Milwaukee has launched the M18 HotShot jump starter, which they describe as a new-to-world jump-starting solution that’s designed for transportation maintenance professionals.
The new Milwaukee HotShot jump starter is said to eliminate the frustrations of traditional devices and is always ready to jump 12V car and truck batteries with all-weather performance.
From the press materials, Milwaukee sought to ease common pain points with other jump starters, such as long charging times, unreliable performance in extreme conditions, and poor clamp designs.
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The new M18 HotShot is said to be a dependable, easy to use solution that’s ready when users need it most.
Milwaukee HotShot Jump Starter Features
- Prepared to jump in under 70 seconds
- All-weather performance
- Capacitors rated up to 500,000 cycles
- Works with up to 8.1L gas and 3.0L diesel vehicles
- Up to 70 jumps with 1x M18 XC 5Ah battery
- Spark proof, reverse polarity, overheat protection
Additional Features
- Retractable handle
- Custom battery terminal clamp
- 500 lumen LED light
- USB-C personal device charging
- Digital display with voltage readout
Specifications
- 2,000 peak amps
- -4° to 122°F temperature operating range
- 11.5″ L x 8.7″ W x 4.2″ H
- Weighs 6.9 lbs
- 22.5″ jumper cable length
- IP65 rated (tool-only, not for the connected battery)
Vehicle Compatibility
The HotShot can be used with gas vehicles up to 8.1L, and diesel engine vehicles up to 3.0L.
They show it off being used with passenger vehicles as well as diesel engine equipment.
Milwaukee HotShot Clamping Jaws
Milwaukee designed a custom clamp for easier connection to battery terminals.
Milwaukee HotShot Quick Start Guide
There’s a 5-step quick start process:
- Press power button to turn unit on
- Press “charge capacitor” button
- Connect clamps
- Press jump start button
- Start vehicle within 30 seconds
There is also an override function in case of low vehicle battery situations – you’ll have to refer to the user manual for instructions – here’s the PDF I found at the time this post went live.
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M18 Battery Compatibility
Milwaukee advises that the HotShot jump starter should be used with M18 XC Li-ion batteries with charge capacities of at least 5Ah.
Pricing and Availability
Price: $299 (tool-only)
Model: 3841-20
Launch Date: August 2025
Discussion
The common question has been “how does this compare to NOCO and other battery jump start devices?” Good question.
Personally, I think it comes down to reliability. While I am sure this is something most Milwaukee M18 cordless power tool users are going to want, Milwaukee specifies that the HotShot was designed for transportation maintenance professionals.
The HotShot is $299, not including an XC 5Ah or greater battery pack. The 2,000 peak amp Noco is $199, and that includes a built-in battery.
I think this is not the type of tool you buy to leave in your car, truck, or garage just in case you might need it. Instead, it’s the type you might want for frequent and maybe even occasional use.
I’ll work on getting you a better answer.
Dave
What is “new to world” about it? Don’t get me wrong, as I’ll likely buy one, but how is it different from the 18V Ryobi version?
Maybe just that it’s designed for frequent use?
HmmmDusty
Given Milwaukee’s naming conventions, it seems like marketing to generate excitement, regardless of accuracy.
Dennis
The main difference I am seeing to the Ryobi version, is this one takes Milwaukee batteries which I have 😉
Stuart
I took it in the context of professional-use jump starters, which typically have built-in batteries.
Matt_T
They’re maybe comparing it to old school lead acid boost packs? That would explain their cold weather performance claim.
Kingsley
Maybe it can move a Cybertruck 10ft when it’s out of juice@
TomD
Now I’m imagining some kind of Looney Tunes style video where there’s a guy in the back of a Cybertruck continually replacing M18 packs and throwing them into the road
Wayne R.
I can see this for a yard full of equipment that’s not any one person’s responsibility. No problem, likely used a lot when winter rolls around.
But the scads of these marketed for mom & pop’s hooptie: Aren’t most of those likely to be dead when they’re needed? Fearmongering/fearmarketing. And a fire risk, too.
We did need a simpler version of these at the airport when we returned to a new car with a newly realized new-car-throw-away battery that died in long term parking – but the parking lot people had what was needed, freshly charged.
eddiesky
NOCO is cheap for small engines but the NOCO for commercial use, I would think construction etc, start (pun) US$1200 up to US$2000.
The cost of leaving an 8A M18 battery in my vehicle vs a NOCO… I’ll take the NOCO.
But if you have M18s in your rig, this could be a nice back up.
Jared
Dewalt has a licensed product (DXAE20VBBCA) they call a “booster” – is this Milwaukee a fundamentally-different thing?
The Dewalt talks about “Applying a rapid charge over the course of a few minutes, it will help start your vehicle with ease.” Milwaukee says it’s “Prepared to jump in under 70 seconds”.
Are they both some form of rapid charger – or is Milwaukee’s charging up a capacitor or something to generate a short term jump while you attempt a start?
Doresoom
It’s a bank of capacitors in the Milwaukee unit.
Cook
The DeWalt you referenced is pure garbage. I tried jumping a few vehicles with dead batteries and it does nothing. It will literally only boost a low battery, not a dead one, which makes it worthless in my book. Hopefully the Milwaukee does better.
Jared
That echoes some of the reviews I read about it. When I spotted it about a year ago I thought it sounded great – I’d much rather have something that used my power tool batteries just because I’m likely to have them freshly-charged and on-hand. I was dissuaded from trying it by all the negative comments.
Daniel L
Well…
I’m sure that the Milwaukee is probably using a much larger capacitor bank than the DeWalt.
The truth of the matter is you can hack any old 18vdc power tool battery to get a quick boost. No capacitors required. Granted: it’s not the *safest* thing in the world to do. But these things come charged at 20vdc peak, 18v nominal, and a car battery tends to sit idle, fully charged, around 14 volts.
Simply connecting the + and – terminals will re-charge your battery until the voltages equalize. Granted: one can easily go above the rated specs of the li-ion packs and potentially ruin a battery at best, or start a fire at worst doing this. So it’s not recommended. A fire extinguisher won’t help at all in the latter situation.
Dewalt’s design is likely sufficient to get smaller engines going, especially with a large AH pack at full charge. Milwaukee’s variant looks to be geared towards the AAA crowd, or onsite industrial equipment.
Jimmie
I bought a Gooloo jump starter on the strength of its performance in Project Farm’s cold weather tests. Happily I haven’t needed to use it but I did test it two winters ago and it worked well enough that I don’t carry jumper cables anymore.
Mark M.
Same. Mine lives in the storage compartment of my wife’s Honda Pilot and through a year of Texas heat it discharged less than 5%. Tested it, worked like a champ. We left for a beach trip and when starting the Pilot it sounded just the tiniest bit off, like the battery was starting to fail, but it felt good to launch out anyway knowing we wouldn’t be totally stranded. Worth every penny.
blocky
I don’t know how electrons work, but I’ve seen someone start a pickup with an LXT battery, 2 pennies, and jumper cables.
(yes, this 3841-20 is better)
Stuart
People trying things they see online without full understanding is how a lot of fires start.
Daniel L
And a standard fire extinguisher isn’t going to help if a lithium ion battery catches fire.
Worse: it could cause the heat to build up and make the batteries explode.
Not a good idea. Possible, yes. But the downside is huge compared to what you gain.
Alexk
My $100 lithium charger from Home Depot is probably all most people need. It has started my small car, 6cyl Ranger and ride on mower. Not sure mine can start an 8.1 liter engine.
I like the idea of this. Using a small amount of power to charge a capacitor reminds me of my old flash from my film camera days.
It doesn’t seem like it is able to be a battery bank, which is another reason for the lithium starter.
Joe H
Yes all well and good but the main selling point of this is it runs off the M18 batteries and if one is dead you can just pop on a new battery instead of waiting for the tool to recharge.
Rzorrok
Love the idea but that thing is huge. My Noco works great and fits in my glove box.
Sam S.
I’m in the market for a jump box and would certainly consider this from Milwaukee since I already have plenty of M18 batteries.
But,… why only 3.0 diesel? The other brands that handle 8.0 gas can boost 6.0 diesel.
Matt F
Excellent point. I thought the same thing.
Saw the title of this post and thought I may look to buy one as I have plenty of M18 batteries, but if it can’t start my 6.7L Powerstroke, doesn’t sound like it will fit my needs.
s
being that it’s charging a capacitor bank off a higher voltage battery, instead of most other models that use a lithium battery of automotive battery voltage, my ill-informed concept is that the compression ignition of diesels takes a lot longer to actuate, and will discharge the capacitors before the starting cycle is complete.
capacitors are great at short sprints, but batteries are great at long-distance.
Matt_T
I’m also curious about the small diesel capacity. Not that I have a clue what displacement any of our equipment is. Up to 100 HP…………..
James
Jumps the Sprinter. I’m in.
Scotty.
I have a couple NOCO’s that have been reliable. Only problem is when those batteries decide to die the whole unit is trash.
At least with this Milwaukee you are using a standard replaceable battery that many already own.
I don’t have a lot of M18 batteries so I’ll be watching to see if HD will bundle the jump pack with a battery or two.
Michael
Yup… Had nocos never used and die…. Sucks… In the past gm dealers provided 3 year warrantys on them fyi…. Not sure I want another noco… 300 each time and 2 died they did cover one. If gm still does I will look at that but this might work with my duramax 6.6 assuming one dead batt…. Also in AZ no need for glow plugs before which kills your batt in the cold.
Robert
Stuart, did you really mean to phrase this clause this sweeping like this?:
“ While I am sure this is something most Milwaukee M18 cordless power tool users are going to want,…”
1. There’s a lot of M18 cordless tools out there in a lot of different types of users’ hands, are most users really needing a $300 jumper?
2. There’s sweeping positive tone of it goes against the more measured statement you make later:
“ I think this is not the type of tool you buy to leave in your car, truck, or garage just in case you might need it. Instead, it’s the type you MIGHT (my emphasis) want for frequent and maybe even occasional use.”
Stuart
Yes. I see a mismatch here between *want* and *justifiable need*.
A lot of people are going to want this, but I don’t think it was designed for the “just in case” needs most jump starters are sold for.
Brent
I have tried them all and working on boats and not any of them do half what they say they will do noco and any other brand sucks and noco is the worst of them all!
s
first off, i’m really happy to see this from an official brand. there’s a ton of questionable ‘power tool jump starters’ on amazon that are literally jumper leads hardwired to the power tool battery.
those leave a sour taste for me, as i know most vehicle electronics aren’t happy with voltages exceeding 18v most times, and power tool batteries tend to sit around 20v fully charged. which leaves the massive potential for a lot of very expensive computer repairs.
and i really like the idea of another tool option for using the batteries i’ve invested far too much money into.
but that said, the specs are horrible for a new device that’s emerging in a very established and rooted market. “The HotShot can be used with gas vehicles up to 8.1L, and diesel engine vehicles up to 3.0L.”
the NOCO GB40, their cheapest unit at $100, does 6.0-gas to 3.0 diesels. the NOCO GB150 at $300 does 9.0 gas and 7.0 diesels. and that’s just the name-brand models. all my personal vehicles are stocked with an ‘acmount’ p100 for $60, that does 10L gas, or 8.0L diesels. i’ve honestly used it more to help others than i’ve ever used it for myself, and it’s worked every time, except for the time i tried starting a few international semi trucks. i can buy a lot of $60 off-brand models for $300…
the milwaukee comes in at what appears to be nearly 4 times the physical size, and at $300, i still need to use a battery with a minimum MSRP of $169(per google for a m18 5.0). granted, i already have the batteries, so in some ways, the battery cost is negated.
for the overall size, performance for the price, and the marketing for more commercial usage, i find it impossible to get behind. i’m really struggling to see a market for this… and that’s coming from me, a vehicle upfitter, that routinely has 20-50 vehicles awaiting work, with dead batteries. the thought of lugging this across the storage lot in comparison to a NOCO means that there’s got to be a benefit to the heft that so far, i don’t see, other than using a battery i already have.
this isn’t something that’s a ‘just in case’ like the well-known NOCO products that can get easily stowed in a glovebox. the size dictates this is a service truck or shop tool. but if i was running a service truck, the question becomes, “how does this 4x-larger device at $300 benefit me, if i can get a similar product that uses 75% less space to perform the same function at $100? sure, it’s a separate product, and separate battery, but on service trucks, space utilization always wins.
overall, i’m really disappointed in milwaukee’s release of this. i’m hopeful that revision 2 will see some great improvements that they can show them starting semi trucks off an M18 5.0. but the fact that i’m already looking forward to product improvements is not a good sign for this version.
jake
As Stuart points out, the M18 jump starter and NOCO GB70 are both rated at 2000 peak Amps. The NOCO GB40 is rated at 1000 peak Amps. Could there be differences in test condition assumptions to explain the different engine displacement claims? Is something else functionally different?
Clintb
I will have to stay with noco. I can start a semi with the 4250A unit. This Milwaukee says only up to a 3.0 diesel.
Oarman
I’m hoping they come out with an Imperial version for those out there with engines in cubic inches.
Nathan
Do the cables look a little thin to anyone else? Shame 2000 amp rating only lasts 30 seconds of starting time. I wonder how many shots you get with a 5ah battery?
I’ve always thought a power tool company could make a hell of a jumper but it seems none have yet. This is close. I wonder how many amps something like a 5ah battery will produce at one time? 300, 500?
Stuart
Up to 70 jumps with a 5Ah battery. Sorry – I included this in the “features” list, maybe it should be in specs.
Matt_T
PDF manual you linked states the input current is 36A. Sounds about right for what I think is a 2 string 18650 5Ah battery.
36A for about a minute will give roughly 2,000 amp seconds of charge. Seems reasonable for an up to 2,000A inrush then a few seconds of 100s of amps actual cranking.
Where it gets interesting is a 5Ah battery will only be good for maybe 10 charges at best. To get anywhere close to 70 real world starts they’d have to be putting any unused charge back into the batteries. And possibly drawing power from the vehicle on successful starts.
Dominic
Too big and bulky. Established competitors such as Noco and Jump N Carry offer a more compact solution and better price point.
It is practically the size of an original Jump N Carry. A tried and trusted product. The only difference, this Milwaukee one uses their M18 batteries?
This product is not competitive and Milwaukee needs to go back to the drawing board.
CJ Ging
This was built for people already in the M18 platform. I’m looking at buying it for our welding/ fab shop. We always have M18 batteries around, we’ll never need to worry about it being charged up when we need it. It should outlast the ones with the built-in batteries. It’s overkill for a homeowner, but farmers, contractors, and people in the trades will buy it. Lots of people in the trades already carry m18 batteries in their truck or work van, and this will be handy on the jobsite.
Kyle Hewlett
For what it is this thing should cost NO MORE than $100. $299 is a downright rip-off. Considering it doesn’t even have a battery you’re looking at $450-$550 with a battery in it. Milwaukee prices are getting out of hand lately.
Bdub
For the space it takes up I’ll stick with NOCO. Why can’t Milwaukee get smarter and just put a 500-750W inverter in the package? At least put a light on it! This is another product fail waiting to happen. I have a pile of Milwaukee tools, but sometimes they just completely miss the market. This looks like a non starter for the price.