5 lbs when adding a 5 ah battery. However, this is still far less than the weight of comparable 20V blowers from other manufacturers, as for example the Makita cordless blower DUB 182 or Black + Decker 20V blower LSW 321.
In addition to its low weight, the Dewalt DCE100B has a very ergonomic- and compact design. As already stated, the blower features a speed lock reducing arm fatigue. Additional features include an ergonomically optimized handle size and position for improved usability as well as a comfort grip.
3. Battery- & charging technology: 10/10
Battery technology:
Dewalt has eight different high-capacity lithium-ion battery packs on a 20V basis. The largest battery has a capacity of 12 ah. Taking into consideration the voltage of 20V, 12 ah are equal to an energy storage of 240 watt hours (wh). The smaller batteries have capacities of 9 ah (corrresponds to 180 wh), 8 ah (160 wh), 6 ah (120 wh), 5 ah (100 wh), 4 ah (80 wh), 3 ah (60 wh) as well as 2 ah (40 wh).
As the engine of the Dewalt cordless blower DCE100B needs a lot of electrical energy, the battery capacities have to be that high accordingly. When running the 20V blower at full speed, battery runtimes are around 18 minutes with the 3 ah battery. With the 5 ah battery, the runtime goes up to 25 minutes. However, runtimes will increase if you use the Dewalt battery blower efficiently by controlling the air speed with the trigger.
In addition to the just introduced 20V batteries, Dewalt also offers three so-called FLEXVOLT 20V/60V MAX battery packs. The voltage changes when you go from a 20V tool to a 60V tool (and the other way around). The 20V/60V batteries are available with capacities of 6 ah, 9 ah and 12 ah. The last mentioned battery pack has an energy storage of 240 wh, which is 50% more than the biggest pure 20V battery (8 ah corresponding to 160 wh). The 20V/60V batteries are compatible with all 20V tools from Dewalt (including the Dewalt 20V blower DCE100B) as well as all Dewalt chargers which we will present in the next section of this review.
Charging technology:
Dewalt offers a variety of different 20V chargers. The probably most widely used solution is the Dewalt 20V MAX Fast Charger DCB 118. The fan-cooled charger is compatible with all 20V- as well as 20V/60V batteries which we introduced in the previous section of this review. It takes around one hour to fully charge a 20V/60V 6 ah battery.
Another charging solution, which is especially used by people working on bigger projects, is the Dewalt Four-Port Simultaneous Fast Charger DCB 104 which can be used to charge up to four 20- and 60V as well as 12V MAX batteries from Dewalt. The Dewalt DCB 104 charges a 20V 4 ah battery in 40 minutes, a 20V 6 ah battery in 60 minutes and a 8 ah battery in around 80 minutes.
The third charger we would like to present is the Dewalt 12V/20V MAX Dual Charger DCB 102. As the model name tells you, the charger can be used to charge 12- as well as 20V MAX batteries from Dewalt. However, charging the batteries takes slightly longer as with the Dewalt DCB 118- or DCB 104.
Compatibility with other 20V devices from Dewalt:
As most other US-based tool manufacturers (e.g. Greenworks or Milwaukee), Dewalt also has a large selection of different power tools that can be used with its 20V battery packs and charger presented above. When referring to the opinions of various blog articles and comments, Dewalt is especially renowned for its battery-driven chain saws.
4. Scope of delivery & price: 9/10
The Dewalt 20V blower DCE100B positions in the low/medium price segment. In terms of delivery scope you can select between the full package (incl. blower, 20V battery, charger) or buy the components individually. The latter especially makes sense if you already own 20V batteries or chargers from Dewalt.
II. Dewalt Cordless Blower DCBL720B – Overview
As already mentioned in the intro section of this review, Dewalt has a second 20V cordless leaf blower as well. The Dewalt DCBL720B, outwardly characterized by a very compact construction, is one of the most powerful 20V battery-powered blowers in the North American market. Its air volume goes up to 450 cfm, which is more than four times as much as the air volume of the Dewalt 20V blower DCE100B. The maximum air speed of the Dewalt DCBL720B is 125 mph. This makes the tool not only only suitable for cleaning your own terrace or frontyard, but also for processing larger areas, such as walkways, streets, parks, etc. Therefore, professionals who abstain from using gasoline devices and go for the battery-operated tool instead, are increasingly using the tool. The Dewalt cordless blower DCBL720B has a high performance brushless motor to maximize operational efficiency as well as motor lifetime. As an explanatory note: brushless motors are more efficient at converting electricity into power than brushed motors. Due to the absence of brushes they also mitigate loss due to friction. The device can be operated with the battery packs and charging solutions which we previously introduced.
However, the downside of the Dewalt DCBL720B (and also the primary reason why the solution did not make it under the best 20V leaf blowers of the year) is its high weight. The blower itself already weighs 5.5 lbs. Including a 20V battery pack, the weight goes up to more than 6.5 lbs, which is almost double the weight of the Dewalt 20V blower DCE100B.
III. Dewalt Cordless Blower Data
The table contains an overview of the most important functional- and technical data of the two Dewalt 20V blowers from which are in scope of this review.
| Technical Data | Dewalt DCE100B | Dewalt DCBL720B |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | ||
| Max. air speed | 135 mph | 124 mph |
| Max. air volume | 100 cfm | 450 cfm |
| Variable speed trigger | + | + |
| Performance boost | + | + |
| Ergonomics | ||
| Weight (tool only) | 2.5 lbs | 5.43 lbs |
| Max. noise level | n/a | n/a |
| Soft-grip | + | + |
| Max. battery run times¹ | ||
| 2.0 ah: n/a 3.0 ah: 18 minutes 4.0 ah: n/a 5.0 ah: 25 minutes 6.0 ah: n/a 8.0 ah: n/a 9.0 ah: n/a 12.0 ah: n/a | 2.0 ah: n/a 3.0 ah: n/a 4.0 ah: n/a 5.0 ah: n/a 6.0 ah: n/a 8.0 ah: n/a 9.0 ah: n/a 12.0 ah: n/a |
¹ Battery run times times partially calculated.
| Battery- and & Charging Technology | Dewalt DCE100B | Dewalt DCBL720B |
|---|---|---|
| Battery Technology | ||
| Voltage | 20 Volt | 20 Volt |
| Battery range | Li-Ion 2.0 ah Li-Ion 3.0 ah Li-Ion 4.0 ah Li-Ion 5.0 ah Li-Ion 6.0 ah Li-Ion 8.0 ah Li-Ion 9.0 ah Li-Ion 12.0 ah | Li-Ion 2.0 ah Li-Ion 3.0 ah Li-Ion 4.0 ah Li-Ion 5.0 ah Li-Ion 6.0 ah Li-Ion 8.0 ah Li-Ion 9.0 ah Li-Ion 12.0 ah |
| Electricity use | Li-Ion 2.0: 40 wh Li-Ion 3.0: 60 wh Li-Ion 4.0: 80 wh Li-Ion 5.0: 100 wh Li-Ion 6.0: 120 wh Li-Ion 8.0: 160 wh Li-Ion 9.0: 180 wh Li-Ion 12.0: 240 wh | Li-Ion 2.0: 40 wh Li-Ion 3.0: 60 wh Li-Ion 4.0: 80 wh Li-Ion 5.0: 100 wh Li-Ion 6.0: 120 wh Li-Ion 8.0: 160 wh Li-Ion 9.0: 180 wh Li-Ion 12.0: 240 wh |
| Charging Technology² | ||
| Charging times (standard charger) | n/a | n/a |
| Charging times (fast charger) | Li-Ion 2.0: n/a Li-Ion 3.0: n/a Li-Ion 4.0: 40 min Li-Ion 5.0: 50 min Li-Ion 6.0: 60 min Li-Ion 8.0: 80 min Li-Ion 9.0: n/a Li-Ion 12.0: n/a | Li-Ion 2.0: n/a Li-Ion 3.0: n/a Li-Ion 4.0: 40 min Li-Ion 5.0: 50 min Li-Ion 6.0: 60 min Li-Ion 8.0: 80 min Li-Ion 9.0: n/a Li-Ion 12.0: n/a |
² Charging times times partially calculated.
IV. Dewalt history
In 1924, Raymond E. Dewalt, the inventor of the radial arm saw, started the Dewalt Products Company in Leola, Pennsylvania. The first product was an electrical universal woodworking machine called the Dewalt „Wonder-Worker“. Dewalt Products Co. was incorporated under Dewalt Inc. in 1947.
In 1960 the company was acquired by Black and Decker that already produced radial arm saws and other large stationary power equipment. Black and Decker expanded the Dewalt brand in subsequent years and used it to replace their own construction trademark in 1992. Today, Dewalt is a worldwide brand of high-quality power tools, such as the cordless leaf blowers presented in this review, for the manufacturing, construction and woodworking industry.