Milwaukee M12 was NOT the First Cordless System of its Kind

Milwaukee M12 seems to be the largest – and most popular – 12V-class cordless power tool system (definitely in the USA), but it wasn’t the first of its kind.

Most pro cordless power tool brands launched their 12V platforms many years ago, and the order was difficult to dig up.

Luckily, I did the research a few years ago in a post that sought to explain how Dewalt’s 20V Max wasn’t the first cordless power system to adopt “max” voltage nomenclature rather than simply going with 18V.

See: Dewalt 20V Max vs 18V – a Simple Answer & History Lesson

Following is the approximate launch order with high certainty, sourced from press releases, investor announcements, and at some point ToolGuyd news posts and email conversations.

2006 May: Bosch announced 10.8V PS20 Pocket Driver
2007 October: Milwaukee announced a “12-Volt Sub-Compact driver” (2401-22)
2008 July: Bosch switches to 12V Max terminology
2008 July: Makita announces first 10.8V tools
2008 October: Milwaukee announced M12 Hackzall (2420-22)
2010 June: Dewalt announces 12V Max cordless power tool system
2010 November: Makita switches to 12V Max terminology
2011 June: Dewalt announces 20V Max cordless power tool system

By brand rather than chronological order:

Bosch 12V Max (10.8V): 2006
Milwaukee M12: 2007
Makita 12V Max (10.8V, stem design): 2008
Dewalt 12V Max: 2010
Makita 12V Max CXT (form factor change): 2015
Dewalt 12V Max Xtreme (brushless refresh): 2019

Bosch and Makita started off with 10.8V nomenclature, which is the nominal voltage for 12V Max battery packs, in the same way that 18V represents the nominal voltage of 20V Max batteries.

Bosch quickly pivoted to 12V Max labeling following the launch of Milwaukee’s M12 tools, and then Makita did the same once Dewalt’s 12V Max system entered the market.

While you’re here, let’s talk a little more about 12V-class cordless power tool systems.

Bosch, Milwaukee, and Makita (initially) went with stem-style battery packs.

Dewalt and Makita (later, in 2015) went with slide-style battery packs.

Most other modern 12V cordless power tool systems also have slide-style batteries.

Hilti 12V tools, for example, have a similar form factor.

The same is trye for Metabo, Metabo HPT (formerly Hitachi), and others.

Ingersoll Rand announced their IQV12 series of compact power tools in late 2013.

Stem-style 12V cordless power tools tend to be more compact, as the battery plugs into the handle. Slide-style 12V cordless power tools tend to have slimmer grips, as the battery connects at the end of the handle.

Bosch and Makita started off with 10.8V labeling. Milwaukee went with 12V and then M12, and Dewalt started with 12V Max.

I once asked Milwaukee Tool about the M12 labeling, and was told that their original batteries did in fact deliver a nominal voltage of 12V. I can’t say when that changed, but improvements in cordless battery tech came in 2010 when Milwaukee announced new RedLithium batteries in 2010.

Milwaukee and Bosch have multi-voltage chargers, which can recharge the brands’ 12V and 18V-class batteries. This is the standard for Milwaukee, while Bosch’s multi-voltage charger is an optional upgrade.

Dewalt’s adoption of a slide-style form factor allows for more compact multi-voltage chargers, as their 12V and 20V Max (18V nominal) class platforms both have slide-style batteries.

Multi-voltage chargers go back quick a bit. Makita’s 18V charger, for example, can also recharge their 14.4V batteries.

I wonder how much of an impact Milwaukee’s charger had on M12 adoption and popularity, especially the brand’s decision to include a multi-voltage charger with every M18 cordless power tool kit.

But then again, nearly ever Dewalt 20V Max cordless power tool is also kitted with a multi-voltage charger that can recharge their 12V Max battery packs.

Readers occasionally comment about how different tools are “late to the market.” However, history has shown us that tools or product system don’t have to be first in order to be the biggest or best.

I think that Milwaukee’s M12 cordless power tool system is proof that the disadvantages of being a later entry could dissolve over time. Milwaukee’s Packout modular tool box system is another excellent example of this.

I find the origins and evolutions of 12V cordless power tool systems to be quite interesting, especially the very different paths that Milwaukee and competing brands took over the years.