Milwaukee has finally launched a Packout-compatible M18 cordless power tool battery charger!
The new Milwaukee Packout battery charger, 48-59-1809, is a 6-port Rapid Charger that can charge two batteries simultaneously.
Milwaukee says that the new charger can full recharge (6) M18 XC 5Ah batteries in just 3 hours.
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The new charger features a convenient carrying handle, USB-A charging port (5V/2.1A), and 6 charging ports, each with an LED indicator light.
For reference, here is Milwaukee’s charging time reference chart. A Rapid Charger can recharge an M18 XC 5Ah battery in 60 minutes, a CP 3Ah battery in 35 minutes, and an HD 12Ah battery in 130 minutes.
Milwaukee M18 standard and High Output batteries charge faster on a Rapid Charger than on their standard charger.
With the new Packout-compatible charger, you can charge one battery on each side at a time. It will then progress through the batteries sequentially.
Basically, you can think of this as two separate 3-port chargers.
The charger has a large carrying handle and sturdy base, and so you can use it standalone.
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Or, attach it to a Packout tool box for transort.
The Packout M18 6-port Rapid Charger has a half-width profile, and so you can fit two next to each other atop full-size Packout tool boxes, mounting plates, and accessories.
It can of course be connected next to other half-width Packout-compatible products, or to the tops of half-width tool boxes.
Each battery port has its own LED status indicator, with a legend on the side explaining what the different colors and blink codes mean.
There’s a convenient place to dock your smartphone when charging via the USB-A port.
M18 Packout 6-Bay Rapid Charger Features & Specs
- Rapid charging rate
- Can charge 2 batteries simultaneously
- 6 battery ports can fit all M18 batteries
- USB-A delivers 5V/2.1A (10W)
Price and Availability
Batteries are sold separately.
Price: $249
ETA: October 2022
Use coupon code TOOLGUYD to save $10 off $79+ at Acme Tools.
Leo B.
Very cool! Hopefully the cord is easy to manage when getting it ready to stack. Should be a nice addition to the line.
Stuart
It looks to me that a couple of wraps around the base should work fine. If it doesn’t have a built-in cord clip, a single cable wrap or tuck-in method should help tame the plug.
nail bender
tuck-in method
Stuart
You wrap the cable around a few times and then tuck in the plug between the cables to avoid it loosening and dragging on the floor.
Rich
As much as I genuinely need these, I’m going to wait and see. I have several of the previous versions, both the 48-59-1807 and 48-59-1806. All of them, literally all of them, failed very quickly after purchase. It got to the point with Milwaukee that they were just sending me new or refurbished ones constantly. Ultimately, I just stopped putting effort into the returns and now every single one I own has at least 1-2 ports not working at all. Their multi-port chargers have just been junk, so I’m really keeping my fingers crossed that this one is better.
Rich
Also, I really hope they do an M12/M18 version of this like the 48-59-1807 was.
Adam
USB-C… Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?
The reason someone need this charger is they have a lot of battery charging needs. Just like most recently made cell phones.
I hardly call this an innovative product, just one sort of people expected, and they didn’t even really add a bell or whistle to it. I would have expected 2 USB ports, one of each, yet was disappointed with one of the lesser of them
Doug N
Agreed, hard to make sense of this. Should be at least one or two usb-c ports, with one PD. Or just leave it off altogether.
Maybe Milwaukee is too focused on updating all their micro-usb products with usb-c.
TomD
If we’re being pedantic they’ve already released packout compatible chargers; the light and the radio can charge a battery. This is the first *dedicated* charger.
Jason
I knew a guy who collected bottle openers, he got the M18 radio by convincing his wife it was just a bottle opener with a built-in radio
William
This is hilarious. I have the Packout radio and while I love everything about it (except it’s overly sensitive power button) why is it so dang heavy?
Stuart
True, but there’s a distinction between primary and secondary functions.
My SUV has an AC plug in the back, but that doesn’t make it a gas engine generator.
A phone might have a flashlight function, but that doesn’t mean it’s a flashlight.
Are those existing products chargers, or are they a radio and work light that are also capable of charging a battery? Their primary functions are operable via battery power, with charging only ever possible when connected to an AC source.
So, while this is not the first Packout-compatible product with charging capabilities, it’s their first Packout-compatible charger.
“First dedicated charger” seemed to require too much elaboration that I felt wouldn’t add to the post and could cause confusion, which is why I left it out.
Lastly, pedantic tends to be negative, I’d say your point (and my counter) was more academic in nature. =)
Mark. M.
I say this as someone who is Team Red, but the first thing that struck me about the second photo is the cord. There’s no obvious cord management, and while I suspect there is some kind if internal strain relief, the way the cord enters the housing looks cheap. There’s on moving part on this and it’s the cord, and to me this looks like a failure point. If this were to be used stationary that’s one thing, but on and off a job site, in and out of a truck, it would make me nervous.
Stuart
Looking again at the image of the charger being carried by its handle, it has a simple but effective cord management solution. What’s wrong with wrapping the cord like that?
Strain relief is likely built into housing.
If I had to guess, I would say that design engineers strived to create a flatter side profile, so as to allow for cord wrapping in either direction and with less strain. External strain relief can serve its purpose, but often hampers cord management by getting in the way of tight bends.
Cheap off-the-shelf strain relief can add an inch or two of obstruction at the point it exits an enclosure.
Mark M.
I see what you mean. As long as batteries are on board that should work fine. Without batteries to serve as a kind of clip….mehhh. I feel like the plug end needs a cleat of some kind that could positively engage the cord itself. As to your point about a flat side profile, if that’s the case why not have the cord exit the housing on the long side where it’s less likely to pinch when the charger slides up against something? Sound like nitpicking, I know, but for a jobsite charger the cord is 100% going to be a failure point. If it’s sitting on my workbench, who cares, but for a true on-the-job, hard use piece of equipment is seems like they phoned in the cord design. But I’d be happy to be wrong.
Stuart
You bring up valid points, but we can only tell so much from online images.
I’ve thought “that’s going to break easily” about products that have turned out to be exceptionally durable and reliable, and “wow this looks sturdy” about products that broke the first time I used them.
At one point, with nitpicking, we have to assume that design choices are deliberate and well-tested. The cord exit on the short end could be to aid visibility or placement when wall-mounted to Packout plates or brackets. It could be reinforced on the inside with more than enough strain relief.
Product engineers can make mistakes, but something like this should still be well-thought-out.
If the cord is a weak point, that will become obvious in time, and they’ll have no choice but to fix it. Or it could already be as close to indestructible as possible.
Jim Felt
I’m curious. If this marketed at professional users (and surely that’s their only real market) why does the thing have such a cheap commodity flat cord? Not a round heavier duty one? By heavier duty I don’t mean wire gauge but rather duty cycle.
BTW USB-C is nearly universal in the present day. What the heck is their problem? Especially since every single one of their engineers must use them and obviously know this?
Javier
48-59-1807 has been great for me, and it can rapid charge up to 3 batteries simultaneously. Not sure why they didn’t just slap some packout feet on that one and release it as a “new and upgraded” model.
GM
Here, here. As you say 48-59-1807 charges 3 at a time plus M12 as well. I bought the Packout adapter from 3d Technologies USA: https://www.3dtechnologiesusa.com/product-page/6-bay-rapid-charger-packout-mount. It doesn’t latch but still works great. Otherwise, the thing fills up the entire rolling tool chest.
David
At the release f of the RedLithium USB worklight, Milwaukees product manager said USB-C is cutting edge technology and dumid not 2ant users to have to look for charging cords. I know he said that this is starting in 2023, but comeon now, miss opportunity
Stuart
They said additional lighting products would feature USB-C moving forward. https://toolguyd.com/milwaukee-redlithium-usb-c-charging/
USB-A is a little disappointing here, but many users will still have USB-A to USB-C or lightning cables. It’s not a deal-breaker in my opinion.
USB-C is more important on personal lighting, because they’re used for charging purposes. USB-A on a charger or power source is still perfectly acceptable in my opinion.
USB-A cables are still far more ubiquitous than USB-C. And if you’re not getting USB-C PD output, the physical port of a 10W charger doesn’t seem like a big deal.
Barry+Abbott
I’m a little disappointed it’s just a 6 pack with a packout base.
If I were asked to design a packout multicharger, I’d aim at fitting it inside the packout compact tool box, 48-22-8422. Basically a battery vault versus the open design. Some water resistance, versus none. Add in a vent fan that runs when charging as well as USB and a dedicated phone slot.
Definitely needs a dedicated wrap spot for the power cord.
Extra credit if a cord reel could be integrated; I’m still puzzled this feature isn’t on more things, I’ve had hair dryers, irons, vacuum cleaners and more that all have integrated spring recoil cord storage.
JoeM
I swear, I read the title of the article 5 times before I saw the word Packout in there. I thought I was looking at an update for the original 6-port charger… I got stuck on the title for what feels like half an hour…
I’m so glad this is not what I was thinking… I’m really happy it’s a Packout-Compatible version of their charger, which means it’s a genuinely new product.
Stuart
Even without the Packout option, this is also a faster M18 6-port charger.
Existing SixPack charger https://toolguyd.com/milwaukee-m18-six-pack-battery-charger-review/ – charges up to 6 M18 batteries 1 at a time at standard (slower) rate.
This charger – charges up to 6 M18 batteries up to 2 at a time at a Rapid (faster) rate.
There’s also a Rapid Charger that can recharge up to 3 M18 and 3 M12 batteries up to 3 at a time.
JoeM
Excellent to know they’re adding more versions of multi-chargers to their lineup.
JoeM
Just to note, for Canadian folks, Atlas Tools has this on sale already.
https://www.atlas-machinery.com/milwaukee/mil-48-59-1809/
It’s in their latest flier and will be dropping in price in the next week.
Technically, Atlas ships around the world, but the prices are in CAD. To say Milwaukee is moving forward at full steam is an understatement. Quite happily, we in the North are not getting neglected for supply this time around. Milwaukee Users! Have At It!
Ryan+H
When is Dewalt going to update and come out with a ToughCase-compatible charger?
Stuart
They have a ToughSystem-compatible charger, https://toolguyd.com/dewalt-20v-max-4-port-rapid-battery-charger/.
Ryan+H
Well heck, that’s awesome! I didn’t see it listed as ToughSystem 2.0 compatible, and scanning their website, doesn’t look like they have one yet. Has there been any word on if this will be updated to connect to the new system?
I only ask because while the MW Packout is pretty sweet, I already invested in Dewalt tools, so having their packout with a battery holder would be nice.
Corey Moore
You’ve got to shave the inside 45s off the feet, but it’s easy to make it work on 2.0 if you’re not above removing some plastic. I did it myself, but I’ve ultimately landed on keeping my batteries in the cooler (temp control in high desert is great) so it’s a 1.0 latch at the end of the day for me.
Franck B.
Dewalt also have the 1800 Watt Portable Power Station™ and Simultaneous Battery Charger (since it has charger in the name, I am going to go ahead and call this a charger although it’s not its primary intended use, similar to a radio or light that charge batteries).
They had this for quite a while before their ToughSystem 4-port Rapid Battery Charger, but the original price is commensurate with its primary use, and the 4-port Rapid Charger is quite a bit faster. I guess it wasn’t selling well for a while (lack of marketing?) and a major online retailer started to blow them out for a short time at around $200.
Good enough to charge batteries overnight and have an emergency power source on the ToughSystem tower.
Now if Milwaukee or DeWalt were really listening to ToolGuyd users, they would have made a charger that could fit in the middle or bottom of a stack, and have a garage door to load the batteries in. Or a drawer!
Ryan+H
Agree with your last comment! I remember the Ryobi opener, but it didn’t last long (https://garagespot.com/ryobi-modular-garage-door-opener/). I’d buy a Dewalt version of that in a heartbeat to not have to worry about opening the garage door when I lose power.
Heck, I wish Dewalt would make a kids jeep like Kobalt did (that was another Toolguyd find, thank you Stuart for finding it on sale so my 2 year old son got the best Christmas gift ever that year!!).
Stuart
The portable power station is okay as a charger, albeit large and slow.
Big Richard
I actually use mine more as a charger than a power station. It is large and cumbersome as a charger for sure, but mine lives on a shelf with 4 12Ah batteries I use almost exclusively for OPE. So the slow charge rate isn’t an issue. And I’m still a proponent of lower charge rates whenever possible, so I actually prefer it if anything.
Stuart
Good point.
I usually don’t mind slower chargers for certain things, but the size is hard for me to accommodate. I keep chargers in different locations, and typically pull them out when needed, and the power station is simply gargantuan, even compared to the 4-port charger.
neandrewthal
Our jobsite usually has a dozen batteries and one dual bay rapid charger. Dead batteries to the left, charged to the right. Typically any time someone goes to get a fresh battery, they’ll change out any one that’s green or blinking green and this keeps us going without interruption. This 6 pack would simplify things though, especially for charging overnight.
Franck B.
I think that’s a common way of doing things, although we usually have more than two bays for each brand (generally Dewalt and Makita always) and the chargers are sitting on top of the spider.
Colin+W
Going to miss the pass through outlet feature of the old 6 pack.
King+duck
Not in the market for a pack out one but I do like my sequential charger great to put a few on at lunch or end of the day and come back to all charged batteries
Bjorn Madsen
If this had a 12v cigarette adapter and USB c i would be in.