REASONS TO BUY
Light
Powerful for 18v
Good battery life
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
No turbo setting
Takes a long time for full recharge
Milwaukee M18 Fuel Blower Kit 2724-21HD Review
Fans of Milwaukee's 18-volt tool line won't be disappointed with this blower, though there are better choices if you're not committed to the brand
Credit: Milwaukee Electric Tools
Price: $300 List
Manufacturer:
Milwaukee Electric Tools
By Austin Palmer and Matt Bento ⋅ Oct 26, 2021
RELATED: Best Cordless Leaf Blower
Our Verdict
Lightweight and nimble, the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Blower gives an impressive performance for a model that runs on an 18-volt battery. We observed satisfying 20+ minute runtimes with the included 8Ah battery and plenty of power to clear the deck or clean up grass clippings. If you're a Milwaukee 18-volt tool enthusiast, this blower will be a welcome addition to your collection and a welcome relief from sweeping or raking. Compared to higher voltage models, this model falls short in terms of pure power, so if you're not committed to a single brand for battery compatibility, we think you should also consider other, more powerful models.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Milwaukee M18 Fuel Blower Kit 2724-21HD | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  |  |  | ||
| Price | $300 List $170.00 at Amazon | $220 List $199.00 at Amazon | $329 List $279.00 at Amazon | $300 List $284.05 at Amazon | $160 List |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Light, powerful for 18v, good battery life | Powerful, relatively low operating volume, cruise control setting, efficient | Plenty of strength, quiet, interchangeable batteries with other handheld cordless Makita tools | Powerful, easy to hold | Much more affordable, exceptionally ergonomic |
| Cons | Expensive, no turbo setting, takes a long time for full recharge | Not the longest battery life | Expensive, so-so ergonomics and comfort | So-so battery life, takes a long time to recharge | Not the most powerful, very loud |
| Bottom Line | Fans of Milwaukee's 18-volt tool line won't be disappointed with this blower, though there are better choices if you're not committed to the brand | This model is the most powerful blower we tested, helping to complete yard work more efficiently than any other tool tested | This is a solid blower on its own merits and has interchangeable batteries with handheld Makita power tools | This is a powerful and well-balanced blower that will make short work of leaf-covered decks and driveways, but you'll want to have extra batteries on hand | Ideal for the budget-conscious shopper, this blower offers just enough power and battery life for the needs of most home-owners |
| Rating Categories | Milwaukee M18 Fuel... | Ego Power+ 615 CFM... | Makita 36V LXT Brus... | Oregon 40V Leaf Blo... | Ryobi 40V RY40460 |
| Power (50%) | |||||
| Battery (25%) | |||||
| Ergonomics (15%) | |||||
| Noise (10%) | |||||
| Specs | Milwaukee M18 Fuel... | Ego Power+ 615 CFM... | Makita 36V LXT Brus... | Oregon 40V Leaf Blo... | Ryobi 40V RY40460 |
| Blower Model Number | 2724-20 | LB6150 | XBU02PT1 | BL300 | RY40460 |
| Measured Weight w/ Battery | 7.2 lbs | 8.1 lbs | 9.2 lbs | 9.1 lbs | 9 lbs |
| Turbo Boost? | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Variable speed | Yes, button and trigger | Yes, trigger | Yes, dial | Yes, trigger | Yes, trigger |
| Included Battery Size | 8 Ah | 2.5 Ah | 5 Ah | 4 Ah | 4 Ah |
| Measured Charge Time | 1 hr 30 min | 45 min | 1 hr | 2 hr 23 min | 2 hrs 45 min |
| Measured Run Time on Turbo Boost | N/A | 10 min 58 sec | N/A | 10 min | 18 min 5 sec |
| Measured Run Time on Highest Standard Mode | 20 min 37 sec | 22 min 2 sec | 14 min 37 sec | 19 min 20 sec | 26 min |
| # of Batteries Included | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Nominal Voltage | 18V | 56V | 36V (2 x 18V) | 40V | 40V |
| Measured Operator Sound Level Highest Setting | 88 dBa | 88 dBa | 84 dBA | 92 dBa | 93.3 dBa |
| Operating Modes | Variable speed pulling trigger with a button for low and high | Variable speed pulling trigger with turbo button | Variable speeds with trigger and speed settings 1-6 | Variable speed pulling trigger with turbo button | Variable speed pulling trigger with turbo button |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
A joy to use, thanks to its familiar and intuitive controls, the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Blower makes quick work of dirt and leaves while taking full advantage of Milwaukee's 18-volt battery system. With a range of 18-volt batteries from 2AH to 12AH, you can purchase larger batteries for longer runtimes, or smaller batteries to keep the whole package nice and light. We went with the 8 amp hour battery to test this blower.
Performance Comparison
This blower will keep your deck free of pesky pine needles with the squeeze of the trigger and only a few minutes of your busy day.
Credit: Laura Casner
Power
Lower voltage batteries are typically lighter than higher voltage models, but they have shorter run times and less power. While the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Blower can't out blow its higher voltage competitors, it's impressive when compared to other models around the 20-volt range.
The Milwaukee blower kept our beach ball aloft at a consistent 4.5 feet. Pretty impressive for an 18v battery system.
Credit: Austin Palmer
On its highest setting, the Milwaukee M18 is able to hold a beach ball aloft at a respectable 4.5 feet above its nozzle. Higher voltage (and heavier) models are able to keep the ball up at 7 feet, while a 20-volt blower we tested from DeWalt maxed out at 3.5 feet.
This model gave an impressive performance in our sandblasting test.
Credit: Austin Palmer
Our sandblasting test is designed to measure the effective reach of a leaf blower, and this model is able to move sand across a paved surface from 16.5 feet away. This allows you to move a wide swath of material from one spot, making clearing leaves off your deck or out of your garage as easy as squeezing the trigger.
Battery
The 18 volt, 8 Ah battery included with the Milwaukee blower we purchased allows for excellent run times. We observed a solid 20 minutes and 37 seconds when running it on high, which is close to higher performing models with bigger batteries. We found that we had to wait an hour and a half for the battery to go from totally dead to fully charged and ready to go.
This blower is compatible with a battery system that includes over 200 tools.
Credit: Laura Casner
Ergonomics
This blower weighs in at 7.2 pounds, including the battery. Its low weight is a major selling point, and makes it ideal for small, quick jobs like clearing grass clippings off a walkway or cleaning up sawdust after a project. A lightweight, quiet electric blower like this one from Milwaukee is capable of clearing an entire yard full of leaves, but being able to whip it out for quick clean up jobs gives it a major advantage over a gas or corded model.
The classic turtle setting ensures you don't max out the power so you can get longer run times.
Credit: Laura Casner
The control features two familiar settings, indicated by the classic rabbit and turtle icons. When engaged, the variable speed trigger still functions to adjust the power, while cruise control prevents it from blasting at its max speed so you can conserve the battery life and achieve longer runtimes.
Noise
While much quieter than a gas blower, the Milwaukee M18 Fuel is actually one of the noisier blowers we tested. We measured 94 decibels from a next-to-ear distance, and 83 decibels from 50 feet away. This isn't terrible for overall noise levels, but we did observe a consistent high-pitched whine.
Value
If you're a proud owner of an arsenal of Milwaukee tools, this blower will be a welcome addition as it's compatible with all of Milwaukee's 18-volt handheld battery-operated tools. For folks looking for a steal and who aren't committed to a single battery system, there are several less expensive models out there that still offer great performance.
This is one of the louder cordless blowers we tested, and with any blower, we highly recommend ear protection and a face mask or a respirator to protect yourself from dust.
Credit: Laura Casner
Conclusion
For quick cleanups or bigger tasks like clearing the yard or deck, the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Blower delivers adequate performance, however, we recommend a more powerful model if caked-on dirt or big clumps of wet leaves are frequently encountered around your yard or job site.
—
Austin Palmer and Matt Bento
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