This $70 Lunch Warmer Uses The DeWalt 20V Battery You Already Own

One of the great things about power tools is that each major brand's batteries are interchangeable across large lines of the company's products. But every once in a while, you might find that your chosen brand doesn't have all the options that one of its competitors does. For example, Milwaukee recently released a new lunch warmer that uses one of its M18 batteries to deliver a hot meal on the jobsite. This is an incredibly valuable product for anyone who works in areas that don't have ready access to electricity, though it could also be good for camping, road trips, and any other situation where you might want a hot meal without ready access to a kitchen. It's easy to see the appeal of such a product, and it's also easy to see why those who don't collect Milwaukee tools might be a little envious.

DeWalt is another of the best major cordless power tool brands on the market, but it has yet to release anything like this. Those who have already spent a lot of money on a collection of black and yellow batteries might be a little annoyed that they haven't been able to get their own cordless lunch warmer, and investing in a whole new battery and charger for the Milwaukee one isn't very feasible. That said, just because DeWalt hasn't released an official product doesn't mean you're completely out of luck. Mellif has recently announced the release of its brand new Portable 2.5L Lunchbox with PTC Even-Heating Technology. Best of all, it promises to be compatible with DeWalt 20V Max batteries, so you can use those pricey lithium-ion batteries that you already have to enjoy a hot meal anywhere.

Mellif is a power tool manufacturer that specializes in making third-party products powered by batteries from a range of different brands. The company offers a range of tools that can be powered by DeWalt, Milwaukee, Makita, or Bosch battery systems. These often include products that are either more affordable than the name-brand version or that the first-party tool manufacturer doesn't offer in its official line.

The Mellif Portable 2.5L Lunchbox is just such a product. It actually has three different options for power. You can use regular corded AC power to run it if you have access to an outlet, 12V or 24V DC power if you want to draw power from a vehicle, or you can use a DeWalt 20V Max battery. As the name suggests, the lunchbox has a 2.5-liter capacity (10.6 cups), which is plenty of volume for a pretty hefty meal. It has an FDA- and RoHS-compliant, leak-proof, food-safe plastic external housing that holds a removable inner container made of 304 food-grade stainless steel. This is part of the heating system, but it's also meant to make cleanup quick and easy. All of this fits inside an insulated carrying bag that can help maintain temperatures before, during, and after the heating process. The device has a 150W PTC heating system that is designed to distribute heat quickly and evenly. Mellif claims that the lunchbox will heat room-temperature food in 10-20 minutes and refrigerated food in 25-45 minutes.

Mellif currently lists the lunchbox as a preorder item, but says it is in stock and ready to ship. It costs $69.99 and comes with complimentary shipping and returns, a 90-day risk-free trial, and a five-year warranty.

It's true that you can use DeWalt batteries on some Mellif tools, such as the company's new lunchbox, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's a good idea. DeWalt's warranty policy notes in several places that it does not cover damage caused by anything that the company considers to be "improper use." This includes using non-DeWalt batteries in DeWalt tools and, conversely, using the company's official batteries to power a non-DeWalt tool. There's a good reason why this type of use voids coverage. DeWalt can't control how third-party tools will interface with its batteries, so it isn't obligated to cover any damages that might occur if the tool damages the battery. So, while the Mellif lunchbox itself has a 5-year warranty, you might be voiding the warranty of any battery you use to power it. That's a risky proposition considering that many of DeWalt's batteries cost more than the lunchbox.

This is part of the reason that many professionals consider it a bad idea to buy third-party DeWalt tools as a general rule. Not only is the warranty void, but you also don't have the same assurances that the tool and battery will play nice together, which increases the risk of failure. Mellif has a much better reputation for quality in this regard than a lot of other third-party power tool manufacturers, but that doesn't negate the risk entirely. You'll have to decide for yourself whether a hot lunch is worth the risk.