Dewalt has come out with a new 20V Max brushless cordless drain snake, model DCD200.
The Dewalt drain snake comes with a 5/16″ x 25′ cable that’s coated with a black oxide finish for corrosion prevention, and a steel inner core for rigidity.
There will be other cable options sold separately, including 1/4″ and 5/16″ cables up to 50 feet long, and 3/8″ cables up to 35 feet long. There will also be different tip options to suit different applications.
The drain snake’s inner drum is partially sealed, making it easy to remove and change out cables. It also retains water and debris, helping to prevent spreading the mess around the work area.
The outer housing is fixed in place and separate from the inner drum, and so the spinning inner drum doesn’t come in contact with delicate surfaces – such as a finished vanity, or you, the user.
It also features a variable speed trigger, brushless motor, and 3-mode pivoting LED worklights.
Price: $399 for the kit (DCD200D1), $299 for the bare tool (DCD200B)
ETA: Fall 2017
The kit comes with (1) 2.0Ah battery pack, a charger, and 5/16″ x 25′ drain cable with bulb head.
A replacement drum is priced at $20, and a replacement black oxide bulb head drain cable is $60.
Buy Now(Bare Tool via Amazon)
First Thoughts
Dewalt’s a little late to the drain-busting tool race, but not very. If they keep up the momentum into the plumbing category (there’s also a new PEX expander tool I’m working on a post for), then they stand a chance at giving Milwaukee some serious competition.
Right now, Milwaukee has an M12 cordless drain snake, and so does Ryobi. Milwaukee has a TrapSnake interchangeable toilet and urinal snake, and also a new AirSnake that uses air pressure to bust clogs free.
Milwaukee’s cordless drain snake doesn’t have a brushless motor, and is powered by their M12 battery platform and not M18. But it’s also a lot less expensive – $249 for a starter kit (as of the time of this posting).
This new Dewalt model is $299 for the bare tool, $399 for the kit.
There are some standout features, such as the 3-mode pivoting LEDs, although I’m not quite sure what that means. I’m guessing the modes refer to different brightness settings, but the pivoting LEDs? None of the product images show what they look like, although images do show that it shines a bright uniform light on the drain you’re working in.
From the product images, the Dewalt brushless drain snake looks fairly compact. Perhaps not quite as compact as the Milwaukee, but still quite reasonably small.
This drain snake can work with a 3/8″ cable, which Milwaukee’s M12 snake cannot, presumably thanks to the brushless motor.
Here’s the big question on my mind now – what will Dewalt focus on next? They have a few plumbing and electrical cordless tools recently announced. Will they keep the momentum up, or will their push into these specialty tool territories be limited?
Personally, I want to see a greater push into these categories. Competition is good for everyone.
Just thinking aloud – what kind of brushless motor do you think is in this tool? Dewalt has a $99 brushless drill/driver kit available, but the housing look to be derived from their new Tool Connect brushless drill, or the DCD791 brushless drill, their latest generation compact drill. So, presumably, I’d think that this drain snake’s electromechanical system is adapted from Dewalt’s flagship compact brushless drill, as opposed to the less expensive mass market model.