Professional Tool Reviews for Pros
When Milwaukee invited us up to get a sneak peek of “jobsite cleanup” solutions, we were curious what they would have behind the curtain. Our wildest guesses were dead wrong, and the reality of Milwaukee M18 Fuel cordless wet dry vacuums is far better.
There are three preconfigured Milwaukee cordless vacuums on the way with two powerheads. One runs on a single M18 battery and comes on a 6-gallon canister.
The other powerhead uses two M18 batteries in series to run at 36V with the advantage that they’re 100% compatible with the M18 lineup. That powerhead comes on 9- and 12-gallon canisters.
The vacuums were designed around M18 High Output batteries, so be sure you use those to get the best performance. You can certainly use other M18 packs if you want, but you’ll get a bit of a drop in suction.
If you’d like to stick with AC power, A separate corded until is also coming soon.
One unique feature of the Milwaukee M18 Fuel wet dry vacuum system is its interchangeability. Every head fits every canister, you can use whichever hose size you like, and the carts are all cross-compatible. It’s a really big deal. These are pieces you can configure:
Here are just a few advantages of the modular design:
Two major pain points on many shop vacuums come from hose and wheel failures. Milwaukee targeted both.
The anti-static hose is more flexible than most and resists kinking better. Even if it does kink, it comes back to its original shape far better than others.
It’s also more durable. In a torture test where Milwaukee’s hose and two other standard hoses were twisted over and over again, the standard ones broke pretty early on while Milwaukee’s never did. We’re certain it would eventually and the hose wasn’t usable at the end of the test, but it did show us how much more durable the materials and construction are.
The wheels get a big upgrade as well. The standard cart has four 360° locking casters that are larger and more robust than typical shop vac wheels. They also have a rubberized tread that helps them deal with vibration much better. The premium cart has two front casters and two larger rear wheels.
In another durability test, a competing vac’s first wheel broke after a little more than 8 miles of bumpy travel. Milwaukee’s was still going strong after more than 50 miles.
To store the hose, there’s a combination of a C-clip on the side and a bungee-type cord on the rear. You can wrap the hose in either direction, but you need it to come around to the bungee twice to get it to hold. The flat-to-flat interface needs the tension from a second wrap around to hold properly and just one section of the hose isn’t enough on its own.
Accessories primarily store on the cart. While some vacs have storage points on each wheel, Milwaukee gives them all room on the rear of the cart. Both 1 7/8-inch and 2 1/2-inch accessories fit on both cart styles.
Some filters cause you to pop them for removal and cause a cloud of dust to escape into the area you just cleaned. Milwaukee only needs a slight twist to release, containing the dust far better and making it an easy one-hand operation.
If you’re looking to compare these vacuums to corded equivalents, the power output isn’t a great indicator. In one test with the 9-gallon vacs, the corded competitor was pulling 1100 watts while Milwaukee’s pulled just 450… with higher suction (74 CFM vs 101 CFM). Still, context is helpful and you can expect performance that exceeds 3.5 peak HP vacs from the single battery unit and 4.25 peak HP from the two-battery ones.
The reason Milwaukee needs fewer watts to pull better suction is the optimization of a brushless motor combined with a fan and shroud design that’s far more efficient. The vacuums also happen to operate far quieter than the corded units we normally use.
Here’s what you can expect each vacuum to produce in terms of suction. Note the 9- and 12-gallon models have the same head unit. The higher numbers on the 12-gallon are due to its larger hose diameter.
Each cordless vacuum has two settings—one that prioritizes performance for better suction and one that prioritizes runtime. Here’s the breakdown of the continuous runtime to expect using 12.0Ah High Output batteries:
The 6-gallon vacuum arrives at Milwaukee retailers in mid-March with the 9- and 12-gallon models following in May of 2022. Here’s what they’ll cost:
To put it succinctly, we’re impressed. Milwaukee’s wet dry vacuum performance is fantastic, the build is clearly more durable than other designs, and we absolutely love the modular aspect. If you’re tired of treating your vac like a consumable you replace after every job, Milwaukee M18 Fuel Cordless wet dry vacuums are a big upgrade.
Learn more about Milwaukee vacuums here.
On the clock, Kenny dives deep to discover the practical limits and comparative differences for all kinds of tools. Off the clock, his faith and love for his family are his top priorities, and you'll typically find him in the kitchen, on his bike (he's an Ironman), or taking folks out for a day of fishing on Tampa Bay.
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Professional Tool Reviews for Pros