NEED IT? MAYBE! Milwaukee SUPERCharger REVIEW vs. RAPID Charger on M18™ HD12 & XC3.0

This is a quick review of the Milwaukee
supercharger for m18 and m12 batteries. Now, I don't usually review things as
mundane as chargers, but time saved is… and in this age of convenient and
powerful, battery-operated tools, fast charging, and a small arsenal battery
packs, allow us to stay productive and not have to reach for our corded tools
when battery packs are low on charge. So to all the milwaukee tool fans out there
like me I figured this review would be helpful.
The Milwaukee supercharger is optimized for high output batteries and will
considerably reduce charging time for batteries like the m18 XC6, M18 XC 8,
and M 18 HD 12, which I use with my Milwaukee SDS max rotary hammer.

Now I didn't
realize it was optimized for high output batteries. Sometimes I read too fast, so
at first glance, when I read, "Charges up to four times faster," I was thinking I
could charge all my m18 XC lithium-ion batteries in less time; however, that's
not entirely true in my case. For batteries like the M18 HD9, m18
XC5, and M18 XC3, which I use with my grinder, M18 CP2 and M12 batteries, the
supercharger is equally as fast as a rapid charger, which I already have. Of
course if you don't have a rapid charger for the batteries I just mentioned, the
supercharger will be an upgrade and time saver for both high output and regular
batteries. If I didn't have any high output batteries in my arsenal though I
could have just stuck with the more budget-friendly rapid charger. Faster
charging time aside, there are a few other things I find helpful as well.
For example, similar to a rapid charger, the supercharger will begin to flash
slow green to indicate the pack is 80% charged.

That way I can get back to work
quicker if I'm pressed for time. Also the charger is wall mountable, so I
can slip it on and off my charging wall of fame. There's nothing worse than a
bench full of chargers when you've got a "to do" list that reads like a novel.
There are also a few things I'm not crazy about. Similar to the rapid charger
and regular charger, the super charger won't charge an m18 and m12 at the same
time. It sequentially charges the first pack inserted and the second once the
first is completed.

Also, the size and weight is a bit cumbersome. Now I get
that size and weight are likely a function of the technology, but when I
take this off of the charging wall of fame, there's no room in the tool bag for
this much charger. …but I'll take faster charge times at the expense of tool bag
real estate any day. The supercharger is supposed to charge an M 18 HD12 amp
hour battery in roughly half the time it takes in a rapid charger, and four times
faster than a regular charger, but in my testing, and I only compared the
supercharger to the rapid charger, the supercharger charged an M 18 HD12 in 60
minutes versus the rapid chargers 100 minutes. Uh…math! That's still good though. And
in a race of the supercharger versus the rapid charger on my M18 XC3 and M18 5
amp hour batteries, the supercharger was faster by roughly 6 minutes.
Of course I'm sure Milwaukee's run more tests than I have to support their
claims.

Also the number of times the battery has cycled impacts charging time so
keep that in mind. Just a few more things to note. This thing is rated at six amps.
That's like a shop vac. Actually no. A shop vac is more like 9 amps. Anyway, the first time I
plugged this into a 15 amp circuit I think the lights flickered. Also it's not
a silent charger so expect to hear the soothing sound of something similar to a
small space heater. Say that a couple times fast. <<no>> With regard to the warranty, the supercharger comes with a five year
warranty and I'd like to say, "Thanks!" to Milwaukee for another tool that keeps us
productive. If this video has been helpful please do me a favor and like it,
and most importantly please subscribe.

That always helps me out! Thanks so much
for watching!.

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