Customer Reviews for Milwaukee M18 FUEL 10 in. 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Electric Cordless Pole Saw Kit with Attachment Capability and 8.0 Ah Battery

Worked fine in the beginning. I could cut some nice pieces of wood down, used it on the crate myrtles, even trimmed a few branches here and there. Then I realized I ran out of bar oil, no problem I’ll fill it back up. An hour later I noticed I had oil on my clothes and hands because this saw just drips bar oil from the bottom. I had many issues as well readjusting the chain as it would easily come off. I love Milwaukee and the idea of a battery chainsaw but I would not recommend this product.

Best polesaw I’ve ever used. The power made it cutting easy. I’ve just started getting into Milwaukee tools, & I see why professionals use them.

Convenient to used, a full charge was able to trim my yard that is .31 acreage twice

excellent cutting for battery operated polesaw..just need to really have the extension pole would have been great if it had a slide extension.. but works fantastic for light homeowner use..

highly recommended product

The convenience is worth the weight – for small jobs. Milwaukee makes great tools and this hedge trimmer (Model 3001-20) is no exception. It weighs 9.4 lb with 4.0 Ah battery and is heavily unbalanced to the battery side so it's hard on the arms and wrists. By comparison my 22” electric trimmer, weighs 6.6 lbs without the cord and is slightly heavy on the blade side. The blade shield is really tough to remove/install; the instructions say that's by design but it's overkill to me. The shorter blade is fine in most circumstances, but for my wider shrubs it means more back effort to reach the leaves. Again, this is not an issue for smaller jobs. The thumb safety is well positioned for use in either the right or left hand and the motor shuts of instantly when the trigger is released. It cut 1/2” shrubbery with a fairly clean cut but really struggled on anything thicker, especially if the stalk was free to vibrate. Run time was not an issue, at least with a 4 Ah battery; I had no problem trimming about 60 feet of wide shrubs and still had nearly ¾ charge remaining. The base has a well-placed keyhole slot for hanging the trimmer on a wall – a small touch that is really appreciated. Overall this addition to the M18 family is a great one, and I'm thrilled to eliminate the hassle of the cord, which I have literally cut too many times to count.

Over the past 6 months, I purchased the weed whacker, leaf blower, hedge trimmer, 2 chainsaws, polesaw kit with (2) 12.0 & (2) 8.0 batteries and chargers. The weed whacker and leaf blowers draw so much power from the batteries, they are melting the contacts on the batteries. The amp draw on the weed whacker also over heats and shuts it down. Great for small jobs, but for the amount I paid, I want to be able to do more than just trim the edges of the driveway. $500 worth of batteries shot.

As laws are getting stricter about two cycle engines I have been looking into more electric tools I can use for work. I regularly use a professional name brand hedge trimmer at work and for branches up to half an inch this compares favorably. The specs say it is good up to 3/4 of an inch but I found it struggled past half an inch. I did really like the nose guard to prevent the blades from contacting hardscape while working quickly and the blades stayed sharp after cutting long enough to wear out two 8 amp hour batteries. This wont replace my big gas powered hedger for the really big stuff but for most work this has earned a spot on my truck.

We are absolutely blown away by this hedge trimmer! We went through other battery hedge trimmers, but they were not as powerful or easy to maneuver. Me and my wife can both easily use this as it is rather straightforward to operate and light to carry and use (7lb). I paired it with an 8.0ah battery and after about half an hour of use it was still 4 bars. My previous hedge trimmer was 22 inches long and I did find it awkward to use on smaller shrubs when rounding them up, but this one is 18 inches long and what a difference! It is much easier to use on smaller shrubs with more accuracy and while it is still as powerful on taller hedges. It cuts half inch branches flawlessly. It is much more convenient to use compared to plugged or gas operated ones. There is no need to carry around an extension cord, tolerate the loud noise or breathe in the gas fumes of gas ones. It isn’t noisy and I didn’t need to use ear protection. The trimmer has a safety switch in addition to the trigger and fits nicely in hand with a good handle grip. It has a blade guard that fits strong and doesn’t rattle. I feel confident enough to hang it on the garage wall while kids are playing around. I had dreaded doing these trimmings around the house with my previous setup, but I am much more likely to use this one as it took me half the time and effort compared to before. I am hoping to use this trimmer for many years to come.

I am quite impressed by the m18 fuel cordless hedge trimmer. Light on the hands, easy to maneuver and shape plant life as needed. I took the opportunity to trim and shape around the property before the massive growth occurs and I get overwhelmed. The blades cut through the branches with ease, as if they were made of butter. I love that the unit is cordless and the threat of cutting the extension cord was eliminated and I was not sniffing exhaust unnecessarily. The grips on the tools are quite comfortable. I really love the feature on the underbelly of the tool so you can hang it up on a wall with just a screw or nail. The battery lasted a great while, long well enough for me to get the job done and properly. Big take away that I love with Milwaukee is the massive power, professional-grade quality and is that my batteries are all compatible across multiple tools. I highly recommend this tool as part of your arsenal, either for business or personal use.

I have big bushes that sproutted naturally next to my mile long driveway. They grow really fast and if you don't keep them trimmed they just take over. This hedge trimmer is a really heavy duty beast. I originally trimmed these bushes with a corded trimmer using a generator in my truck. This Milwaukee trimmer is even more powerful than the corded one. It is a bit heavy but my wife was able to use it as long as she didn't try to trim above her shoulders. I already have seven Milwaukee M18 Fuel batteries so it was a great deal that Milwaukee offered the trimmer as a tool only buy. If you don't mind the weight and have a lot of bushes to work on this is for you.

Best hedge trimmer I ever had. Powerful! Over the past decade I have used a couple hedge trimmers; one corded, one battery powered, by other manufacturers. They did a fair job, but when the going got tough, they just wouldn’t cut through the thicker branches on shrubs and other growth. The blades would just ‘chatter’ and you had to make them finally chew through. Not so, with the new Milwaukee trimmer! This trimmer is a beast! When the winter finally killed back some large annual plants I used the new Milwaukee trimmer, and it ate through all the limbs and branches, like butter. It never slowed down. When using outdoor Milwaukee tools, I generally use a 6.0Ah battery for power and longevity, and it did an excellent job! The first time you look at it, you think that it is build like a chainsaw! It has huge cutters, and even a plastic cover to protect the blades. There’s no doubt, this will be the last hedge trimmer I buy!

For those interested in country of origin, this product was manufactured in MEXICO. Needed a trimmer to cut back shrubs growing in rocky sections of property. Tried gas trimmers but they were too bulky. Used an electric corded trimmer but how much extension cord can you have. This battery powered unit was a great time and effort saver. Already had a battery from a previous purchase. Charged it up and was able to get almost 2 hours of selective trimming without any cumbersome lines or gas refills. Cut limbs up to 3/4 inch quite easily.

This new Milwaukee hedge trimmer (Model 3001-20) comes with no charger or battery in this configuration. The tool is compatible with any M18 battery. I’m a homeowner / DIY’er, not a pro gardener, so this review comes from that standpoint. We have a small suburban lot with rose bushes running around the back yard perimeter as well as a few other bushy plants. The problem I needed to solve – the rose bushes invariably send branches out into the yard, getting in the way of using the lawnmower. While pruning shears are fine for trimming individual branches they get tiresome when trying to cut back an entire fence row. I did check with a couple of trusted rose growers, and they said that using a good hedge trimmer would have no more negative effect than pruning shears. So – I got the Milwaukee 3001-20. I already have a selection of M18 batteries. I’m using the tool with an 8a/h M18 battery, which gives a nice balance when using the hedge trimmer. The trimmer (without batteries) comes in around 8 pounds; I find it’s good to have a larger battery to balance out the blade and the 8a/h battery should give me pretty good run time. The Milwaukee can cut up to a ¾” branch according to the specs, but our bushes aren’t quite that wild (at least the bits that overhang my mowing path). Fit and finish of the trimmer is excellent, and balances nicely with the 8a/h battery. I’m a senior citizen (plus some) and it’s a pleasure just to guide the tool rather than having to manual open and close our old pruning shears. There’s a safety switch which must be depressed when using the separate trigger switch (once the machine is going you can release the safety switch) and a large hand guard (see photo) keeping your leading hand away from the blade. You’ll want, of course, hand, eye, and hearing protective gear. The Milwaukee is pretty quiet in use, but ear plugs (for me) are a necessity when using power tools. YMMV. Cuts are clean and fast – at no time have I stalled the trimmer; it simply cuts where I point it. The trick is to let the tool do the work, not to try to force it. If you’ve not used a hedge trimmer before you’ll find instructions in the box. No assembly is required, just plug in a charged battery and you’re good to go. I haven't had to use more than 1/2 the charge on the 8a/h battery yet but, of course, that depends on how much you have to trim at any one time. There’s a nice blade guard included (a very snug fit, not much chance of it coming loose unintentionally) for storage but no tool case of any kind. I would have liked to see a hard case come with the tool to make transporting in my 4x4 a bit easier; such a case may be available from Milwaukee in a different kit other than this “tool only” configuration. Overall, the Milwaukee works as advertised and solves a real problem for me. The downside is that my wife finds it a bit too heavy so she’s leaving the bulk trimming of the roses to me from here on out. That’s her story and she seems to be sticking to it. HTH Regards, Jim

This is a well made brushless tool, feels good in the hands and well balanced with a 5 Ah battery. The switch has a safety which is easily activated with the thumb. It’s cutting blades are 18 inches long, and capable of cutting limbs about 3/4 inch in diameter. I trimmed a bush and found it to be an easy task. The 18 inch blade is shorter than my Stihl trimmer, but still useful for smaller hedges. I spray my blades with silicone spray to reduce resin buildup. The trimmer is made in Mexico, highly recommended.

I was very pleased with the cutting capability of the pole saw. The saw is very well designed to allow cutting even fairly large branches easily. Battery life was much better than expected. Very happy with this purchase.

The power head has great power and runs a long time. I love that I can switch between pole saw and string trimmer.

If you only want to buy one chainsaw instead of three, then this’ll do just fine. Just get at least 6 batteries and rotate. A larger saw would’ve been great. However, it took this 80” diameter stump out in two days with the batteries recharging overnight.

There has to be some sort of design flaw with this pole saw--I've had to return it 3 times to Milwaukee for replacement due to the same issue--chain oil leaking. It leaks until the reservoir is empty. Unit 1 leaked and was replaced under warranty. Unit 2 leaked oil all over my other tools that were stored below it on the rack but its now been replaced. So now I'm on my 3rd unit and of course all the oil has leaked from the reservoir but this time it's in double wrapped plastic bags that i rubber band around the actual saw. Can't fool me a 3rd time Milwaukee! So now i have bags full of chain oil that i recycle back into the reservoir whenever i need to cut something--far from efficient. Luckily Milwaukee is really good with their warranty but it's still an inconvenience to have to send the unit back repeatedly. I can't believe nobody else has noted this oil leak issue in their reviews. My other Milwaukee tools are solid but this one is a disaster. 2 stars because of Milwaukee's warranty otherwise a 1 star product. We'll see what happens when they send the 4th unit.

JUST WISH IT SHIPPED WITH SMALL BOTTLE OF CHAIN OIL AND HEDGE TRIMMER LIGHT WEIGHT OIL. The pictures say it all. What is used to look like. To what it looks like after my new Milwaukee edger got a hold of it. Still have not tried the string trimmer, pole saw or the hedge trimmers. Do to, now having too go back to the store to buy some. I ordered this set online. Not thinking about needing oils. Being most items in the past have come with a starter bottle. I did purchase the blower separately and that was Nice and Light. I did also purchase a hight output 3.0 ahu extra battery as a back up. And to use with the pole saw.

Milwaukee does it again, perfect, no gas, not loud, and plenty of power! Replaced my 20 year old gas trimmer, this was the way to go!

The trimmer exceeded expectations. Was very hesitant in buying it due to the price, but after biting the bullet and getting it, I will never go back to a gas powered trimmer ever again. No hassle, string loads easy breezy, quiet, battery life so far barely uses 1/4 of life on my whole yard that requires a good bit of trimming and edging. broke down and decided to get the edger and hedge trimmer attachments. If they work anything like the string trimmer, my yard will be the easiest its ever been. Now I just need Milwaukee to come out with an electric ride on lawn mower!

In turtle mode it works really well, saves the battery and is strong enough to cut normal trimming. In Rabbit mode it is more powerful than my high end gas trimmers. I have gotten rid of my gas trimmer because this one is so much better. One battery will last for my entire house and the second battery will cover everything else.

Outperformed my gas chainsaw and there's no carb to deal with worth every penny.

Lightweight, powerful, fast and easy to use. I have arthritis in my shoulder so pull start saws are painful. Pulling the trigger is so simple. I also have a corded electric but cordless makes field work so much easier. Have yet to run down the battery.

Couldnt wait to use this chainsaw, once it arrived i put my 8.0 ah battery in and went to work. I immediately noticed the chain was getting loose within a few seconds of cutting. So i kept needing to stop and tighten it, and then i notice the bolt to tighten the chain itself is getting bent after the first time tightening it! Unreal, why would a soft metal be used for such a crucial part

Been holding off making this purchase for over a year. Finally bit the bullet and bought it. Blown away. Handles all the trimming around the yard and enough juice left over to edge around the driveway and street frontage. Even more impressed with the line that comes with the tool. Holds up great.

i bought this to do small things around my 42 acre property. today I had to cut a dead oak down and my Stihl was acting up, so I used the Milwaukee saw. wow it did better than my ms361 Stihl. hopefully one day they will make one with more power to use a bigger bar. I highly recommend this product. after I dropped the tree, I limbed it. I love this thing.

1st and most importantly is the thermal shutdown feature. I will get about 10 to 12 minutes of moderate to lite use on the low power setting before it shuts down and needs at least 30 minutes to cool down for another 12 minute run. This is taking down some high grass about 18 inches using a 12ah fully charged battery. While the unit does its job well, especially on trimming very small areas (around trees and flower pots) the run time limitations on are quite disappointing. 2nd is the rather strong vibration that the unit produces while running free under no load which only increases under load. It is the same or perhaps even a bit more pronounced than a gas trimmer. Granted the noise is much less than its gas counterparts, but my hands are going numb from the intense vibration produced after just 5 minutes. 3rd is the trimmer head angle. It should be a bit more acute. Especially if you are on any type of slope. It seems the head is almost at the right angle but not quite, requiring you to hold the unit at an uncomfortable difficult angle to achieve the desired trimming effect. 4th is the way it chews through battery's. Granted I can recharge them more often than you would expect because I am hanging out waiting for a half hour for the motor to cool down. After about 8 minutes of use on the low setting a 12ah battery is down to 2 bars. Switch it to the high setting under a lite to moderate load you will get about 5 minutes of use before either thermal shutdown or battery exhaustion. A 9ah battery fares even less well. This doesn't seem very heavy duty to me. 5th is the safety lock on the throttle. Its awkward and rather uncomfortable digging into the webbing between thumb and index finger while the motor vibrates like an out of balance washing machine. I'm wondering if something a bit more ergonomic couldn't have been designed? 6th is weight to power. I don't know if it is a close class comparison but my gas trimmer is a Husqvarna 525L which comes in at 9.7 lbs to the Milwaukee's 9.85 lbs. After battery and charger both come in right at the $300.00 mark. But Lordy that Husqvarna is a workhorse beast. Like I said I am not sure if its an equitable class comparison but they are similar in weight and cost. NOT power and certainly not runtime. I have not in my limited use experienced any issues with the bump feed head so many other reviews mention, and this seemed to work flawlessly on my unit. I really do enjoy the fact that it has an extension to give me a bit more reach as well. It has made a steep section of my property line much more manageable. If only it didn't take me 8 hours to cut what I can do with a gas trimmer in one hour. I am open to hearing from Milwaukee on any of these issues, especially the thermal shutdown problem. Most likely I will be returning this unit. It just doesn't meet expectations.

This last windstorm dropped a tree down right across my long driveway. I was cut off from getting my truck out to go to get a chainsaw. I've never owned a chainsaw. Fortunately, my wife was out running errands and was able to swing by Home Depot where I had placed an order online and had the tool waiting for pick up at customer service. With this beast, I was able to cut the tree into several manageable pieces in a matter of a few minutes. One of the best parts is it's very quiet compared to gasoline-powered chainsaws. For my needs, this is the perfect tool. It can hang in my shop until needed and I don't have to worry about premixed gasoline or fouled carburetors. I used a 12A/hr M18 battery and had this 20' tree cut up (only used 1 bar of battery). Amazing tool to have at the ready. Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iHhyuP_CWA