DeWalt PowerStack 5Ah vs Flex Stacked Lithium: Compact Battery Lineup Compared

Introduction

The cordless tool battery market is heating up, and buyers are the winners. DeWalt has just released its new PowerStack 5Ah battery, while Flex continues to dominate the high-capacity Stacked Lithium range with 8Ah and 12Ah packs. In this comparison we look at what each option offers, what the current pricing looks like, and which battery makes sense for your toolkit.

DeWalt PowerStack 5Ah: What We Know So Far

The new DeWalt PowerStack 5Ah battery has only just been announced, and it will appear in stores slowly, much like the original PowerStack did. Acme Tools currently lists it with an estimated ship date of December 15th.

Pricing is high at launch: $369 for a two-pack of 5Ah batteries, or $250 for a single pack. That sounds steep, but there is no need to panic. Deals are likely to roll out around the holiday season, and the battery should reach retailers like Lowe’s and Home Depot before Christmas. Expect drill and impact driver kits bundling this battery, possibly around the $299 mark.

Size-wise, early comparisons show the 5Ah PowerStack is only about 40 to 50 percent larger than the original 1.7Ah PowerStack, and it is noticeably shorter than a standard 5Ah battery. It is also considerably smaller than a FlexVolt equivalent. Full specifications have not been released yet, so more detail should arrive as the battery reaches reviewers.

Flex Stacked Lithium 12Ah: Big Capacity at the Same Price

Here is where things get interesting for shoppers. Flex’s Stacked Lithium platform is essentially the same pouch-cell battery technology as DeWalt’s PowerStack, just under a different brand name.

For the same $250 as a single DeWalt 5Ah PowerStack, you can get Flex’s 12Ah Stacked Lithium battery. That is more than double the capacity at an identical price.

The Flex Stacked Lithium batteries have been out longer than the PowerStack line, so they have a bit more market track record. Flex currently offers the widest high-capacity range on the market: while DeWalt’s new 5Ah is the largest PowerStack available, 5Ah is actually Flex’s smallest Stacked Lithium pack.

Flex Stacked Lithium 8Ah: The Value Sweet Spot

If 12Ah sounds like overkill, the 8Ah Flex Stacked Lithium battery comes in $50 cheaper than the DeWalt 5Ah single pack. For tradespeople running high-draw tools all day, that capacity-per-dollar ratio is hard to ignore.

It is worth noting that Milwaukee has been slow to compete in this space. Its 12Ah batteries focus on pulling maximum power from its 18V platform rather than moving to a higher-voltage approach like FlexVolt or Makita’s 40V system. Makita, meanwhile, tends to be more conservative with battery technology. For now, Flex has the high-capacity pouch-cell category largely to itself.

Flex Stacked Lithium 3.5Ah: The Compact Newcomer

Flex has also introduced a 3.5Ah Stacked Lithium battery at $180, along with an existing 6Ah option. The 3.5Ah is a genuinely new addition and gives Flex a compact option at the small end of the range, which is useful for lighter tools and anyone prioritizing weight over runtime.

Which Battery Should You Buy?

Competition between these platforms is good news for power tool buyers. Right now, if you are already invested in the DeWalt 20V platform and want the most compact 5Ah battery available, the new PowerStack 5Ah is the obvious pick, as long as you can wait for holiday-season deals to soften that $250 single-pack price. If you want maximum runtime for the money, Flex’s 8Ah and 12Ah Stacked Lithium batteries currently offer far more capacity per dollar. And for a lightweight compact pack, the new Flex 3.5Ah fills the small end of the range nicely.

Our advice: do not buy the DeWalt PowerStack 5Ah at full launch price. Watch for Black Friday and December bundle deals, when drill and impact kits with this battery are expected to appear around $299.

Conclusion

The new DeWalt PowerStack 5Ah brings impressive compactness to the DeWalt platform, but its launch pricing leaves room for Flex’s Stacked Lithium range to shine on value. Whether you need the largest capacity, the best capacity-per-dollar, or a featherweight compact pack, there is now a strong option in this new generation of pouch-cell batteries.