DeWalt's PowerStack & PowerPack Era Is Ending: What It Means For Your 20V Max Tools

The DeWalt brand is known for many things, including its commitment to cordless tool technology. DeWalt makes several types of batteries, including the pouch-cell Powerstack and the tabless cell Powerpack. Both have become common sights in workshops and earned users' trust, but that's about to change, as DeWalt has discontinued its Powerstack and Powerpack branding. 

Fortunately, the batteries themselves aren't going anywhere. You'll still be able to buy pouch cell and tabless cell batteries, just without the now-familiar name on the shell. These batteries, which were already part of DeWalt's high-performance 20V Max XR battery line, will shed their Powerstack and Powerpack branding in favor of streamlined XR naming conventions. Thus, if you want the same batteries under the new branding, you'll just have to seek them out under their new designation, sans Powerstack or Powerpack logos.

If you need to refresh your DeWalt battery selection, finding your renamed Powerstack and Powerpack batteries won't be much of a hassle. Here's a rundown of how battery names are changing.

Thankfully, DeWalt has made the batteries' new names clear. According to Pro Tools Review, the 4.0 Ah Powerpack (DCB2104) is being renamed the 20V Max XR 4.0 Ah, while the 8.0 Ah Powerpack (DCB2108) is now the 20V Max XR 8.0 Ah. As for the still-unreleased 5.0 Ah tabless battery, DCB2105, it will debut as the 20V Max XR 5.0 Ah.

DeWalt's former Powerstack lineup will follow a similar scheme. The 1.7 Ah Powerstack (DCBP034) is now called the 20V Max XR Compact; the 3.5 Ah Powerstack (DCBP320), the 20V Max XR 3.5 Ah; and the 5.0 Ah Powerstack (DCBP520), is the 20V Max XR 5.0 Ah. Of course, you can just ignore the names and identify a specific model's battery technology via the model number instead. Regular 20V Max batteries are DCB with three numbers, 20V Max XR pouch cell batteries are DCBP with three numbers, and 20V Max XR tabless batteries are DCB with four numbers.

So, the Powerpack and Powerstack era is technically over. Though you'll have to be a little more mindful of model numbers as the brand transitions to its new branding, adding more to the list of important things to consider before buying DeWalt batteries, fans can rest assured that the technology that brought them to the dance isn't going anywhere.