Milwaukee M18 Fuel Backpack Blower

Pipeline 2023 included a nice expansion in OPE for Milwaukee Tool. One of the products is the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Backpack Leaf Blower (model 3009). Is this must-have lawn crew tool right for your shift away from gas power? We’re taking a closer look so you can decide for yourself.

These are early days and we haven’t had a chance to fully test this blower or check the blowing force ratings on our rig yet. However, we do have some initial performance ratings.

For airflow, you can expect up to 650 CFM along with 155 MPH on the air speed side of things. There’s no Newton force rating, but we hope to test it in our shop as soon as it launches. According to Milwaukee’s data, the blowing force exceeds what you would expect from a 60cc gas model. That’s lower than what the strongest backpack blowers are producing, but still in the middle of the range where many Pros are buying.

Just to add some context, we measured 18.0 Newtons on the M18 Fuel Dual Battery Leaf Blower. Considering that model boasts 600 CFM and 145 MPH, we expect the Milwaukee backpack blower is going to produce more. How much more is up for debate. However, we’re making an educated guess that it’s going to max out right around 20.0 Newtons.

Check back later to see if we’re right.

We don’t have any initial runtime numbers yet, but we at least know what to expect from a capacity standpoint.

There are a total of four active battery slots, and you need to use at least two batteries to run the blower. There’s room for all four of those to be 12.0Ah High Output packs, which is what Milwaukee recommends you use. Fully loaded, you end up with 864 watt-hours of capacity on board.

Based on ANSI standards of testing noise from 50 feet away, the blower produces just 62 decibels. Compare that to Stihl’s BR 350 (63.3cc) that rates 74 decibels with a similar performance level. 12 decibels is a huge difference, both in perceived loudness and sound pressure level.

There are a few interesting things worth noting in Milwaukee’s design. First, the battery protection comes in the form of a roll cage rather than the full enclosures that some backpack power supplies use. While that may increase the strike risk to the batteries somewhat, it allows for a lot of airflow around them to aid in cooling.

More of an aside than anything of major consequence, the top two batteries insert vertically and the bottom two batteries insert horizontally.

We also noticed that there’s no exposed cabling running from the batteries to motor. The brushless motor sits directly below the batteries before the tube bends 90° and forces air out through the nozzle.

The blower on its own runs $499.00. If it’s a kit you’re after, that’s $1499, and includes four 12.0Ah High Output batteries and a charger.

Look for the Milwaukee 3009 to land at retailers beginning in January 2024.

For crews who maintain larger properties or those who tackle a large volume of small lawns each day, the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Backpack Blower is a welcome sight. Alongside the expansion of the M18 Fuel Quik-Lok attachment system, the professional lawn care crew’s trailer is looking more brilliantly Red than ever.