Milwaukee M18 Chainsaw 3 year Review, is it a battery killer?

#tools

[imsuuuuure]

Save you some time. His answer to his own question "is it a battery killer?" is "I don't know". There, saved you 18 minutes.

[Brianbears]

Excellent review and lots of user related information and real-world experience. Thank you sir for your efforts...

[philipdove]

I've had this saw since it came out and used it on log cabin work and cutting firewood and trails. I've ran it often in 25 below farenheit. replaced the sprocket recently. I also threw away the original thin .043 bar and chain replaced it with a 0.050 oregon and it cuts way faster no power lags and it was easier to Sharpen. I hope Milwaukee come out with 20" saw that runs faster

[peterbawden]

Great review. Thanks. I have both, but enjoyed your take. I pack the electric on trail clearing and overland expeditions. Also being ready for supply issues with fuel and solar recharging. I use the Stihl for the main work load of cutting wood for the winter, the Milwaukee for trimming, quit cuts, and above mentioned duties. You are spot on with your comparisons.

[kontrolfrkgaming]

bruh sharpen your chains lol. you dont have to buy a new one every time they go dull makes me question how you were using the saw

[NeighborhoodDada]

Anyone use this with normal XC batteries? Bought this to use for chopping firewood camping.

[crazywayne]

I own the same POS chainsaw.
The issue is the bar is stamp for 43 gauge chain.
Put a 50 gauge Oregon s56 on there and it will be a completely different animal.
The angle issue you're referring to is operator putting twisting torque on the bar when cutting.
Extremely exasperated by the chain flopping around in the because of a major safety blunder from the manufacturer.
The next issue you will encounter is wood chips getting jammed because the safety guard is designed as a wedge to plug up.
This causes wood chips to be thrown forward bouncing off of material being cut and then packing into the batteries release mechanism. Perfectly designed with The Gap around the battery for the chips to deflect off of.
The wood chips will eventually make it impossible to squeeze in the tabs to release the battery so you have to separate the housing to free it.
It is at this point you realize the biggest flaw in the chainsaw is the fact that all of the electrical motors airflow discharge is not blowing over the battery to help cool it and the connections now fused from melted plastic due to poor design.
It's a perfect example of a chainsaw design by somebody who's had no experience except seeing one in the picture once.

[aaronbounds]

I had the same problem with my M18 bar - filleting out at the end like that. I didn't think the chain was too tight, but 🤷‍♂️. I also have a pretty descent bar oil leak when the M18 sits. I have found if I pit it on it's side, the side with the bar oil filler cap on it (with the bar angled up), it doesn't leak at all. It leaks the most when I hang it up by the hole Milwaukee put in the bottom side of the handle, for hanging, to keep it out of the way. Oy.

[fullthrottle]

I just had a 12AH replaced on warranty because it would only charge up 2 bars on the gauge. (Never overheated) I have the chainsaw, blower, and weed trimmer. I use it most in the blower and trimmer so I think it's probably all Milwaukee OPE that eat these batteries.

[Stevieboy]

If the bar was being bent outwards, wouldn't it be bowed not cupped like it is?

Love to see how this piece works long term, looks great!

[randystern]

Why wreck your batteries on. A supercharger?

[flatlinesup]

a sharp chain, stay off the dogs and let the saw cut. Zero overheating issues with any series of the batteries from 5-6-8-9-12ah in my experience using them from 40-95*f temps
As far as comparison and costs go, you didn't mention dealing with, maintaining, buying: air filters, fuel filters, carb rebuilds, stale fuel, fuel mix, non-ethanol fuel, another fuel can, spark plug, coil/gap, exhaust in your face etc.
My main three saws (of 12) are my Milwaukee (16"), Husqvarna 372xp (24") and Husqvarna 3120xp (36"), for convenience the Milwaukee is my go to saw in most situations. YMMV based on your needs.

[peterbuna]

Learn how to sharpen ur chain. Cuting with a dull chain puts a ton of stress on either machine

[philipdove]

As far as Milwaukee batteries the 21700 cells are the wat to go for all battery needs . That would be the 3.0 the 8.0. Then 12.0. I will Never buy or use a 18650 battery again.

[ALAPINO]

Good sir, I like the cut of your jib.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I've been wanting the M18 chainsaw for sometime but couldn't justify the cost. In addition to that, I have a lot of XC 5.0 Ah packs but did not venture into the HD and HO packs so that was a worry that the high amperage draw of that torquey motor would, as you surmised, kill any packs with less than robust cells.

Do you use the M18 FUEL SAWZALL in the background for pruning?

Cheers!

[zanedaugherty]

I'm not seeing wear that's caused by design flaw.... more like improper use

[passion]

The 9.0 uses 18650 batteries, whereas the HD 12 and XC 8.0 use 21700 batteries. The latter can draw a much higher current, and that's why your 9.0 overheated, whereas, the 12 did not. I bet the 8.0 will not overheat either but lasts shorter.

[jimbalz]

I use the Milwaukee saw sporadically. The biggest problem I have is sharpening. You can't move the chain to gain access to all the teeth. It's stationary when not powered on.

[Gtrfan]

I understand that there are many different types of milwaukee batteries cp, xd, hd, maybe that is a factor?

[electrified]

How do you use 6 chains in 2 years 🤔 and 3 bars. I cut wood for many years and never went thu chains like that.