We recently posted about the new Milwaukee CP 3.0 and XC 8.0 cordless power tool battery packs. Milwaukee has also announced today a brand new charger that is specially designed for their High Output and high capacity M18 battery packs.
The new Milwaukee Super Charger, 48-59-1811, can recharge all of their M12 and M18 Li-ion battery packs. However, as mentioned, there is a special advantage when recharging a High Output battery. Take a look at the following charging times chart to see what I mean.
Milwaukee’s M18 HD 12.0Ah battery pack, their highest capacity battery, recharges in 241 minutes on their standard charger, or 130 minutes on their RapidCharger. The new Super Charger can fully recharge it in just 60 minutes.
That’s right, 60 minutes and your HD12.0 battery is fully charged and ready to go.
However, the super fast charging times are only for the M18 High Output batteries. For Milwaukee’s other M18 batteries, charging times match the charging times you’d get with the Rapid Charger.
Here’s a sample list of Milwaukee M18 battery charging times when the Super Charger is used:
- M12 CP2.0: 30 minutes
- M12 XC3.0: 46 minutes
- M18 CP 2.0: 25 minutes
- M18 XC 5.0: 60 minutes
- M18 HD 9.0: 103 minutes
- M18 CP 3.0 High Output: 35 minutes
- M18 XC 6.0 High Output: 35 minutes
- M18 XC 8.0 High Output: 45 minutes
- M18 HD 12.0 High Output: 60 minutes
It takes 45 minutes to charge an XC 8.0 High Output battery, but 60 minutes for a popular XC 5.0? Remember, the High Output battery packs are built with larger form factor Li-ion cells. As such, they run cooler, and it seems they can endure a faster charging rate.
Long story short, there’s now a new faster charging option for users who have a growing collection of M18 High Output battery packs.
Or, another way of seeing things – if you want faster charging times, that’s a big incentive to upgrade some of your aging packs to High Output batteries instead of the standard variety.
Price: $159
ETA: July 2019
First Thoughts
Because some people will always scoff at the price and say something like “Milwaukee wants to charge HOW MUCH for a cordless power tool battery charger?!”, remember – this is an optional upgrade; you don’t have to buy one.
The way I see it, it’s good to have a faster charging option and not feel compelled to buy one, than to really want something that doesn’t exist.
Potentially, the charging times are so quick that they might save some users from having to buy another battery or two. When you’re talking about $199-$249 a pop for an HD 12.0 battery, the new Super Charger might pay for itself.
Since there’s no charging advantage for the standard M12 or M18 batteries, I think the Super Charger will have a limited audience – for now.
I would anticipate that, as High Output batteries start appearing in more and more pro’s tool bags, and in greater numbers, we might see some special bundles or promos, similar to how the Rapid Charger is featured in certain kits or “special buys.”
That all said, who’s in for one?
