So, before you invest in the standalone adapter or the complete adapter kit, be sure to do your homework. Plus, several other DeWalt batteries won’t work with this setup either. Well, even with the adapter kit, you can expect to face a lot of compatibility limitations.įor example, the adapter kit cannot combine its premium 20v batteries with compact drills. Earlier, we mentioned that DeWalt allows for limited interchangeability between their 18v and 20v systems. Still, there’s another crucial thing that you must be aware of. Plus, the adapter will not fit into DeWalt’s 18v chargers, to begin with. In other words, no, you cannot charge the newer 20v batteries using the older 18v charger that you might already own.Įven in the standard adapter kit sold by DeWalt, the charger they include is their 20v charger. The 18v and 20v batteries are compatible with 20v chargers, but not the other way around. Simply put, users can only use 20v chargers moving forward.

Even the chargers are also experiencing the same transition away from 18v towards 20v. Unfortunately, the one-way interchangeability above isn’t limited to batteries and tools. The only solution for when that day comes is to buy a new 20v battery and use the adapter to plug it into your 18v DeWalt tool. Those batteries must be replaced, but what can you do if DeWalt doesn’t make 18v batteries anymore? Sooner or later, the 18v batteries you might already have will become worn out. In a way, DeWalt is extending the usefulness of the 18v tools that people already own. This adapter’s ‘adapting’ only goes one way: it allows you to use newer 20v batteries with older 18v tools. So, it’s unlikely that DeWalt users will abandon their 18v tools and replace all of them with newer 20v models.ĭeWalt probably understands this, which is why they introduced their 18v to 20v adapter.ĭon’t let the name fool you, though. DeWalt’s AdapterĪ lot of tradespeople and regular users grow attached to their tools. They’re doing this to transition towards their more recent 20v batteries and tool models.Īs that transition goes on, DeWalt has offered its 18v tool owners a little bit of a lifeline in the form of a neat little adapter.

You see, the company is gradually phasing out its lineup of 18v products. However, there are a few crucial things to understand about this brand. So, you can’t connect the 20v battery to an 18v tool without the attachment.Īt first glance, it can seem a bit confusing as to why DeWalt would make it so difficult to use tools and batteries from within the same brand. Unfortunately, the 18v and 20v batteries have very different terminals on them. DeWalt has made that somewhat possible, though you’d need first to purchase an additional attachment available only for their 18v tools. Let’s suppose you’d like to enjoy some interchanging between DeWalt batteries and tools. The company has not made its tools and batteries universal across the board, so crossing that gap isn’t as straightforward as most people would hope. But, unfortunately, that’s only true to a very limited extent. Yes, in some cases, DeWalt’s 18v and 20v batteries are interchangeable.

Are 18v And 20v DeWalt Batteries Interchangeable? This guide will unpack everything you need to know about DeWalt’s 18v and 20v systems and where they’re heading in the future. All of this is only possible if you have DeWalt’s battery adapter, as the 18v and 20v systems have different connectors.

The same is true with the chargers for those batteries, as well. You can use 20v batteries on 18v tools, but not the other way around. Yes, DeWalt’s 18v and 20v are somewhat interchangeable, but minimally. Plus, they offer several batteries in the 18v and 20v categories. DeWalt is known worldwide for its wide selection of power tools.

Dewalt 20v battery adapter kit for 18v