Preview: Milwaukee 18v Fuel System

It didn’t take long for Milwaukee to upscale the 12v Fuel system up to run the 18v M line. A few months go by, and suddenly Milwaukee has some of the most powerful cordless 18v on the market — at least on paper. Having seen the M12 line work and how the brushless motors are putting the power down, we’re inclinded to believe at least a little of the marketing.  

For those who don’t know already, the new package is a combination of brushless motor, high-yield battery pack (that’s the Red Lithium), and electronics that get more from the cells while the brushless motor doesn’t drain them as hard doing more work.

The Milwaukee propels offerings like the 1/2 Hammer Drill/Driver to a 725 in-lbs. torque rating while spinning 0-550 RPM in low gear and 0-1,850 RPM in high. The hammer pushes over 31 thousand beats per minute and the curb weight with an XC battery pack is five pounds even. If that seems sort of familiar, it should. Those specs are pretty similar to the last offings from the 2011 line. The difference Milwaukee is touting this year is the overall longer life of the motor, a 25% jump in power and a 50% run time increase on a single charge.

If this proves true on the job site, then, coupled with the smaller form factor — about an inch smaller than previous models or many of the competition — Milwaukee’s again moved into a lead spot in the constant game of leapfrog cordless manufacturers seem to be playing. Time will tell.

Fuel 18v System [Milwaukee]

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