M18 FUEL Batteries

[happytule]

8 years ago I bought a Milwaukee 18V Drill & Hammer Drill set with 3 batteries, charger & nice carry bag for $199 at Home Depot.

I bought it to install hooks to hold rope lights at my daughter's wedding. Since then I've gotten lots of use out of my starter set & found going cordless to be very convenient.

A few months ago I bought a FUEL Hackzall to use for cutting brush (and I'm still working on that!)

It's worked well with my three M18 1.5Ah batteries (the smallest battery & now considered obsolete, I think) although I've found I can easily outrun my batteries if I'm really cutting.

So I'm looking to invest in some HIGH OUTPUT batteries that are designed to work with FUEL tools, not just with my Hackzall, but a string trimmer and pole saw somewhere in the near future.

Home Depot has a good deal right now on four 3.0Ah HO batteries for $199:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-M ... /313290592

Add a Rapid Charger for $129:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-M ... /312236426

and I think I might be set.

I figure I can work with two 3.0 batteries while the other two charge.

Or can I? The 3.0Ah batteries are probably on the small side for a string trimmer or pole saw, Milwaukee pairs an 8.0Ah battery when you buy either tool with a battery.

I'm thinking I can make it work if I throw enough smaller batteries at it.

Am I deluded? Will I get any decent amount of usage from a 3.0Ah battery on a pole saw or line trimmer?

I can get two 6.0Ah High Output batteries for $279, $80 more than four 3.0Ah batteries.

Of course that's still smaller than the 8.0Ah batt that Milwaukee sells in their kits.

 

[Mafun464]

So depending on what you want to do. I would check out what holiday deals are available.

3.0 high demand battery give power of a 5ah without the size and weight but not the runtime. For large Outdoor power equipment tools you 6.0 and up if your using them for long amounts of time otherwise they work perfect.with small battery such as i think 3.0 run string trimmer for 10 minutes

 

[The Shooters Apprentice]

I use a lot of the 5 and 6 battery’s.

 

[Mafun464]

Another good place to shop is acme tools

 

[Mafun464]

Another good place to shop is acme tools

https://www.acmetools.com/m18-redli...0-battery-2-pack-48-11-1837/045242541355.html
https://www.acmetools.com/m18-redlithium-high-output-xc80-battery-48-11-1880/045242519231.html
Decent deal on 8.0 that comes with free 3.0

 

[Bill G]

Another good place to shop is acme tools

If you want to pay through the nose

 

[Jethro 2t sniffer]

In my opinion the 6amp and up put out much better grunt and last longer. You'll notice even a 5amp on the new bigger angle grinder can get fried and not charge for half an hour or so.

The bigger batteries have basically a higher C rating cell. The extra money is buying higher C rating. Exactly the same in RC

The higher the C the faster the battery can discharge without hurting it.

3s are silly go n buy the bigger ones.

 

[The Shooters Apprentice]

In my opinion the 6amp and up put out much better grunt and last longer. You'll notice even a 5amp on the new bigger angle grinder can get fried and not charge for half an hour or so.

The bigger batteries have basically a higher C rating cell. The extra money is buying higher C rating. Exactly the same in RC

The higher the C the faster the battery can discharge without hurting it.

3s are silly go n buy the bigger ones.

The angle grinders are a battery killer like I’ve never seen.

 

[Bill G]

The angle grinders are a battery killer like I’ve never seen.

I have nerver had a cordless angle grinder. When I need a grinder I need a grinder and not a toy. I know others love them and that is fine. We are all different

 

[Jethro 2t sniffer]

As an engineer the grinder is the go 2 tool and the 6amps can handle it no worries. Say cutting constantly the 6amp will last perfectly long enough so that the next 1 has charged just in time.

Yes they get a hammering on the grinder absolutely.

Bill the latest big 1 pretty much has same grunt as a corded 5 inch grinder. Yes fully agree a corded 1 is still better and lighter and smaller but dang man definitely not a toy. I couldn't believe the balls of the new 1

 

[J D]

Those battery grinders definitely have their place... not everyone conveniently chains their stuff up next to a power outlet
Seriously though, your power tool is going to require a certain amount of current (A) to run if that is 3A, a 3Ah battery will run it for around an hour (some manufacturers use sneaky ways of measuring). The equivalent 6Ah battery will last for MORE than 2 hours & the equivalent 1.5Ah battery will last for LESS than 1/2 an hour!
The higher the rate of discharge the less efficient a battery is & the harder it has to work. If a battery has greater capacity it usually means the load is spread over more individual cells so each cell is passing less current resulting in less stress on it. Generally when talking about lithium batteries, a battery used at a higher rate (ie twice its Ah rating) will last significantly fewer cycles in its life & give less power per cycle than if it were used at a lower rate

 

[Franny K]

There are seperate C ratings for charging and discharging. I think the best cells (lithium ion based) now can discharge at close to 10c but on the recharge at 1c is best but possible to push it to 3 or so.

10c would be deplete the battery in 1/10 th of an hour. Active cooling comes into play at these higher rates.

 

[Franny K]

Am I deluded? Will I get any decent amount of usage from a 3.0Ah battery on a pole saw or line trimmer?

Probably not. Do either blow cooling air through the battery? Smaller battery is lighter, there is advantage if it has the ability to provide design requirement current. Depends on what you use the pole saw to do. To run any significant diameter or length of line the trimmer battery likely recomended is more than the 3ah one.

 

[cookies]

If you canwait another month home depot usually runs a milwaukee battery deal. That grinder running on a sub 5.0 battery is not working at its full potential. You want a 5.0 or larger to run a grinder/sawzall or even their hammerdrill not just for the output of the tool but also for longer run times between charges.

 

[Bill G]

.................Bill the latest big 1 pretty much has same grunt as a corded 5 inch grinder. Yes fully agree a corded 1 is still better and lighter and smaller but dang man definitely not a toy. I couldn't believe the balls of the new 1

I understand guys like those little grinders and they definitely have their place. I just prefer a bit bigger. You grab a big grinder you better hang on..............

 

[oldfortyfive]

https://www.homedepot.com/b/Tools/M.../N-5yc1vZc1xyZzvZbwo55Z1z11ao3Z1z179pc?NCNI-5Spend some time watching the deals. Acme slips some surprises in regularly to.

 

[Jethro 2t sniffer]

I understand guys like those little grinders and they definitely have their place. I just prefer a bit bigger. You grab a big grinder you better hang on..............View attachment 1028072

Well it's like saws isn't it. I'm sure as sh!t not going to be cleaning up a dodgy weld or other fiddly stuff with a 9 inch

 

[Jethro 2t sniffer]

https://www.homedepot.com/b/Tools/M.../N-5yc1vZc1xyZzvZbwo55Z1z11ao3Z1z179pc?NCNI-5Spend some time watching the deals. Acme slips some surprises in regularly to.

All this acme talk I can't help but see coyote trying to get the road runner with various acme products

 

[OM617YOTA]

Definitely get the bigger batteries, you won't be happy with 3ah on a pole saw or string trimmer. I only have 5ah batteries, and sometimes they're not enough on my drill even.

Home Depot runs daily sales, it's worth checking their website DAILY to see what comes up. Right now, today, they have a bunch of Milwaukee stuff for half off. $600 kits for $300. You could seriously get batteries, a charger, and a whole bunch of tools, for what you're looking to spend on just a couple batteries and a fast charger.

 

[OM617YOTA]

I have nerver had a cordless angle grinder.

Shouldn't have bothered posting, then.