The new Milwaukee M18 Top-Off Charger has 2 roles – it can recharge USB devices, and it can recharge M18 Li-ion batteries.
And yes, it can do both at the same time.
The M18 Top-Off, model 2847, has two USB-C ports, a single 100W PPD port, and a 15W port. It can continuously output up to 115W.
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When charging an M18 battery via the bidirectional 100W USB-C PD port, you can also still have a smartphone or electronic device charging via the other 15W USB-C port.
The Top-Off can recharge a Milwaukee M18 2Ah battery in 42 minutes, a 5Ah battery in 105 minutes, or a 12Ah battery in 230 minutes.
The Top-Off can charge M18 batteries at up to 100W. It ships with a 65W all adapter and a 100W-rated 3ft USB-C cable.
Price: $99
There’s no mounting option – no rafter hook, belt clip, or lanyard/tether hole. It does feature LED indicator lights, as expected for a charger, and cover flaps for the USB-C ports.
This model does NOT have an AC outlet – you’d have to buy the older model for that – but it DOES have built-in M18 battery charging.
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It seems like a multi-purpose charging accessory.
Milwaukee will be launching a 120W USB-C wall adapter and 6ft cable in December. If you want the fastest M18 battery charging rate sooner, you’ll need to buy a 100W power brick separately. I’d look at an Anker charger on Amazon, or the more compact GaN model.
Dewalt also has a 20V Max USB-C charger – see Dewalt USB-C PD Charging Kit Review.
So What Can it Do?
You can charge an M18 battery via USB-C AND charge an electronic device via the other USB-C port at the same time.
If you don’t need to charge the M18 battery, you can use BOTH USB-C ports to recharge electronic devices.
The 100W port is bidirectional, meaning it serves as an input when charging an M18 battery, or as an output for recharging higher drain devices (such as laptops and tablets) or smartphones at a faster rate.
You can have one device charging via the 15W output, such as a flashlight or phone, and another charging via the 100W output, such as a laptop, at the same time.
Jason
Thought it looked like a great upgrade until I saw the no outlet.
Looks to me more of an upgraded version of the power source. I get it’s bulkier but even just adding the jacket barrel plug would be nice for that use but I’m not really seeing a use for this one (for me anyway).
Tim+E.
I wonder if this could help with some of the 12Ah battery “unbalanced” issues… I’ve taken to charging my 12Ah batteries on a slow charger which has seemed to help some of them that had that problem more often, but not all. This looks to take even longer (and presumably even longer if you use a lower power charger than the 100w?), so maybe that will be enough to help those last couple limp along for a while longer, charge them on this every half dozen uses so they have a long charge period to balance.
Jared
This looks quite a lot like Dewalt’s USB-C charger that can also do up to 100w but comes with a 65w adapter.
While it would be even cooler if it had a 120v outlet, I use my Dewalt charger a lot – it’s very handy. Obviously if you’re a pro you might want a full-sized wall charger regardless, but the USB-C charger is way more portable.
Being able to charge my laptop from a battery (or even just using the adapter instead of the bulkier power supply the laptop came with), is useful.
Luke
I don’t understand the market for this. For the same $99, you can buy the previous generation M18 top off charger, which includes 2 USB plus a 120v AC outlet. Sure the outlet can’t power an a shop vac or angle grinder, but it’s plenty to run an outdoor TV/projector, fan, radio, etc. I just don’t see the draw of being able to charge your battery with a USB-C wall outlet, when everyone buying this already has an M18 charger [likely multiple].
Adam
I see the biggest draw for this, is charging in a vehicle. sort of the same as the M12 version of it. Just when you need a little juice between jobs, however the charge rate is too slow for me to make me think it’s worthwhile.
Rob
This should* be able to charge batteries at 5a with the 100w input. I don’t know if the posted charge times reflect the 65w usb-c adapter or just account for final low amp charge time. 5a charging is pretty good for 18v though.
Jronman
The 8amp charger Flexvolt launched with will do a Flexvolt 2/6 battery in an hour. Roughly half the speed per amp hour compared to the new top off.
Jronman
*half the time I mean
eddiesky
I know a few folks that do outdoor timelapse with similar product for their GO-Pro Cameras. I would be nice if Milwaukee made something for those needing cameras extended runtime from a Fuel battery without another adapter. Or even make one of these where the top has Qi or magsafe spot for charging a phone. Having cables is … a hassle and easy to lose.
Robert
Eddiesky, while Qi or MagSafe would be useful, I don’t see that being in Milwaukee’s wheelhouse. Too “high tech.” Just consider how long it took them and Dewalt to add USB compared to the smart phone accessory community.
Jronman
Festool has a wireless charger now. Been out a year or two I think. Not Qi 2 just Qi but runs off the tool battery though. DeWALT has wireless charging products too but none powered by the tool batteries.
Stuart
There are tidier solutions for powering cameras with an external battery; you could buy a one-piece solution for the same money as just this adapter.
SAMO
I concur!
Sky
The M12 updated model for $69 was a scam. It had an incredibly low output, the same as the Micro-USB version. I hope they fix their mistake there…
KokoTheTalkingApe
Sorry if I missed it, but can this guy charge a cell phone, say, FROM an M18 battery?
Stuart
Yes. You can use the 100W or 15W ports.
Sorry – I just added another section at the end to clarify.
KokoTheTalkingApe
Thanks Stuart!
KokoTheTalkingApe
So just to be clear, it can do THREE things:
– Charge an M18 battery AND a device like your phone simultaneously from an outlet
– Charge two devices simultaneously from an outlet
– Charge two defices simultaneously from an M18 battery
Is that right?
Stuart
There are two USB-C ports. If the one bidirectional USB port is being used to charge the M18 battery, only the 15W output is available for recharging devices.
I believe that the battery is always powering the 15W output, and that this doesn’t change when an AC power source is connected to the other port.
Basically, recharging the M18 battery occupies the 100W port.
In theory you can use the AC power brick to charge one device and the M18 Top-Off to charge two. But I don’t consider that a function of the battery accessory.
KokoTheTalkingApe
Ah, that’s clearer. Thanks again!
NoahG
I would love this for tossing in my backpack for out of town gigs. It will also save a ton of room in my
Pelican case that the larger charger takes up. This is a big win for those of us who travel often or with space concerns. One small unit to both charge and power is a win.
Nathan
Near clone of the DeWalt kit. Don’t know why they bothered really but having the DeWalt one I like the thing
James
I love the original top-off and have a few bouncing around. Rafter hook is always in use though for the most part, and while the majority of use is USB based, I also use my laptop 120V plug because it provides optimal wattage.
M18 charging is not needed in our case as we have inverters in the trucks etc.
This is a no-go for me.
S
The size of the adapter seems obscenely large for it’s capabilities.
The lack of a 12v output for heated jackets does seem like a massive underutilization.
I’ve got the charging m12 adapter. multiples. I’ve also got the other m18 adapters, and the top off 120v inverter unit.
I don’t really see a reason to buy into this one due to it’s limited benefit vs. price. The only thing it dies that my current adapters don’t, is charge slowly over USB.
Dennis
Seems like a nice Milwaukee sanctioned solution for those who want to use their Milwaukee batteries to charge their tech in the field, and have one less charger for charging those same batteries, particularly when they’re in their vehicles . The main upside I see is this solution is Milwaukee sanctioned, so I assume it has a power cut-off that will save your battery from draining to far and ruining it. Otherwise, if you’re more adventurous, you can buy or 3D print M18 adapters, solder them to power converters, add any type of connection you desire, and power whatever you want. All for a 10-20% of the price of this charger.
Christopher Heiny
I use a Pinecil USB soldering iron for small wiring projects. I was working on a homemade 3D printed M18 adapter, but this thing is perfect for that purpose and delivers more power than my own adapter. Definitely getting one.
Blocky
I would use this to charge batteries off USB-C from my vehicle while driving between jobs. It would live in my van. Sometimes you just need a little juice for a drill and the one you grabbed is dead. I haven’t seen many things that are truly car charger capable and affordable and not third-party
Matt_T
You’d still likely need an alphabet soup third party vehicle charger to power the thing though. I took a quick look and couldn’t find any name brand 65W or better USB-PD vehicle chargers…..
Blocky
Yeah, I realize. I’m down for that as long as the battery management software for the intermediary brick is on brand.
Nate
I’m using a ASIN B0CG1X8YZ1 and it’s been great. Powers my Symik over the type-C while charging a bunch of phones off a splitter cable on the type-A at the same time, hasn’t caught fire yet.
Matt_T
Nate,
That does look to be on the better end of the quality range. But it doesn’t appear to be a true 65W PD charger. According to reviews it isn’t capable of boosting voltage which limits it to 12V 3A on the USB-C side.
Seems your Symik will work with lower input voltages. Not sure if this new Milwaukee will or if it requires 20V input?
Another Bob
I had the same issue finding a legit 12v to 100w PD device. The cigaret charger ones look like a fire hazard and power ports are only rated at 10amps in most cars.
I hard wired this one in my truck. 12-24v input true 100w PD output. Make sure you use a relay with a fly back diode. Company name is kinda silly but their company HQ is in Florida. Talked to tech support about instal. Seemed legit and has been working for 6months so far. I do switch it off when starting my vehicle. Don’t want voltage spike to fry anything tho I’ve forgot a few times with no ill effects.
Took me forever to find a 12v solution. Lots of 24v stuff I would assume for OTR trucking. Anyways hope this helps someone.
https://www.coolgear.com/product/chargeit-100-watt-usb-type-c-charger
Kingsley
The dewalt can do the same. You can charge it via USB-C and then continue charging something else via USB-A. What would be good, would be twin PD ports and the ability to charge at say 65W whilst charging at 100W via the other port. Then you’d have yourself a small UPS unit.
Trevor
A couple of years ago Milwaukee had patents for several small USB power tools.
If they ever release them, this would be a good companion offering to top them off.
Like others have commented, I can see using this as a top off charger while driving between projects. I have the Dewalt version and thats how i use it
Nate
I’ve got the Symik aftermarket version for Ryobi One+ batteries, and it’s better in several ways:
One USB-C PD bidirectional port, configurable max rate, up to 100W (20v 5A) input or output. It will charge the battery slowly even from lower-power sources, including wimpy-ass A-to-C cables that only provide 5v at an amp or two, it takes all night but in a pinch that might still be useful.
One USB-C PD unidirectional port, 45W max output (15v 3a), shared with the below (only one can be active at a time).
One USB-A unidirectional port, 18W max output (idk idc), shared with the above (only one can be active at a time).
It also has a configurable timeout and sensitivity, so you can have it shut itself down when the downstream device is charged, OR stay on indefinitely powering some low-draw device (I’ve used this for testing sensor nodes), where other powerbanks would shut off annoyingly.
Oh, and a flashlight, with 1-100% brightness adjustment. (It’s very bluish but it’s easy to swap the emitters for something with a lower CCT.) And a high-res OLED display that shows the actual battery voltage, real-time input and output voltage and current on every port to 3 digits of precision, and runs the config menu.
Lately I’ve been using it as a convenient way to charge 18v One+ packs in the car, since I already have a lighter-socket-to-USB-C-PD gizmo stuffed into the socket, and it’s way more compact than Ryobi’s P131. (Not quite as durable, admittedly.) So that means my tire inflator never has to leave the car because I can recharge the pack when it gets low, and not risk forgetting it in the house while charging. It’s also a handy laptop power pack, charged in the passenger seat footwell, then I just drag it with me if I forgot to charge the lappy.
It’s funny, I’ve been accumulating parts and building half-assed versions of this for decades (I think my first 18v-to-USB-A build was in 2006, predating Ryobi’s offering by quite a bit. Lately I’ve made a few USB-C attempts but nothing worth packaging up, then out of nowhere, Symik managed to do everything I was aiming for and then some, better, in a really solid package.
It looks like Milwaukee achieved 60% of the functionality at 200% of the price, which is not bad, considering.
WastedP
So, would this possibly work as a charge controller between a USB-C out portable solar panel and an M18 battery?
Tojen1981
It’s crazy how Milwaukee mis-fires on these. They could’ve have literally taken the current design and added $1.00 worth of electronics to charge batteries and charged another $20 for it and everyone would’ve been happy.
Mark S
I feel as if this is a slightly rushed to market answer for lack of USB-C charging that other brands already have (Dewalt! And sister brand Ryobi for that matter). It should be called something else too, as top off should be associated (in my mind) with having the 120v plug. This is a glorified USB power source, but it is nice to charge the battery with USB. Tough call if I need it that badly though, will think about it.
Frank D.
No 110? They would have had a home run.
JoeM
Okay, I can’t hold it in anymore. I know I’m not 100% up to date on every Milwaukee tool model, but since when do they release Downgraded versions of their tools?
I get they’re calling this one the “Top Off” but it’s following in the line of the older Power Source, with the AC outlet and side clip for either a belt or the side of a cart. The old one had more features, and was more versatile. This one looks like a near-clone of the DeWALT DCB 095 Charger/USB Source that was released something like 2 years ago. The DeWALT one is a great charger/power source, but the Milwaukee power source it was up against at the time was head and shoulders above it for what it could do.
Am I imagining this step-down for this line of tools? Has Milwaukee stepped down the featureset on other new tools as well, or is this the only one? This really strikes me as disturbing, because normally Milwaukee keeps upping their usability and versatility, I’ve never, to my knowledge, seen them release something that was Less-Than their previous standards. This has itched at my brain all weekend, and I just can’t stand it anymore. Are Milwaukee really releasing an Inferior version of one of their own products?
Stuart
New one: charges via USB-C devices at up to 100W, and 15W via second port
Old one: charges up to 45W, or 2.4A (12W) via USB-A port
New one: recharges M18 batteries
Old one: does not
Options are GOOD. If you prefer the old one with the 175W max AC outlet, buy that one. If you want USB M18 battery charging or higher output USB-C PD for recharging laptops, tablets, cameras, etc, get this one.
Another Bob
I use the DeWalt version this one seems to be a clone of every day.
100w PD is game changer. I am able to dump my laptop brick and use USB. Use it when I fly as well. Just confirm your battery size is below TSA limit.
SAMO
So this a basically a larger M18 charging a smaller M18? Seems pretty dumb to me. I have the original. Love the 120v outlet. Wish they made one bigger than 175 watts.
Stuart
You charge the M18 battery via an AC USB-C adapter (a 65W adapter is included).