6 Of The Best DeWalt Outdoor Power Tools, According To Owners

Whipping your yard into shape is a lot easier when you have a few power tools to help take care of the more arduous tasks. That said, power tools from name-brand companies can be quite expensive, so you want to make sure that the tools you buy are the best ones available.

DeWalt is widely regarded as one of the best power tool brands on the market, and those who've already invested heavily or the company's cordless battery-powered system for their basic home tool kit are more likely to want to stick with the brand when getting tools for taking care of their yards. The company has a wide range of products available for yard care. Some of them are particularly handy in winter weather while others are perfect for when it comes time to tidy things up in the spring, so you might be curious to learn which of them is best.

One of the best ways to verify the quality of a tool is to check out what customers who have actually owned and used it have had to say about it. Retail sites with aggregate rating systems like Dewalt's own store, Amazon, and Home Depot all give star ratings with a maximum score of five to products based on the average scores awarded to them by buyers. By looking at these scores, we can see which of DeWalt's outdoor power tools are considered the best by the people whose opinions are ultimately the most important–their users. There are several versions of some of these tools available from DeWalt, so it's important to verify the model number is the same.

When you start looking at DeWalt's selection of outdoor power tools, the 20V Max Cordless Hedge Trimmer is one of the first tools that appears from just about every retailer–and it seems there's good reason.

It has a high-output motor that is able to cut branches that are up to ¾-inch in thickness, which should be more than enough for most hedges. The tool's 22-inch blade is lined with laser-cut hooked teeth that are designed to cut both cleanly and quickly. It also has a friction clutch which automatically engages if you hit an obstacle that the tool can't cut, which protects the trimmer's transmission. It runs on DeWalt's 20V battery system and the company promises up to 75 minutes of runtime on a single charge, though it doesn't specify the capacity of the battery used to get that number.

It has a 4.5 out of five on DeWalt's website, a 4.8 on Amazon, and a 4.6 on Home Depot. "It tears through juniper bushes like they're nothing," wrote one reviewer. "I've used the crap outta this thing and provided minimal maintenance and it's still going strong. It replaced a corded Black and Decker trimmer and the power and convenience isn't even close." There have been a few complaints about the trigger's safety design being awkward to use and the lack of a lock-on button. However, these were largely drowned in the overwhelming praise for the tool's cut quality, light-weight, battery life, ease of use, power, and overall build quality.

Those who have trees on their property will probably find that they will eventually need to trim dead and overgrown branches. These aren't just unsightly, but they can also be potentially hazardous to people, pets, and your property. You can always use a hand chainsaw and a ladder to cut them down if you're feeling confident, but it's a lot safer to keep both feet planted firmly on the ground and cut them down with a pole saw.

The DeWalt 20V Max XR Pole Saw is another of the highest-rated outdoor power tools that the company makes. It's equipped with an 8-inch bar and chain for cutting. It has a metal bucking strip and tree hook that helps to grip the branch and remove it after pruning. The brushless motor helps reduce friction and heat build-up, which prolongs the life of the battery when you're using it, but it also prolongs the life of the tool as it reduces wear and degradation. It also has an auto-oiling feature to help reduce time spent on maintenance. The pole shaft is extendable and has a range of 10 to 15 feet. 

The XR Pole Saw only has a mediocre 3.5 out of on DeWalt's site, but it has a much more impressive 4.6 on Amazon and a 4.5 on Home Depot. It's generally praised for its functionality, ease of use, and cut quality, but there are some who have argued that it's a bit heavy, which makes it difficult to wield overhead for long periods of time.

Next up is a set of battery-powered pruning sheers. These might seem a little excessive for your typical gardener, but anyone who's ever had to clear thick bushes from their property will tell you that something like this can be a lifesaver.

The DeWalt 20V Max Pruning Shears come equipped with a set of blades that can cut through limbs up to 1 ½-inch in thickness. These are coated in a non-stick surface to help reduce resin build-up. The kit includes a tool for quickly and easily changing these blades out when it's time for a new set. DeWalt claims that the shears can deliver up to 1,000 cuts on a single charge of one of its 20V batteries, though it again doesn't mention the capacity. The Pruning Shears also have an onboard LED work light that can be helpful when you have to reach into the shadowy interior of a dense hedge.

These shears only have a 3.1 out of five on the DeWalt site, but they have a 4.8 on Amazon and a 4.7 on Home Depot, with thousands of reviews on each page. "These cordless electric shears offer powerful, precise cuts with ease, making trimming and pruning branches a breeze," said one reviewer. "The ergonomic design ensures a comfortable grip, reducing hand strain during extended use. These shears are ideal for tackling tough, thick branches that would be challenging with manual pruners." There aren't a ton of negative reviews, but some of them mention an issue with the shears starting to smoke after prolonged use. It seems that this is a rare, but significant issue buyers should be aware of.

There are a lot of specialty tools for trimming and pruning live plants, but nothing beats a good old-fashioned chainsaw when it comes to fallen trees, clearing larger limbs, and the general breakdown of large pieces of yard waste.

DeWalt has a few chainsaws in its inventory, but the battery-powered 20V Max 12-inch Brushless Chainsaw appears to be the most popular among consumers–especially the kit that includes a 5.0Ah battery and charger. The tool has a 12-inch bar and chain. DeWalt claims that it's a perfect tool "to cut beams, do demolition work, and manage tree limbs." It weighs 9 pounds and has a brushless motor, which means that it runs cooler and is more efficient. DeWalt states that the chainsaw will make up to 90 cuts through pressure treated 4x4 when used with the included 5.0Ah 20V battery. It also has tool-free chain tensioning and a knob for bar tightening.

The tool has a 3.6 on DeWalt's site, a 4.5 on Amazon, and 4.4 on Home Depot. Most of the reviews overwhelmingly praise the saw for its cut quality, battery life, weight, and value. "Definitely keep the chain tighter than on a gas saw, and slower chain movement but higher torque," wrote one of the saw's reviewers. "Easy to cut one-handed if need be. I go through about a 5.0Ah battery an hour and that's not constant cutting. Chain comes very sharp, I LOVE the no tools required for tensioning bar and chain. And I would probably get the o-ring for the oil port because it does leak." This seems to be an issue worth noting, as most other complaints were from people who experienced similar leaks.

A quality handheld blower is an essential tool for yard maintenance. It needs a lot of power in order to create a strong amount of pressure, though, so it's no surprise that the most popular DeWalt blower is also the first one featured on our list to use the company's 60V battery system.

The DeWalt 60V Max Handheld Blower comes in a kit that includes a 60V, 3.0Ah battery and charger. This is another tool with a brushless motor that DeWalt claims is able to generate 423 CFM of air at speeds that go all the way up to 129 mph. It has a variable speed trigger with a speed lock to make it easy to have solid control of the blower's output without placing undue fatigue on the user. This is convenient for when you want to gather the leaves from delicate terrains, like a garden, without blowing away the topsoil or ripping up the more fragile plants. Its design is made to be ergonomic and lightweight, coming in at just 10.1 pounds. 

This tool has more consistent ratings across all three platforms. It has a 3.9 on DeWalt's site, a 4.3 on Amazon, and another 4.3 on Home Depot. "The blower works great," wrote one reviewer. "Powerful and forceful. Great airflow and much quieter than other brands. The battery lasts a long time and allows me to blow out the garage, driveway, sidewalks and still have battery life left." Most complaints appear to have more to do with the included 3.0Ah battery charging slowly.

Finally, we have another tool in DeWalt's 60V lineup–the Flexvolt 60V Max Attachment Capable Trimmer. This trimmer uses .080-inch dual line (though DeWalt also states that it works with the company's official .095-inch line) that is easy to quickly swap out using the tool's quick-load spool. It has a brushless motor and a slight extension in its operational range, which allows it to be adjusted from 15 to 17-inch. It also has a variable trigger and Hi/Lo speed control, which provides the user with more options. Some versions of the kit include a 3.0Ah 60V battery and a charger (though the listing on Amazon notably does not.) All of them come with a length of 0.080-inch line that is pre-wound in the spool, and an auxiliary handle and guard.

But one of the more interesting things about this tool is that you can swap out the trimming attachment from the power base and use different attachments with it instead. DeWalt currently sells a brush cutter attachment, an edger attachment, a pole saw attachment, a blower attachment, and an articulating hedge trimmer attachment that are all compatible. Getting tools this way is much cheaper than buying each dedicated tool independently.

The tool only has a 3.3 on DeWalt's site, but it has a 4.5 on Amazon and a 4.5 on Home Depot. "After using this trimmer, I will never go back to gas power," wrote one reviewer. "I use it for light-duty grass trimming but have cut woody weeds with no problem. Appears [the] charge lasts about an hour. [...] Very happy with this and love not having to pull a rope, mess with gas, or worry about winterizing."

When choosing products, we started by looking at retailers with aggregate rating systems, like Amazon and Home Depot. Then searched their inventories for "DeWalt Outdoor" tools, and then organized the results to place the top-rated products at the top of the list. From there, chose the six highest rated items that were reviewed by over 1,000 customers and which were primarily intended for outdoor use. 

We compared their scores to the listings on both sites to verify that they were consistently good across multiple retail platforms, and then checked the written reviews to find out what users liked about them. Lastly, we verified if there were negative reviews to make sure that there were no major design flaws that were worth noting. Ultimatley, our process was similar to how we went about selecting six DeWalt tools that will come in handy in the winter.