Milwaukee M18 Belt Sander Review

Milwaukee M18 FUEL Belt Sander
We were super excited to see the Milwaukee M18 FUEL Belt Sander released recently. Milwaukee has been slowly providing battery-powered solutions to replace traditionally corded carpentry and remodeling tools. As a remodeling carpenter, I'm excited when I see releases like this and am paying close attention. While a belt sander is not used daily in my line of work when you need one, nothing else will do - so having one in the van is a must.
First Impressions
The Milwaukee M18 FUEL belt sander has a 3" x 18" belt and Milwaukee claims that it has the same torque and power as an 8-amp corded belt sander.
I immediately noticed and liked the adjustable front handle. This handle has two adjustments - forward and aft. The handle moves approximately 2-inches and allows the handle to project in front of the tools or flush with the front edge. The adjustment lever is located on top of the handle and is recessed flush and does not create any hot spots or pinch points.
Dust Collection
An internal fan or wheel helps suck up the dust and send it out the rear chute either to the dust bag or an integrated vacuum hose. Milwaukee claims that the belt sander collects over 80% of the dust.
The dust bag is a durable, multi-layer, zippered bag that is permanently attached to a spring-loaded, clip-on connector that locks onto the belt sanders dust port. I have to say, nicely engineered and robust connection!
A universal hose adapter also comes with the tool. This adapter also has a clip connection and allows for several different-sized hoses to attach. It obviously fits nicely in the Milwaukee vacuum, but it also fits on my Makita and Festool dust extractors as well.
The adapter fits 1-1/4", 1-7/8", and 2-1/2" hoses. It's the same design as the new Milwaukee AirTip accessories.
I did notice that if you pull on the hose hard, on the dust bag, and the adapter it will disconnect. This is like dragging the vacuum with the tool attached and having the adapter disconnect from the hose. this could easily be remedied by Milwaukee making the adapter and belt sander dust chute connection points engage deeper.
Variable Speed | Power Lock-On
The M18 belt sander has a power lock-on which is useful for awkward positioning, or long-standing applications, and a variable speed dial to control its speed and material removal: the variable speed dial has 5 settings, which allows for 700-1350 SFM [surface Feet Per Minute]
Belt Changing
Like other belt sanders the M18 sander has a spring-loaded lever on the left side of the base for changing belts. The platen [plate on the bottom of the sander that meets the workpiece] of my sander was perfectly flat.
Belt Tracking
A small belt tracking knob is located on the front left of the base of the sander. The knob worked well as dialing in the belt positioning and was not overly sensitive.
LED Lighting
There are two LEDs on this tool, one is front mounted and the other is on the right side of the tool. The right side of the tool is the side that allows the sander to get closest to a vertical surface or edge. The light brightness is good and has a decent throw pattern,
Using the Milwaukee M18 FUEL Belt Sander
This sander feels heavy, but all belt sanders are heavy. As a bare tool, this sander is 1 lb. lighter than my corded belt sander, with a battery it's probably the same or a bit over.
When using the belt sander, I was looking at power and control, I want both at the same time. This sander certainly has the power for belt sanding, and I was able to get the control I needed through the variable speed dial and trigger, mostly the trigger.
Comparison between Milwaukee and Porter Cable
Improvements
I don't have a lot of hours on this tool and won't for some time, it's just not a tool I reach for often. What I did notice was that the platen of this sander measures 3-3/4" wide and the belt measures 3-inches. there is some concern that a slight edge misalignment on the sander may scratch your workpiece.
I also noticed that the variable speed dial is on the rear of the tool. I prefer the adjustment up front where I can manipulate it with my forefinger while using the tool. This is a minor dig on the belt sander, as most folk will either "set-and-forget" the variable speed dial, or if it's a short use application they will use the variable speed trigger to feather the sanders speed.
Overall Impression
This belt sander works great. It has excellent power, impressive battery life, and control. Milwaukee has always been committed to providing trade-focused tool solutions, but their recent 5-6-year commitment to the carpentry trades is most welcome.
Being able to have all the carpentry trade tools you need, on one battery system is important to many folks working in the trades. This new M18 belt sander is fully compatible with the entire M18 line, which now boasts more than 250 power tools. Well-done Milwaukee.

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

So ecstatic that Milwaukee finally came out with a Cordless belt sander everyone else has had one for years

[@ConcordCarpenter]

Not really - Ridgid, Ryobi and one other

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

@@ConcordCarpenter your right I generalized to much on the last section of my statement

[@eldergeektromeo9868]

Thanks Rob. Your reviews after many years, continue to be very precise, covering all positives, as well as negatives!

[@colbywood1785]

Just scored one today at a flea market, new in the sealed box for $170, so stoked to use it tomorrow morning

[@thomascollins72]

Another great tool review. Real information and thoughtful comments that help me decide if the tool is right for me. No sugar coated recitation of the manufacture’s sales literature. Thanks Rob!

[@benchippy8039]

I like the flat top on my corded makita it allows me to use it in a stationary position on my bench for sanding small parts, I can see that wouldn’t be possible with this Milwaukee

[@ConcordCarpenter]

Thanks Tom, - appreciate the comment. I try hard to be honest and professional

[@ConcordCarpenter]

@@benchippy8039 except the M18 is CORDLESS!

[@amac4170]

Milwaukee should send this gentlemen their tools before public release to get it perfect, not just good enough. Small luttle things like right hamd sight line, speed afjustable trigger would make this thing shine

[@AstroVanTribe]

Being more of a woodworker/furniture guy I use a belt sander frequently and I just recently bought into the Makita 18V/36V system - I'm hoping Makita comes out with one of these soon.....

[@michaelrogers4285]

Great in depth review as usual Rob.

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Great quick review Rob

[@therealme613]

Old school porter late 90’s was like a literal tank with one track!

[@therealme613]

🗣 mack-eater you see project farms recent review on circ saw blades?? The the makita extreme is a BEAST! ✌️💖&💡

[@satchmodog2]

I've had a 3x21 Porter cable since the late 90s and it's served me so well. My issue replacing it with batteries is the run time. 90% of our use of a belt sander is stripping the panels and faces of stained garage doors and i don't know if this sort of tool will ever be practical. But for our smaller jobs this is ideal. Most times I'll grab an angle grinder and we all lmow that one false move with a grinder and your project is toast. I was also shocked at the low price.

[@ConcordCarpenter]

How much time a day are you using the sander?

[@t-bob4112]

any trouble keeping it tracked? Mine seems to always need belt alignment, I’m using the Diablo belts and it just doesn’t seem that there is enough tension on them? I like the weight of the sander and personally I’d prefer if that front handle was removable for even more clearance. I always look forward to your reviews and you’ve helped me with deciding on quite a few purchases - thank you

[@sizif717]

Have it only since a couple of weeks and have used it a few times for a few minutes, but so far: + Really powerful, quite on par with a good electrical sander + Very smooth and silent running and has an instant brake + Seems very well built, all the knobs and the mechanisms work very smooth and sturdy. - the weight balance makes it a bit uncomfortable to use to my experience so far, it is quite a high construction and it has a higher centre of gravity than my two Makitas electrical belt sanders, which are much easier to handle. Plus the bigger battery kind of tilts it backwards, it is like they have designed the weight balance for a 2Ah battery, which is just not for such kind of tool at all. But maybe this it is something one can get used to. - eats batteries like crazy, I only use it with 8Ah High Output batteries and it goes through them like nothing, but i guess that is the price of hight torque and higher revs on a belt sander . I had that expectation for this kind of tool, so it is not a surprise, but it is definitely the most power-hungry cordless tool in my workshop collection ( and I thought routers were power-hungry:) ). I have no other cordless belt sander to compare it with and I have seen quite a lot of negative feedback for the existing Ryobi and Rigid ones on the market, both on reliability an on power, this Milwaukee is definitely a power house and only time will tell how reliable it is. When i compare it to my good old faithful electric Makitas - their weight balance and centre of gravity are definitely lower and thus more comfortable to operate, but the cable is a pain it the butt and always in the way. And you have to change carbon brushes really, really often in those belt sanders. And on the contrary - this brushless, cordless Milwaukee is really, really handy - gust grab it, use it - and the moment you finish - just lay it down whenever you want, right away, just like a drill.

[@jody2swole]

Good feedback , gonna buy a makita corded one I think and wait for these to get more efficient

[@sizif717]

@@jody2swole I doubt that will happen any time soon, if you mean ''efficient'' - in terms of power consumption. Belt sanders are just monstrous machines.

[@amac4170]

Glad to hear your impression of battery life was good. I've never taken battery powered belt sanders seriously because I didn't think you would get more than 10min of work on a 5ah batt. Draining a $100+ battery in 8 min will prematurely toast my batteries. Also why does it seem like all Milwaukee Engineers are left handed, 75% of humans are right handed?!?!

[@mikemorgan5015]

Eastern US carpenters have used those backward ass sidewinder circ saws for generations. Being's there's no cut line to follow with a belt sander, seems it'd be second nature to a Nu Hampsha Cahpentah. Especially one from Congkud..... Haha!

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

I like the lights and the Adjustable handle as well As the speed control and its standred belts nice to see the dust collection is compatible with the new system a variable speed trigger would of been nice with the speed adjustability

[@ConcordCarpenter]

Right on

[@stronghumantraining]

Your input as an experienced carpenter is always appreciated! It sounds like you feel Milwaukee is pulling ahead in supplying the best cordless tools for carpenters? I have Dewalt, Makita, and Milwaukee batteries but am trying to build the battery arsenal mainly on one tool line.

[@ConcordCarpenter]

I started my career with Makita and have to give them kudos - they do a nice job. Dewalt is paying attention too. Lots of good stuff out there

[@ajmedeiros77]

Cannot be Makita for carpentry tools still. I have used a few different Milwaukee, circular saws, and have always been disappointed in the quality/fit and finish.

[@RogerC68]

Love this review! Thanks Rob, again!

[@dansmith5012]

The biggest flaw in my opinion is that there's no way to clamp it upside down on a bench, the fact is that many people use belt sanders as bench belt sanders on the jobsite. I like my Milwaukee Fuel tools but I'm going to stick to my awesome Makita corded belt sander that I bought 25 years ago.

[@rileym4125]

Is that the silver MT one? That's what I've got with the A shaped bracket and it's so useful

[@baseballdude8491]

Metabo HPT 36V hits the market -first cordless/AC hybrid Perfect tool for the AC adapter option Also saw German Metabo and Hikoki show with a sick looking track saw that should be hitting market soon as well Green means Go!

[@benchippy8039]

I like the flat top on my corded makita it allows me to use it in a stationary position on my bench for sanding small parts, I can see that wouldn’t be possible with this Milwaukee

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

I'm going to pick one up and see how it does on metal cleaning

[@ConcordCarpenter]

Please comment back, and let me know!!

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

@@ConcordCarpenter will Do Rob

[@contax50mm]

another great review, Thanks Rob!

[@Samlol23_drrich]

Great review and great assessment of belt sanders in general. My belt sander actually doubles as a dust collector..........

[@ConcordCarpenter]

Does that mean it sits around and gathers dust????

[@Samlol23_drrich]

@@ConcordCarpenter exactly!

[@Tigerratcat]

Really good honest review. Milwaukee have always been good on power. Shit on ergonomics, design and quality. Most tools feel cheap and tacky. No variable trigger, crappy position of dial. And still using a dial?

[@Golgafrinchamdent]

Have you found that after sitting for a time, the belts get a pronounced bubble in one spot? Mine does that. It worked fine at first but after a month or so of sitting idle, it had an obvious thump thump thump. There was a belly/bubble maybe 3" long at center of the belt. It may be just mine, so I'm wondering if others have had this?

[@ConcordCarpenter]

No

[@lgzz4885]

Sexy looking & Sweeeet!! I’m very excited for other companies to come out with a 12volt smaller planer. Bosch has the baby 12 & I’m into it but I would rather buy a red or yellow for the sake of batteries lol but her Germans do it well too 😉 this is nice though seeing Milwaukee continue to put effort into the carpentry trade 👏 Thanks ToolBox buzz as always 😊

[@tedmcdonald3377]

Thanks Rob 😎🛠️😎🛠️😎

[@kingjamezo4583]

Please review the Metabo(Hikoki), DeWalt belt sander, and if you could do a group test??? Thanks!!!

[@ErtsenPlayGames]

u need to try 3M line of Cubitron II products sandpapers , cutting discs , orbital sander discs etc , belt sander is AVESOME with orbital sander discs but pro tip when u do that....they are 3x faster than average sandpaper , cuts craaazy fast the same goes for cutting discs etc where last almost 10x longer test it myself , one day i destroy more than 30 average orbital sander discs where sanding composite (glass fibre etc) in just 2 hours (well know brand as - expensive as heck) then i go to cubitron II line .... XTRACT , 775L + angle grinder 125mm disc ... and damn .... i use 2 sanding discs for second part where earlier i need almost 40 to sand it because material start to destroy the discs and i need only 30min for the same result then i go with angle grinder disc cutting steel rods and i still can't believe that it cut like 2x faster than well known brand ones and last literally more than 10x longer i cut a lot of material few times the same amount for the same job and spend like 3 discs per job where 1 cubiton last me for 3x more + some random cutting so at least 10 discs saved :D people don't understand that good sandpaper matters and it doesn't need to be from well know green brand that is expensive where 3M have ...3x faster and lasting 10x more sandpapers + cutting discs etc for ....half the price :D

[@TomUlcak]

Love your channel. Maybe, you could do a comparison on cordless belt sanders. I've got the Ryobi which feels underpowered. Although, it's done a decent job for me just being a diyer.

[@ConcordCarpenter]

I'd consider it once a few more manufacturers join the game - I'm sure its coming

[@TomUlcak]

@@ConcordCarpenter Yeah, that makes sense. Why isn't there any cordless pressure washers? I so appreciate your channel. Logical, intelligent and you've got personality. Well done.

[@ConcordCarpenter]

@@TomUlcak Ryobi and a few others have cordless, not many - it’s tough to get the needed psi

[@ConcordCarpenter]

@@TomUlcak Ryobi and a few others have cordless, not many - it’s tough to get the needed psi

[@baseballdude8491]

@@ConcordCarpenter Metabo HPT just hit the mkt Better priced and the 36V makes it a hybrid Cordless/AC capable Another great tool for that option

[@DavidLawless-jq3do]

What kind of run time did you get? I just got the belt sander and 2 new 5a batteries. I charged both batteries fully and I got 10 mins of run time on each battery. And...No... I wasn't bogging the tool down at all.

[@ConcordCarpenter]

I use an 8.0 HD battery pretty good run. This machine draws alot

[@robdiv5848]

Battery life about 15-20 minutes or less Metabo/Hikoki has AC adaptor option plus a better sander overall more versatile!

[@saiiiiiii1]

Have you had a chance to test the Dewalt yet?

[@scottmorris4914]

I hope I can word this properly. At pipeline, statements were made, that this was meant to remove a lost of material fast. The speeds are faster than other sanders. They said it wasn’t meant for furniture making, so not for a woodworker, but for a carpenter to use onsite, where a lot of material needed to be removed.

[@scottmorris4914]

You were sanding a cabinet, was it the front or back? And since it is supposed to remove a lot of material, what were you trying to do on the cabinet. Would it be too aggressive for the front? Thanks.

[@ConcordCarpenter]

Agreed

[@ConcordCarpenter]

@@scottmorris4914 I was flattening the corners mostly and cleaning up the edges before gluing on a back panel

[@suzesiviter6083]

What are Milwaukee doing with their dye mixing, why cant they make them all the same familiar Red instead of the Orange they are viaing towards?

[@rpmcaicara]

Really compact!

[@chains6558]

What brand belts do you recommend for these belt sanders?

[@ConcordCarpenter]

Like Diablo

[@parkerk7018]

Dewalt needs to come out with one already

[@ConcordCarpenter]

Yep

[@stephen-kl3zy]

I really wish they would update the orbital sander the current one is terrible

[@ajmedeiros77]

Great stuff as always. the kobalt is $139 Bare tool, brushless motor and speed control is up front. I have a bunch of kobalt stuff that has been excellent. Owned by the same company that owns Milwaukee i Believe.

[@devonwainstein9188]

Wrong. Kobalt has zero ties with milwaukee. Don't spread garbage you know nothing of. Tti owns ridgid ryobi and milwaukee and others.

[@JoshR512]

*$279 😊

[@evictioncarpentry2628]

Like it on paper but Not practical in the real world uses of belt sanders imo. 95% of time Belt sanders usually come out for extended or heavy use. They need way too much run time for a battery to handle. I could see it being handy if you're scribing a panel or two and just need to sand it to fit but other then that I'll stick to my bulletproof makita corded unit.

[@boronda420-7]

Taught me what I wanted to be taught hahahaha

[@ConcordCarpenter]

Glad to help

[@BorgOvermind]

Finally ! Unfortunately it's way too expensive. I'll wait for a market flood of them and then get one.

[@MAGAMAN]

Plastic plastic plastic. You can pry my ancient craftsman belt sander out of my cold dead hands.

[@mldukes]

Picked it up in HD, bad design, be a no IMO

[@mldukes]

Was built for a left hander.

[@ChrisEllisMusic]

It EATS batteries 😂

[@YouCantHandleTheTruth71]

This was a disappointing review. Just because you can does not mean you should, least of all need to. Turn it up side down and grab the dust Shute, let’s do some scribing, see what you really know. AAA rating from me.

[@squirtdaddy3428]

I got mine a few days ago and the thing that I really really hate is that it seems like they had planed to make it a 4" wide sander then at last minute decided to make it a 3" sander. That overly wide platen I hate. Were a cabinet shop and use a lot of belt sanders over the years mainly the porter cable 360 and 362 we have burned many of them up over the years. They were once a great sander like many other PC tools once were before turning into the garbage they are today. This over wide platen though makes it hard to keep it balanced because it wants to tip over, just really unbalanced and awkward to use so far. Also wish it was a 24" belt since so many abrasive companies make them and not little 18" belts. I can get boxes of 10- 3x24 belts for almost half the price of 3x18. Another thing I dont like is the plastic cover that goes right behind the drive drum that I wish was not so low because it gets stuck on things easily. If I get used to it I do like the fact that its battery and so easy to use for scribing tops and cabinet fillers out in the field. Time will tell if I order more of them for our installers.

[@ConcordCarpenter]

Interesting - wonder if we could get wider belts for it?

[@rowankeltizar5961]

@@ConcordCarpenter wondering the same, thing. Will a 4in belt fit?? seems like it has plenty of power.