Milwaukee High Demand 9Ah Battery

Remember about 15 years ago when you only had two battery options?  Then all of a sudden Milwaukee came out with their V28 which was based on a Lithium-Ion cell.  Since the introduction of Lithium batteries, it seems like the technology has moved forward and what a battery is capable of performing has increased.

While batteries have made our work life easier they still have their limitations.  There are certain applications where you are better off using a cord when performing certain tasks for extended periods of time.

Take using a miter saw for instance. Sure there are cordless miter saws that will make 500 cuts on one battery but when you really look at the work load, it’s nothing to brag about. How long would a cordless miter saw last if you’re cutting 4″ x 6″ all day long?  I bet you would run through a ton of 5 Ah batteries.

Every manufacturer is trying to increase their battery performance and increase their workload.  Bosch is going with a Core version which offers bigger cells in their batteries which means more energy and more work.  Dewalt is going with a FlexVolt option which is a 60V battery but only provides 2Ah while engaging this 60V platform, but it also doubles as a 20V providing 6Ah.  Makita is taking a different route and using two batteries for their high demand tools.  Milwaukee has their 9Ah battery which is based off their 18V platform. All seems a little confusing, doesn’t it?

So which one is the right choice?  Well, that is up to you, but since Milwaukee sells a ton of power tools, I figure we would cover their battery as we have had some emails come in and ask us which battery to use for certain tools.

Before we jump into the Milwaukee battery you have to remember this battery isn’t for all your Milwaukee tools.  While you can run them on your tools, the question is should you? Does it really make sense to add another 2.5 lbs to your drill/driver?  Probably not.  The 5 Ah battery is lighter and provides enough power to last a solid work day.

Where the High Demand 9Ah battery makes sense is tools that require tons of power such as the Milwaukee Miter Saw, Milwaukee Vacuum, Milwaukee Hawg, Milwaukee Lights, Milwaukee Circular saw or the Milwaukee grinder.

Using these tools requires a ton of power and using the 9Ah battery will allow more work per charge.  Also, the extra 2.5 lbs are not going to kill your arms with these tools.

One thing to note is these batteries aren’t cheap.  You will pay about $150 per battery.  So the call is really up to you if the cost and extra work is worth it.  At The Home Depot, you can get a High Demand battery along with their rapid charger for about $200 which isn’t a bad deal to get into the battery platform.

Also look around because Milwaukee does offer the battery with certain tools for a steal of a deal.

Looking at the battery you can see it is similar to their other batteries where they have a single push button and use LED lights to let the user know how much power is left in the battery.

You will also notice the 9Ah battery is taller compared to their 5Ah battery so using this with tools to get into tight spots might make it hard with the larger battery.

As I said before, this battery is taller and the reason is the extra cells that go into the battery pack.  This is how Milwaukee is able to generate more power with a single battery.

In the end, it’s up to you and you must decide if the cost and weight are worth it to invest in the High Demand battery.  I can say that you will notice a big difference with certain tools that run the 9Ah battery.