Milwaukee M18 Fuel Quik

The Milwaukee M18 Fuel Quik-Lok multi-head system has been around since 2019 and I still use it for my weekly lawn chores. From its string trimmer to its pole saw and articulating hedge trimmer attachments, it's a capable piece of equipment. Now there's a Milwaukee brush cutter attachment to go with the system, and that's a big step forward in demand. We wanted to see how Milwaukee made the jump, so we loaded up and headed out to the farm.

We’ve used plenty of gas-powered brush cutters in the past and were curious what Milwaukee's design would look like. The attachment is straightforward: the shaft leads to an oversize shield with a 9-inch, 4-blade brush cutter below it.

The cutter itself has a lower overall mass than you might find on something like Husqvarna's 545FR. That's no surprise considering it's a battery-powered brushless motor driving the blade and not a 45cc gas engine.

The attachment comes with a should strap that we highly recommend you use. It's 3.66 pounds on top of the weight of the powerhead and your battery and not terribly comfortable to use without the strap for more than a few minutes.

There's a hip barrier, too, but we decided not to install it for the work we had on tap.

Milwaukee gears this attachment to run at 4900 RPM at low speed or 6200 at high speed. Most of the time, high speed is the way to go, though you can drop it down if you’re working through thinner brush and want to conserve runtime.

Most of our cutting was on overgrown grass with mixed brush no more than 3/4 of an inch thick, and the cutter made quick work of it. It was more than a commercial-grade string trimmer could handle and even a trimmer mower with a beefier line would have had a rough time clearing the thicker stalks. Considering the area we were clearing was small enough that it didn't warrant pulling a bush hog or brush mower out, Milwaukee's brush cutter was the right tool for the job.

Pro Tip: Milwaukee's blade is double-sided. If your performance starts to drop because it needs sharpening, flip the blade around and get back to work.

The big question is… what's the realistic capacity for this attachment? As usual, the answer is… it depends. When it comes to small trees and saplings, Milwaukee rates it for 1 1/4 inches, though you can get away with a little thicker in softwoods such as pine. Harder species, you’re going to want to stick on the more conservative side of that number.

The brush cutter attachment retails for $149.00 and replacement blades are $29.97. There are a few other ways to get your hands on it at Acme Tools, though.

The Milwaukee M18 Fuel Quik-Lok Brush Cutter attachment expands the system's capability to cut denser overgrowth and help you clear out areas that are too difficult for string trimmers and not appropriate for a lawn mower. Because it's part of an attachment system, you can add it to your Quik-Lok arsenal without the cost of buying an entire tool. Of course, with Milwaukee's M18 Fuel powerplant, there are also no gas headaches to worry about.

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