Dewalt ToughSystem 2.0 Music Player Inches Closer to Launch DWST08820 (Q42019)
We posted about the new Dewalt ToughSystem Music 2.0 cordless Bluetooth jobsite music player back in June when Home Depot first put up a product page.
We’ve asked Dewalt for updates since then, most recently in mid-September, and were told that no information was available yet. Our belief has been that Dewalt was looking to launch the new ToughSystem Music 2.0 entertainment system for the holiday shopping season, similar to what they did with the original.
Chris wrote in today with a tip and question:
Have you heard any news on this new radio?
DeWalt’s site has reviews as well as user review pics. But I can’t find it for sale anywhere.
Fake reviews?
Looking at Dewalt’s product page, the reviews are all marked “incentivized,” but there’s no explanation as to what this means. Were the reviewers given free products to review, similar to what Craftsman has been doing with their new tool launches? Are they being paid? It’s unclear.
The reviewers all have between 1 and 3 reviews under their belt, including the Music 2.0, and many of the ones with 3 reviewers have also reviewed a Dewalt hammer. The reviewers don’t seem to be active Dewalt.com community members or reviewers.
Sometimes very active customer reviewers are selected to receive free products to test and review. But that doesn’t seem to be what’s going on here. So who are these reviewers and how are they being selected?
In other words, I don’t think they’re fake, but they’re not “I went to the store and bought this product” types of reviewers. This has been the norm for Amazon and some consumer brands to do, but I haven’t seen Dewalt do it before.
It seems strange, for a brand like Dewalt to send free products to consumers, especially of a tool Dewalt hasn’t officially launched. No press release, no official announcement, just some early incentivized consumer reviewers.
Yep, this is definitely bound to be a holiday season launch. Strange things tend to happen with holiday promos and such.
Why do brands do this? I wish I could tell you. We have been receiving a lot of “are these fake reviews?” inquiries recently, and while I don’t think they’re fake, I don’t know how to describe them. Are you more likely to buy a product if you Google it and see there are 8, 10, 20 “user” reviews on retailer or brand websites, or zero?
Retailers such as Home Depot also aggregate reviews, and so you’ll likely see these same reviewers on Home Depot’s product page when their selling page pops back up.
Anyway, here are some official features and specs:
Bluetooth connectivity Works with Dewalt 20V Max, 12V Max, FlexVolt batteries 55W RMS amp 4 full range speakers 1 active and 1 assisted bass resonator USB charger w/ 2.1A output Aux input port Color LCD display Touch screen capability (one reviewer contradicts this, says it’s not a touch screen) IP54 rating Mobile device compartment ToughSystem tool box compatible App-based remote control Weighs 15.2 lbs
Price: $229 (according to Home Depot’s initial offering)
Coming Soon(via Home Depot) – Page is down as of the time of this posting
Compare(Original via Amazon)
Compare(Original via Acme Tools)
Compare(Tstak Radio via Acme Tools)
Discussion
If I had to guess, it would be that each Home Depot store will get a couple of units, similar to when the first Dewalt ToughSystem Music player launched there a few years ago.
Price-wise, $229 will probably be the list price, and the “sale” price will likely be $199.
I could pretend to understand why Dewalt has been sending out free or otherwise “incentivized” review samples to users with 0 to 2 reviews under their belt.
I could almost understand why they wouldn’t issue a press release for a highly anticipated product. Maybe they will, but as soon as that happens, scores of reviewers, magazines, influencers, YouTubers, social media personalities, self-proclaimed professional tool reviewers, self-proclaimed influencers, and others will all bombard Dewalt with requests for review samples.
If Dewalt and Home Depot are partnering on a holiday season launch, the priority will be to stock all those in-store quarter-pallet displays. After that, warehouses and other online stores will want a healthy inventory.
Maybe Dewalt doesn’t want the new ToughSystem Music 2.0 to cannibalize sales of the original model, Tstak model, or Craftsman Tstak music player until it launches?
I’m trying to explain why we don’t have any more information than what is now up on Dewalt’s website.
Related Posts: New Dewalt ToughSystem Music 2.0, DWST08820 New Dewalt Tstak Bluetooth Radio and Charger Check out This Dewalt ToughSystem Mechanics Tool Set and Tool Box Bundle! #DewaltToughSystem #NewTools #Cordless #JobsiteRadiosAndSpeakers #DewaltDWST08820