Milwaukee - M18 FUEL PACKOUT 2.5 Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum

I love my 2.5 fuel. It’s small and not great for everything. I still use my corded rigid shop vac a good bit but this vacuum has been great. I also hook it up to my 7.25” saw to cut trim inside occasionally. Great as a second vacuum. Definitely not a primary but I’m a contractor so we have multiples.

I got it specifically for its size and portability. For big jobs, I use the big, corded Ridgid vac.

I have a big boy Dewalt and this M18 Packout. The packout gets used 85% of the time. The convenience factor of just grabbing the box and taking it where the mess is is unparalleled. It’s plenty powerful for just about any common situation. Fleece bags are a huge plus, would definitely recommend them for any drywall or sawdust.

I have the m18 fuel packout vac. Only had it for maybe a year and a half at this point and It has this problem where you turn it on and it won’t start. So you have to take the battery out and put it right back in and it’ll work again. Kinda inconvenient especially for the price tag I’d personally advise against it

I agree the warranty is good (and it better be with how much it’s needed for their tools) but again for the price tag it’s a huge inconvenience for me to constantly be sending my tools in for warranty and not having them for a week or two since I’m a contractor and need them. I get things break and there’s lemons out there but it’s been issue after issue for me with Milwaukee

I bought the 2.5 packout vacuum because I heard it had better suction and was quieter than my Bauer cordless vac. It is SO much quieter, but the hose stow and length leave a bit to be desired. I just recently bought the Bauer vacuum detail kit ($20 right now with coupon) and it adapts to the Milwaukee for reaching MUCH further when I need it to.

Great vacuums. Have two (the first gen and the second gen pack out fuel). First one went MIA and the second one got taken over by the wife so probably gonna have to get a 3rd one pretty soon.

Great vacuums. Have two (the first gen and the second gen pack out fuel). First one went MIA and the second one got taken over by the wife so probably gonna have to get a 3rd one pretty soon.

[Milwaukee wet/dry shop vac test](https://youtu.be/2HUDNpb5Jzw?si=BCSEXonnmG8EPlSx) This is a pretty good video comparing the fuel packout shop vac vs the non packout M18 one. I personally had one of the packout 2.5 gallon ones for work in the past and it was an absolute unit. I loved it and def will be purchasing another one in the future. I’ve also used the traditional M18 from the video at a past job to suck little pieces of nickel out of a small tube hooked into a nickel cadmium battery bank. I’m butchering setting the scene for you, but let me just say this: that vacuum saved us days of being offline on a maintenance train, and sucked every little piece of nickel I think it was, clean out of the line. We didn’t have special attachments for the hose, I simply cuffed my hand around the end of the hose to seal the air and it made quick work of it. The packout one is great all around but its specialty is liquids I would say. It really boils down to what you’re using it for most of the time, and how much space you need for sucking up stuff.

I'm a car detailer and I've had the 2.5 gallon for a while. I love it, but yes, the hose is short, I wish it had a longer option. But it is nice that it fits in the same footprint with the hose length.

I have a tiny work area for my woodshop, like, 8×10 storage shed tiny. I use the 2.5 and the particles separator for my dust collection and clean up. I got the longer hose for the separator, and I live my set up now. I just need a couple of Forge 12.0 batteries to really allow it to keep up the demand when I am doing some things.

https://preview.redd.it/34vz6supkove1.png?width=576&format=png&auto=webp&s=b4780f047df557bb43ee40bebdc52a330d99cf8d Get the single battery like this\^ Also, I have heard the corded version is really good. There is also a dual battery version which uses more of your batteries in exchange for more power which doesnt seem to be very appealing for most people.

It looks like I ordered mine around August 2024 so who knows when these vacuum deals might come back. Maybe again in August?

I believe I returned a battery. It was the 8.0 HO battery for about $110 I think. So I kept the vac, returned the battery. For the price I got it for it was totally worth it. Just for fun you should see what expensive the hose itself costs, or the rolling bottom part. Even the filter alone is pricey.

I bought it because I use it at job sites and it's portable. I have a real shop vac for my house since I don't need to worry about packing it around. Why would you buy this for home use?

I have that shop vac. It works great but it drinks batteries like thirsty man in the desert.

I have this vacuum and bought it for work because it fits in my packout stacks. It is great for what I bought it for. If you are not packing it around with the rest of your tools probably not worth it. There are better vacuums out there. On a single 5 amp hour battery it can clean the cab of my pick up to my standards.

Just used mine today to inflate pool floats. Used 2 days ago to clean up sawdust and finish a furnace clean and check. Yes there are cheaper and more powerful units but this works fine and can use the pack out . Plus my wife bought it for me couple years ago as birthday gift

I have it and it’s amazing for cleaning the car and for cleaning chinchilla cage. It’s what I bought it for and I have no regrets

I love mine! Finish carpenter I’m always using it to clean up dust from cutting and I also attach it to my tools to help with dust control as well

They are different tools for different jobs. People need to quit thinking they can buy 1 tool for 10 different jobs. The 2.5gal is small projects clean up tool. The 5 gallon is for larger area general clean up.

This^ OP said drywall n i immediate knew they're gonna want wheels n accessories. I use my 2.5g fine where my mess is contained but am maxing out it's range

This. I can wheel this up with the rest of my packout cart in one trip from my truck, and if you put a 12aH battery in it, it'll always make it to the end of a day without needing to charge (in my use case). Yes there are better vacuums. But I'd need to go back to my truck to get them, whereas this one is already with me, and does a decent enough job that I'm never really grumbling and wishing I had made the trek to grab the more powerful one.

Just a home DIY guy who takes care of cars and the house . The 2.5 fuel is amazing

If this is a vacuum that you're carrying around from one jobsite to the next, then get the 2.5 gallon. If this is a vac that just gets rolled everywhere within the shop only, then get one of the larger ones.

I've owned the PACKOUT 2.5 gallon, the 6 gallon and the 9 gallon. I initially returned the PACKOUT, then bought the 6, thought it was pretty good but tried the two battery 9 gallon. I loved the power and the suction but ultimately it was a bit unwieldy even with its cart, so I returned it and bought another 2.5 gallon PACKOUT. (When you start avoiding using the vac because it's a hassle even though it's cordless, you know it's not really serving its purpose.) It's just a very handy weight and yet still powerful enough that when cleaning an entry rug I have to hold the rug down with one hand because the vac lifts it, and I store it by hanging it on a [48-24-8496 Compact Wall Plate](https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/48-22-8496). IMHO the 2.5 gallon PACKOUT is the sweet spot in terms of power, portability and power usage. If you want a longer hose, an extension hose is available, the [49-90-2014 1-1/4” x 2’ to 6’ Expandable Hose](https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/49-90-2014).

Fuckin love mine

I use packout vacuum, cordless Ridgid shopvac (discontinued),and the m18 shopvac all with bags and filters removed. HD and Amazon sell bags for all kinds of vacuums. I install cabinets so packout is on my tracksaw. M18 on mitersaw, and Ridgid on m18 tablesaw.. I sweep and use m18 and Ridgid because they have more volume . I bolted on a crate on top of my m18 for packout compatibility (before the packout vacuum was released)...crate holds accessories and the hose.

The fuel version is really nice, I work in plumbing so I use mine for a lot of water and Sheetrock. When I had the base model it lasted for about 6-9 months before it refused to turn on for a job (it later turned on for no reason) but my fuel model is much stronger and it came with a free battery

The fuel version is really nice, I work in plumbing so I use mine for a lot of water and Sheetrock. When I had the base model it lasted for about 6-9 months before it refused to turn on for a job (it later turned on for no reason) but my fuel model is much stronger and it came with a free battery

Battery vacs. I’m a fan of the packout and the m18 non fuel. But you need a big battery for these. 6ah or larger to get much life out of them. Coworker has the dewalt version that’s battery powered and has a corded option. Pretty cool that it’s dual powered. I also own the m12 fuel vacuums. It’s fine for very small stuff. I keep mine tucked away in the kitchen and mostly use it for sucking up the dog food before it goes down my cold air return. Once again. Larger batteries or the life sucks. I use 6ah’s in it That said. Nothing beats a big old corded shop vac. These battery vacs are great for small stuff but are not comparable to corded shop vacs

I also use it for detailing and a lot of the attachments provide the extra length I need but admit it’s the Achilles heel for that vac. The diameter of the hose also can cause issues and not sure it wouldnt present a problem for use while remodeling.

I have two of the Packout vacs. "Naughty" and "Nice". Naughty does all of the nasty stuff with a wet filter. Nice does only sawdust and other dry applications with a HEPA filter on it. I have to scrub the Naughty one out pretty regularly to keep it going, but I am incredibly happy with both. I highly recommend the detail hose kit for them. Helps to clean up small areas and get into hard to reach places. I think it is usually around $30. I have considered getting the bigger M18 vacuum because I like the idea of rolling it around to do a lot of cleanup. But so far I haven't been left wanting with the Packout ones I have, so until then I'm gonna stick with them. Plus the Packout compatability makes them perfect for clicking into a stack when I take my setup into a job.

I like the m18 fuel pack out version, paired with a 6.0 h.o, sure its not the most powerful, but adding it to my pack out stack, lightweight, portable, and a decent battery life, its perfect for 90% of my needs

I love mine. Pair it with a 12Ah Forge battery and lasts a long time.

I enjoy my pack out 2 1/2 gallon vacuum I use it on anything from detailing cars to my construction job and even a little bit of plumbing here and there. My main reason I bought that was for the packout itself and it doesn’t take up a lot of room.

The 2.5gl vac is one of my favorite purchases of the past year. I bust it out instead of a hand vac. I also use it to keep my car clean. No regrets at all.

It’s an amazing vacuum and totally worth the money. Never really had a problem with the short hose. Then again, I cant think of a situation where I’m complaining of a short hose? I’ve use mine daily for about 3 years now doing remodeling.

Bought the 2.5 pack vac to pull out for small projects and clean ups. Quickly has become one our most used tools.I have touched my large shop vac maybe once since buying this thing.

I’ve used this one, the m12 fuel, makitas 18v brushless and flex 24 vac. This one’s the best overall. Flex might be a tad stronger with bags and big battery but, the filter sucks. If it gets a little dirty it loses a lot of suction. Makitas is pretty strong but there battery options are limited. M12 is all around horrible clogs too much and burns through batteries. I prefer the m18 fuel because you can use it without bags and it keeps good suction. I just clean the filter once I realize it losing suction and it’s like new again. I noticed a power boost in it with the 6.0 forge battery. I’d say it does about 85% of what I need it to, on low speed. It’s rare that I need speed 2.

I use a m18 fuel vacuum. Definitely not cheap if you don’t own the batteries

Milwaukee M18 Fuel vacuum. Even better if you're in a trade and already own several Milwaukee batteries/tools. 

I have an m18 shop vac, it was great for about 10 months then it died.

I use a Milwaukee on construction sites, it'll be fine for a vehicle

No dude it's perfect, it's a small easily maneuvered with good power. It's the size of a boom box from the late 80's lol tho look at them at home Depot and you can make your choice. All 3 are sold there.