You’ve probably been there. It’s 10:00 AM on a Tuesday, you’re mid-demo or halfway through a framing job, and your impact driver just... dies. You walk over to your single-port charger, but there's already a 5Ah stack sitting on it, blinking slowly. Now you’re stuck playing "battery Tetris," swapping packs like a frantic line cook while the clock ticks. It’s frustrating. It's also completely avoidable.
The DeWalt 4 battery charger, specifically the DCB104, isn't just a luxury for guys with too much money. It’s a workflow solution. Honestly, if you’re running more than three cordless tools, relying on those little plastic bricks that come in the starter kits is basically handicapping your own output. We’re talking about a multi-port station that doesn’t just charge four batteries at once—it charges them all at an 8-amp output simultaneously.
Most people don't realize that many multi-port chargers on the market are "sequential." That means they charge one, then the next, then the next. You might as well just own four separate chargers. But this DeWalt unit is different. It hits every port with full power at the exact same time.
Stop Treating Your Power Tools Like Smartphones
We treat our phones like they’re delicate. We trickle charge them overnight. On a job site, that logic goes out the window. You need juice, and you need it ten minutes ago. The beauty of the DeWalt 4 battery charger is the sheer brute force of it.
Because it delivers 8 amps per port, a standard 5.0Ah battery is topped off in under an hour. If you're running the massive 12.0Ah FlexVolt monsters? You're looking at maybe 90 to 100 minutes. Compare that to the standard DCB115 charger that comes in most kits, which usually caps out at 4 amps. You’re literally doubling your speed.
It’s heavy, though. It’s not something you want to toss into a soft-sided tool bag and call it a day. But DeWalt was smart enough to make it ToughSystem compatible. You can literally click it onto the top of your rolling stack. It becomes a permanent part of your mobile workshop rather than another loose item rolling around in the back of the truck.
The Heat Problem Nobody Talks About
Fast charging creates heat. Physics is annoying like that. If you’ve ever touched a battery right after it finished charging on a cheap knock-off station, it feels like a hot potato. Heat kills lithium-ion cells. Period.
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One thing I’ve noticed with the DCB104 is the internal fan. It’s loud. Not "jet engine" loud, but you’ll definitely hear it humming in a quiet garage. That’s a good thing. It’s pulling air across the circuitry to ensure that 32 amps of total current (8 amps x 4 ports) doesn't melt the casing. DeWalt’s engineers also built in "Hot/Cold Pack Delay." If your battery is baking in the sun or freezing in the van, the charger waits. It won’t start the flow until the internal thermistor says the battery is at a safe temperature.
Why You’re Probably Overpaying for Batteries
Here is a weird truth: having a fast DeWalt 4 battery charger actually allows you to own fewer batteries.
Think about it. Most people buy 6 or 8 batteries because they’re afraid of downtime. They need a massive "buffer" of charged cells to get through the day because their charging is so slow. If you can cycle 4 batteries back to full health in 60 minutes, you only really need those 4. You’re using two while two are on the rack. By the time the first two die, the ones on the rack are green.
You’re essentially spending $200–$250 on a charger to save $400 on extra batteries. The math actually works out in your favor if you stop and look at it.
The Thru-Hole Mounting and Shop Organization
If you aren't mobile, the DCB104 is a godsend for shop organization. It has these integrated screw mounts on the back. I’ve seen guys mount these vertically on the side of their workbenches or even on the ceiling of their vans.
- Parallel Charging: All four ports get 8A simultaneously.
- Compatibility: 12V Max, 20V Max, and 60V FlexVolt all work here.
- Cord Management: It has a wrap-around feature so you don't have six feet of cable dangling everywhere.
- Mounting: Two-way brackets for wall hanging.
The cord is thick. It’s a heavy-duty gauge because, again, we’re talking about a massive power draw. Don't try to run this off a cheap 16-gauge extension cord from a big-box store. You’ll trip a breaker or, worse, starve the charger of the voltage it needs to perform. Give it a dedicated circuit or a high-quality 12-gauge cord if you're on a remote site.
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Tool Connect and The Future of Tracking
A lot of the newer DeWalt gear features "Tool Connect." While the DeWalt 4 battery charger isn't a "smart" device in the sense that it has built-in GPS, it does help manage the ecosystem. When your batteries are grouped together, it’s much easier to keep track of inventory at the end of the day.
I’ve seen crews use a silver Sharpie to number their batteries 1 through 4. They rotate them through the charger in a specific order. This ensures that one battery isn't getting cycled 100 times while another sits at the bottom of a bag for six months. Lithium batteries hate being stored totally flat, so keeping them in a constant rotation on a 4-port station actually extends the life of your entire fleet.
Common Gripes and Real-World Failures
It’s not all sunshine and fast charging. The DCB104 is bulky. If you have a tiny workspace, this thing is a footprint hog. It takes up about as much room as a large toaster.
Also, it doesn’t have a USB port. In 2026, that feels like a weird oversight. Almost every other high-end power tool brand is putting a 2.1A or even a USB-C PD port on their chargers so you can charge your phone or tablet. DeWalt stuck strictly to tool batteries here. It’s a "work-only" station.
Then there’s the "chirp." If you have a battery with a faulty cell, the charger will let you know with a specific blinking pattern. Sometimes, it’s a false positive. I’ve found that if a battery is acting up, sliding it out and slamming it back in (firmly, don't break the rails) often resets the handshake. These chargers are smart, sometimes too smart for their own good. They check for internal resistance, and if the battery is too old, the charger will refuse to touch it.
Is It Better Than the FlexVolt Fast Charger?
DeWalt also makes the DCB118, which is a single-port fast charger. It’s great. It’s portable. But if you do the math, buying four DCB118s would cost you way more and create a nightmare of tangled power cords.
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The DeWalt 4 battery charger is essentially four DCB118s stuffed into one housing with a single plug. It’s cleaner. It’s more professional. It also prevents that "power strip fire hazard" look that so many job sites have.
Real-World Scenario: The Deck Build
Imagine you’re out on a deck build. You’ve got a miter saw (probably a 60V FlexVolt), a circular saw, a drill, and an impact. That’s four different tools. If you’re working with a partner, you’re burning through amp-hours fast.
With a single charger, you’re always one battery away from a forced break. With the 4-port station, you can have a "dead zone" bucket. As soon as a tool dies, the battery goes in the charger, and a fresh one comes off. Because you have four slots, you can keep a mix of 20V and 60V packs ready to go. You never have to prioritize which tool is "more important" to charge first. They're all important.
Making the Most of Your Investment
If you’re going to drop the money on a DeWalt 4 battery charger, do it right. Don't just leave it on the floor where it’s going to get covered in sawdust. Dust is the enemy of those cooling fans.
Every few weeks, take a can of compressed air or your compressor and blow out the vents. If those fans get clogged, the charger will throttle the amperage to stay cool, and suddenly your "fast" charger is as slow as the basic one.
Also, check your pins. If you’re using these in the rain (which you shouldn't, but let's be real, it happens), moisture can cause corrosion on the contact points. A quick wipe with a dry cloth or a bit of contact cleaner keeps the connection solid.
Actionable Steps for Your Setup
- Audit your batteries. Line up every DeWalt battery you own. If you have more than four, you’re a prime candidate for a multi-port station.
- Clear a "Charging Zone." Pick a spot in your shop or van that is near a 15A or 20A circuit.
- Mount it. Don't let the charger be a "roaming" item. Screw it to a wall or click it onto a ToughSystem 2.0 box.
- Label your packs. Use a paint pen to number your batteries. It sounds OCD, but it's the only way to ensure you're getting even wear across your expensive 60V packs.
- Listen for the fan. If you plug in four dead batteries and you don't hear that fan kick on within a minute, something is wrong. Check for obstructions.
Ultimately, the DeWalt 4 battery charger is about peace of mind. It’s about knowing that when you reach for a pack, it’s going to have three solid green bars. It’s about not having to think about power. In a world where we’re constantly managing device percentages, it’s nice to have one part of the job that just works. It’s an investment in your time, and honestly, your sanity on a Friday afternoon when you just want to finish the last ten feet of fencing and go home.