Customer Reviews for Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Battery 8 in. HATCHET Pruning Saw (Tool-Only)
- Pruning saw's compact design provide increased access & control
- A chain saw that delivers enough power to cut through hardwoods
- The M18 FUEL™ HATCHET is the fastest cutting pruning saw
Customer Reviews
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Aug 12, 2026
This Milwaukee hatchet burning, saw and easy to use. Ready to go right out of the box just had to add bar & chain oil.
It cut through everything effortlessly.
It works so well my sister-in-law used it to clean up all this brush in her house from storm damage.
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Jun 27, 2026
Awesome
Little saw with great power my new favorite saw to grab
I also have a dewalt 20” and stihl 16” also a dewalt pole saw but this is my favorite but be careful bc one handed use your other hand could be close to danger so use carefully 🙏 has enough power to kickback
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Jun 11, 2026
First time use brought it to my buddies beach house and we trimmed and cut down trees around his pool area. Very agile cuts great battery last a long time. The saw cut through 6 inch tree limbs like it was butter. I was very impressed., was a little bit hesitant on purchasing this particular chainsaw, but I have no regrets whatsoever
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May 29, 2026
Well-built and easy to use. Just slapped on the battery and added chain oil; and we were off to cut through large sections of a fallen tree. There was plenty of power to cut anything that fell under the 8-inch bar and no issues with battery capacity.
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May 28, 2026
A must have tool for around the farm
I absolutely love my m18 hatchet. It's super powerful and still lightweight. Easy to use and very handy.
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Customer review from milwaukeetool.comApr 29, 2026
This Milwaukee M18 Fuel 18v Lithium-lon Brushless Battery Hatchet is awesome. Not extremely heavy with the right balance, and the excellent power to cut through branches. Battery last for way longer than what I usually cut. Great addition to a extended saw to trim down the branches.
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Sep 20, 2025
Terrible saw.
Second use and the oil cap falls off and lost. Not only does it come off but the piece to keep it dangling doesn’t do its job.
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Response from Milwaukee ToolSep 23, 2025
We will reach out via email to provide support for your M18 FUEL™ HATCHET™ 8" Pruning Saw. Thanks for the review - Milwaukee Tool, Social Team
Customer review from milwaukeetool.comJul 11, 2025
Super simple
Very easy to use. I used it to cut a small tree down. I let my father use it and he had such a great time with it he didn’t want to put it down. This saw definitely has its place. it’s always ready to go no messing around. Plenty of power!
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Customer review from milwaukeetool.comApr 25, 2025
Awesome tool
Excellent tool. Works as advertised and more. Excellent build quality.
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Customer review from milwaukeetool.comApr 21, 2025
great farming tool
great little saw. Just finished cutting down 850 prune trees with it. worked flawlessly and much less hard on the arms and shoulders than with a larger saw.
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Customer review from milwaukeetool.comApr 17, 2025
A must have
At first was worried it might be to small but man I was wrong ! Perfect size. It cuts great and was able to use one handed up on the ladder. Wish I would have bought this sooner. I love all my Milwaukee tools and this hatchet is no exception! This pruning saw is Super versatile ! I have already filled three green trash bins with it ! Would definitely recommend !
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Customer review from milwaukeetool.comApr 7, 2025
Nother leaker
Bought one of these this morning as an alternate to my 10 year old Husqvarna rancher 455. I attached the battery, filled with oil and left it standing on my kitchen counter and I ended up with oil everywhere. Leak is from the oil reservoir cap regardless of how tight. It's like the cap is hard up against the red casing but the seal is too small. And now I see I'm not the first with this issue. Have bought a bunch of Milwaukee stuff over the years and this is the first fail. Guess its return time.
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Response from Customer CareApr 9, 2025
Hello! We're sorry to hear that you are experiencing leaking with your M18 FUEL™ HATCHET™ 8" Pruning Saw. If you have not returned the unit yet, our team would like to assist you over email. We'll be reaching out now. - Milwaukee Tool, Social Team
Customer review from milwaukeetool.comMar 5, 2025
Hatchet
Very nice tool! Fast smooth cutting action. Makes cutting fun.
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Customer review from milwaukeetool.comJan 25, 2025
M18 FUEL PRUNING SAW 8”
I haven’t yet used this, but I tested it with a battery. Really quiet and lightweight. The guard cover fits a little too snug, but might break in for easy remove in the future. The quality is impressive, seems very durable and not cheaply made. Look forward to doing some yard clearing this spring on my 4 acre property.
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Customer review from milwaukeetool.comJan 8, 2025
The smallest battery is the best for long use.
Very easy to use and if using the smallest battery it cuts for a long time and by the time it runs out, the next small battery has already charged fully and I can continue to trim trees and it is a light easy tool to use.
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Customer review from milwaukeetool.comJan 2, 2025
Shreds!
Paired with an 8ah Forge battery this thing shreds.
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Customer review from milwaukeetool.comDec 31, 2024
Nearly Perfect.
I'm a full-time climbing arborist and I'm in love with this tool. It has become my main go-to chainsaw for working at height in trees. It's well-designed, tough, and generally cuts great. A couple issues I'd like to see improved:
1) The chain tooth size is too big. I'd like to see a chain that is similar to what ships on a Stihl 161T -- a smaller 1/4" 'PICCO' Pitch chain would cut much cleaner and (presumably) have less kickback when cutting on the top side of the bar.
2) The oil tank leaks. Not so much that it makes a huge mess, but more than should be acceptable.
Overall, I'm excited by this category of saw. It's extremely functional and fun to use.
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Response from Customer CareJan 9, 2025
Hey, there! Thanks for the feedback on your M18 FUEL™ HATCHET™ 8" Pruning Saw. We're sorry to hear that the tank is leaking, and we'll be in touch shortly to assist! - Milwaukee Tool, Social Team
Customer review from milwaukeetool.comDec 25, 2024
Good balance and cuts great!
I wanted this for the side by side, there quite powerful and I have used a friends and was very surprised at how much it could do. They thought of everything,even the wrench is attached to it when you throw a chain. So after using that one I knew I needed my own, got it today!
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Customer review from milwaukeetool.comNov 18, 2024
Powerful, Portable
I bought this alongside the new extending pole saw to take care of a small line of trees (that I imagine were initially intended to be bushes). The pole saw is necessary for the higher up bits, but about halfway through the project I shifted my strategy to use the Hatchet as much as possible due to the weight and ease of use.
If you're on the fence about getting this, the only reason to NOT get this is if the trees you're trying to cut have a diameter larger than the bar and chain on this can handle.
I got this with the Forge XC8.0 battery and it's amazing in both runtime and power.
Also worth noting that, in my anecdotal experience, the oiling system seems to be more free-flowing and work better than on my pole saw.
Zero complaints.
This is a joy to use!
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Customer review from milwaukeetool.comNov 1, 2024
Powerful & fast
I like it, it acts like a hot knife into the butter for woods.
The only thing that need to be included in future is "Bar & Chain Oil".
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Customer review from milwaukeetool.comOct 12, 2024
Great in tight spaces!
I bought the Milwaukee Hatchet because I just bought a home and needed something to cut and trim several trees. I was able to cut down a peppercorn tree in my back yard pretty easily. The tree was on the second level of my backyard and in a tight corner. The compact size of this Hatchet was exactly what I needed to get the job done!
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Customer review from milwaukeetool.comSep 21, 2024
Must Have Hatchet!
The M18 FUEL HATCHET Pruning Saw is a must have for homeowners with lots of trees or anyone who is regularly cutting limbs off trees or chopping wood. It’s small but mighty and is more chainsaw than hatchet. The brushless motor packs a wallop and I’ve been thoroughly impressed with this thing’s capability!
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Customer review from milwaukeetool.comSep 11, 2024
Hatchet saw is awesome
This pruning saw has met all of my expectations and as long as you keep the chain sharp you can cut just about anything you want.
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Customer review from milwaukeetool.comAug 11, 2024
Very quick, no pull cords and very light to use in
One of the tools I use in my field, every time I’am on the job I get to use the hatchet, I’d never look back using anything else, this hatchet is awesome
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Customer review from milwaukeetool.comAug 9, 2024
M18 Hatchet Is Worth Getting to go WITH the M12
Very handy saw to have around. Great for limbing and taking down bigger things. I have the 12v version that I use all the time but I wanted something with a little more power and bar length and this was the natural progression. Very glad I did go for it! With the medium sized battery it lasts a lot longer than I thought it would. Was able to take down all the branches (even the bigger 8"+ limbs) off a tree that fell on the property without issue and only needed 2 batteries (and the second battery still had over half left on it when I was done). Would love it if they came out with a longer bar/chain option. Maybe with a skip tooth set up to allow greater reach without as much kickback.
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Customer review from milwaukeetool.comJul 30, 2024
Best little chainsaw ever
Love this tool works great very sharp cuts threw about anything
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Customer review from milwaukeetool.comJul 14, 2024
Better than expected!
The hatchet absolutely surprised me once I used it. It has good Rpm, great power, the oiling system works well and it's comfortable and easy to use. I was hesitant at first but my gas chainsaw is too large for some tasks like brush clean up around the property.
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Customer review from milwaukeetool.comJun 13, 2024
My gas chainsaws will be retired
I am struggling with 2 aging Huskies, both with lots of hp and 16” bars, but hard to pull start, with repairs taking weeks to get returned. I needed an option. I recently added three 5 Ah Milwaukee 18v batteries with a new 1/2” hammer drill / driver, and decided to try the chainsaw. Wow! This 8” bar is really working well for downfall, trail widening, and fenceline clearing around the 200 acres. Easy to carry with me at all times on the Gator, and with a small 12 oz bottle of Canola oil for chain lube, thus avoid spreading a gallon of oil a year around the property. I am looking at adding the Milwaukee 14” bar to handle the trees over 12” better. Great tool!
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Jun 7, 2024
Great saw, highly recommended.
I purchased this tool to use as a pruner for pine trees, as they tend to have many long thin branches. So far this tool is incredible, it cuts through with plenty of power, the battery lasts practicably all day. It is also light enough to attach to my climbing gear reducing the need to lug up a heavy saw until I need to cut the trunk. Very happy with my purchase even considering the tool is pretty expensive.
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Customer review from milwaukeetool.comMay 13, 2024
The M18 Hatchet is nothing short of awesome!!
No exaggeration, I started with a M12 Hatchet and successfully cut down trees ranging from 2 inch saplings all the way up to a 65 foot tall 11 inch diameter pine tree, just to test it’s capabilities. Now I have added the M18 Hatchet to my collection and it has cut everything the M12 has and it has done so much more efficiently. I love all of my Milwaukee products and I will continue to purchase them based solely on their reliability and performance.
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Customer review from milwaukeetool.comCompare Key Features
Product Snapshot | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Built for long-lasting durability and high performance in professional arborist, landscape, and utility applications. | Built for professional arborists, this saw offers power, control, and maneuverability for demanding cuts. | Built for long-lasting durability and high performance in professional arborist and landscape tasks. | Ideal for professionals needing power, control, and speed for demanding pruning and pole saw applications. |
Battery Voltage | |||
18V | 18V | 18V | 18V |
Bar Length | |||
8 in. | 8 in. | 8 in. and 14 in. | 8 in. (pruning saw), 10 in. (pole saw) |
Battery Runtime | |||
150-225 cuts per charge | |||
Chain Speed | |||
5 mps | 5 mps | 5 mps | 5 mps |
Brushless Motor | |||
