5 Milwaukee Tools That Will Come In Handy During A Power Outage

Whether a power outage is caused by a heat wave or a severe storm rolling through, you'll want to be ready. As many of the modern appliances we use depend on electricity, preparing for the possibility of no power is key in avoiding a situation that compromises comfort or safety. For example, make sure you have certain emergency apps downloaded to your phone prior to losing the internet. However, if you don't have a way to keep your phone charged, it'll become useless, which is where Milwaukee can help.

Milwaukee has many useful tools suited to an emergency, including some that can help during a power outage. Sure, an oscillating tool or a string trimmer won't be much help, but the popular tool company has other gadgets that will do the trick. Based on reviews from users and professional sources, here are five Milwaukee tools that will come in handy during a power outage. The methodology we used to select these tools will be explained in more detail at the bottom of the article.

If a power outage comes during the warm days of summer, you're going to want to circulate the air in your home. You could put up multiple small fans to push the air around but having one large industrial fan can cover all the surface area you need. The M18 Brushless 18" Fan reaches up to 50 feet of space at a max of 13.5 mph air speed and 3,400 cfm air volume. It also has 360 degrees of rotation, so you have full control over the direction of the wind.

There are not many reviews on the fan, but the ones that are available give mostly positive feedback. Users note that the airflow is good, and are impressed by the flexible ability to either use an 18V Milwaukee battery or plug it into a power source. However, one reviewer did report that on high the fan is loud. There's no way to get around that negative, but if it helps keep the air moving comfortably, it may be worth the sacrifice. You can purchase this fan from Ace Hardware for $250 and have it shipped to your home.

Whether trying to keep a small fridge powered or plugging in fans, you'll need some kind of power supply to fall back on when your home's electricity goes out. Milwaukee's M18 18V Cordless 3600/1800 Watt Battery Powered Power Supply is a great bit of kit to have on standby for $700. Keep in mind, at that price, the power supply does not come with the four batteries necessary to run the tool.

This pure sine wave inverter has a starting wattage of 3600 and a running wattage of 1800. Pro Tool Reviews points out that this device, though small, does offer more in power compared to the popular Jackery Explorer 1000. They were also impressed with the noise level — it is incredibly quiet at only 66 decibels. However, it should be pointed out that this device is sensitive. That's why it's in a roll cage. It's not meant to be banged around, so if you decide to go this route for power, handle it with care.

Even if you have a generator or another type of large power source, it's always a good idea to have a smaller one as well for personal electronics — they even come in handy for everyday use outside of a power outage. Milwaukee makes the M18 175 Watt Powered Compact Inverter that slides on top of a Milwaukee 18V battery, and it's perfect to keep your phone and other devices charged. It offers 175 watts for the 120V AC receptacle, which has an on/off button. There is also a USB-C port at 45 watts, and a USB-A port at 2.4 amps. When you're not using the power bank, ensure you turn it off, so you don't drain your battery.

This portable power supply costs $99 at Home Depot and comes with a 4.6 out of five star rating from over 1,600 users. Many of the written reviews discuss how convenient it is and how it's more realistic to use for smaller gadgets than lugging around a big 1000 watt power source. However, a couple of buyers did complain that it suddenly stopped working out of nowhere. Remember, sometimes electronics do have flaws, but luckily, this power bank comes with a five year warranty from the manufacturer.

What's the one thing you need during a power outage other than an actual power source? Lighting, of course. Instead of potentially causing a fire with a bunch of lit candles, it would be much safer and probably more illuminating to have Milwaukee's M18 Cordless Rocket Dual Power Tower Light in nearly any room to give you the view you need. According to Milwaukee, these high-output LEDs have a full day's worth of run-time, up to 12 hours. However, you also have the option of using the plug-in cord with a power supply.

This light can provide up to 2,500 lumens on high and 700 on low. It also has an adjustable head that can rotate 230 degrees vertically and 240 degrees horizontally. Additionally, there is a low battery indicator, so it won't turn off without warning, leaving you in the dark. It received a high 4.8 out of five star rating from over 1,600 reviews. You can purchase this tower light for $229 at Home Depot.

Having a large light for the whole family to use in one room is great, but you're probably also going to need one to carry with you into other dark parts of the house or outside. Milwaukee makes a nifty handheld M18 Cordless 1250 Lumens Search Light that comes with four different modes. The spot mode is 600 lumens and lasts for seven hours, while the spot flood mode is 1,250 lumens for four hours. Additionally, both the flood and strobe modes give off 1,200 lumens and will last four and five hours, respectively. These run-times are based on using a 5.0 Ah battery.

This light is cool because it has a 198 degree head rotation back and forth, so it can see straight out in front of you while you're holding the handle or you can stand it up on its base and direct the light where you need it to go. It comes with a 4.8 out of five rating from almost 1,000 buyers. Many positive reviews comment on the brightness level and the long-lasting capacity. While a couple of people weren't entirely happy with it, all in all it's a highly-rated light that does the job for only $99.

All of the Milwaukee tools discussed in this article were selected after thorough research of all the tools that could be considered useful if and when you do experience a power outage. Afterward, user ratings or a professional review were taken into consideration to narrow down to the must-have products. In terms of users, we focused on both the positive and negative reviews to give honest feedback on the items.

Additionally, each of these power tools can run off Milwaukee's 18V battery system. This allows you to be able to invest in just one battery line. However, we do encourage you to do any extra research you feel may be necessary to ensure you're purchasing the right tools for your home during a power emergency.