Professional Tool Reviews for Pros
Have the occasional need for portable power on the job site? The Milwaukee MX FUEL Carry-On 3600W/1800W Power Supply (MXF002-2XC) provides 1800W of sustained power anywhere you need it. The battery-powered MX FUEL inverter handles 3600W of peak power but remains one of the most compact inverters we’ve seen.
So is this battery-powered inverter right for your business?
The MX FUEL Carry-on (MXF002-2XC) runs off either one or two Milwaukee MX FUEL batteries. We can’t guarantee what you plug into it will be quiet, but the inverter won’t contribute much noise. It also charges up to two MX FUEL batteries when connected to a 120V outlet. You can use the included charging cable or a standard extension cord.
The Milwaukee MX FUEL generator recharges compact MX FUEL CP203 3Ah batteries in just 45 minutes. The extended-run MX FUEL XC406 battery takes 90 minutes to recharge. If you’re using two batteries, it charges one and then the other.
Milwaukee also made this a pure sine wave inverter. In general, because they have less THD (total harmonic distortion), pure sine wave inverters will let variable-speed motors run cooler and more efficiently. They also produce less interference with LED and fluorescent lighting as well as any sensitive electronics. So don’t be afraid of charging up the devices that keep you connected on the jobsite.
The Milwaukee Carry-on power supply features two 15A 120V outlets and battery level indicators for each MX FUEL pack. You can use either one or two packs. The output power will be the same—you just increase your potential runtime when powering tools and devices.
Milwaukee Tool also placed inset screw mounts, letting you place an M18/M12 hybrid charger right onto the Carry-on inverter.
This Milwaukee MX FUEL inverter packs a lot of watt-hours when maxed out. With two MX FUEL XC406 extended run battery packs, you get 864 Wh (Watt-hours) of power.
You’ll get tons of run-time when charging batteries (onboard or external). You also will go for hours and hours running fans, operating smaller tools, or powering up anything not requiring tons of power. This inverter marks an interesting tool in the Milwaukee MX FUEL equipment lineup that lets you use corded tools alongside cordless.
But what about real power tools? According to Milwaukee Tool, the onboard 120V outlet will deliver up to 1,210 cuts in 2×4 using a 15-amp circular saw.
That’s a lot of cuts.
Put another way, the folks at Milwaukee cooked 40 meals in a 1000W microwave. Our guess is that it equates to around 40 minutes of cooking on High. That may sound silly, but who’s laughing when you’re eating a real meal on your lunch break while recharging your tool batteries!
The biggest benefits come from using this power supply on intermittent applications such as circular saws, table saws, miter saws, pipe threaders, and even compressors for pneumatic nailers. There’s enough power on board for a full day and you’re not wasting fuel in a generator when those tools are sitting idle.
Even though the inverter is capable of higher draws, using it for backup power or high-draw tools isn’t ideal. They go through the batteries more quickly and don’t offer the all-day runtime you need.
The first units that shipped out had an automatic shut-off after an hour of non-activity. The way it’s programmed, that’s anything less than 80 watts of draw. Some device chargers, lights, or small fans may need fewer watts and the unit will shut off.
Milwaukee made a fix and the new units being sold no longer have that shut-off.
It’s not an update that they can address via One-Key, so you’ll need to work with your Milwaukee distributor/service center or send in a request through the eService center and they’ll get you taken care of. Give them a call first so they can let you know when they have the update ready for your unit.
Clearly, Milwaukee Tool doesn’t view the Carry-on inverter as a match for full-size 2500W and above gas generators. The real match would be replacing a 2000-watt suitcase generator. It’s also a win if you’re sharing power through a spider box or tunning hundreds of feet of extension cords where you might have to deal with voltage drop.
You want this inverter if you’re a) already on the MX FUEL tool platform, and b) find yourself frequently in need of 15A power. This tool won’t appeal to those on a budget. If, however, you can bill it to the job and/or it can help raise your productivity (i.e. make you more money) then it sells itself.
Having the Milwaukee Tool 2-year warranty doesn’t hurt, and we think this might just be the tip of the iceberg for portable battery power.
We’ve been using the Milwaukee MX Fuel Carry-On Power Supply mainly with power tools. However, we were curious about some of the unique ways Pros are using it so we reached out to Milwaukee to find out what they’re seeing. Here are some of the more interesting ways they’re seeing folks use it in the field:
As usual, Milwaukee isn’t content to simply make a product to live in the space without making improvements along the way. Compared to other options, they take some of the common one-off shortcomings of competing units to make one that’s comprehensively better.
Of course, quiet operation and zero emissions give you a huge advantage over any gas unit.
However, if your primary purpose for a battery is off the grid operation, it’s important to know that the Carry-On Power Supply is not solar-ready.
It’s also possible to get more on-board capacity with some of the other systems. That’s said, having external batteries means you can swap charged ones on if the job runs longer than one set of batteries.
Don’t Miss Our Other MX FUEL Articles:
When he's not remodeling part of his house or playing with the latest power tool, Clint enjoys life as a husband, father, and avid reader. He has a degree in recording engineering and has been involved in multimedia and/or online publishing in one form or another for the past 21 years. In 2008, Clint founded Pro Tool Reviews followed by the landscape and outdoor power equipment-focused OPE Reviews in 2017. Clint also heads up the Pro Tool Innovation Awards, an annual awards program honoring innovative tools and accessories across the trades.
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cons, no solar input, no vehicle charge input. run time at high power levels will be short. there is an m18 version at the patent office. if the m18 version is pure sine wave, im in to buy one. if not pure sine wave, next option is a 36V pure sine inverter and 2 M18 batteries. I have a box of m18 8.0 and 12.0’s from all the buy this get that sale this season.
How does this compare with the EGO NEXUS?
Comparing this to DeWalt’s awesome DCB1800, I like that this is a pure sine wave and has two outlets, but I would much rather it was M18 vs MX Fuel. With two of the larger XC406 batteries you get 864Wh, but you can get the same 864Wh with 4 x M18 12.0Ah packs (you can get the same with DeWalt and their 12.0 packs). Maybe an M18 version is on the horizon? Milwaukee was the king of “Everything Fits”, now they are making a tool that a lot of people have been asking for, but it is on an entirely… Read more »
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Professional Tool Reviews for Pros
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