In what I can only describe as super-aggressive, fantastic, and “how can they do this?!” pricing, there’s a new Milwaukee tool promo at Home Depot, where you buy an M18 9.0Ah High Demand starter package and get a free M18 Fuel saw.
Yes, the freebies are Milwaukee’s premium M18 Fuel brushless saws. There’s a circular saw bundle, and a Sawzall reciprocating saw bundle. Sorry, it’s not the newest One-Key version.
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These are the 2 promo bundles this discussion is all about:
- Milwaukee M18 High Demand Starter + M18 Fuel Circular Saw Bundle
- Milwaukee M18 High Demand + M18 Fuel Sawzall Bundle
First things first, let’s look at what you get that makes this such an appealing deal.
Milwaukee 9.0Ah Starter Package
This starter set includes the new Milwaukee M18 9.0Ah High Demand battery pack, and a rapid charger that’s said to get your batteries up and running 40% faster.
With the High Demand battery being so much higher in capacity than even the largest M18 XC battery pack (5.0Ah right now), faster charging is a welcome convenience.
This starter set retails for $250.
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Buy Now(9Ah Starter Kit via HD)
$250? Yes, that’s steep, but consider that the 9.0Ah High Demand battery is $199 by itself.
A lot of tech went into the new M18 9.0Ah High Demand battery pack. It’s not simply larger, it’s also designed to run cooler.
Since todays’ highest capacity cells have lower on-paper ratings than smaller capacity cells, Milwaukee went to considerable lengths to design this battery pack with high cooling performance.
They say that, under demanding applications, this 9.0Ah battery can deliver 2X the runtime compared to a 5.0Ah XC battery pack.
Buy Now(9Ah Battery via HD)
Milwaukee M18 Fuel Brushless 7-1/4″ Circular Saw
Milwaukee’s M18 Fuel brushless circular saw, 2731, is a great tool. It’s one of few full-size cordless saws, and one of few cordless saws that can provide as close to corded-like cutting performance as possible.
It’s got a magnesium shoe, as well as magnesium upper and lower blade guards, 2-1/2″ cutting capacity, and decent runtime.
By itself, the bare tool is $229.
Buy Now(Bare Saw via HD)
The lowest price kit, 2731-21, comes with a 5.0Ah battery pack and standard charger, for $304.
Buy Now(Regular M18 Fuel Saw Kit via HD)
Milwaukee M18 Fuel Brushless Sawzall
The M18 Fuel Sawzall, 2720, is a heavy duty reciprocating saw, and one that has earned a solid reputation.
Just the saw itself will set you back $179.
Buy Now(Bare Saw via HD)
As with the circular saw, there’s a single-battery kit option, 2720-21. This kit comes with a single 4.0Ah battery pack, and a standard charger. It’s priced at $269.
Buy Now(Regular Sawzall Kit via HD)
HOT Deal Bundle Packs
The promo M18 Fuel circular saw and 9.0Ah High Demand starter bundle is priced at $249.
Buy Now(Special Circular Saw High Demand Bundle)
The special Milwaukee M18 Fuel Sawzall reciprocating saw and High Demand starter set bundle is also priced at $249.
Buy Now(Special Sawzall High Demand Bundle)
Hot or Not?
If you ask me, I think that the High Demand starter set is a bit high priced – too high priced to consider actually buying. Me? I’d go straight to a High Demand tool kit, such as for the new M18 cordless miter saw. That way, the cost of the battery pack and Rapid Charger are subsidized a little bit as part of the bundle.
That’s usually the case for tool kits – a kit is usually appreciably less expensive than if you were to buy everything separately.
The M18 9.0Ah High Demand battery pack is a great way to significantly boost the runtime of a heavy-use M18 cordless power tool or accessory, and can also provide a performance boost. But $199 is a lot of money, and $249 is a lot to spend on a battery and charger.
But throw in a cordless circular saw or reciprocating saw, let alone a premium M18 Fuel brushless saw, and that changes everything.
If you’ve been thinking about buying either of these saws, these promo kits are a great way to go, costing less than even the standard single-battery kits. Plus, you get the Rapid Charger too.
If you’ve been interested in the high capacity 9.0Ah battery pack, you get a bonus tool that sweetens the deal.
I hope you can now see why I’m calling this a super-aggressive, fantastic, and “how can they do this?!” promo offer. I’m struggling to see a downside.
Milwaukee and Home Depot regularly offer free M12 and M18 bonus tool deals, but they rarely include brushless Fuel tools.
Buy Now(Special Circular Saw High Demand Bundle)
Buy Now(Special Sawzall High Demand Bundle)
I find these deals to be very hard to resist, especially the circular saw. Your thoughts?
Jay
They also have the M18 Miter Saw on sale for $599 and it includes an extra 9.0 battery pack for a total of 2.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-M18-18-Volt-FUEL-Lithium-Ion-Brushless-Cordless-10-in-Dual-Bevel-Sliding-Compound-Miter-Saw-Kit-with-Free-9AH-Battery-2734-21HDP/207114512?keyword=M18+miter+saw
Stuart
Thanks! I saw that deal as well, but since the promo there is for a free 2nd battery, and because the kit itself has dropped in price, I figured it would make better sense as a separate post to follow.
Dacan
Theres also Fuel One Key Sawzall, Hole Hawg, Super Hawg, 1″ SDS Plus, and 1 9/16 SDS Max kits with a 2nd free 9.0 also.
KL
Do you have links for any of the “Hawgs” w 9.0? Couldn’t find at HD site
Tony
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-M18-FUEL-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Super-Hawg-1-2-in-Right-Angle-Drill-Kit-With-Quik-Lok-High-Demand-9-0Ah-Kit-2711-22HD/300437243
KL
Ok so the link below is a -22HD, thus there’s not a “free” battery included
Dacan
2711 Bare tool is $350, 9.0 and charger is $250, consider the bag free thats $600 value for $550. Add another 9.0 for $200 then its $800 for $550 which is way too good of a deal for a typical Milwaukee kit. Either its a special intro price or the 2nd 9.0 is free. The previous 2711 kit with two 5.0s was $550.
Austin
I would love to know how long this deal will last. I really want to hey the circular saw kit
Stuart
There’s no way to know. Stores have some in stock, and there are likely plenty available for online orders.
They’re probably meant to last thru the holiday season, but I’d bet they’ll sell out sooner.
Dacan
Supposedly until 12/31
fred
Too good to pass up – I just bought one online as a Christmas present.
They say they have plenty of stock at the store I selected – so I guess I’ll be getting it soon
fred
I returned the one I bought ($270 with tax) online at Home Depot – waiting on a better deal.
That one showed up today – at Acme Tool – $211.65 with free shipping – after their 15% off – one day deal
Travis
I was this deal weeks ago at AcmeTools and almost bit when they had the 10% off sale going on. It really is an amazing deal and I am happy to see it come to Home Depot as well.
Now it will be really hard to pass up, each day, for the next couple months….ugh. I know my 3000 lumen flood light would love the 9.0ah battery.
Mark
I’ve been waiting for either of those saws to get updated. Both are 2+ years old and are eclipsed by the current hot stuff from the other guys. Any idea when that will happen?
nigeldh
Jay – Thanks for the miter saw link – the price is good through 01/30/2017. With the two batteries you are paying just under $200 for the saw. Then when you add the various Home Depot finance offers for using their card – like 12 months same as cash, a couple of weeks ago an additional 10%. The daily cost becomes not much more than a cup of coffee.
Nice specs – cross-cut a 2×12″, 5 3/4″ against the fence so hopefully it will cut a 6×6 in one pass.
A reciprocating saw with a pruning saw blade is great for brush clearing, limb pruning. I have a Bosch rep saw with 6 Ah battery that I use for trail maintenance. The Milwaukee rep saw with 9 Ah will give me even longer run times.
I wonder how the M18 circular saw would up against the Mikita X2 that I have.
Ryan
There’s no way it can cut through a 6×6 in one shot as it’s only a 10″ blade. 6x material is 5.5″ wide, which is greater than the blade’s radius.
Tony
Thanks for the post, Stuart. I’ll probably order one of bundles.
On the Bosch cordless side of things, Amazon has started their “$25 off $100 Bosch cordless orders” promotion today:
https://www.amazon.com/b?node=14430414011
fred
Lots of other online sellers are also doing the $25 off Bosch as well as $25 off Makita
I posted about one or two on the Community Forum website – under hot deals
I thought that this Milwaukee deal might be exclusive to HD but Acme (maybe others too) also is doing the same deal – and may save you sales tax.
Tony
Thanks for the tip. I forgot about the Community Forum website.
Jon
Love the blog Stuart, but sometimes I think you pass on marketing claims as real information that could be misunderstood by some of your readers.
For example you mention that “a lot of tech” went into the 9.0 pack and it’s not simply larger but “designed to run cooler”. That’s not exactly true, it’s a regular plastic case designed to hold 15 cells. The cells come from LG. There are passive vent holes in the plastic. Nothing is really new about this battery pack.
The reason they can say “runs cooler” in the marketing material is because it will run cooler UNDER THE SAME LOAD as a 5 amp battery. That’s not because of technology or design differences, it’s simply because of the physics of spreading the same sized load over more cells.
It’s somewhat deceiving but not really, because even though there was no actual change or improvement to the battery pack, they can still mention that because it’s true!
Stuart
If that’s the case, it’s inadvertent.
Here’s what went into that statement, which is my own:
Milwaukee claims that these packs run cooler.
I didn’t know that LG made 3.0Ah cells. Going by the Samsung datasheets I saw, the best 3.0Ah cells are significantly lower performing than the typical 2.5Ah cells used in 5.0Ah packs. That is perhaps why we still have not seen M18 6.0Ah packs.
I have heard of one brand’s 6.0Ah packs delivering lower runtime than their 5.0Ah packs in heavy use applications.
Going by on paper specs, a 3.0Ah Samsung cell might have a max current draw of 15A. A 2.5Ah cell, maybe 22A. I think that it’s been rounded down to 20A in some spec sheets, I forget.
So 15A x 3 rows of cells is ~45A max draw. In an XC pack, 22A x 2 rows is ~44A.
These are on-paper and in theory power draw limits.
It seemed to me that a 9.0Ah High Demand pack might run hotter than an XC pack, with both pushed to the limits.
But, the 9.0Ah pack seems to endure for longer, even delivering more current in an “XC effect” kind of matter.
In talking with Milwaukee product managers, they said that they were able to surpass the on-paper spec sheet limits because they were able to to achieve cooler operating conditions, even when approaching the power requirements of heavy duty tools.
At the 2015 media event, there was a demo where a SuperHawg forced an over-temp condition in a 5.0Ah XC battery pack, while the 9.0Ah was still going.
Milwaukee is claiming that the 9.0Ah pack can last twice as long as a 5.0Ah pack, and since the cells likely have lower individual current limits and possibly comparable collective limits, pack design and operating temperature are the 2 responsible factors, not to mention the only controllable ones outside of chemistry and cell design considerations.
I’ll have to dissect a production model, but I recall being told that the individual cells are shrouded separately to help keep them as cool as possible.
My understanding is that the pack design is quite different than for XC battery packs, but looking at cross sections, I see mainly differences in row and column spacing.
Everything I’ve seen tells me that the difference cannot solely depend on the number of cells, 15 vs. 10. Yes, you’re distributing the same load (or slightly greater for certain tools) among 50% more cells, but those cells don’t have the same electrical ratings.
The pack HAS to run cooler.
So it’s my assumption that a lot of tech went into the pack, and if not the pack itself, then certainly the pack design.
I’m interested in characterizing the electrical performance of the 9.0Ah battery and other packs, but I’d need an electronic load that can sink up to 50A at 18V.
Perhaps my choice of words could have been better, but they were definitely my own.
Jon
OK I wasn’t trying to say it wasn’t your words, I was just pointing out that the larger packs run cooler by virtue of having more cells not by having more “tech” or a better designed pack.
The reason that you could get double the run time from a 9.0 pack than a 5.0 pack even though it’s not quite double the capacity is directly a result of dividing the load over more cells, and would only be seen in a high draw application that overworks the cells or forces the smaller pack into an over-temp condition like you mentioned.
In contrast to that if you put a regular smaller load on both batteries and measure the total energy capacity then of course the 9.0 pack comes up short of two 5.0 packs.
The “XC effect” you refer to would more accurately be called the “bigger battery effect” because it applies across all brands and all chemistries of batteries. Again this is not something that Milwaukee has done. A larger capacity battery has a lower internal resistance and therefore will have a smaller voltage sag under load, leading to slightly more total watts getting delivered to the same motor than if you used a smaller pack. This effect varies by tool and has upper limits.
In the end what I am saying is the improvements are real, but they are a result of physics rather an a result of something Milwaukee did.
rjbphd
I’m still waiting for Milwaukee to come out with 18v air compressor.
KL
THIS! Want a compressor! A real one for load range E tires!!
Goodnight johnboy
Hot Deal my ass. $250 for a battery & charger. Please. I could buy both the corded circ & recip for $250. Why would you want to piss away that much for one battery that you’re gonna have to replace in 2-5 years? Hot deal? Food for thought-why is it that a cordless power tool cost twice if not more than a corded tool? There’s never going to be a cordless tool that can match the same power & stamina/reliability of a corded tool. What is so special about a 18 or 20v 9 hour battery for some POS plastic tool no matter what brand it is that it costs more than a car battery? Think about it. A corded tool has the same power until you unplug it. I understand its your job to write about & promote tools, & these companies compensate you for it. But its like the blind leading the deaf, & no one’s got the balls to speak up & tell these companies that a little plastic battery for any power tool shouldn’t cost more than a car battery or anywhere near the money they’re asking. I’m sure that it costs less than $65 to make this $250 battery & yet you call it a hot deal. WTF?
KL
You’re entitled to your opinions. Cordless is where it’s at for me. Just last night I was contemplating selling my corded Sawzall and sheet metal shear because the cordless counterparts work so damn well I haven’t touched the corded models in years.
Spend your $$ as you please but I also make my living w this stuff and the convenience of no cords and performance in the field is worth the premium in price.
nigeldh
Johnboy, If I am out clearing a hiking trail I love my Bosch rep saw with 18V 6 Ah battery and a pruning saw blade. Sure beats a hand saw. With the 12″ blade I can clear most stuff without having to carry a chainsaw in then put chaps, helmet, on.
When I want to cut up scrap wood for fire starter my Mikita x2 circ saw is great – just grab and saw. Or when I was helping to redeck a playground – grab and saw, no need to run a power cord.
Look at a couple of the M18 miter saw videos on-line – the pros love this saw because it doesn’t need a cord. On scaffolding, or on a roof, it’s carry up and cut. You don’t need to find an outlet, or run a generator, then run power cord – which is a tripping and an electrical hazard. More so in Europe with 220 V mains.
I understand what you are talking about with older or lower end cordless tools. I got a corded Craftsman rep saw because my Ryboi One 18V cordless with a pruning saw blade didn’t have enough power for rough cutting bowl blanks. The rep saw blade is much safer than a chainsaw. I now have to try my Bosch rep saw which is a more powerful unit.
Luke
“The limitations on AC power from a standard wall outlet are actually much more restrictive than what is possible with lithium batteries. Very soon we will look at corded power tools as the weaker option to battery, similarly to how we might compare a corded mower to a gas mower. We fully expect battery power to outperform gas tools as well in the near future. If a Tesla sedan can go 0-60 in 2.4 seconds we are confident they can make a battery saw using the same technology. Between higher voltage platforms, multiple battery platforms and variable voltage batteries (like DeWalt’s new FlexVolt) we are now seeing the possibility of 20-30+ amp battery powered tools in sight which could easily replace most corded and gas tools.
…
It’s a very interesting time with lithium battery technology and things are changing very quickly. Those sitting on the sidelines thinking this whole cordless fade is going to pass (like the internet will) are going to get left in the dark.”
Excerpt from this blog post last month: http://www.coptool.com/future-of-power-tools-10-0ah-and-beyond/
fred
No need to get vituperative about this.
With cordless tools we are paying a premium for convenience and in some cases added productivity, enhanced safety or some other perceived advantage. Now are they worth what the sellers are asking for them? That’s a question that seems like it is being answered in the affirmative – it you can gauge by the number of cordless tools being sold. I see fewer and fewer new corded tools being released and more and more cordless ones. Is that a conspiracy on the part of manufacturers to get more of our hard-earned money? Or is it just them seeing what the market is doing and trying to respond? Are we all being hoodwinked, are they are all making an unconscionable profit on the backs of tool-buyers? I don’t presume to know – but we have choices and no one is forcing us to buy. One can always choose to support Central Purchasing LLC (Harbor Freight) instead of TTI, SBD, Makita et. al. I am also not that naïve to think that price and cost are the same thing and suspect that when some price drops (aka deals) occur – they may still allow folks all along the supply chain to earn a decent profit.
While I still grab a corded tool or a pneumatic for many jobs – I like being free of the cord for others. Dragging a cord or air hose up onto staging or roofs – if it can be avoided, IMO is a good thing. Using a cordless tool where a corded one would make you more productive, IMO is silly. Once the cordless tool starts weighing significantly more than a corded one – because of some huge battery – maybe we need to rethink our choice. I like to think I knew the difference between a hoe ram, pneumatic jackhammer, corded rotohammer, cordless rotohammer and a light-duty hammer drill and when to use what.
There may, however, be some downsides to this cordless revolution. When running a business, while we did not consider most small tools as capital items – I did come to learn that I needed to rethink the “depreciation schedule” for cordless versus corded tools. We had been accustomed to having corded tools serviced until judged un-serviceable., with some cordless tools – and in particular batteries – we started thinking of them as un-serviceable from the get-go – and their perceived longevity cost needed to be factored into job costing.
Jared
Hey goodnight Johnboy , I’ve never started building a house with the power cord already installed to the walls that are not yet built. A couple of today’s batteries and you can go all day long. Corded tools and cordless tools each have their place. Generators are loud and expensive.
Chris Fyfe
I have two of the 9ah packs , very impressive . They really make the M18 vacum worth owning ! On a 5ah it runs about half an hour , with the 9 in it , it runs for ever !
Chris
Goodnight johnboy
And that’s why you always get a temporary power pole when building a house until the electrician shows up. You all make valid points & I ain’t saying all cordless tools suck. Nail guns & impact drivers/drills, & lights are cool . Everything else (saws) is garbage. Cordless saws are useless when framing or building a deck, porch, or any structure that requires lumber or requires heavy demo. Yeah the batteries may run all day, but the tools can’t unless your doing light duty work. See how many pt 6x6x or rim/band joists you can cut through, or how many catblocks your $200 battery can rip with your cordless tool & then talk about how cords are inconvenient. Like I said light duty work,other than that waste of time and money.
Adam
Most of a house is not rim/band joists. You wouldn’t believe what we got done with our cordless tools, and they were a lot worse than Milwaukee. Pick up a M18 Fuel One-Key sawzall, and get back to us.
Luke
“Milwaukee’s M18 Fuel brushless circular saw, 7231, is a great tool.”
Minor correction: model is 2731.
Stuart
Thank you! I kept doing that for both tools. I appreciate the correction – too often I come across minor typos that escaped my attention for weeks, months, or even years.
Goodnight johnboy
Your right, the majority of a house is not band/rim or sill plates. I do a good bit of structural repairs as well as alot of framing and exterior structures. And I’ve yet to see a cordless that can cut pt lumber all day or cut concrete block or asphalt. I own a cordless Dewalt kit presently, got it for Xmas last year. Gave it a shot for a couple days & was glad I didn’t pay for it & it hasn’t been on site since. In fact I still have the old nicad Dewalt lamp & circ saw from the 1st & only kit I bought back in ’02 or’ 03. I was stoked about having cordless tools & I thought I would seldom need corded. I was let down like a flat tire. Why? Because just like the overpriced stuff they sell today, they’re underpowered & always go dead at the worst time. But the stuff they sell now comes with useless gimmicks like wireless/bluetooth connectivity (i.e. One-key) or some lame app for a tool so they can gouge the price even more. None of that shit makes the battery life better or give more power to the motor. Like I said a cordless tool battery and charger shouldn’t cost more or anywhere near the price of a car battery. Is it me, or does it look like Milwaukee is trying to catch up to Festool’s prices?
Tony
Quote: “Like I said a cordless tool battery and charger shouldn’t cost more or anywhere near the price of a car battery.”
You do realize that your car doesn’t run off of the battery, don’t you? The car battery only helps start the car — after which the car then runs off of the *alternator*. So it’s not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison.
goodnightjohnboy
Yeah I know the battery & starter crank it & the alternator kicks in. You know what i mean. The point is that Milwaukee & the rest of em are simply ripping people off for something that costs very little to make. Here’s a question, why doesn’t any of the corded tools have the gimmicks or gouged prices?
Tony
Perhaps I didn’t connect the dots enough: A hand-held power tool draws its power *exclusively* from its rechargeable battery. However, you are comparing a rechargeable battery that’s used in a hand-held power tool with a lead-acid car battery which is only designed to do one thing: start the vehicle, not to run it. Do you think that is a fair and meaningful comparison? In the vernacular — you are comparing apples to oranges.
Like you, I am also a consumer who does not always buy the cordless version of a power tool. Like you, I see more value in a corded version for certain power tools.
By the way, let me operationally define “Value”: Value = Benefits – Cost.
For some people, a cordless solution provides a lot of “Benefits” which in turn offset the increased “Cost” in the Value equation above. That’s simple Marketing 101 . . . or actually it was something more like Marketing 501 when I got my MBA degree. As to the “price” for rechargeable batteries for cordless tools — I also agree that the increased price can be off-putting. But then again, the cost for developing a cordless solution involves far more than just a “battery” — there are research costs, electronics included within the battery enclosure itself, patents to pay (and patents to avoid stepping on), etc.
If you don’t receive enough benefits to offset the cost in the Value equation above in order to make a personal purchasing decision for a cordless tool, that’s completely understandable. Sometimes I come to the same conclusion for certain cordless power tools myself. But it’s disingenuous to marginalize the technology (or the people who use it) just because one doesn’t understand economics, manufacturing costs, intellectual property rights, the Value equation, or customer perceived value.
Adam g
I’m looking at the 9.0 starter kit with free fuel sawzall for $175 extremely tempting but I’ve already got a 20v dewalt recip saw. Would my wife kill me?