“These new battery packs have a whole new cell and we overhauled the electronics package. They can put out 50% more power than out 9.0 amp-hour pack today,” says Andrew Lentz, senior product manager with Milwaukee Tool. 

“That’s going to mean two things for your readers,” he told ENR. “One, it’s going to get that 15-amp corded experience on tools like the table saw, but it’s also going to elevate the entire performance of the M18 system. So if you take something like the Super Hawg or Hole Hawg and you’ll instantly see faster application speeds and full power through the entire usage.”

While the new High-Output M18 battery is technically compatible with the many existing tools on the M18 platform, some tools like Milwaukee's M18 cordless magnetic drill press will require aftermarket changes to fit the battery. According to Milwaukee, future M18 tools will be designed to accept the high-output batteries without modifications. 

The ever-expanding offerings on Milwaukee’s cordless platform are part of a larger strategy for changing the tool world, according to Milwaukee president Steve Richman. “We’ve talked a lot about disruption and how we continue to disrupt in each and every category,” he told gathered reporters at Milwaukee’s New Product Symposium in Milwaukee, Wis., on May 3. “We’ll continue to do that, since tools are no longer just drill drivers and fastening tools. Not only hammers and saws. The industry is widening, and is much different than it was.”