This Is The Best Milwaukee M12 Battery Type You Can Buy For The Most Runtime

Milwaukee has several cordless tool systems in its lineup, one of which is the M12 system that's home to top-rated tools such as a 3/8-inch ratchet and 1/4-inch hex impact driver. It also features everything from drills and drivers to sanders and circular saws. While the tool itself is of course incredibly important, it's also important to select the right battery for the job. Some only occasionally use their M12 tools, and can easily get by with something light and inexpensive that isn't meant for heavy-duty usage. However, some would prefer to have an M12 battery that lasts a long time. Among the eight M12 batteries available, the one with the most runtime is the Milwaukee M12 Redlithium XC6.0 battery.

The XC in the name stands for "extended capacity," as opposed to the M12 CP batteries, which signify "compact" batteries. This is a 6Ah battery. Ah is an indicator of runtime and is an abbreviation for amp-hours. What this means is that if a tool were using 1 amp of power, it would take 6 hours for that battery to go dead. Conversely, a 6-amp tool would drain the battery in an hour. That may not seem like a lot, but M12 batteries are generally designed to be used with smaller, less powerful M12 tools, especially compared to Milwaukee's M18 and MXFUEL battery systems. These runtimes are generally pretty good for standard occasional use. Despite the Redlithium XC6.0's large capacity, however, it is often hard to know just how long the XC6.0 battery will actually power your M12 tool before it needs to be recharged.

One of the more frustrating elements of Milwaukee tools is that the company doesn't list how much power a particular tool requires to operate. If you were to look at the product information for the Milwaukee M12 FUEL half-inch drill/driver, for example, you will find information about its RPM range and the number of speed and clutch settings it has, but nothing that states how many amps it uses. Milwaukee claims that it has class-leading runtime, but that is in comparison to similar tools from other companies and doesn't list any actual runtime data to support this claim. Thus, the only way you can truly know how long an M12 XC6.0 battery will last with an M12 tool is by actually using it. Generally speaking, a more complicated tool that requires heavier-duty power, such as a circular saw, will drain a battery more quickly than a lighter, simpler tool, like a drill.

Another important element in this conversation is that the Milwaukee M12 XC6.0 battery has been routinely pilloried by customers. On Milwaukee's website, the battery has an abysmal customer satisfaction rating of 1.7 out of 5 stars based on 330 ratings. Customers have found that the battery does not hold its charge all that well, despite its large capacity. Along with that, the battery tends to stop working after a short amount of time. Only 18% of customers have recommended the XC6.0 battery. So, while it may theoretically be the Milwaukee M12 battery that has the longest runtime, it has disappointed a lot of people in actual practice.