Milwaukee’s Pipeline 2023 media event has kicked off – here is some of what we’ve seen so far.
There are some huge surprises, such as the M12 Fuel compact 18 gauge brad nailer, and M12 brushless rotary tool.
We’ll update this post when we can, and will follow up on everything we’ve learned about and tested.
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Please let me know if you have any questions!
New M18 Forge batteries! There will be an XC 6Ah to start, with pouch cells, and a 12Ah to follow, with “tabless” cylindrical cells.
Following is a list of most of the newly announced Milwaukee products, sorted by category. A couple of these tools were discussed in recent posts.
New Milwaukee Batteries, Chargers, Power Supplies
- M18 RedLithium FORGE
- MX Fuel FORGE
- M18 & MX Fuel Super Chargers
- Roll-On 7200W/3600W 2.5kWh Power Supply
New Milwaukee Carpentry & Remodeling Tools
- Nitrus Carbide Open-Lok Oscillating Multi-Tool Blades
- M12 Brushless Rotary Tool
- M12 Brushless 2″ Planer
- M12 Fuel Jig Saw
- M12 Fuel 18 Gauge Compact Brad Nailer
- M18 Compact Brushless Drills & Impact Driver
- M18 Fuel 1/2″ Router
- M18 Fuel 16 Gauge Straight Finish Nailer
Packout Expansion
- More Drawer Tool Box Options
- Structured Tool Bags
New Milwaukee Automotive & Equipment Maintenance Tools
- Tap & Die Threading Solutions
- Mechanics Hand Tools
- M12 Auto Technician Borescope
- M12 Fuel Insider Extended Reach Box Ratchet
- M18 Fuel 1/2″ High Torque Impact Wrench
New Milwaukee General Contracting Tools
- Diamond Ultra Segmented Blades
- One-Key
- M18 Red Exterior Dual Slope Rotary Laser
- M18 Red Exterior Rotary Laser
- M18 Green Interior Rotary Laser Kit w/ Remote/Receiver
- M18 Fuel 1-1/4″ SDS Plus D-Handle Rotary Hammer w. One-KEy
- M18 Fuel HammerVac 1-1/4″ Dedicated Dust Extractor
- MX Fuel 36″ Walk-Behind Trowel
- MX Fuel 24″ Walk-Behind Edging Trowel
- MX Fuel 20″ Plate Compactor
- MX Fuel 4″ Green Concrete Saw
New Milwaukee Landscaping & Tree Care Tools
- New Quik-Lok Attachments
- M18 Brushless Telescoping Pole Pruning Shears
- M18 Fuel Telescoping Pole Saw
- M18 Fuel 17″ Dual Battery String Trimmer
- M18 Fuel Blower
- M18 Fuel Dual Battery Backpack Blower
New Milwaukee Power Utility & Electrical Tools
- Electrical Hand Tools
- M18 Fuel 3/8″ Controlled Torque Compact Impact Wrench
- M18 Force Logic 5″ Underground Cable Cutter w/ Wireless Remote
- M18 Force Logic Single Channel Strut Shear & Shearing Dies
- M18 Force Logic 12T Latched Linear Crimper
- M18 Force Logic 12T Kearney Linear Crimper
- M18 Force Logic11T Dieless Latched Linear Utility Crimper
- M18 Force Logic6T Latched Linear Utility Crimper
New Milwaukee Plumbing, Mechanical, HVAC Tools
- Faucet Swap-Out Wrenches
- Aluminum Self-Adjust Pipe Wrenches
- M18 Fuel 5 CFM Vacuum Pump
- M18 100′ Flexible Pipeline Inspection System
- M18 Fuel High Speed Chain Snake for 1-1/2″ – 4″ Pipes
- M18 Fuel 4-1/2″ / 5″ Dual-Trigger Braking Grinder
- MZ Fuel Pipe Threading Machine & Universal Pipe Threading Dies
- MX Fuel Core Rig & Diamond Ultra Wet Core Bits
Thoughts?
Which of these new tools are you most excited about?
Here are answers to many of your questions:
Did you guess these were coming?
See Readers’ Predictions Here:
Luke
What can you tell us about the FORGE battery line?
Matt
Agree would love to hear more about this update. Apologies if it’s already been written about but I don’t remember seeing it here
Dave
All of the forge batteries are tabless, only the 6.0 is a pouch style cell. The type of cell is really irrelevant despite the marketing hype, the real advantage of a pouch style cell is that it is natively tabless, but Milwaukee is using tabless cylindrical cells in most of the Forge batteries.
Collin
“Tabless” batteries? Seems like Milwaukee took a very incremental approach to providing higher output M18 batteries. Sure, I get that “tabless” or continuous tab batteries reduce resistance, allow for greater current flow with less heat loss…but…seriously? That’s all Milwaukee has after 2 years of pouch cells released by DeWalt and Flex?
Lance
All you need to know is FORGE is the FASTEST, the BIGGEST, the MOSTEST, the BESTEST that there ever was or ever will be. BAM!!!
(I’m aiming for a spot on the Milwaukee promo team.)
TomD
TTC did some experimentation about what a FORGE might be able to do: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHVuF8YvCu0
Jacob
Were you able to see if they were doing a new generation of the Surge drivers? I love my m12 Surge but wish it had the bit holder and 3 led config of the newer M12 impact.
Stuart
No indication about a new Surge yet.
Both seem to be selling well and I haven’t heard many complaints about either.
Joe H
Are the FORGE batteries their version of pouch cells?
Are there any tech specks yet on them yet? or just MORE, 50X, BETTER, FASTER….
Eric
for 18v they have a 6 amp hour poucb cell battery coming out soon. A 12 amp hour late next year. The tabless batteries are for the MX Fuel batteries and are going to have an 8 and 12 amp hour version coming out.
Eric
Just saw I was wrong, the 18v 12 amp hour battery coming out next year is going to use the tabless batteries.
Bill
stupid question. Can the brushless rotary tool pretty much use anything made for a dremel?
Peter
Seems to be a straight-up Rotary Tool (2460) update so it should pretty much work with every dremel accessory aswell.
TomD
I have the older rotary m12 and it works with deemed accessories.
Jared
Yes, including the Dremel keyless chuck.
I’m most excited for the new burshless m12 rotary tool myself. I think that’s the only tool I might go out of my way to buy from this list.
Not that I’m complaining – I think Milwaukee is filling some obvious voids with these releases like better M12 jigsaw and rotary tools, plus a full-sized router. Those are tools they needed.
Eric
The demo I saw shows they have the wrench built into the collar that covers the accessory threads on a dremel. So while it’s not quite the same as a keyless chuck it’s always right there and ready to use.
Joe E.
Will the updated/new mechanics tools be made in the USA?
Chris
I doubt it and I hope your not a pro looking to use Milwaukee mechanic hand tools
Alexk
M12 Brushless jigsaw?
Brushless Rotary?
My already good day just got better.
TomD
That power bank is technically a packout base, isn’t it? 🤤
Tom
That power bank is very interesting. I live in a condo complex where gas generators are banned. I’ve looked into some of the standalone units for limited home power backup during hurricane season, but something can flex between running power tools and running a refrigerator using batteries I already own is very attractive.
Any updates on launch timing and estimated runtime with whatever batteries they tested it with would be greatly appreciated, especially if it’s available for say both a table saw and a standard refrigerator.
Luke
Thinking about the price of that thing makes me want to cry
Kent
My guess is $4299
Jp
Been waiting for better ope. The current stuff for blowing and trimming is anemic. But the chainsaw is way more than I ever needed at least
GinoG
$4500 which is way more than the competition. Milwaukee calls it 7200w/3600w but I think it should be 3600w/7200w
John
It’s going to be way more than the competition. If you want an affordable power bank I’d get one from one of the reputable chinese manufacturers.
fred
The M18 Brushless Telescoping Pole Pruning Shears and M18 Fuel Dual Battery Backpack Blower – might be on my purchase list.
Big Richard
The “dual battery” backpack blower can actually hold 4 batteries, but needs at least 2 to run. Slap in 4×12.0Ah batteries and you got a solid 864 WH of juice.
Lance
And a blower rig worth over a grand.
Adam
Not at the price they are, ouch. Much rather would have seen a pruning attachment for the quik-lok, or designed a unit that could be used in a handheld unit and an extension pole attached.
As far as the backpack, I was a little sad to hear the 30min runtime with 4x 12ah.
Will keep my Ego for the considerable future.
Mike
Gas blower is the only thing I still use that isn’t battery. Handheld ones are ok for patios and quick little jobs but the run time just isn’t fesiable for the big jobs.
fred
I was hoping that I could find a replacement for my gas-powered Echo. I have a M18 Gen1 blower (2728-20) – OK for small jobs – but if you push it the batteries overheat and cut out.
Bill
Fred I think you would be happy with one of the EGO leaf blowers paired with their 5.0Ah battery. I have owned their 650 cfm unit for several years now and it can move a pile of leaves with ease. I bought a second one that was on sale last year just to another 5.0 Ah battery. At this point all of my OPE tools are EGO and they have all performed well.
Good luck in your search.
PW
Just want to second the vote for an EGO. I have the 615 cfm unit and it’s enough power for me. I imagine the next step up would be adequate for fred.
I got mine after the positive EGO blower review from Project Farm, which is about the best recommendation I could imagine.
Jehremy
Curious what all new attachments are coming out for Quik-Lok
Big Richard
This is what I have in my notes:
– Cultivator 49-16-2739
– Reciprocator 49-16-2794
– Bed Redefiner 49-16-2795
– Hedge Trimmer 49-16-2796
– Blower 49-16-2793
Luke
I need video action of each of these, like yesterday
Stuart
I learned a little about them, but unfortunately didn’t make it back outside for demos or video coverage.
Koko The Talking Ape
What is “Nitrus” carbide?
Eric
It’s a marketing term they’re using for carbide blades.
Koko The Talking Ape
Aha. And that’s iron carbide? Silicon carbide? Titanium carbide?
Jason
Uranium enriched carbide (caution: may cause cancer in the state of California, but nowhere else) take special care and read all labels when attempting to recycle.
JR Ramos
Well, it’s not nitro-carburization, but what it is exactly, beyond probable marketing blurb, is a mystery. I suspect it’s nothing special or new, as carbide tech has come so far in the industrial area (milling, etc) and that’s not really Milwaukee’s forte. I can’t say that their “nitrus” seems to cut any faster or cleaner or last any longer than the carbide blades I’ve used from Diablo, but they’re ok. The brazing lines have always looked clean and sound, which I cannot say for the Diablo blades that I’ve been through (although none outright failed there).
Doug N
Hope you can ask why they don’t offer a wheeled packout drawer base like ridgid just announced. Or even better with a single large drawer.
Saulac
I am deep in M12. So the M12 stuff excites me. The 18 gauge pin nailer: a must buy to hang/keep things in place before applying actual fasteners. A must have when you work alone with long materials. The update rotary: maybe except that I literally just ordered an 1/8 collet for my M12 die grinder. The jig saw: likely. Look much better than the old one. But still pretty large. I wonder if I am the only one that want a very small jig saw, even if weak.
Rx9
The M12 Fuel Insider Extended Reach Box Ratchet has piqued my interest. Is it like a powered pass through ratchet?
Big Richard
Yes, this is from when it was first announced last month – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld8bwSMOiMI
BrianA
Yeah really want to see pic, like I need another M12 ratchet. But will a high torque model follow, then a high speed, plus and extended extended version, and ….
Eric
It’s a long reach fuel ratchet that uses proprietary sockets to give it a little shallower depth. It looks like it’s about what you would save by using something like Astro Pneumatic nano sockets on a standard ratchet. It’s a hard pass for me.
Big Richard
They are pass through sockets though, a little bit different than something like nano sockets.
Eric
I missed that in the demo I saw. Looks like it’s only semi-passthrough. So you can have some exposed thread past the nut, but it’s not full pass through.
MM
To me it looks like the thread can pass completely through the socket. Look at around the 5-6 second mark at the video Big Richard posted above. While the person is moving the socket in his fingers you can see clean through the center hole. However, the “pass thru” portion of the tool is significantly smaller in diameter than the hex, at least for that size of socket which he is showing. Smaller size sockets should be full pass thru while the larger sizes likely won’t pass anything bigger than the one in the video.
BrianA
M18 backpack blower takes 4 batteries!!!! But is it a vac also?!?!?! It’s performance isn’t much better than the dual blower sadly. What is the use case for a 17″ dual battery trimmer, cant imagine how challenging it will be to use that considering the dual battery blower wears you out.
Eric
The blower needs 2 batteries to run, but will take 4 batteries for extended run time. I think it’s more about getting the weight off the blower itself so it’s more manageable to use.
The string trimmer is for commercial work, covering big areas quickly. They say it’s not much heavier and pretty well balanced. Here’s where they were talking about it on a livestream. https://www.youtube.com/live/mmDVlCiBlXQ?feature=share&t=3055
Mxx
I want to be part of the power bank Seed program. Can it take any mix of batteries, or what are the restrictions like pairs, quads etc. of the same batteries.
Doug N
Looks like a sealed unit, non-replaceable battery/cells. Good luck with your first ask.
Mike
Sealed unit, just like all the other “power banks”. $4500. But huge inverter capacity for running tools. Like 3600w constant with 7200w surge.
Jason
I wonder what it is going to take to get the pricing down on these inverters? More competition, advancements in battery tech? Would really find these units useful since I work with schools and child care centers which are wanting to reduce pollution and noise from gas powered equipment such as generators.
Phil
I thought the EcoFlow delta pro was expensive at $3,600. It has 3,600WH and expandable.
Mxx
Thanks, and doohh!
Natural gas or propane fueled generators? Little particulate matter, quiet enclosures, and small footprints depending on KW requirements.
Harrison
M12 Fuel jigsaw looks really nice- Personally I don’t require a super powerful jigsaw, I just need it to be ergonomic and accurate. The M18 is nicely featured but over sized.
IronWood
Yeah the jigsaw stood out to me. I like the barrel grip, nice to see it in a compact form. I have a DeWalt 20v barrel grip that is great, but I’d really like to get one of these M12 in hand.
fred
This one looks a bit sleeker and more ergonomic (longer grip) than the current model (2445-20)
JR Ramos
That caught my eye, too. The old one is no slouch – impressed me quite a bit using and abusing it many times. Its biggest drawback is the lack of a blower for dust (that’s a real drawback, too). Not sure what “fuel” will bring to this particular tool but it does seem to have some other feature updates. I don’t know about that longer handle, either…would prefer it to be more compact and perhaps give less leverage to the larger batteries in causing shoe tilt and such.
I suspect the fuel rotary tool will be a big improvement in power and hopefully the control board.
Sometimes I think they swing and miss on M12 but it’s impressive how many really good quality and high performing 12V tools they have now, and that they continue to give it attention.
fred
M12 has certainly taken the lead in its class – with lots of variety and mostly good performing tools. I once had hopes for Makita – but they offer little in 12V that I want. . I had bought their 12V rotary fabric cutter (PC01Z) for my wife and she likes its ergonomics. For her, she says it feels better in her hands than some of my M12 tools.
JR Ramos
I was a big Makita fan years ago (or at least never found too much to disparage them) but they’re almost not even on my radar anymore despite having several great tools. I do enjoy a lot of their high quality bits and accessories, though – amazingly they still source several US-made accessories and most items are well machined and/or well designed.
I just realized the new rotary tool isn’t “fuel”…just brushless…but whatever. I’ll wait to see some reviews before deciding to get one of those – the previous one has been doing really well for me other than being a bit large.
Every so often I try to remember what those old long-battery Makita drills were like…how impressed we were at the POWER they had when driving screws. lol. And then those new red batteries that changed the world. 🙂 Pretty amazing how far cordless has come and even for $40 you can hold more power than $400 would get you just 25 years ago.
Shane
18 ga. M12 nailer? I will be all over that!
Mike
It looks so nice, barely bigger then the pin nailer!
OldDominionDIYer
Lots of exciting new products, but I’m already confused about the M18 Forge battery. Milwaukee is claiming that the 6.0 has more power than the current 12.0 amp-hour HD battery yet it’s only a 6Ah battery???
Here’s a quote from the Milwaukee tool website:
“The REDLITHUM™ FORGE™ XC6.0 delivers the same power as the M18™ REDLITHIUM™ HIGH OUTPUT™ HD12.0 in a smaller size and lighter weight design.”
Love this tool news though! Lots of cool OPE to, like backpack blower and more!
Eric
It can probably deliver the same amount of amperage to let high draw tools work at their best. But with only half the runtime of the 12 amp hour batteries.
Jason
I thought that was already the claim of the high output batteries that’s what they said at the time about the 8.0 when people were mad it was replacing the 9.0 that you got the same power output
Big Richard
The 10 cell 6.0/8.0 HO can produce more power than the old 15 cell 9.0 (around 1200 Watts vs. 1000 Watts). While the 12.0 can produce even more, at around 1800 Watts.
The High Output “more power” claim refers to batteries of the same size, I.e CP, XC, and HD. It does NOT mean that all HO packs produce the same amount of power. It is just saying that an XC HO pack will produce more power than a regular XC pack.
So the new FORGE 6.0 can match the 12.0’s 1800 Watt output, albeit for only about 3.6 minutes based on its 108Wh fuel tank.
JR Ramos
I think it’s erroneous for Milwaukee (and everyone else I guess) to state that these batteries are delivering “more power”…what they are doing is suffering less under higher current loads, which means that they are better able to maintain the voltage output rather than sagging and thus shortening the “turbo time” of full voltage. If that makes sense.
When voltage drops, the power of your punch drops, and it’s all a function of how much you ask of the cells and how happy they can be under that load with all the added heat. So Cell Type A in one battery pack may have higher capacity and starts out at the same fully charged voltage, but when a tool asks it to sustain under a strong amp load, it can’t, gets hot, and trails off early (or perhaps shuts off from a thermo sensor command). Cell Type B in a “more powerful” battery pack can handle more heat and doesn’t peter out so quickly, so it seems more powerful even though it basically starts out with the same voltage and a bit less capacity. If you ask both batteries to run at a lower reasonable amp draw, then the “wimpy” Type A will perform great and probably actually have a longer run time. The Type B won’t be able to show its super powers under a low amp draw but it will show you it’s lower capacity by running out of juice sooner.
The lines are getting a little blurry now with some advances in cell chemistry, and then now with pouched and it looks like “tabless” cells. But just remember that these are all 3.7v nominal lithium ion and start out with the same punching power…it’s how long they can deliver a hard punch that is the difference in high output/higher power batteries. Some tools can benefit from this and some can’t. That said, all of the more robust cells seem to perform great at all levels and most suffer less from reduced capacity and life cycle over time, so they’re never a poor choice. There are tools that the XC 6.0 is a better choice (or even the 4.0) than the newer HO 5.0…often it’s a washout on the M12 system, though. Using the vacuum as an example, I do notice that the HO 5.0 lets the vacuum do its thing better and stronger before tapering off as the cells deplete, but overall run time is the same or less than the XC 6.0. If I run the vacuum only on the low setting, the 6.0 outlasts the high output 5.0 by several minutes and keeps that low punch until nearly the end.
It’s good to see some evolution in tool batteries finally. 21700 cells have been out for a long time but tool manufacturers were slow to adopt them – they are so much better on all levels than 18650. Now moving to the pouch cells is another great step since they usually perform better under a higher load and they are space-saving. Not sure about the tabless design but that’s sure shown its worth in other high power arenas (as the 21700 size was, the tabless design was developed and implemented by Tesla).
As to the Forge…sounds like Milwaukee is doing their marketing wank and maybe overstating some benefits…I guess tests will tell us later. Looks like the 6.0 will deliver the voltage maintenance (less sag) that the current HO 12.0 can do simply by virtue of less heat/more cells sharing the load. But it won’t run longer or have “more power”…should be a great improvement for some tools, though (thinking circular saw perhaps, miter saw for sure, OPE models, etc).
Stuart
@JR Ramos
Electrical power is a function of voltage and current.
Li-ion cells have different measurable characteristics, one of which is continuous discharge current.
A battery cell’s continuous discharge current is tied to the maximum power it can deliver.
Put a grouping of cells into an enclosed battery pack, and the maximum power delivery will be different, but there will be still be a measurable level of current and power output a battery can sustain as its energy is drained by a tool.
Yes, the max discharge current is dependent on factors like internal resistance and heat build-up and dissipation. But that doesn’t mean power delivery isn’t well-characterized enough for Milwaukee to say that the Forge 6Ah matches the output performance of the HO 12Ah.
@Big Richard – where are you getting these values from? The math doesn’t add up with respect to data sheets for the cells used, and as far as I’m aware, Milwaukee never released such data.
The equipment needed to test for max discharge of these batteries is on the order of $10K the last I checked.
JR Ramos
Stuart, yes, yes, all basic knowledge there. The marketing (for a long time now) confuses a lot of people. I’m saying that energy density has not changed (much) so “more power” is maybe a poor way of describing this, especially when it gets so muddied with lots of models and marketing bullet points. Milwaukee seems to have been pretty bad about this compared to other companies (lots of people think “red lithium” is some special juice…etc). I’ve noticed in the last several years that most reps don’t even know the basics of this basic battery tech/definitions/explanations (from four brands, not just Milwaukee). Questions like the one above just show that the marketing is not helping people understand – no matter the product line that ultimately leads to complaints and dissatisfaction. Perhaps “more power” needs to be backed off and described in two facets or something that people can digest more easily in marketing.
Stuart
“More power” is appropriate when a battery can deliver a higher sustained power levels than others.
“More power” is as clear as can be.
The *why* is complicated, and the same is often true across multiple industries. The results are what’s important to most users, and not so much the explanation (which I do try to provide in as thorough manner as possible).
Why does an Apple M2 processor perform better than an M1? How many users care as long as they see faster performance?
How many people understand the differences between Lithium, NiMH, and alkaline AA battery cells? The differences between USB-A and USB-C aside from physical plug size and shape?
As long as “more power” is accurate, which it is, what’s the problem?
RedLithium isn’t just marketing – it launched in 2010, with the upgraded batteries delivering more runtime, more power, and more charge cycles, and they could handle cooler operating temperatures.
https://toolguyd.com/milwaukee-redlithium-batteries-to-offer-greatly-improved-cordless-performance/
JR Ramos
Well, when someone puts that new “more power” battery into a less demanding tool and gets disappointed when a) the tool isn’t more powerful, and b) the battery peters out at the same time or earlier than the batteries they already had which were “less powerful”….that’s been a fairly common theme.
Accurate or erroneous or whatever words we may choose, it clearly isn’t reaching customers clearly enough. That seems to be just as true among big box store common joes as it does tradesmen (in my observations anyway).
Nathan
Lol. New marketing campaign. You thought our batteries got hot. Well with forge they’ll get so hot they’ll smelt.
OldDominionDIYer
LOL! that is funny and ironic!
Nathan
Meanwhile. Quick loc is it compatible with starlock ? I assume not
Curious what a box ratchet is? Never heard of that.
OldDominionDIYer
It’s a ratchet with a hole instead of a square drive that you have to use with special sockets but overall it shortens the thickness of the socket/ratchet combo.
Frank D
So, the new Packout is a 4 drawer system?
Still only one set of dividers included?
( based on some short tiktok video)
Doug N
They said all drawer units will come with enough dividers for all drawers going forward (likely raising the prices accordingly).
Dennis
I’m most excited about the 15″ Packout Structured tool bag. There wasn’t much coverage here, but Milwaukee has pictures on their site. Looks like a Veto bag that you can clip into a Packout stack. Yes please!
fred
I missed this on the first pass:
M18 Force Logic Single Channel Strut Shear & Shearing Dies
This seems like welcome competition for the Ridgid StrutSlayr systems.
Die cut Unistrut sure beats cutting with a portable band saw and then deburring the rough edges.
I’ll see if my ex-compatriots have seen this or are using the Ridgid
JR Ramos
I missed it, too, thanks for pointing it out. The form factor on the Milwaukee looks nice…does the rotatable positioning on the Ridgid have a lot of advantage? I can see where it might.
As long as nobody squished the ends of your strut, these are great over a bandsaw. And always a square cut where the bandsaw is limited there .
Milwaukee posted a short clip (no pun intended): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz77TOMpY4o
Al Davis
When are you going to come out with a needle scaler?
TJ Cornish
The 2906 hammer drill driver claims an “all new” chuck. Is it really all new or is it the same as the crappy one on the gen 4 drill that seems to be the same other than One Key?