What is the difference between milwaukee fuel and regular

Alright, I’m tempted by a Milwaukee M18 set. I’ve got to replace my circular saw - mine was my grandfathers, the blade is dull and it’s so old that replacements aren’t available anymore. Not standard. It’s struggled enough and like an old dog it’s just time to be put down.

Now over a decade ago I swore off battery tools, specifically drills, after my batteries went to shit again, and replacements were simply not sold. Current models used a different battery again, making my tool useless. I bought a corded drill and didn’t look back.

But I’m looking at the cost of a circular saw, and the cost of this Milwaukee set - and I just get so much more bang for the buck with the set. And I hear so much good things about Milwaukee that I’m considering returning to the battery world.

Me and my needs - primarily homeowner, but have a side gig doing industrial electrical controls. Mostly light duty. I dabble in many things beyond an average homeowner, auto repair, metal fab/welding, carpentry. Between the tax writeoff on tools and the many uses, I can justify spending some money.

From my research I think I’ve got it figured out. Want to get my understanding confirmed.

The M12 and M18 are the 12V and 18V nominal battery voltages. Each are available in different battery capacities.

The M12 tools are generally smaller and lighter, but less powerful, naturally.

I’m leaning toward the M18 line as I favour power over portability, and I’m not using the tool all day.

The M18 and M18 Fuel is where I start to get a little uncertain - seems that the batteries are the same, but the tools themselves are different. The standard M18 tools used brushed motors, and the M18 Fuel uses brushless and are generally more powerful, more compact, and more expensive.

Is that correct?

Further muddying the waters is some newer M18 brushless (not fuel) tools. A third category.

For my purposes, the M18 brushed tools are likely the better value, buying an M18 Fuel only for specific applications where it may be warranted.

Have I got this all straight or am I twisted up?

Edit - thank you everyone for the responses! So much passion and useful information. Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge.

We’ve been fighting for a few years now to tell everyone there is NO difference between Brushless and FUEL but that’s all about to change. Starting in February (2015) Milwaukee will add 3 new “M18 Compact Brushless” tools to the lineup which will have much less power than their M18 FUEL Brushless Tools. FUEL is still Brushless but means the top of the line Brushless. It was only about a year ago Milwaukee updated their compact tools with the brushed motors, drill/driver 2606, hammer drill 2607 and impact 2650. The new Milwaukee M18 “Compact Brushless” have almost identical torque ratings to brushed, with very similar size and just a bit higher price. The new units are M18 brushless drill/driver 2701-22CT ($199), M18 brushless hammer drill 2702-22CT ($229) and M18 brushless impact 2750-22CT ($199).

The very interesting thing here is that these Milwaukee brushless tools will not carry the Milwaukee “FUEL” name as their other M18 and M12 brushless currently does. The FUEL will continue to be reserved for the high performance tools with the “POWERSTATE” brushless motor, as more of their cordless tools move to brushless it would appear they want to differentiate the various motor technology. Brushless in general seemed to have hit volumes where price is no longer a constraint and before long we would predict all the Milwaukee brushed motors M18 or M12 will get converted over to the longer tool life, better run-time brushless technology.

Interesting to see if this causes any confusion as we’ve heard guys on several occasions calling the Dewalt brushless the “Dewalt FUEL”. With Milwaukee having done such a good job making brushless mean the same as FUEL will this cause confusion? Or was this a very cleaver long-play marketing plan in action from the red team, time will tell. Look for these new Milwaukee Tools in early February and for more information please see the full Milwaukee press release below.

MILWAUKEE, WI – Milwaukee Tool continues to position themselves as the industry leader in drilling and fastening solutions with the launch of three new M18™ Compact Brushless products that deliver over 50% longer run-time than their brushed counterparts. The most compact drilling solutions on the market, Milwaukee’s new offering will cater to users that desire the run-time advantages that a brushless motor provides, and prefer the size advantages of more compact tools.

“Milwaukee introduced their award-winning M18 FUEL™ line in 2012, and not only redefined industry standards in performance, durability, and run-time, but mainstreamed the use of brushless motors in power tools,” said Cole Conrad, Product Manager for Milwaukee Tool. “As the power tool industry evolves and expectations increase, users continue to demand drilling & fastening solutions that provide longer run-time than brushed motors can deliver. Milwaukee’s new offering will utilize an efficient brushless motor to meet the run-time and size needs of users that need professional power, but do not need the extreme performance that the M18 FUEL™ line delivers.”

The new models will include the M18™ 1/2” Compact Brushless Drill/Driver (2701), M18™ 1/2” Compact Brushless Hammer Drill/Driver (2702) and M18™ 1/4” Hex Brushless Impact Driver (2750). Each the most compact in their respective classes, the new tools feature improved ergonomics for greater accessibility into tight work areas, as well as superior balance and control. With best-in-class power to weight ratios and brushless motors that are optimized for efficiency, users are able to work 50% longer on one battery charge.

The new tools are compatible with the entire M18™ System, now offering more than 70 cordless Lithium-Ion products. Milwaukee® is committed to the ongoing development of this platform and will continue to provide innovative solutions that offer industry leading reliability, performance and ergonomics.

M18™ 1/2” Compact Brushless Drill/Driver (2701-22CT)

500 in-lbs of Peak Torque
2-Speed Gear Box (0-450/0-1,800 RPM)
1/2” All-Metal Ratcheting Chuck
6-7/8” long
3.7 lbs w/ battery

Includes M18™ 1/2” Brushless Drill/Driver, (2) RED LITHIUM™ Batteries, Charger & Carrying Case

*Also available in Bare Tool (2701-20)

M18™ 1/2” Compact Brushless Hammer Drill/Driver (2702-22CT)

500 in-lbs of Peak Torque
2-Speed Gear Box (0-450/0-1,800 RPM)
0-28,800 BPM
1/2” All-Metal Ratcheting Chuck
7-3/8” long
3.9 lbs w/ battery

Includes M18™ 1/2” Brushless Hammer Drill/Driver, (2) RED LITHIUM™ Batteries, Charger & Carrying Case

*Also available as bare tool (2702-20)

M18™ 1/4” Hex Compact Brushless Impact Driver (2750-22CT)

1,500 in-lbs of Torque
0-2,800 RPM
0-3,600 IPM
1/4” Hex Quick Change
3.1 lbs w/ compact battery

Includes M18™ 1/4” Hex Brushless Impact Driver

*Also available as a bare tool (2750-20)

What is special about Milwaukee fuel?

Is Milwaukee fuel better than regular Milwaukee?

Do regular Milwaukee batteries work with the FUEL?

What is different about M18 Fuel?