Milwaukee M18 batteries can power over 175 tools, choosing the best battery for each tool is key
It's a simple concept – each M18 RedLithium battery will work with any M18 or M18 Fuel tool. But there are plenty of pack sizes to choose from. What about high demand and high output? We'll take a closer look at all of these by comparing all Milwaukee M18 batteries.
Milwaukee M18 Battery Comparison: Standard, High Demand & High Output
Before we start comparing the Milwaukee M18 batteries in detail, let's understand the high demand and high output names.
The Milwaukee High Demand battery is the first advancement over its standard battery pack. It offers a 35% power boost while running up to 60% cooler, and still uses 18650 cells with some battery pack upgrades.
The high-output battery is a more comprehensive upgrade that includes a 21700-cell unit and new battery, tool and charger electronics. They will work with any Milwaukee M18 or M18 Fuel tool, but tools with new electronics can be up to 50% more powerful. The batteries run 50 percent cooler than standard battery packs, and these batteries take advantage of the lightning-fast charge times of the new Super Charger.
Check out our Milwaukee battery warranty article to find out how long Milwaukee will service and replace these batteries.
A quick note on the "P"
"P" stands for parallel in the battery name. The 18V and 20V Max batteries use a 5-cell Li-ion battery pack. These get connected in series or "S" to provide a voltage sum to the battery. Each is 3.6V and 3.6 x 5 = 18V.
When you connect these devices in parallel, they increase in amp hours, not in voltage. Connecting multiple sets allows us to go from 2.0 Ah to 4.0 Ah and so on.
When we talk about 1P battery pack, it means there are 1 pack of 5 batteries. 2P is 2 sets, 3P is 3 sets. Therefore, a 1P compact pack uses 5 cells in total, a 2P pack has 10 cells, and a 3P pack has 15 cells. Check out this article for more details on the relationship between voltage and amp hours.
Milwaukee M18 Batteries Compared by Amp-Hour Rating
Milwaukee M18 1.5 Ah Compact Red Lithium Battery
- Model: 48-11-1815
- Watt hours: 27 Wh
- Li-ion battery: 18650
- Weight: 0.95 lbs
- Price: $75
The 1.5 Ah compact battery from Milwaukee has been around for a while and has been largely shelved in favor of the 2.0 Ah pack. These batteries are still available, though, for around $75, but shop around for less.
As a 1P battery pack, this is a light-weight, low-capacity battery for optimum performance on light-duty tasks on a compact tool. Think screwdriving, light drilling and punch list items. If you're a DIYer, consider the Milwaukee a step up, these are great low cost options.
Milwaukee M18 2.0 Ah Red Lithium CP2.0 Battery
- Model: 48-11-1820
- Watt hours: 36 Wh
- Li-ion battery: 18650
- Weight: 1.1 lbs
- Price: $59
Milwaukee's 2.0 Ah compact battery is their current standard 1P battery pack with 33% more capacity than the 1.5 Ah battery. It does this with a battery upgrade without significant weight or size penalty.
These batteries are a few dollars more than the 1.5 Ah, so a single cell costs about $79. As well as the 1.5 Ah battery pack, they are ideal for compact tools for screwdrivers, light drilling, and punch list projects. It's definitely possible to put one of these in the M18 Fuel circular saw for those last few cuts at the end of the day.
Our team generally sticks with 2.0 Ah batteries on our Milwaukee drill rigs, impact drivers and Surge hydraulic drivers to keep their weight down. Milwaukee's fast charger was fast enough for us to cycle between the two batteries for the most basic drilling and driving.
Milwaukee M18 3.0 Ah RedLithium XC High Capacity Battery
- Model: 48-11-1828
- Watt hours: 54 Wh
- Li-ion battery: 18650
- Weight: 1.69 lbs
- Price: $99
The Milwaukee M18 3.0 XC battery is their original 2P extended capacity battery pack, which you can still find in some kits. They are less common than 4.0 Ah and 5.0 Ah cells, and may disappear entirely with the advent of the new 3.0 Ah high-output battery packs, which can provide the same capacity at about half the size.
As a 2P battery pack, this Milwaukee M18 battery weighs more than its 1.5 Ah counterpart and performs best on heavier tools such as cordless circular saws, Sawzalls, and hammers, although the larger battery provides better operation hours.
Milwaukee M18 3.0 Ah RedLithium High Output CP3.0 Battery
- Model: 48-11-1835
- Watt hours: 54 Wh
- Li-ion battery: 21700
- Weight: 1.33 lbs
- Price: $99
The Milwaukee 3.0 Ah High Output Battery is the brand's most advanced 1P compact battery pack. It uses a larger 21700 size lithium-ion battery and advanced RedLink electronics to provide 50% more power and 50% cooler operation than other Milwaukee compact battery packs. It has a smaller footprint and weighs 15% less than the 3.0 XC pack with the same capacity.
100% more capacity than 1.5 Ah and 50% more capacity than 2.0 Ah compared to other compact battery packs.
These are the best batteries Milwaukee has produced for a compact tool combining size, weight and run time. Grab these for all your Milwaukee drill bits and impact drivers. It's also a good battery for lightening some cordless electrical and plumbing tools.
Milwaukee M18 4.0 Ah RedLithium XC High Capacity Battery
- Model Number: 48-11-1840 (Starter Kit with Charger)
- Watt hours: 72 Wh
- Li-ion battery: 18650
- Weight: 1.72 lbs
- Price: $125
Milwaukee's M18 4.0 Ah battery replaced the 3.0 XC for a while as the premium 2P pack, but appears to be phasing out the 5.0 Ah pack. The battery has 33 percent more capacity than the 3.0 XC, but none of the retailers we checked still sell it as a single cell. It still comes in some kits and you can buy a battery/charger starter kit or a 4.0 Ah multipack.
These are pretty much the benchmark batteries for Milwaukee's larger mid-level tools such as Circular Saws, Sawzalls, Rotary Hammers, Electrical and Plumbing Tools, and even their Milwaukee M18 FUEL 7-1/4" Miter Saw. For newer, more powerful tool, please upgrade to a 5.0 Ah or higher output battery, depending on the tool.
Milwaukee M18 5.0 Ah RedLithium XC5.0 High Capacity Battery
- Model: 48-11-1850
- Watt hours: 90 Wh
- Li-ion battery: 18650
- Weight: 1.8 lbs
- Price: $109
The Milwaukee M18 5.0 Ah battery is probably the most popular battery in the entire range and certainly the preferred 2P battery pack. Thanks to an upgraded lithium-ion battery, it has 67 percent more capacity than the 3.0 XC and 25 percent more than the 4.0 XC, all in about the same footprint and weight. This is a great option to upgrade when your 3.0 XC battery has reached the end of its life.
This is the all-encompassing package for Milwaukee. You can put it on your Milwaukee drills and impact drivers for better run times, and you can run most M18 Fuel products reasonably well. While this (and all Milwaukee M18 battery packs) will work with any M18 or M18 Fuel product, some newer tools will perform best with high output packs. This is a nice package to help lighten the weight of Milwaukee's OPE tools such as Quik-Lok, but you may be running short.
Milwaukee M18 6.0 Ah Red Lithium XC6.0 Battery
- Model: 48-11-1860
- Watt hours: 108 Wh
- Li-ion battery: 18650
- Weight: 1.6 lbs
- Price: $149
The 2P 6.0 Ah battery struggles to gain traction across the board. Many manufacturers, including Milwaukee, are sticking with 5.0 Ah battery packs as their first choice. Still, these are usable and give you 100% more capacity than the 3.0 XC and 50% more capacity than the 4.0 Ah battery pack.
Milwaukee 6.0 Ah RedLithium High Output XC6.0 Battery
- Model: 48-11-1865
- Watt hours: 108 Wh
- Li-ion battery: 21700
- Weight: 2.3 lbs
- Price: $149
The Milwaukee 6.0 Ah high output battery has even more future potential at this capacity level. Its promise of 50% robust power availability and 50% cooler operation makes it the go-to 2P battery pack for running almost all M18 and M18 Fuel products, including most tools that prefer high output packs.
The only things we hesitated about were the M18 Fuel Table Saw and Super Sawzall, as they would be the main tools for a long day. Having said that, the new Super Charger could be the ticket to using this lighter weight battery pack on tools that like the high output of 12.0 Ah.
Milwaukee M18 8.0 Ah RedLithium High Output XC8.0 Battery
- Model: 48-11-1880
- Watt hours: 144 Wh
- Li-ion battery: 21700
- Weight: 2.33 lbs
- Price: $169
When you take the original XC6.0 Ah battery and replace its battery with a higher density 21700s, you get a Milwaukee 8.0 Ah high output battery. It is the most advanced 2P battery pack available, increasing the capacity of 5.0 Ah by 60%.
We like this battery as the size increases, mainly for the M18 Fuel products who like high output batteries. It will certainly work in other tools – a rotary hammer and a miter saw are other tools we can recommend. Some lighter M18 tools and all compact tools feel too heavy and/or unbalanced when you upgrade to this bag.
Milwaukee M18 9.0 Ah High Demand 9.0 Battery
- Model: 48-11-1890
- Watt hours: 162 Wh
- Li-ion battery: 18650
- Weight: 2.4 lbs
- Price: $199
Milwaukee's 9.0 Ah High Demand batteries are the foundational power source for the brand's OPE series and a few other tools. It doesn't benefit from the same power output and cooler run time as the higher output groups, so it works best when you need sustained power rather than faster, more powerful bursts.
In addition to the newest SDS-Max that loves high output, this 3P battery pack is the battery of choice for other Rotary Hammers, OPE, Hole Hawgs, 7-1/4" Circular Saws, and Miter Saws. Comparable to other higher amp hour Milwaukee batteries HD9.0 battery packs are starting to look a bit dated in comparison, but they still provide more power than a 4.0 or 5.0 XC battery pack.
Milwaukee M18 12.0 Ah High Output HD12.0 Battery
- Model: 48-11-1812
- Watt hours: 216 Wh
- Li-ion battery: 21700
- Weight: 3.4 lbs
- Price: $199
When you're looking for the maximum power and runtime available, Milwaukee's 12.0 Ah High Output Battery is the answer. Its 15 lithium-ion cells deliver a whopping 216 watt-hours, giving you 3x the capacity of the 4.0 Ah XC battery pack.
It is the package of choice for the latest and greatest tools. You'll find it equipped with Milwaukee's M18 Fuel Chainsaw, 2732 Circular Saw, Super Sawzall, SDS-Max Rotary Hammer, Table Saw, and 9-inch Angle Grinder.
For lighting products that don't need to be carried around very often, this battery will give you the best run time. It can also boost the performance of tools like the Switch Tank if you don't mind the extra battery weight.
Milwaukee M18 Battery Charger
Milwaukee M18 and M12 Multi-Voltage Chargers
- Model: 48-59-1812
- Charging Current (12/18V): 3.0 (Maximum DC)
- Price: $59
The 48-59-1812 from Milwaukee is their basic charger and comes with many of their tools.
Milwaukee M18 and M12 Fast Chargers
- Model: 48-59-1808
- Charging current (12V/18V): 4.5/6.0 (Maximum DC)
- Price: $64
The Milwaukee Rapid Charger dramatically reduces charging times across the board. Expect an average charge speed increase of 40% compared to standard M12 and M18 multi-voltage chargers.
Milwaukee M18 and M12 Superchargers
- Model: 48-59-1811
- Charging current (12/18V): 4.5/13.5 (maximum DC)
- Price: $169
The Super Charger is the newest beast in Milwaukee's charging range, delivering lightning fast charge cycles for high output batteries. For batteries not specified for high output, the Supercharger reverts to fast charge times.
Milwaukee M18 AC/DC Wall and Vehicle Charger
- Model: 2710-20
- Charging Current: 3.1 (Maximum DC)
- Price: None
This model appears to be working on supporting the newer M18/M12 car chargers.
Milwaukee M18/M12 Car Charger
- Model: 48-59-1810
- Charging current (12/18V): 2.5 (maximum DC)
- Price: $119
When you need to charge your battery on the go, the Milwaukee M18/M12 car charger is your best choice. It charges at 2.5 amps a bit slower than standard chargers, but you don't need an AC plug to run this charger.
Milwaukee M18 Six Pack Sequential Charger
- Model: 48-59-1806
- Charging current: 3.5A
- Price: $119
- Check out our Milwaukee Sequential Chargers preview
Milwaukee's Six-Pack Charger can handle up to six batteries at a time, but it can only charge one battery at a time. This is a great option for making sure all your batteries are fully charged overnight. On the job site, you don't have to worry about forgetting to change your backpack. When one is done, it moves on to the next.
Milwaukee M18 and M12 Fast Charging Stations
- Model: 48-59-1807
- Charging current (12/18V): 4.5/6.0 (Maximum DC)
- Price: $199
Milwaukee's fast-charging station has shed its six-pack obsession with the M18 in favor of a multi-voltage platform. It can hold up to 3 M18 bags and 3 M12 bags at a time. The biggest difference is that it can charge up to 3 batteries at once, and it can charge up to 40% faster. If your crew uses multiple Milwaukee cordless tools in the field, this charger will keep them all working throughout the day.