Milwaukee M18 Cordless Snow Blower Review – Better than Expected

I have been testing the new Milwaukee M18 Fuel cordless snow blower (3036) – here’s an early review that discusses my experiences thus far.

Overall, Milwaukee’s first-ever cordless snow blower was better than I had expected, and definitely better than a competing product I tested 2 seasons ago.

However, it might not be a good fit for everyone’s needs or uses, and that will be the focus of this discussion. A word of caution – this is a somewhat long and wordy discussion. To sum things up, I think it’s an excellent high-performance cordless snow blower, but for my needs I’d prefer a 2-stage snow blower for around the same price.

Milwaukee provided me with the full kit (3036-22HD), with no guidance or conditions.

For the first test, I used the snow blower on ~6 inches of snow with just one set of (2) batteries (M18 FORGE 12Ah) while a second set were on a charger.

For the second test, I used the snow blower on ~2 inches of heavy snow with two sets of batteries (4 total).

Subsequent tests, as we’re expecting more snow to come, will be done with (2) or (4) batteries so that I can try to get a sense for any differences in performance. Thus far it hasn’t stalled, even when it was powered by (2) batteries and pushed into deeper snow.

The snow blower did a good job clearing the 6-inch deep snow.

It didn’t scrape the driveway as cleanly as other machines I’ve tested in the past, and there was a lot of airborne spray despite no obvious wind. No matter which direction I turned, the spray kept coming right back at me, unless I adjusted the blower chute more downwards.

I guessed it was just the nature of the machine, the type of snow, or maybe there was a gentle wind that I couldn’t feel as I had little skin exposed due to the cold.

The wheels were fine in motion, but don’t think you’re going to easily move the snow blower over even shallow snow.

This is where my experiences with larger two-stage machines have colored my expectations a bit.

It did better with the shallower snow, as I had a better understanding of how to handle the ejection chute.

At the end of the second session I found a little moisture within the battery compartment. I’m not very concerned about this, but will keep an eye out for it in the future, in case it wasn’t a fluke occurence.

The user controls are simple and the blower is easy to control. There’s a power button, a safety bar you need to press to the handle, a toggle for the lights, and power gauge for both sets of batteries.

The chute direction can be adjusted with a sturdy lever, and the throw height is adjusted by easily moving the chute deflector up or down.

I found the adjustments to be very good (snow throw direction), and passable (snow throw height).

There were no clogs, even when I pushed it into wetter and compacted snow.

It takes up a bit of space. Storing it vertically, as shown in Milwaukee’s product images, saves just a little floor space. I’d be a lot happier if the handle folded.

More Thoughts and Observations

A reader asked about assembly. I found the assembly straightforward. It could have been quicker and easier, but frankly I don’t see how given the way it was constructed. Was it a hassle? Maybe a little bit, but not so much that I bothered to document it with a photo. It went well, I have no notable complaints.

I keep reminding myself that this is a single stage snow blower, and as such there are compromises. Basically, it will not perform as well as larger dual stage battery-powered snow blowers. But also, I don’t know of any 2-stage cordless snow blowers that are powered by batteries of this size – all the ones I have seen are powered by much larger batteries with greater energy storage capacity.

“Auger propelled” didn’t do much to help me. In theory I think it could, but in reality I didn’t notice any propulsion assistance when walking up and down or across the driveway.

The chute never clogged, even when I pushed the machine into piled-up snow. I am sure it could or will at some point, but it hasn’t yet.

I was worried about the paddle – the last snow blowers I tested had steel augers – but it handled itself well. I did need to shove the machine into deeper snow and then take smaller passes.

When buying, using, or testing a single stage cordless snow blower, the challenge is in knowing what to expect.

So, who is this for?

Let’s say you’re a landscaper or contractor that clears parking lots and also needs to clear sidewalks in front of homes or businesses. This would be great for that.

Clearing a driveway? It did the job, and with less cursing and complaining than with other brands’ battery-powered single stage snow blowers.

Compared to the last 2-stage cordless snow blower I tested, the Milwaukee was more compact and more maneuverable. It performed well, but not without obvious shortcomings.

I was spoiled by the last 2-stage snow blower, and not just because it required less effort to use.

There’s a ~5 ft slightly elevated grass partition between my driveway and the neighbor’s, with a single brick border. The dual stage snow blower had adjustable chute direction, height, and power. The Milwaukee doesn’t have adjustable power.

With the dual stage snow blower, I could clear my driveway without worrying about throwing snow onto the neighbor’s already-cleared driveway. I could set it to lower power and low angle, clear close to the partition, and then quickly tidy things up with a shovel.

With the Milwaukee, I couldn’t get close enough. When I ejected the snow ahead of me instead of to the side, it compacted the snow ahead, making it more difficult to clear. When I ejected snow to the side towards my front yard, it couldn’t make the full distance and compacted the snow in the driveway, making it more difficult to clear.

I really missed having adjustable throwing distance, which allowed for more controllable snow ejection.

The Milwaukee M18 Fuel cordless snow blower is so far one of the best cordless single stage snow blowers I have ever tested. I think the machine did a great job, and I also think it’s at the limit of what a single stage battery-powered snow blower can do.

I wish its handle folded down for more compact storage. I like that it is light enough to lift and place on a shelf – or truck bed – but its handle will still take up space. It takes up less space than a 2-stage snow blower, but premium 2-stage models might do a better job of collapsing for storage, such as with quick-remove handles.

I’m used to having to remove chutes and handles for compact storage. Installing or collapsing the handle requires a wrench (a combination tool is included). If one has to do this once a year, just keep a baggie for the hardware, it’s not a big deal.

Milwaukee says it’s “10 decibels quieter” and “delivers lower noise” than gas. In my opinion you absolutely still need hearing protection.

It has a 21″ clearing width and handled 6″ of fresh and compacted snow easily.

We’re getting deeper snow in a few days – I’ll provide an update if I learn anything new.

One thing I noticed is that it drew power from all 4 batteries simultaneously. If you don’t have 4 identical batteries, it might be better to run the snow blower with just 2 batteries at a time.

Even with 4 batteries, I might run them sequentially (2 at a time). That way I can charge them 2 at a time rather than 4, unless there’s a difference in power or endurance – which I have not yet observed with the kitted FORGE 12Ah batteries or others I had available.

We have a paver walkway to the front door, and it’s in need of replacement. The stones are small and uneven in a couple of places. Other snow blowers would snag, Milwaukee’s did not. It did a much better job here than I expected.

Runtime was excellent. For the first test, I used mostly-charged batteries to start while other batteries were on the Milwaukee M18 dual port Super Charger. When I swapped batteries, I placed the depleted batteries right back on the Super Charger and the Cool Cycle tech did its thing to ensure quicker turnaround.

Milwaukee M18 FORGE batteries are supposed to have high endurance, and I have yet to find any application that contradicts this. I was sure that the snow blower would push them to the limit, but I guess I was wrong.

I pushed the snow blower hard at times and not once did it complain, and neither the tool nor its batteries showed any signs of overheating.

Recommendations?

The Milwaukee M18 Fuel cordless snow blower proved to be a very good machine – for what it is.

I feel that I can positively recommend it, in the context of cordless single stage snow blowers.

For professionals that might need to clear a client’s sidewalk, or maybe a short residential driveway so as to make a materials delivery, there’s benefit in being able to load and unload a snow blower of this size from a truck bed.

It would be nice to be able to lower the power level so as to adjust the snow throw distance, and also potentially extend the runtime in light or shallow snow.

The kit is priced at $1499 and comes with (2) FORGE 12Ah batteries and a Rapid Charger (not the Super Charger I used). There’s an option where you can get it with (4) FORGE 12Ah batteries for $1778 at Home Depot.

In no uncertain terms, it is not as effortless to use as a 2-stage machine.

For the 2 inches of compacted icy snow, the M18 snow blower did a better job than if I only used a shovel. I might not have busted out a dual stage machine for that.

There were several snowfalls since then – 2 inches of light snow, 3 inches of heavy snow, and 2 inches of powdery and icy snow. I did NOT use the Milwaukee snow blower and opted to use a shovel instead. In my mind, the Milwaukee snow blower would not have saved me much time compared to just using a manual shovel. That allowed me to push some of the snow to the partition, which the Milwaukee cannot do without high risk of throwing snow onto the neighbor’s driveway.

I prefer to push some of the driveaway snow to the partition because it’s a much shorter distance than the end of the driveway or to my yard border, and because it gets a lot more sun that helps it melt quicker.

This is a fantastic machine for what it is. I add qualifiers, such as “for what it is,” to help set expectations.

At this price level, and with respect to battery-powered snow blowers, you have the choice between an extremely well-built single stage machine that is powered by Milwaukee M18 batteries, or consumer-grade 2-stage machines. Some 2-stage cordless snow blowers cost more, and others less.

The Milwaukee is smaller, which is why I was excited to test it. But, its footprint isn’t as compact as I’d prefer for home use.

If your top priority is clearing a driveway with less effort and greater control, there’s no single stage snow blower that can compare to 2-stage machines, not even this one.

This is the first cordless single stage snow blower that I could use to clear snow going uphill from the bottom of my driveway. With others, I’ve had to drag them back up the driveway for every pass because they weren’t very effective. This one is.

It even had the power to clear compacted snow and ice that the town’s plows left at the end of the driveway. I found this impressive, as other battery-powered single stage snow blower could never do this for me before.

That all said, I was quickly reminded about the limitations compared to what a two-stage self-propelled variable speed cordless snow blower could do. This is something every potential buyer needs to understand.

It’s clear that Milwaukee designed this for professional users and typical applications. I was very impressed with what it could do. But also, this would not be my first choice for home use.

Some years my snow blower sees one or two uses all winter. Last year I never bothered with a snow blower and used a shovel for several very light snowfalls. This year I needed the snow blower twice in December, and we’ve had 3 snowfalls in January so far and much more coming soon.

I miss the dual stage snow blower I gave away when this one arrived. The Milwaukee M18 Fuel is the best single stage machine I have ever tested, but there are inherent limitations.

If my driveway were smaller, this could be perfect. If I could aim it in any direction without snow potentially covering my neighbor’s driveway, I’d be happier with the level of control it gives you.

I really don’t like single stage snow blowers – this really cemented that idea in my head. It’s the best single stage cordless battery-powered snow blower I have ever tested. But for my needs, it’s also much more of a chore to use.

I feel that Milwaukee did everything right. The machine has plenty of power. The batteries can keep up. It’s simple to use.

But I really wish it had a self-propelled drive and adjustable power so that it’s not always throwing snow at max distance.

The Bottom Line

For pro users that might need to clear smaller areas for clients maybe this could do the job while also working with your existing supply of Milwaukee M18 FORGE 12Ah batteries (I wouldn’t use anything less).

For home users, even for pros who use M18 batteries on the job and want a compatible machine at home, this is indeed a high-performing single stage snow blower that is simple to use.

But, $1499 is right in the ballpark of various battery-powered 2-stage models. For home use, there are several different 2-stage battery-powered cordless snow blowers that I would buy instead.

Working with M18 batteries and being smaller and lighter and the only reasons I could possibly recommend this snow blower over 2-stage snow blowers in the same price range.

I can’t think of anything Milwaukee could have done differently with the design and engineering. This is the best single stage snow blower I have ever tested. It’s better than I expected, but falls short of my needs. Like I said, I’ve been spoiled by 2-stage snow blowers.

I’ll be testing it further. Please let me know if you have any questions, and if you need help determining if this snow blower could be suitable for your needs.

Thank you to Milwaukee for providing the review sample.