Milwaukee Super Charger Vs. Rapid Charger: What's The Difference?

Battery-powered tools have become the go-to for homeowners and DIYers, and for good reason. Unlike their gas or plug-in counterparts, cordless tools are more convenient to use. They're generally more portable and easier to lug around to the furthest corners of your home. They also require less upkeep, are quieter, and are environment-friendly.

With your tools now relying on battery power, you can start decluttering your garage and clear out those lengthy extension cords and bulky gas cans. But you do need to add a new device, though — a battery charger. For the Milwaukee M18 battery tool system, there are three charger types to choose from: Standard, Rapid, and Super Charger. If you want to top up your M18 batteries faster, your best bets are either the Rapid or Super Charger. The Rapid Charger is much more affordable at only $100, while the Super Charger costs $250. However, besides the price, these two Milwaukee chargers also offer different charging times.

Both the Milwaukee M18 Super Charger and Rapid Charger take in an input voltage of 120V and deliver an output of 18V. They also operate within the same temperature range of 40 to 105°F. But they're totally different beasts in other aspects.

For instance, their charging times are a world apart. It only takes the Milwaukee Super Charger 45 minutes to fully charge both the Forge HD12.0 and Forge XC8.0 batteries. On the other hand, the Rapid Charger needs about double that amount of time. It fully charges the Forge HD12.0 in 130 minutes and the Forge XC8.0 in 83 minutes.

The Super Charger's significantly shorter charging times are thanks to two additional features lacking in the Rapid Charger: Cool-Cycle and Charge Adapt. Cool-Cycle is Milwaukee's power tool battery invention that cools down hot batteries faster than a standard charger and maintains their lower temperature during the charging process. The cooler the batteries are, the less time they take to top up. Meanwhile, Charge Adapt is a smart system that lets the charger optimize the power flow to both battery bays. Instead of fully charging them at the exact same time, more power is delivered to one bay, so one battery is ready sooner than the other.

Although the Milwaukee Super Charger appears to be the better choice, it has one disadvantage. Milwaukee only offers it in a dual-bay configuration, so you can only recharge up to two batteries at a time. The Milwaukee Rapid Charger comes in multiple variants, including the M18 and M12 Charger, M18 and M12 Gangbox, M18 and M12 Charge Station, M18 Dual-Bay Simultaneous, M18 Six-Bay Daisy Chain, and M18 Six-Bay Packout. This allows for charging more than two batteries.

According to charging tests conducted by Milwaukee itself, the Milwaukee Super Charger and Rapid Charger can charge the basic REDLITHIUM batteries in the same amount of time. A full charge takes an hour for the XC5.0, 34 minutes for the XC3.0, and 21 minutes for the CP1.5.

When charging most of the High Output and Forge batteries, though, the speed of the Milwaukee Super Charger takes the lead. In fact, the charger can cut the charging time by around half. You only have to wait 45 minutes instead of 83 minutes to fully charge the High Output XC8.0 or the Forge XC8.0. This seems to be in line with actual tests conducted by users. When YouTuber Danny Johnson's Garage tried the Milwaukee Dual-Bay Rapid Charger with two High Output XC8.0 at one bar, they got a full charge time of roughly 78 minutes. YouTuber The Messy Garage, on the other hand, used the Super Charger to charge two Forge XC8.0 packs and reported a duration of roughly 45 minutes.

With the Forge XC6.0 battery pack, you'll need 25 minutes to get it to 100% on the Super Charger but 62 minutes on the Rapid Charger. If you want to charge it to just 80%, you'll be good to go in only 15 minutes. As tested by YouTuber Tools Tested, the Forge XC6.0 battery takes 15 minutes to charge from 0 to 80% and 21 minutes to reach 100%.