In what I can only describe as super-aggressive, fantastic, and “how can they do this?!” pricing, there’s a new Milwaukee tool promo at Home Depot, where you buy an M18 9.0Ah High Demand starter package and get a free M18 Fuel saw.
Yes, the freebies are Milwaukee’s premium M18 Fuel brushless saws. There’s a circular saw bundle, and a Sawzall reciprocating saw bundle. Sorry, it’s not the newest One-Key version.
These are the 2 promo bundles this discussion is all about:
- Milwaukee M18 High Demand Starter + M18 Fuel Circular Saw Bundle
- Milwaukee M18 High Demand + M18 Fuel Sawzall Bundle
First things first, let’s look at what you get that makes this such an appealing deal.
Milwaukee 9.0Ah Starter Package
This starter set includes the new Milwaukee M18 9.0Ah High Demand battery pack, and a rapid charger that’s said to get your batteries up and running 40% faster.
With the High Demand battery being so much higher in capacity than even the largest M18 XC battery pack (5.0Ah right now), faster charging is a welcome convenience.
This starter set retails for $250.
Buy Now(9Ah Starter Kit via HD)
$250? Yes, that’s steep, but consider that the 9.0Ah High Demand battery is $199 by itself.
A lot of tech went into the new M18 9.0Ah High Demand battery pack. It’s not simply larger, it’s also designed to run cooler.
Since todays’ highest capacity cells have lower on-paper ratings than smaller capacity cells, Milwaukee went to considerable lengths to design this battery pack with high cooling performance.
They say that, under demanding applications, this 9.0Ah battery can deliver 2X the runtime compared to a 5.0Ah XC battery pack.
Buy Now(9Ah Battery via HD)
Milwaukee M18 Fuel Brushless 7-1/4″ Circular Saw
Milwaukee’s M18 Fuel brushless circular saw, 7231, is a great tool. It’s one of few full-size cordless saws, and one of few cordless saws that can provide as close to corded-like cutting performance as possible.
It’s got a magnesium shoe, as well as magnesium upper and lower blade guards, 2-1/2″ cutting capacity, and decent runtime.
By itself, the bare tool is $229.
Buy Now(Bare Saw via HD)
The lowest price kit, 2731-21, comes with a 5.0Ah battery pack and standard charger, for $304.
Buy Now(Regular M18 Fuel Saw Kit via HD)
Milwaukee M18 Fuel Brushless Sawzall
The M18 Fuel Sawzall, 2720, is a heavy duty reciprocating saw, and one that has earned a solid reputation.
Just the saw itself will set you back $179.
Buy Now(Bare Saw via HD)
As with the circular saw, there’s a single-battery kit option, 2720-21. This kit comes with a single 4.0Ah battery pack, and a standard charger. It’s priced at $269.
Buy Now(Regular Sawzall Kit via HD)
HOT Deal Bundle Packs
The promo M18 Fuel circular saw and 9.0Ah High Demand starter bundle is priced at $249.
Buy Now(Special Circular Saw High Demand Bundle)
The special Milwaukee M18 Fuel Sawzall reciprocating saw and High Demand starter set bundle is also priced at $249.
Buy Now(Special Sawzall High Demand Bundle)
Hot or Not?
If you ask me, I think that the High Demand starter set is a bit high priced – too high priced to consider actually buying. Me? I’d go straight to a High Demand tool kit, such as for the new M18 cordless miter saw. That way, the cost of the battery pack and Rapid Charger are subsidized a little bit as part of the bundle.
That’s usually the case for tool kits – a kit is usually appreciably less expensive than if you were to buy everything separately.
The M18 9.0Ah High Demand battery pack is a great way to significantly boost the runtime of a heavy-use M18 cordless power tool or accessory, and can also provide a performance boost. But $199 is a lot of money, and $249 is a lot to spend on a battery and charger.
But throw in a cordless circular saw or reciprocating saw, let alone a premium M18 Fuel brushless saw, and that changes everything.
If you’ve been thinking about buying either of these saws, these promo kits are a great way to go, costing less than even the standard single-battery kits. Plus, you get the Rapid Charger too.
If you’ve been interested in the high capacity 9.0Ah battery pack, you get a bonus tool that sweetens the deal.
I hope you can now see why I’m calling this a super-aggressive, fantastic, and “how can they do this?!” promo offer. I’m struggling to see a downside.
Milwaukee and Home Depot regularly offer free M12 and M18 bonus tool deals, but they rarely include brushless Fuel tools.
Buy Now(Special Circular Saw High Demand Bundle)
Buy Now(Special Sawzall High Demand Bundle)
I find these deals to be very hard to resist, especially the circular saw. Your thoughts?