# Milwaukee M18 vs M18 Fuel



## Mort

So what's the difference? I think I might want to go with Milwaukee cordless tools soon, my Craftsman 19.2v stuff just isn't doing it for me (too heavy, impact driver making some odd smells). 

What is the difference between the two M18s? I know Fuel is brushless, what is the advantage there? This won't be for heavy professional use, I'd say heavy homeowner/DIY usage would best describe it's future.


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## Mort

Bueller? Bueller?


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## woodworkbykirk

brushless means no resistance on the motor because of no brushes.. this in turn means 100% power transfer from the battery to the motor turning which makes it more powerful, longer run time on batteries and longer life of hte motor all together


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## Mort

One thing I didn't realize is that the Fuel line takes the same batteries as the regular stuff. I was worried about interchangeability and availability of batteries in the future, in case the brushless thing is a fad, or whatever. 

Dewalt's brushless stuff is 20v, so new batteries and a whole new tool line. Lame. So too with Craftsman's new interchangeable head line.


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## woodworkbykirk

actually the dewalt batteries arent 20v,its a marketing ploy by dewalt.. all 18v batteries will register at 20v on a voltage meter when they come off a charger.. under load they register 18v

as for the brushless thing, its not a fad its next gen.. .brushless technology has actually been around for over 10 years + in the industrial sector where workers require tools that produce no spark do to working in confined spaces with combustables in the air


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## Mort

I figured they might not be 20v, but they aren't interchangeable with the 18v / XRP tools, which is why I was apprehensive about the Fuel line in the first place. The fact that the batteries are the same makes me lean toward purchase more so.


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## woodworkbykirk

basically its another stupid move by dewalt making their new batteries not compatible with the slightly older tools. they try to make a claim of being the company that revolutionizes tools time and time again when all they are really doing is playing catch up. they have the smallest r & d department of the big tool companies.. more often than not they either design what the tool looks like then try to engineer it to fit the mold or they are reverse engineering other brands tools

makitas 18v lxt batteries are compatible with over 75 of their current tools. the 1.5 and 3.0 18v lxt batteries still work with the first generation of lxt tools from 2006..


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## Bondo

woodworkbykirk said:


> *basically its another stupid move by dewalt making their new batteries not compatible with the slightly older tools. *they try to make a claim of being the company that revolutionizes tools time and time again when all they are really doing is playing catch up. they have the smallest r & d department of the big tool companies.. more often than not they either design what the tool looks like then try to engineer it to fit the mold or they are reverse engineering other brands tools
> 
> makitas 18v lxt batteries are compatible with over 75 of their current tools. the 1.5 and 3.0 18v lxt batteries still work with the first generation of lxt tools from 2006..


Ayuh,..... The very same reason I abandoned Milwaukee power tools when my last set of 18v NiCad batteries started dyin',....

I'll buy Makitas from now on,....


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## Canucker

woodworkbykirk said:


> actually the dewalt batteries arent 20v,its a marketing ploy by dewalt.. all 18v batteries will register at 20v on a voltage meter when they come off a charger.. under load they register 18v
> 
> as for the brushless thing, its not a fad its next gen.. .brushless technology has actually been around for over 10 years + in the industrial sector where workers require tools that produce no spark do to working in confined spaces with combustables in the air


I doubt any of the dewalts or milwaukee's brushless motors are rated for any class of hazardous atmosphere. I was under the impression it was the enclosure for the motor that gave it one of the certifications for working in a hazardous atmosphere?


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## woodworkbykirk

because the tool is brushless it doesnt produce a spark inside the tool which is visable on corded and cordless tools with brushes.. its part of hte reason this type of motor was develeped.. fine homebuilding did a article about it a couple years ago


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## paintdrying

that power level gauge on the side of the drill is what sold me on the Milwaukee. Otherwise I would have bought Makita. I have the 12 volt and the 18 volt milwaukee and no real complaints


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## woodworkbykirk

the power gauge is definitely handy.. mind you its no longer exclusive to milwaukee. bosch, makita and i believe dewalt all have it now on their newer tools


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## kwikfishron

A power level gauge just seems like a gimmick to me. What's the benefit? My ear and the feel has always worked just fine for me. Am I missing something here?


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## cjm94

kwikfishron said:


> A power level gauge just seems like a gimmick to me. What's the benefit? My ear and the feel has always worked just fine for me. Am I missing something here?


I have a 1/4 m 12 ratchet and it seams to put out the same torque up until it dies completely. Same with my impact driver.


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## woodworkbykirk

kwikfishron said:


> A power level gauge just seems like a gimmick to me. What's the benefit? My ear and the feel has always worked just fine for me. Am I missing something here?



comes in handy if your up on scaffold or doing service work. you know ahead of time before climbing if your battery is getting low.. you dont go for a road trip on a near empty tank do you


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## kwikfishron

woodworkbykirk said:


> you dont go for a road trip on a near empty tank do you


No I don't but as part of my roll out every day I have a battery on the charger ready to go. Two most of the time because my (low volume never to disturb the customer) radio is a charger too.


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## jomama45

kwikfishron said:


> A power level gauge just seems like a gimmick to me. What's the benefit? My ear and the feel has always worked just fine for me. Am I missing something here?


I didn't think much of them at first either, but since having the meter's for years now, I don't think I'd ever go w/o. We have a few different sets, in different vehicles, and it's so easy to monitor what battery you want to take with to do a quick job, or take on the scaffold as kirk noted, etc..... We never run out of batteries anymore because one of the employees was too lazy to keep them charged, they've run out of excuses!


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## sixeightten

Big difference in how a lithium battery and a nicad battery die. The nicads have a slow discharge, you can feel it getting lower. With the lithiums, they run all out until they are discharged. So knowing when it is getting low can sure come in handy.


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## kwikfishron

sixeightten said:


> Big difference in how a lithium battery and a nicad battery die. The nicads have a slow discharge, you can feel it getting lower. With the lithiums, they run all out until they are discharged. So knowing when it is getting low can sure come in handy.


I guess I just don't think about that because I always have a charged battery (or two) on deck. Staying ahead of that game is just part of the job. The lights either green light or red, thinking about whether or not I'm going to beat the yellow light going into something is a waste of time imo.


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