Last week RYOBI announced a new battery coming this summer, the RYOBI ONE+ 18V Lithium High Performance EDGE. While RYOBI announced limited information about this new battery, it potentially rivals the Milwaukee FORGE battery. These batteries supposedly have a similar battery technology that improves power, runtime, heat management, and overall lifespan. But which battery is better?
Today we are going RYOBI EDGE vs Milwaukee FORGE to find out which power tool battery is better, and if either of these batteries are worth upgrading your battery platform.
RYOBI VS Milwaukee
RYOBI EDGE Battery Coming Soon
First, I’d like to mention that RYOBI has provided limited details about its new RYOBI ONE+ 18V HP EDGE batteries. The RYOBI EDGE teaser video was immediately hit with comments calling it “uninformative”. Between the video, the webpage, and newsletter announcements, RYOBI has only publicly stated this battery will deliver “more, more, and MORE!”
But HOW are RYOBI EDGE batteries better than previous generations?
Tabless Lithium
RYOBI reported the new EDGE battery will utilize tabless lithium battery cells. While that’s all RYOBI has publicly said about the coming battery platform, info is circulating that each battery will have 21,700 tabless lithium cells.
But what is tabless lithium?
Tabless lithium is a new battery technology that offers better performance with simultaneous better cooling. It’s known for powering the new 2022 Tesla models, but power tool brands are racing to apply it to their own battery technology.
The Milwaukee MX FUEL REDLITHIUM FORGE battery is the first power tool battery to apply tabless lithium technology. The result? Improved run time, better cooling, and shorter charge times, all of which should hopefully result in longer battery lifespan.
RYOBI EDGE VS Milwaukee FORGE
Without more info about the upcoming RYOBI EDGE battery we can’t say for sure which battery is better, but we can make some assumptions.
What We Know
- RYOBI and Milwaukee are both owned by Techtronic Industries (TTI).
- RYOBI tools are generally cheaper and geared towards homeowners and DIY’ers.
- RYOBI EDGE appears to be an all-tabless lithium battery line.
- Milwaukee FORGE uses multiple battery technologies.
- Milwaukee tools are generally more expensive and geared toward skilled trade professionals.
These facts leave me confident about a few things:
Shared Features
TTI designed Milwaukee FORGE batteries to fit existing M18 batteries. I bet TTI also designed RYOBI EDGE batteries to fit existing RYOBI ONE+ power tools. We need to wait to confirm this, but I think TTI sees the advantage of not forcing potential and/or existing customers to upgrade all of their power tools for a battery.
The fact that both brands have a new tabless lithium battery that is compatible with existing 18V power tools is great, but also pretty much where the similarities between these two batteries end.
Advantages of RYOBI EDGE
- RYOBI EDGE should be cheaper than Milwaukee FORGE.
- RYOBI EDGE can set a new baseline of battery power for everyday consumers.
The RYOBI EDGE battery will cost less than tabless lithium Milwaukee FORGE batteries.
RYOBI products are generally cheaper than Milwaukee products. RYOBI is designed for the everyday homeowner and DIY’er. RYOBI makes good products. But their power tools are designed for much smaller projects than Milwaukee power tools, which need to stand up to repeated heavy use.
The RYOBI EDGE battery will also cost less than the tabless lithium Milwaukee FORGE battery because it’s a smaller battery. The RYOBI EDGE battery is a 4.0Ah tabless lithium battery and the Milwaukee FORGE is available as an 8.0Ah or 12.0Ah tabless lithium battery. The Milwaukee FORGE battery is just a much bigger battery. However, a lot of home projects don’t need that much power.
The advantage of RYOBI making a 4.0Ah battery is that they can cut the cost for consumers without sacrificing the construction or quality.
RYOBI is also doing everyday consumers a favor. Tabless lithium is clearly an exciting technology, but the pros don’t get all the power. RYOBI created a battery that is accessible for most people.
“Do I need a RYOBI EDGE battery?
Some RYOBI customers are asking if they will want to upgrade their existing RYOBI battery to a new RYOBI EDGE battery.
Our answer: Yes–IF you use a lot of high-draw power tools (chain saws, circular saws, string trimmers, etc.).
Also, only upgrade your battery if you want more power. If you’re satisfied by the power and performance of your current RYOBI power tools, then wait until your current battery performance starts to diminish or a tool purchase demands the upgrade.
Advantages of Milwaukee FORGE
- Consumers know all the specs and features of the new Milwaukee FORGE tabless lithium batteries.
- Milwaukee FORGE tabless lithium batteries bring pros a whole new level of power.
- The Milwaukee FORGE battery line is not limited to one battery technology.
Right now, the biggest advantage of the Milwaukee MX FUEL REDLITHIUM FORGE batteries is that they are available now and we have all the facts.
New Milwaukee FORGE Battery Features
- Have twice as much runtime than popular MX FUEL REDLITHIUM 6.0Ah batteries
- Can fully recharge in as little as 65 minutes
- Have multiple COOL-CYCLE features for heat management
- Reportedly has the longest overall life of Milwaukee batteries
- Compatible with existing M18 power tools
Consumers can get this Milwaukee FORGE battery today and know exactly what’s promised. You can’t say the same about RYOBI EDGE.
The next biggest advantage is power. The Milwaukee FORGE tabless lithium battery is available as an 8.0Ah or 12.0Ah battery. This battery is huge. These batteries have 2-3 times more amp hours than what we know RYOBI EDGE batteries have, which pros need on the jobsite.
Now, Milwaukee has a few different Milwaukee FORGE batteries. The Milwaukee MX FUEL REDLITHIUM FORGE 8.0Ah and 12.0Ah batteries are the first to use tabless lithium. The new smaller 6.0Ah batteries use pouch cell. In theory Milwaukee could transition to strictly tabless. We don’t know. But what this variety of battery technology says about the Milwaukee FORGE battery line is that Milwaukee won’t limit its batteries to a single technology. As new technology develops, so will Milwaukee batteries.
We can’t say for sure that RYOBI EDGE will be a solely tabless lithium line. But as of right now, that’s how RYOBI has positioned it.
“Do I need a Milwaukee FORGE battery?”
These new Milwaukee FORGE batteries cost $849-$1,149. Is the battery upgrade necessary for the skilled trade professional?
Our answer: Yes–IF you need more power for those high-draw power tools.
TTI: the ultimate winner
Look, it’s simple:
- If you are a homeowner or a weekend DIY’er, RYOBI EDGE is the clear winner.
- If you’re a skilled trade professional, then the new Milwaukee FORGE batteries are perfect to power your high-draw power tools day in and day out.
But the true winner here is TTI. TTI successfully developed a new battery for two different markets before any other brand.
The Milwaukee FORGE 8.0 & 12.0Ah batteries are already available at The Home Depot and RYOBI EDGE batteries will be out this summer. Technically, another DIY brand could sneak in and beat RYOBI to market, but we’re confident that the RYOBI EDGE battery will be available soon.
FAQ
Still curious about RYOBI EDGE and Milwaukee FORGE batteries? We provided the answers to your most popular questions.
Don’t see your question? ASK in the comments and we’ll answer.
Do RYOBI EDGE or Milwaukee FORGE batteries fit with existing power tools?
RYOBI has not said if the RYOBI EDGE batteries will be compatible with existing RYOBI tools. Milwaukee FORGE batteries DO fit with existing M18 power tools.
RYOBI and Milwaukee are both owned by TTI. So we suspect RYOBI will take the same approach and make the new EDGE battery compatible with existing RYOBI power tools. But we have to learn more before we can confirm that.
Check back for updates as we learn more about RYOBI EDGE.
When will the RYOBI EDGE batteries be released?
Sometime in summer 2024.
Where can I buy Milwaukee FORGE batteries?
Milwaukee FORGE batteries are currently available for purchase at The Home Depot.
Are all Milwaukee FORGE batteries tabless lithium?
Milwaukee FORGE batteries use a variety of battery technology. The Milwaukee MX FUEL REDLITHIUM FORGE 12.0Ah battery is the only Milwaukee battery to use tabless lithium.
What other brands have tabless Lithium batteries?
Makita has a 40V tabless lithium battery (model #BL4040f), but none in their 18V battery line.
BOSCH announced a new 18V tabless lithium battery is on the way. As a pro brand, the BOSCH 18V tabless battery will likely compete with the Milwaukee FORGE batteries.
AI written article ?
No, we do not use AI. Kiaya wrote this. Turned out great.
We’ve been using Ryobi for all our DIY auto repairs. Folks seem to hate on us, but Milwaukee costs around 25-30% more. Milwaukee does have better spec’s on some of the same Ryobi tools, but for most folks Ryobi works great.