With the recent introduction of a new M12 cordless spot blower, Milwaukee Tool now has 3 very different cordless blowers to choose from.
As of July 2021, here are all of the current Milwaukee cordless blowers:
- Milwaukee M12 Cordless Spot Blower
- Milwaukee M18 Compact Blower
- Milwaukee M18 Fuel Blower (Gen 2)
Milwaukee M12 Cordless Spot Blower
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The new Milwaukee Spot Blower has an axial-style blower fan and comes with a rubber nozzle, wide sweeping nozzle, and an extension that provides extra reach.
This blower is primarily designed for quick and easy jobsite cleanup tasks.
With the extension wand in place, you can blow dust and debris across the floor without bending down.
If you notice, the product images show the blower being powered by an M12 XC battery. For longer runtime, you’re going to want to use a higher capacity battery, or be light on the trigger in low speed mode.
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Features & Specs
- Model 0852-20
- Launching in 2021
- 110 MPH max air speed
- 175 CFM max air volume
- 2 speed settings
- Variable speed trigger
- Lock-on button
- Includes wide nozzle, rubber nozzle, extension nozzle
Price: $79 for the bare tool
Buy Now via Tool Nut – available for preorder
Milwaukee M18 Cordless Blower
Milwaukee’s M18 cordless blower has grown long in the tooth, but it’s still a very capable tool.
This blower is extremely compact, and can be used for various jobsite cleanup tasks.
With the extension nozzle in place, you can clear dust and debris on the floor without bending too much. However, the blower’s narrow nozzle will limit how effective it will be at clearing larger areas.
The blower comes with inflation accessories, giving the blower utility beyond jobsite cleanup tasks.
Features & Specs
- Model 0884-20
- Launched 2014
- 160 MPH max air speed
- 100 CFM max air volume
- 3 speed settings
- Variable speed trigger
- Lock-on switch
- Includes rubber nozzle, extension nozzle, inflator/deflator accessories
Price: $89 for the bare tool
Buy Now via Acme tools
Buy Now via Tool Nut
Milwaukee M18 Fuel Cordless Blower (Gen 2)
Milwaukee’s M18 Fuel Gen 2 cordless blower, 2724, features a brushless motor and is said to have the power to clear things away from up to 15 feet.
It can be used for clearing larger indoor areas of sawdust and similar air-movable debris.
Milwaukee also designed this blower for landscaping professionals and other users seeking a cordless battery-powered alternative to gas engine leaf blowers.
The two power settings give users a high speed for more demanding cleanup tasks, and the lower power setting is said to be “optimized for clearing debris from flower beds without moving mulch.”
Features & Specs
- Models 2724-20, 2724-21HD
- Launched in 2018
- 120 MPH max air speed
- 450 CFM max air volume
- Variable speed trigger
- High/low speed settings
- “Power to clear from 15 feet”
The 2724-21HD kit comes with a Rapid charger and High Output XC 8.0Ah battery.
Price: $159 for the bare tool, $299 for the kit
Buy Now: Bare Tool via Acme Tools
Buy Now: Bare Tool via Home Depot
Buy Now: Kit via Acme Tools
Which Should You Buy?
For landscaping cleanup tasks, such as for blowing leaves or other types of materials, go with the M18 Fuel blower, as that’s the only tool here designed for such tasks. The M18 Fuel blower is also going to be best suited for clearing larger areas of jobsite dust and light debris.
For compact and light jobsite cleanup tasks, there’s the new M12 Spot blower, and the M18 compact blower. Of these two, the M12 moves more air, but the M18 has a faster air speed. The M12 has a larger nozzle, the M18 has a narrower one.
The M12 benefits from 7 years of Milwaukee’s cordless power tool developments, but it’s an M12 tool and not M12 Fuel, which implies that it doesn’t have a brushless motor. This is also reflected in its pricing.
The M18 blower should be able to dislodge dust from tighter spaces, given its higher speed, but the M12 will be more useful in clearing medium sized spaces, especially since it comes with round and broad nozzles.
It’s worth reminding you that the M18 blower also comes with inflation accessories.
I would say that the M12 blower appears to be aimed at users who have been wishing for a smaller and lighter version of Milwaukee’s M18 Fuel cordless blower. You can use a full-sized leaf blower to clean up workshop and jobsite spaces, but not ideal and can even be unwieldy.
There’s also a question of platform preferences – the M12 vs. M18 cordless battery systems might be the deciding factor for many users.
Which of these blower styles more closely align to your needs and wants?
Are there any features that you wish Milwaukee would add to future cordless blowers?
Jared
I imagine the M18 Fuel is due for a successor in light of Dewalt’s latest axial Flexvolt blower. The most important thing to me in a blower is the overall power (windspeed and CFM).
I have the most recent Dewalt 20v XR blower now and its pretty good – specs are pretty much identical to the M18 Fuel. I sometimes wish I’d sprung for the Flexvolt though.
Stuart
It’s hard to say. I wouldn’t think there are any immediate plans for an updated M18 Fuel OPE-style model.
Brian
I would disagree, I would bet a Gen3 M18 Fuel blower will come out between now and next spring. Considering Gen2 came out about 1 year after Gen1 and Gen2 has many flaws, Gen3 is overdue. They will probably also come out with a $99 non Fuel blower to compliment the non Fuel string trimmer.
Chris S
I have the Gen2…what flaws are you referring too?
RayRay
Have the M18 FUEL Blower as well and I have the same question.
Doresoom
They’re definitely working on something that moves a lot of air. Another week or two and I’ll have a video posted about it!
Stuart
Hmm – backpack blower? I wouldn’t expect a Gen 3 leaf blower so quickly.
Doresoom
Yep, M18 X2 backpack blower: https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2020264290A1/en
Clay
I have both (I picked up the M18 for $99 at HD a few months ago) and I like the DeWalt a little better. I think it has better ergonomics and balance.
Performance is about the same, as far as I can tell.
fred
I may have to give the newer (Gen2) M18 or the Makita 36V (18V x2) a try. My wife uses the Generation 1 . She complains that it is not so powerful and the battery (9Ah) seems to overheat and/or cut out right in the middle of blowing. She then calls me to come and start up our Echo backpack blower (which she refuses to use)
SA
What’s the estimate for run time?
Stuart
15 mins at max with a 6Ah for the M12 blower. The others don’t seem to have published runtime specs that I could find.
Joatman
So Milwaukee DOES make a compact 18v! Didn’t know…..I only pay attention to their 12v platform.
(I post this in regards to the previous post on their compact 12v hair dryer the other day. J/k….the 12v blower. )
MoogleMan3
I don’t really have a need for a larger blower, but could see myself using that M12 to clear off my work area every day. $79 is a great price.
MFC
I have a feeling that Milwaukee will release a dedicated OPE line via MX FUEL and have trimmers/blowers, etc. with a backpack style of attachment like what they have with the concrete vibrator, or they’re going to reveal some new OPE stuff in the fall like an M18x2 lawnmower, updated blower, etc.
Mike
People are not going to pay the price for their MX line battery powered OPE has a way to go before pros use them and it will not be lithium powered they are gonna have to come out with a better battery
philip s john
With a dog and a cat… my cetrifigul flexvolt is a fast and effective way to blow hair out the house and of cars. Also front yard backyard and shop… it’s my most used too.
Scott
We have the M18 Fuel blower for a couple of years and have been pleased with it. The runtime is good for us for the street curbs, driveway, backyard patio, spiderwebs, etc. Probably only charge every other use with the 9 ah battery. Also use an M18 edger which works well despite being a bit heavy.
I like that it is a lot quieter, I can use inside the garage, and I dont have another engine to maintain.
Paul C
There is a 3rd (fourth?) option. The M18 wet/dry vacuum has both “suck” and “blow” ports. They have several options in the “vacuum” category but I can only speak to the one I know, the original toolbox-shaped vacuum. As a vacuum it actually does extremely well but you MUST use the attachments on the hose or it tends to suck (I mean not suck). In “blow” mode it works pretty well all the way around, almost as good as the M12 blower. As a vacuum it is better than the other battery vacuums I’ve used.
The only criticism that I can level at it is that although it is a wet/dry vacuum and generally supposed to be “job site” duty, it is NOT water resistant. I had one in the back of a truck heading down I-95 across South Carolina to a job in Georgia. When I got there the battery compartment was half full of water (battery survived) and it never ran again. With the replacement I’ve kept it out of the weather and it has not let me down yet.
Paul
So just wanted to say that if you are in the market for a “blower” then obviously the first 3 options are well suited. But if you are in the market for a multitasker, one that can say not only knock the sawdust off the chop saw but also clean it up, then a wet/dry vac might be the better choice.
Aaron S
I have the little m18 and with a 5ah battery it is great for my 5 year old to “help” with leaf clearing. Otherwise I’ve used it to get sawdust out of my garage or clear a work piece… I think I got it for $20 at a pawn shop, otherwise I have other bigger ones that I’d use. I did keep it in my vehicle for a while, but it is just a little bit too large for the tstack setup I keep my tools in and the nozzles kept migrating. Also I think the blower and shop vac were the only m18 tools I had with me. If I was buying again just for my main kit I’d do m12 fuel shop vac and m12 blower so that I’m totally compact and unified platform.
J. Newell
I have the current M18 (0884) blower. I bought it for shop and tool cleanup, but recently it’s finding more use getting rinse water off of vehicles before drying, which it does quite well.
As a side note, at one point I had the similar DeWalt blower. In practical use I didn’t notice any difference in performance. I never tried to compare runtime. I partially disassembled them and although not literally identical, it seemed like whichever one came later was designed with an example of the other sitting on the engineers’ desks, although it must be said that I’m not sure how different something designed for basically the same functional role, with similar power inputs, coud be. 😉
At any rate, very useful. Interested to see real life reviews of the M12.