4 Milwaukee Patents We Hope Become A Reality

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The history of Milwaukee Tool goes back over 100 years, but the popular tool company is still innovating to this day. In just the last year or so, it has filed several patents for new products or features that can be integrated into existing ones. If successful, these patents could not only lead to new Milwaukee tools, but could also influence the entire industry — just as previous Milwaukee innovations have influenced competitor brands, such as the first reciprocating saw and the use of lithium-ion batteries in consumer power tools.

Many of its filings are technical and full of dense engineering language, though some still stand out for what's hinted to come. That said, there's no guarantee any of these ideas will hit the market — and if they do, they may not look or function anything like what the patent describes. Internal testing and focus groups often lead to concepts being shelved or completely overhauled, and newer technology can sometimes render a patented idea obsolete before it's even close to production. All kinds of companies file patents for potential products all the time that never see the light of day, and Milwaukee is no exception. Nonetheless, here are four Milwaukee patents we hope do end up hitting store shelves at some point — preferably sooner rather than later.

Milwaukee is known for making some of the best power tools and equipment in the business, but you won't find the brand included on SlashGear's list of the best snow blowers available from Home Depot. That's because, somewhat surprisingly, Milwaukee doesn't make any snow blowers. This may not be the case for much longer, however. A recently granted patent, filed in 2023 and published in 2024, outlines a cordless, electric, two-wheeled push snow blower. 

The patent mentions a single-stage blower with a chute and auger and hints at some exciting potential features, including a controller to direct snow and an active heating mechanism to keep the ejection chute from clogging. Part of this heating would come from what's generated from the motor itself, making the blow especially energy efficient. As Doresoom Tool Reviews mentions in a breakdown of recent Milwaukee patents, "a ton of people have asked for and been waiting for" a cordless Milwaukee snow blower.

Milwaukee's battery-powered snow blower would be designed as part of the brand's M18 platform. The M18 system is compatible with the same batteries and chargers as hundreds of other power tools and products, so if true, you'd be able to power the snow blower with gear you may already own. Milwaukee has already built several M18 and M12 landscaping tools, from lawn mowers to hedge trimmers, and a snow blower would round out the seasonal gap. Ideally, Milwaukee will announce and begin selling at least one kind of snow blower before the next winter starts revving up.

Technically, Milwaukee already makes and sells a cordless log splitter — it's called an axe. But, if you're looking to avoid the backbreaking work of splitting logs one swing at a time, a powered log splitter can be a game-changing piece of equipment. You can already find cordless log splitters from Ryobi (which is owned by the same umbrella corporation as Milwaukee), so the idea that Milwaukee would eventually introduce one isn't too far-fetched.

Milwaukee applied for a hydraulic log splitter patent in 2023, which was published in 2024. As Ryobi's 40V log splitter is kinetic, this product could potentially be the industry's first-ever cordless hydraulic log splitter. Anyone who has tried chopping firewood knows that splitting logs takes a lot of effort. Just as Ryobi's electric log splitter uses the brand's more robust (and expensive) 40V batteries as opposed to its 18V units, it's likely that a Milwaukee log splitter would be designed and sold as part of its MX Fuel line. Currently, the MX Fuel line of high-powered cordless equipment consists of concrete tools and other heavy-duty products, though the more Milwaukee expands its lineup, the more worth it will be for customers to invest in its pricey batteries and chargers. An MX Fuel Log Splitter could be a great addition to the team.

Just as robot vacuums have taken household chores into the 21st century, robot lawn mowers — which operate in a very similar fashion — are becoming increasingly common for those looking for a hands-free solution to maintaining their yards. However, Milwaukee has yet to get in on the action and is currently not making any of the best robot mowers you can buy. That can soon change, though, if the company's 2023 patent for a robot mower results in an actual product.

Based on the designs seen in the patent, the mower would rely on advanced GPS, as well as locating stakes that would presumably be bundled with the mower. This would make it easy to use on multiple lawns and could allow professional landscapers to let the robot mower loose while handling more detailed work like trimming and edging. When Doresoom Tool Reviews evaluated the diagrams included in the patent, the reviewer surmised that it would have zero-turn capabilities.

This could hint that the company also wants to eventually make a zero-turn riding mower, which would be a big move for the brand. A piece of electric equipment that size would have to rely on Milwaukee's heavy-duty MX Fuel power system, so it's very possible the robot mower will as well — though there is still the possibility it could be released as part of the brand's more affordable, more versatile — but less powerful — M18 line. Either way, any new mowers would be welcomed by Milwaukee enthusiasts, as the company currently only sells a single, self-propelled option.

In 2023, Milwaukee filed a patent for a line launcher that could be incredibly useful for arborists and potentially for maritime applications as well. Being able to easily and precisely shoot a rope several dozen feet can allow arborists to reach high branches, ships to connect with other vessels or docks, and can be used in rescue situations both at sea or by firefighters, for example. The patent describes a cordless line launcher gun that looks similar to the fictional grappling hook launchers used by characters like Batman and Padmé Amidala. The launcher would likely use compressed air or gas cartridges to throw the rope and would be part of Milwaukee's largest line of cordless power tools — its M18 system.

The line launcher would be trigger-activated and, based on the patent, may include some useful features. Perhaps the most intriguing one is a laser range finder that can remotely determine the desired distance, so that the air pressure can then be adjusted for the rope to accurately reach that distance. The tool may even potentially adjust the pressure automatically. The schematics included in the patent suggest that the tool is built on the pre-existing Milwaukee M12 AirSnake Drain Cleaning Gun design, so this potential product may be closer to production than some other patents we're hoping to see become a reality.