How Long Milwaukee Says Every Major M18 Outdoor Power Tool Lasts On A Single Charge

Long-time fans of the Milwaukee brand know its tools aren't the cheapest on the market, but many hobbyists and professionals keep buying them for good reasons. Sure, there are a few things to keep in mind before buying a new Milwaukee power tool, but overall, you can buy from the brand with confidence, knowing it has a hard-earned reputation for quality and longevity, and the tools themselves are practical, powerful, and easy to use.

A big part of that practicality is runtime: after all, a tool that burns through batteries like there's no tomorrow is only so useful, regardless of performance. Milwaukee's M18 outdoor tools consistently last a long time with the right battery pack, and the brand recommends either an 8Ah or 12Ah battery for most of them. To keep this comparison simple, we're focusing primarily on runtime with a 12Ah battery pack, unless Milwaukee specifically recommends an alternative.

Whether you're a professional or a keen home landscaper, an edger is one outdoor power tool that will come in handy for almost anyone. Some brands offer both gas-powered and battery-electric edgers, but Milwaukee only offers the latter. The M18 Fuel edger is equivalent in power to a 31cc gas edger, according to the brand, but it doesn't sacrifice runtime.

Milwaukee says a fully charged HD12.0 battery should deliver 31 minutes of runtime in soft soil, enough to cover about 3,700 feet. In hard soil, runtime with the same battery drops to 18 minutes, or around 2,200 feet, assuming the user walks at 1.5 mph. Maximum cutting power arrives quickly, with the edger reaching full throttle in less than a second. The 8-inch blade can be adjusted to change the tool's cutting depth.

Among the many Milwaukee products that can help quickly whip a yard back into shape is the brand's 30-inch hedge trimmer. It's designed to be both powerful and versatile, with a 5-position handle and up to 3,200 strokes per minute. The M18 Fuel 30-inch hedge trimmer is aimed primarily at professional users and offers plenty of runtime for a wide range of jobs.

According to its maker, the hedge trimmer will run for 80 minutes on a fully charged HD12.0 battery if it's used for shaping with branches up to ¼ inch thick. When trimming overgrowth with that same fully charged battery, users can expect about 70 minutes of runtime. Like all other M18 tools, users can pair the trimmer with a smaller-capacity battery; performance won't be affected, but runtime will. Using an XC8.0 battery drops runtime to 55 minutes for shaping and 45 minutes for overgrowth trimming.

Although it's the most capable option for professionals, the 30-inch hedge trimmer isn't the only hedge trimmer that's available in Milwaukee's current M18 Fuel range. It also offers a 24-inch hedge trimmer, which cuts a narrower swath in one pass but can shape hedges for up to 90 minutes with an XC12.0 battery.

Alongside its M12 pruning saw, Milwaukee also sells a larger M18 Fuel 8-inch pruning saw, also designed for professional use. The brand says it delivers power comparable to a 25cc gas saw and can cut hardwoods quickly. Like many other Milwaukee M18 outdoor power tools, it features the brand's RedLink Plus Intelligence battery management technology, which lets the battery and tool share data to maintain consistent performance and protect against overloads.

Milwaukee's official guidance pegs its battery life at 600 cuts with an HD12.0 battery, assuming it's cutting a 2-inch branch. Tackle 4-inch branches and the battery life drops to 350 cuts, while 6-inch branches can be cut 150 times before the battery needs recharging. Given Milwaukee's brand-wide reputation for quality, buyers can reasonably expect the saw and battery to remain reliable for a long time, but if one unit doesn't meet the brand's usual high bar, it's covered by a standard 3-year warranty.

Like an edger, a string trimmer is a tool that will come in handy for almost anyone who wants to keep their lawn in top condition. Whether the job is big or small, Milwaukee's M18 Fuel 16-inch string trimmer should handle it. It offers three cutting speeds, with the slowest reaching 4,600 rpm and the fastest topping 6,200 rpm. Plus, the tool's cutting swath is adjustable from 14 inches to 16 inches.

With an HD12.0 battery pack connected, users can expect 40 minutes of runtime at the slowest cutting speed with a 14-inch cutting swath. Turning the speed up to maximum while keeping the cutting swath the same should yield 25 minutes of runtime. By increasing the cutting swath to its maximum 16 inches, users can cut more grass in one pass, but the tradeoff is a small dent in the estimated runtime. With this larger swath, the runtime ranges from 35 minutes at the slowest cutting speed to just 20 minutes at the fastest.

Buyers looking for an even more powerful solution could opt for Milwaukee's dual-battery 17-inch string trimmer instead. Depending on cutting speed, it delivers up to 75 minutes of runtime, but it will eat through a pair of HD12.0 batteries in the process.

Several major outdoor tool brands offer attachment systems that let users run multiple tools with a single power head, and Milwaukee is one of them. It calls its attachment system Quik-Lok, and its current M18 power head lineup includes a brush cutter attachment. The brand says this Quik-Lok brush cutter attachment will run up to 45 minutes on an HD12.0 battery under light load.

It comes with a 4-tooth blade shielded by a blade guard designed to minimize the chance of users being hit by debris during jobs. At full throttle, the blade hits 6,200 rpm. When you no longer need it, you can easily swap the attachment for another, and the alignment label makes it easy to confirm it's secure before you start another job. Just like Milwaukee's other M18 tools, the M18 Quik-Lok tools come with a 3-year warranty.

The Milwaukee 16-inch chainsaw has a few common problems, but runtime isn't one of them. With a fully charged HD12.0 battery, users can expect to make 120 cuts in 6-inch-diameter logs. The larger the cut, the fewer you can make: according to the brand, the same battery delivers 40 10-inch cuts or 20 14-inch cuts. Since it's part of the M18 Fuel line, the saw is technically compatible with any M18 battery, but Milwaukee recommends either an HD12.0 or XC8.0 for the best balance of performance and runtime.

Beyond runtime, the M18 Fuel 16-inch chainsaw remains an appealing option. Its Powerstate brushless motor delivers power equivalent to a 40cc gas chainsaw, and its built-in RedLink Plus Intelligence technology maintains strong performance on demanding jobs. If you still find that power lacking, you could invest in Milwaukee's 20-inch dual battery chainsaw, which is equivalent to a 70cc gas saw. It's available as part of a kit with a pair of 8Ah batteries, which the brand says can deliver up to 120 cuts on 6-inch-diameter wood.

Another attachment in Milwaukee's landscaping tool collection is its pole saw, which reaches up to 10 feet. The M18 Fuel Quik-Lok pole saw is fast and practical, with full throttle taking less than a second to reach after the user pulls the trigger, and its built-in branch hook makes it easier to bring down branches carefully. Milwaukee says it optimized the attachment for the RedLithium Forge XC8.0 battery, but anyone with an HD12.0 battery on hand will get even longer runtime.

Cutting branches 3 inches in diameter, the 12Ah battery should deliver up to 225 cuts on a full charge, according to the brand's official estimates. An 8Ah battery, meanwhile, should deliver 150 cuts. Buyers who don't want to buy into the brand's Quik-Lok system can instead purchase the standalone M18 Fuel telescoping pole saw, which offers an even more impressive 13 feet of maximum reach. With an HD12.0 battery, the latter saw should deliver 175 cuts of 4-inch branches.

Whether you choose a gas-powered backpack blower or an electric one, you'll need plenty of power. It's easy to assume gas blowers are the obvious choice for maximum power, but a quick look at the most powerful electric leaf blowers on the market shows that's no longer the case. Milwaukee's range-topping blower is the M18 Fuel dual-battery backpack blower, which delivers peak air speeds of 155 mph and peak airflow of 655 cfm (cubic feet per minute).

As the name suggests, you'll need at least two batteries to give the blower the runtime needed to complete a variety of jobs. However, you can fit up to four batteries for maximum runtime. The blower's expected runtime varies significantly by speed; at low speed, it can deliver up to 60 minutes with four HD12.0 batteries attached.

The same number of batteries can only sustain the blower for 30 minutes on its highest speed setting. For reference, Milwaukee says the lowest setting is best for blowing grass clippings, while the highest setting can handle heavier piles of leaves you might expect in the fall.

To make shaping hedges easier, Milwaukee offers the M18 Fuel pole articulating hedge trimmer. With 24-inch double-sided blades and up to 270° of adjustment, it's a great addition to your tool arsenal when a conventional hedge trimmer is too unwieldy. It offers 12 cutting positions, and the handle can rotate into five orientations. Milwaukee says it weighs 12 lbs without its battery.

With its battery, it will be a little heavier, though how much depends on the battery you're using. An M18 RedLithium Forge HD12.0 battery pack adds 3.4 lbs, while an XC8.0 battery pack weighs roughly 2.4 lbs. Choose an HD12.0 battery for up to 75 minutes of runtime for detailed shaping, or up to 60 minutes for trimming overgrowth. As a side note, Milwaukee's M18 Fuel extended pole version of the same tool has the same runtime.

Depending on the work you need it for, a top-handle Milwaukee chainsaw or a rear-handle chainsaw may be the better choice. We've already covered the runtime of the brand's rear-handle M18 chainsaws above, but its top-handle chainsaws offer slightly different runtime.

The M18 Fuel 14-inch top handle chainsaw can deliver 225 4-inch cuts, according to its maker, while a 6-inch diameter cut can be repeated 115 times before the battery dies. In both cases, you'll need to have a fully charged HD12.0 battery in your tool kit to hit those numbers. The brand's 12-inch top-handle chainsaw might be smaller, but its battery life matches its 14-inch sibling. With either version, users can expect up to 150 cuts from a fully charged XC8.0 battery, assuming they're cutting 4-inch or smaller diameter wood.