My work requires an array of different tools, most of which are corded. More often than not, I’m doing several different tasks at the same bench. I could be doing anything from making a live edge to tuning up a work piece to inspecting a finish. So on and around the bench, I’ll have a mess of tools and cords that, for convenience sake, need their own receptacle. And forget sharing a cord. Plugging and unplugging tools is an extra step I don’t need, so I’ve always carried a surge protector or power hub of some sort.
Nathan Rinne
The on-board light is great. Mounted in the body of the tool, it is directional. Separate, it fits in an apron or tool pouch easily. The four-hour runtime doesn’t leave me hanging. It's great for inspecting a finish or lighting up a dark room.
Nathan Rinne
The on-board light is magnetic, so you have many options for placement. Nice.
DeWalt sent me one of its new power stations with integrated USB ports and a removable light to test and review. Having used it for several months now, I can say it has added a good deal of convenience for me both on the job and in my shop. For starters, the dual USB ports allow me to ditch the wall charger that my phone came with, which frees up not only one outlet, but also the adjoining outlet that it would otherwise block.
Then there is the 500-lumen removable work light. While mounted in the handle, it can fully rotate for directional lighting, which is a great feature I used for working in low-lit rooms. When detached, the light fits easily in an apron pocket and has a 4-hour runtime on one charge so you have ample time for inspecting a finish, for example. It’s also magnetic, giving even more options for illumination.
Nathan Rinne
The light bar mounts and dismounts easily from the body of the tool.
Nathan Rinne
The DeWalt DXST-A151PS has eight standard 3-prong outlets and two USB power ports.
Evidently, the light is meant to be integrated into DeWalt’s new industrial shelving line (which looks promising). It came with mounting brackets and a heavy-duty cord minder that mounts beneath it on a shelf leg.
The only minor inconvenience about the unit I’ve found is that DeWalt opted for an inline GFCI (check out Jeff Kirby’s article on jobsite safety for other uses of GFCI-protected cords) rather than building it into the unit. It makes wrapping the cord a little awkward and adds to the overall footprint.
Nathan Rinne
I like that the unit has a built-in GFCI. I do wish it was built into the unit, but that’s a minor complaint.
Nathan Rinne
To integrate with DeWalt shelving’s metal racks, the unit also ships with a stout cord minder.
The bottom line is that while this tool is significantly more expensive than a typical cheap-o surge protector, it does more. And all while delivering protected circuits to anything downstream of it. It’s better built. It saves me time. I think that this is one of those tools that might be easy to dismiss on first impression because of the price tag, but that is—overall—a time-saver and production increaser that’s worth the investment.
Cost: $130
