M18 12.0 Battery

[bcradio]

Does anyone have one or more of these? Are they worth getting if one already has multiple 9.0 batteries?

Seems they have some deals on tools with 2 of these 12.0 batteries right now.

 

[ddurrett896]

Got the 7 1/4 with 2 of them and rapid Charger. They are awesome! Working on a 5 bedroom addition and never changed the battery all day.

 

[BuffettFan]

I have one, but haven't used it enough yet to have an informed opinion.
Forum member Strouty has been using them, maybe reach out to him?
Check his thread " The Salvage Garage"

 

[Hilltopmasonry]

It all depends, I’m kind of a proponent of using the smallest battery possible to keep the tool weight down.

Now if you are using tools THAT Gobble a lot of power like a sawzall or something then they are definitely worth it. But if you are using it on an impact driver to drive screws they they are too big IMO


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Strouty]

I only had one 9.0 and I thought it was great, the 12.0 is much larger, but they are great when you need the power or the longevity. Home Depot had some great deals where you got a free battery with certain tools. I have used the 12.0 with a 1/2" drill and it was not ridiculous, but I would not want to hold it over my head. I know have 3 of the 12.0 and I am not sure I would need more than that, I am using one in my tripod light, it seems to last forever. My big grinder is essentially unstoppable, if you have big tools, the 12.0 is great, little tools, it is a bit goofy.

 

[DFB]

They are big and also wont fit some existing tools at least not without an retrofit upgrade which Milwaukee also offers. There is a list and waterpump is one I know.

Most of the hand tools will run plenty satisfactory on XC to 5.0 and if you need xtra power in a smaller package look at the HD (High Demand) 6.0

Price not withstanding can hardly even imagine using them on impact driver or drill or something similar

9.0 has been a good battery for cip and circular saw

IMO save those 12.0 for the table saw, chop saws, chainsaw, new 9"grinder and few other tools

 

[WittHay]

Picked up the 9" Fuel grinder last month. It came with the 12.0 as well a a free 9.0. Like Strouty said the 12.0 works good with the big grinder anything else its large and heavy.

The 6.0 regular XC are cheap and common up here and I use them for the Fuel Sawzall and grinders instead of the 9.0

 

[LeeG]

I picked up a pair of the 12.0 battery on sale Black Friday at HD. I use one with my M18 Fuel Leaf Blower. After about 15 minutes of run time, it is down to 3 bars on the power indicator - basically hardly used. I'll be picking up one the the M18 chain saws soon, so it will be interesting to see how long it lasts.

 

[ddurrett896]

I picked up a pair of the 12.0 battery on sale Black Friday at HD. I use one with my M18 Fuel Leaf Blower. After about 15 minutes of run time, it is down to 3 bars on the power indicator - basically hardly used. I'll be picking up one the the M18 chain saws soon, so it will be interesting to see how long it lasts.

Get it now. $400 gets you the saw, (2) 12.0 and a rapid Charger.

M18 FUEL 16 in. 18-Volt Lithium-Ion Battery Brushless Cordless Chainsaw Kit with Free High Output 12.0Ah Battery
https://www.homedepot.com/p/306638555

 

[Strouty]

That was what I bought first, then I bought the 9” grinder on eBay to get my third battery.

 

[bcradio]

I am debating between getting the fuel super Sawzall and the chainsaw with the two batteries. I don't really need either of the tools, but it would be nice to have the batteries for the yard tools. I can't decide which one I would get of the two tools though

 

[BK13]

I borrowed a 9ah from work for a day. Loved it on my leaf blower, it was a little ridiculous on anything else I have, even the mid-torque impact. I imagine when I get a chainsaw the 12ah will be the bee's knees, though.

 

[WunTon]

I am debating between getting the fuel super Sawzall and the chainsaw with the two batteries. I don't really need either of the tools, but it would be nice to have the batteries for the yard tools. I can't decide which one I would get of the two tools though

If you don't need a chainsaw I'd get the sawzall. It will be more versatile and with a longer blade you can cut a lot of the stuff you would likely use the chainsaw for anyway. I used my sawzall to trim the base of my Xmas tree that was about a 6-7" diameter and it basically just laughed at it so I cut the tree again just because I was shocked at how quickly and easily it zipped through it and I only have the regular fuel sawzall not the super sawzall. Unless you plan to cut larger logs I wouldn't get the chainsaw if it were me.

 

[jd_1138]

Wow that's a lot of battery. My biggest batteries are 2 4.0 batteries in the Makita system. I wonder if Milwaukee has a powered cart like Makita does?

12.0 battery would be great for one of these babies. You MIlwaukee folks envious yet? Heck you can connect a wheeled seat to it and have an ATV.

 

[2manytools]

I'd trade my 12's for 6.0 HO in second if I had the opportunity. I now have 3 (maybe 4) 12.0, and while great in many tools, I'd much rather use a smaller battery if it has similar power output. One would be much more likely to use a 6.0 HO on a drill or impact, than the oversized 12, which gives the 6.0 HO more value in my mind (if pricing was equal between the two, and the 6 was half the cost of the 12). I would still keep a 12 around for emergency lighting situations, otherwise it would stay dedicated to the blower.

 

[bcradio]

so it sounds like the consensus is that the 12.0 batteries are not worth it over the 9.0 batteries

 

[trackwelder]

I recently picked up the table saw with two 12 amp batts, chainsaw kit with two batts and a grinder kit with one batt. Also own the mitre saw which will use the 12amp batteries. Hopefully within the next few weeks I will get all my lights upgraded to use the 12amp batts. Will definitely use the hell out of them with the lights.

 

[majorbanjo]

My 9.0's are heavy in a couple of my tools....any bigger and they'd be down right uncomfortable....especially in something as heavy and awkward as my M18 hedge trimmer is now.....Can't see me using a 12.0 in that......if the 9.0 battery lasted any longer it would certainly outlast my ability to use it comfortably....

 

[BroncoAZ]

I have 3 9.0 batteries. They work great in my leaf blower, fuel 5” grinder, shop vac, and especially the Bluetooth speaker I don’t see myself buying a 12.0 anytime soon.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

I have a 12.0 and I only use it for my weedwacker, leaf blower, chainsaw, and Rocket light. It's too big and bulky for anything else. If you had a miter or table saw, it would be good for that as well. For most handheld tools I prefer the 5.0ah batteries, even the 9.0 is a little bulky at times.

I'd rather have a couple of the new 6.0ah batteries than another 12ah.

 

[bulletpruf]

I'm down to two good batteries, a 5.0 and a 9.0, and trying to decide what to get next. I do have a few of the tools that like larger batteries - string trimmer, blower, chainsaw, etc. The 5.0 is $65. The 9.0 is $100. The 12.0 is $143. I'm curious about the 12.0 but $150 sure seems like a lot to pay for a battery. I think another 9.0 should do the trick.

 

[BroncoAZ]

Somebody gets credit for using the search feature

I ended up buying a 12.0 battery in November 2023 for the 6 gallon shop vac. The vac burns a 9.0 or 8.0 pretty fast. I have both the rotary buffer and orbital polishers for my boat, those also murder some batteries. One of my 9.0 batteries has now failed and I have a bunch of the 6.0 and 8.0 that I use for most things. I keep a few 5.0 for my orbital sander and lights, but for everything else I like the 6.0 or 8.0. Most of my smaller handheld tools like the drill and impact I went to the smaller M12 platform.

I read something recently about the 9.0 batteries being inferior cells or design or something. I have two left, one works as it always did, the other gives me less runtime than a 2.0 so it will be getting recycled at some point. The best deal lately has been the pair of 8.0 and pair of 6.0 from Home Depot for $275 as a special buy of the day. Currently back at retail, but it seems to come up on sale every two weeks or so.

Milwaukee M18 18-Volt Lithium-Ion HIGH OUTPUT XC 8.0Ah (2-Pack) and 6.0Ah Batteries (2-Pack) 48-11-1880-48-11-1880-48-11-1862 - The Home Depot

Deliver more work per charge, driving corded replacement for power applications by choosing this Milwaukee M18 Lithium-Ion HIGH OUTPUT XC Battery.

www.homedepot.com

 

[darkzero]

The 9.0 is $100..... I think another 9.0 should do the trick.

MW stopped making the 9.0 HD. Any 9.0 you see for sale now are either NOS (highly unlikely), used, generic brand, or counterfeit.

8.0 HO is the current equivalent/replacement for the 9.0. Although I do have a 12.0 which I really don't have a need for, I bought an 8.0 in case my 9.0 ever dies. But luckily for me my 9.0 is one of the ones that doesn't have issues. What I thought was interesting is my 9.0 & 8.0 weigh exactly the same, down to the oz.

I also bought the 8.0 HO rather than the 6.0 HO cause they are the same physical size & use the same case. But apparently according to tests on the interweb, the 6.0 cells can provide more current draw than the 8.0 & can perform better in tools that more are power hungry.

EDIT: To add, I still prefer to use 5.0s followed by 3.0 HO. 6.0 or 8.0 is too bulky for me for a impact driver, impact wrench, or drill which is what I use the most for M18.

Also my 8.0 died right before the warranty ran out. Which is ironic cause I bought it in case my 9.0 ever died but it has lasted way longer than I have had the 8.0 & is still going. 2 months later my buddy's 8.0 also died. Maybe we were just unlucky but it's the only thing I have ever had to warranty through MW. I have 5.0s from 2015 that are still working fine.

 

[finn]

Ancient thread, but I’m another proponent of using the smallest battery possible, and having a fully charged spare on hand.

I bought my wife the trimmer and paddle broom last spring, and suggest I pick up a larger battery when they later went on sale She asked why I would suggest that, since the battery that came with the kit lasted than she does even with the paddle broom.

 

[pbon]

You need large batteries for high demand use to get decent run time — chain saw, table saw, vacuum, grinder, polisher, blower. For a drill, impact, light and many other tools, I agree a small batter works fine. I have 2ah, 3ah, 4ah, 5ah, 6ah, 8ah, 9ah and 12ah. I’ll run my impacts on 3ah when pulling wheels off a car but my dual battery vac and blower get 8 or 9 or 12ah because I don’t want a very short run time.

 

[bulletpruf]

MW stopped making the 9.0 HD. Any 9.0 you see for sale now are either NOS (highly unlikely), used, generic brand, or counterfeit.

8.0 HO is the current equivalent/replacement for the 9.0. Although I do have a 12.0 which I really don't have a need for, I bought an 8.0 in case my 9.0 ever dies. But luckily for me my 9.0 is one of the ones that doesn't have issues. What I thought was interesting is my 9.0 & 8.0 weigh exactly the same, down to the oz.

I also bought the 8.0 HO rather than the 6.0 HO cause they are the same physical size & use the same case. But apparently according to tests on the interweb, the 6.0 cells can provide more current draw than the 8.0 & can perform better in tools that more are power hungry.

EDIT: To add, I still prefer to use 5.0s followed by 3.0 HO. 6.0 or 8.0 is too bulky for me for a impact driver, impact wrench, or drill which is what I use the most for M18.

Also my 8.0 died right before the warranty ran out. Which is ironic cause I bought it in case my 9.0 ever died but it has lasted way longer than I have had the 8.0 & is still going. 2 months later my buddy's 8.0 also died. Maybe we were just unlucky but it's the only thing I have ever had to warranty through MW. I have 5.0s from 2015 that are still working fine.

Ok, I bought it from eBay. Doing some research and looking at the listing, I'm pretty sure it's a fake. If so, I'll return it and just buy one at Ace Hardware.

 

[pbon]

I got an M12 battery from a real online dealer last year for which the warranty was expired based on the date code. It was DOA and I had to use the receipt to warranty it. Don’t know how long the M18 9ah has been out of production, but NOS seems more likely than a fake. Have not read much about counterfeits.

 

[darkzero]

Have not read much about counterfeits

Years ago I did not think there were counterfeit MW, generics yes, until I got one myself, a M12 6.0. I did get fully refunded for the battery though from ebay & I still have & use that battery in a flashlight.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum...addiction-thread.244666/page-507#post-8237677

Here's talk of another counterfeit M12 battery.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum...addiction-thread.244666/page-627#post-9750566

And more recently fake M18 8.0 HO sold on Amazon even down to the clamshell. My fake M12 6.0 didn't come in retail packaging.

 

[bulletpruf]

Here's why I think it's fake - although the seller does have 100% feedback, he has sold 366 items and has only been on eBay since July 2023. The battery ships from California, but he's listed as being in China. The only things that he has listed for sale are these batteries and some similar Dewalt batteries.

The batteries are shown in original packaging; will be interesting to see if that's how they show up.

Here's the listing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/335172385004

 

[dnschmidt]

Go to the Milwaukee site and read the reviews on the 12.0. THIS BATTERY ***** and will die within three years of it's date of manufacture whether you use it or not. The best play is the new 6.0 FORGE. It has all the power of the 12.0 in half the size. Now it will not last as long as the 12.0 but with a SuperCharger you can charge it from dead to full in 15 minutes. If you're buying M18 batteries at the present date you're screwing up if you don't buy the FORGE.

 

[bulletpruf]

I'm not familiar with the Forge batteries but the Torque Test Channel tested them. @Torque Test Channel - that's you, right?

 

[darkzero]

Here's why I think it's fake - the seller does have 100% feedback, has sold 366 items and has been on eBay since July 2023. The battery ships from California, but he's listed as being in China. The only things that he has listed for sale are these batteries and Dewalt batteries.

The batteries are shown in original packaging; will be interesting to see if that's how they show up.

Here's the listing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/335172385004

IIRC there were 2 different label styles for the 9.0. One version as shown in the listing, the other is like mine pictured below with the gray on the label like the 12.0 has & says "HIGH DEMAND" instead of just "HD". I believe mine was the newer style.

If you still have the battery, check the date code. I found that on counterfeits the date/serial code doesn't make sense or is the wrong format. Like my fake M12 6.0, date code said made in 2012 or something like that but these batteries didn't exist until many years later. Same with the fake 8.0 in the video I linked above, date code did not make sense. Regardless, again 9.0s were discontinued years ago, I would not buy one today even if one were to be genuine NOS.

I don't know if all counterfeit batteries have inconsistent date codes but if yours does that's an easy way to tell. And in the video he shows how the battery level indicator lights up which is different from all genuine M18 batteries. My fake battery is a M12 so of course no indicators on it.

BTW, mine was the same way, shipped from US but seller from China. I'm usually pretty good about checking things like that but the listing showed sold a great amount & the seller had a excellent feedback rating so I didn't bother to check. But I sure do check now regardless.

 

[bulletpruf]

IIRC there were 2 different label styles for the 9.0. One version as shown in the listing, the other is like mine pictured below with the gray on the label like the 12.0 has & says "HIGH DEMAND" instead of just "HD". I believe mine was the newer style.

If you still have the battery, check the date code. I found that on counterfeits the date/serial code doesn't make sense or is the wrong format. Like my fake M12 6.0, date code said made in 2012 or something like that but these batteries didn't exist until many years later. Same with the fake 8.0 in the video I linked above, date code did not make sense. Regardless, again 9.0s were discontinued years ago, I would not buy one today even if one were to be genuine NOS.

I don't know if all counterfeit batteries have inconsistent date codes but if yours does that's an easy way to tell. And in the video he shows how the battery level indicator lights up which is different from all genuine M18 batteries. My fake battery is a M12 so of course no indicators on it.

BTW, mine was the same way, shipped from US but seller from China. I'm usually pretty good about checking things like that but the listing showed sold a great amount & the seller had a excellent feedback rating so I didn't bother to check. But I sure do check now regardless.

Thanks for the info. I'll post details when it arrives.

 

[darkzero]

Thanks for the info. I'll post details when it arrives.

BTW, if it does turn out to be a fake, obviously report it to ebay. The seller then has to provide you with a return shipping label if they want the battery back. Do not ship it back on your dime & tell them that if they ask you to pay for shipping.

Some of these sellers overseas are unable to provide you with a return shipping label cause they don't actually have some sort of return center. They often have items drop shipped. If this is the case with you, hold out until ebay steps in. Will take just a little while longer for the case to be settled but Ebay will be in your favor. In the end you will get your money back & possibly get to keep the battery.

I'm not trying to give you tips on how to cheat the seller & say it's ok but the damn seller was cheating you to begin with.

 

[bulletpruf]

BTW, if it does turn out to be a fake, obviously report it to ebay. The seller then has to provide you with a return shipping label if they want the battery back. Do not ship it back on your dime & tell them that if they ask you to pay for shipping.

Some of these sellers overseas are unable to provide you with a return shipping label cause they don't actually have some sort of return center. They often have items drop shipped. If this is the case with you, hold out until ebay steps in. Will take just a little while longer for the case to be settled but Ebay will be in your favor. In the end you will get your money back & possibly get to keep the battery.

I'm not trying to give you tips on how to cheat the seller & say it's ok but the damn seller was cheating you to begin with.

Thanks for the details.

 

[Stobal]

Go to the Milwaukee site and read the reviews on the 12.0. THIS BATTERY ***** and will die within three years of it's date of manufacture whether you use it or not. The best play is the new 6.0 FORGE. It has all the power of the 12.0 in half the size. Now it will not last as long as the 12.0 but with a SuperCharger you can charge it from dead to full in 15 minutes. If you're buying M18 batteries at the present date you're screwing up if you don't buy the FORGE.

The only M18 battery that has died prematurely on me….twice. The first one was exchanged under warranty and the replacement died about a year later. I won’t buy another one unless the deal is too good to pass up.

 

[KnurledNut]

I recently saw a full pallet bin of Home Depot returns.
The amount of dead or dysfunctional m18 and m12 tools and batteries of every aH variety was absolutely alarming.
Most were lightly used, some were brand new and dead on arrival. Im talking over a hundred batteries and this was just one pallet of many.
Their were a few Ryobi items, and even less Dewalt tools/batteries in the mix.
I didnt see a single Makita item, and I was looking, as thats my preferred platform.

Its unsettling to spend that much money and have such unreliability.

 

[pbon]

I have about 40 M18 and M12 batteries. Some are 10 years old, but I am a DIYer rather than a tradesman so they are not used every day. I have probably had 4 batteries fail over that time, 3 replaced under warranty and 1 was too old.

I have also had Ridgid and Bosch and Ryobi batteries fail. Don’t have many of those, so my failure rate is higher for them….

The suggestion that Milwaukee has a higher failure rate than other brands seems unsupported by other than anecdotes like I saw a bunch on a return pallet, which could be explained by hacking tool plus battery deals to return the battery for a lower return cost. Maybe there is solid evidence out there somewhere and my experience is the outlier?

 

[KnurledNut]

I have about 40 M18 and M12 batteries. Some are 10 years old, but I am a DIYer rather than a tradesman so they are not used every day. I have probably had 4 batteries fail over that time, 3 replaced under warranty and 1 was too old.

I have also had Ridgid and Bosch and Ryobi batteries fail. Don’t have many of those, so my failure rate is higher for them….

The suggestion that Milwaukee has a higher failure rate than other brands seems unsupported by other than anecdotes like I saw a bunch on a return pallet, which could be explained by hacking tool plus battery deals to return the battery for a lower return cost. Maybe there is solid evidence out there somewhere and my experience is the outlier?

The batteries were completely dead or showing bad and wouldn’t charge. I personally helped to test them. No anecdotes here. Fact.

It’s pretty well known Milwaukee has had battery problems.

I dropped an m18 recently from about 3’ and it split the plastic battery housing. Pretty weak.
I have m12s batteries that have come apart.

The retention in the tools is a bad design too.

 

[bulletpruf]

I've had good luck with all my Milwaukee batteries. The knockoffs, not so much.