Which Power Tool Battery (20V Lithium Ion) Brand Wins?
In our test we compared 3 power tool battery (20v lithium ion) options head to head. DeWalt came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
DeWalt
Price shown in test: $58.94 per battery, about $236 for a set of four
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Waitley
Price shown in test: $26.95 per battery, about $108 for a set of four
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Waitley
Price shown in test: $26.95 per battery, about $108 for a set of four
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The quick take
The short version of why each pick lands where it does, built straight from the measured results.
“if I were to buy a brand new tool, I would definitely want to go with the DeWalt name brand.”
Best in 1 of 8 measurements, including Cell capacity.
The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Products are listed in the order they finished.
Pack weight
- 1DeWalt DCB-205 20V OEM Lithium Ion (5Ah)630 g
noticeably heavier than both cheap replacements
- 2Waitley 20V Lithium Ion replacement battery593 g
- 3Vanon 20V DeWalt-replacement Lithium Ion battery523 g
the lightest of the three
Individual 18650 cell weight
- 1DeWalt DCB-205 20V OEM Lithium Ion (5Ah)43.79 g
6 g more than the Vanon cell; cells made by Samsung
- 2Waitley 20V Lithium Ion replacement battery
not given a separate exact figure, but described as very close to the DeWalt cell's 43.79 g
- 3Vanon 20V DeWalt-replacement Lithium Ion battery37.76 g
the lightest cell of the three brands
Plastic case weight only
- 1DeWalt DCB-205 20V OEM Lithium Ion (5Ah)123.46 g
15 to 17 percent heavier than the Vanon and Waitley cases
- 2Waitley 20V Lithium Ion replacement battery106.54 g
2 g heavier than the Vanon case
- 3Vanon 20V DeWalt-replacement Lithium Ion battery104.65 g
the lightest case of the three brands
High drain test (three 500W halogen lights)
- 1DeWalt DCB-205 20V OEM Lithium Ion (5Ah)751 seconds
(about 12 minutes 30 seconds) of runtime, battery temperature peaked at 53.2C, all four units performed very consistently (all ended at one bar)
- 2Waitley 20V Lithium Ion replacement battery428 seconds
(7 minutes 8 seconds) of runtime, battery temperature peaked at 47.3C; notable unit-to-unit quality variation after the test (2 of 4 units at two bars remaining, 2 at one bar)
- 3Vanon 20V DeWalt-replacement Lithium Ion battery244 seconds
(about 4 minutes) of runtime, battery temperature peaked at 39.5C, struggled the most of the three brands
Moderate drain test (one halogen light)
- 1DeWalt DCB-205 20V OEM Lithium Ion (5Ah)2492 seconds
(41 minutes 30 seconds) of runtime, battery temperature peaked at 40.4C
- 2Waitley 20V Lithium Ion replacement battery1983 seconds
(33 minutes) of runtime
- 3Vanon 20V DeWalt-replacement Lithium Ion battery1270 seconds
(21 minutes 10 seconds) of runtime, battery temperature peaked at 37.7C
Cold weather test (batteries stored outside overnight, about 17F/1.8C)
- 1DeWalt DCB-205 20V OEM Lithium Ion (5Ah)
lost only about 30 to 35 seconds of runtime, by far the least affected by cold of the three brands
- 2Waitley 20V Lithium Ion replacement battery
lost about 2 minutes of runtime, similar to the Vanon
- 3Vanon 20V DeWalt-replacement Lithium Ion battery
lost about 2 minutes of runtime, similar to the Waitley
Internal resistance (2 sample cells, Opus BT-3400)
- 1DeWalt DCB-205 20V OEM Lithium Ion (5Ah)56
and 57, slightly better average than both cheap replacements
- 2Waitley 20V Lithium Ion replacement battery52
and 69, slightly better average than the Vanon
- 3Vanon 20V DeWalt-replacement Lithium Ion battery65
and 77, the highest (worst) of the three brands
Cell capacity (2 sample cells, Opus BT-3400)
- 1DeWalt DCB-205 20V OEM Lithium Ion (5Ah)2462
and 2449 mAh, the best of the three brands, about 250 mAh more per cell than the Waitley (about 2500 mAh more across a full 10-cell pack)
- 2Waitley 20V Lithium Ion replacement battery2208
and 2205 mAh, much better than the Vanon
- 3Vanon 20V DeWalt-replacement Lithium Ion battery1411
and 1427 mAh, described as rather poor for an 18650 cell, the lowest of the three brands
All measurements (3 more)+
Value (watt hours per dollar)
- 1DeWalt DCB-205 20V OEM Lithium Ion (5Ah)
worst value of the three brands
- 2Waitley 20V Lithium Ion replacement battery
by far the best value of the three brands
- 3Vanon 20V DeWalt-replacement Lithium Ion battery
middle value of the three brands, better than DeWalt but well behind Waitley
Calculated actual watt hours (10-cell pack, measured mAh x rated 3.7V)
- 1DeWalt DCB-205 20V OEM Lithium Ion (5Ah)91 Wh
closest to the 100 Wh nominal rating of any brand tested, though still short of it
- 2Waitley 20V Lithium Ion replacement battery81 Wh
beating its own printed wrapper claim of 74 Wh (10 cells x 7.4 Wh per cell)
- 3Vanon 20V DeWalt-replacement Lithium Ion batterynot tested
Calculated actual watt hours (10-cell pack, measured mAh x rated 3.6V)
- 3Vanon 20V DeWalt-replacement Lithium Ion battery51 Wh
far short of the 100 Wh nominal rating
- 1DeWalt DCB-205 20V OEM Lithium Ion (5Ah)not tested
- 2Waitley 20V Lithium Ion replacement batterynot tested
How it was tested
- pack, cell, and case weights
- high drain test: three 500W halogen lights powered by a DeWalt power station, runtime and peak battery temperature measured
- moderate drain test: one halogen light, runtime and peak battery temperature measured
- cold weather test: batteries stored outside overnight at approximately 17F/1.8C, runtime loss compared to room-temperature baseline
- internal resistance and milliamp hour capacity of individual 18650 cells measured with an Opus BT-3400 after disassembly
- calculated actual watt hours per pack versus the advertised/rated watt hours, and value in watt hours per dollar
“if I were to buy a brand new tool, I would definitely want to go with the DeWalt name brand.”
Data notes and caveats
Only 3 products (all clean, unambiguous brand names, no caption garbling). DeWalt wins essentially every raw performance metric (runtime in both drain tests, cold tolerance, unit-to-unit consistency, cell capacity, closeness to its advertised watt-hour rating) but is by far the worst value per watt hour; Waitley is both the closest performance runner-up and the standout value pick, beating its own printed watt-hour claim; Vanon is the weakest performer on nearly every test despite being the cheapest. All internal math in the transcript (runtime seconds vs stated minutes/seconds, value-per-dollar ordering, watt-hour calculations from measured mAh) was independently checked and is internally consistent, supporting high confidence. The printed wrapper watt-hour claim (74 Wh, derived from a per-cell 7.4 Wh rating times 10 cells) differs from the marketed 20V/5Ah pack-level claim of 100 Wh; both figures are legitimate and distinct, not a transcription error.
More Power Tool Batteries
Which Tool Battery (counterfeit Vs Genuine) Brand Wins?
6 products tested
See the results
Power Tool Batteries Sep 2023 Test: Which Brand Wins?
Milwaukee
See the results
Power Tool Batteries Jan 2023 Test: Which Brand Wins?
10 products tested
See the results