Milwaukee has announced a new M12 cordless fan, model 0820-20.
The new fan, which Milwaukee officially describes as the M12 Mounting Fan, is said to be the highest performing 12V jobsite fan.
Milwaukee says the 0820-20 cordless fan delivers 18V-class air speed, and is a compact cooling solution [that] can adapt to various situations with the durability to withstand jobsite conditions.
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As the Mounting Fan name implies, there are quite a few different ways for the fan to be mounted to jobsite structures and surfaces.
The fan features multiple mounting methods:
- Keyholes (for use with screws)
- Pass-through holes
- Spring-loaded clamp with 2″ capacity
- Magnets
The fan can be fixed to horizontal or vertically-oriented 2x dimensional lumber studs and beams.
It can also be magnetically mounted to flat ferromagnetic surfaces, such as steel electrical panels.
But, it also looks to be strong enough to be mounted to vertical ferromagnetic surfaces as well, such as iron or steel pipes.
The fan features 3 speed settings, and it can be aimed a full 360° for convenient aiming.
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Key Features & Specs
- M12 battery system compatibility
- 6-inch fan blade diameter
- 14 MPH max air speed
- 400 CFM max air volume
- Built-in battery fuel gauge
- Top handle
- Weighs 4.57 lbs
- Measures 8.85″ x 7.23″ x 13.10″
Max Runtime Specs
- M12 XC 3.0Ah battery: 7 hrs 30 mins
- M12 XC 4.0AH battery: 10 hrs 45 mins
- M12 XC 6.0Ah battery: 16 hours
(Runtime specs are presumably for the lowest speed/airflow setting.)
Price: $79 (tool-only)
ETA: April 2022
Discussion
Here is what Milwaukee Tool’s product manager is quoted as saying about the new fan in press materials:
With the combination of air performance and multiple mounting solutions, the M12 Mounting Fan delivers performance comparable to other 18V jobsite fans with more versatility.
I’m a little skeptical about how a smaller 12V-class cordless can could compare to 18V-class fans. So, let’s do a quick comparison.
M12 Fan: 14 MPH max, 400 CFM max
Milwaukee’s M18 cordless fan is said to deliver 18 MPH max speed and 284 CFM max airflow. The newest Dewalt 20V Max cordless fan delivers 650 CFM max, and it doesn’t have published speed specs.
A lot of other brands’ 18V-class cordless fans don’t have published speed or airflow specs.
Based on the images and dimensional specs, the new Milwaukee M12 cordless fan is likely best considered as a personal cooling fan. That’s not a bad thing, and is how most cordless fans are intended to be used.
The versatile mounting options increases the chances you’ll be able to position the fan closer to where you’re working, which will improve its effectiveness.
Its compact size might also increase its portability.
Kevin Sowell
I’d be interested to see run times on this with the 6.0 battery. I regularly use my DeWalt 20v (gen1) fan for small drying projects. I can get upwards of 3 days on very low speed with my 9.0 Flexvolt battery. Great for constant air flow without causing paint to run or bubble. I’d also be interest for camping/hiking as well. The Dewalt fan is great inside the tent for the weekend but kind of big for a small 2 person tent.
Stuart
(I added them in just after publishing the post.)
With an M12 XC 6Ah battery, the fan can deliver up to 16 hours of runtime, presumable at the lowest setting.
Jim Felt
I’ve been in a few attic wiring/rewiring situations where this M12 over my present M18 fan would be really handy*. But, of course, only when it’s available and maybe bundled?
*It never even occurred to me to take the bigger M18 along.
Gregg
Careful with fans in attic’s with blown insulation.
Jared
RE: camping and hiking use – I love bringing my Ridgid fan along camping. It’s the perfect way to light a campfire or give it a heat boost. E.g. maybe you just threw some extra logs on and the fire is a little low and smokey – a few seconds of low-speed fan brings the flames back fast.
Lasts forever when you don’t need max speeds too.
Leo B.
I think it should be ferromagnetic rather than ferromagnetically for the portion about the electrical panel. Looks like a nice 12v option to have!
Stuart
Thanks! *fixed*
MoogleMan3
No wall power is a deal breaker for me. I have two of the M18 fans and use them mostly on wall power unless I need to bring them some place with no power.
Luke
That would’ve been a perk for sure. On the M18 I use the AC adapter more than half the time. It also would’ve driven up the price a bit though. As small as this is, I don’t know that I’ll miss being able to plug it into the wall. It’ll be more of a grab and go thing as I move from project to project in the summer.
King duck
Why? So many cheaper andbor better fans for fixed applications I would give up the plug in ability for a price drop.
I love my M18 but honestly wish I would have started my Ryobi purchases sooner their fan is even better.
James C
This is smaller than the m18, right? How can it have almost 50% more cfm at lower speed and smaller diameter? What am I not understanding about fans? Are the blades shaped differently to be able to move more air?
Jp
This is a common issue. It will move more air given the characteristics of the blade but it won’t move it as far and the rate of diminished force by distance will have to be greater due to mph. Moving air volume is separate than the force at which the air is moving to a significant degree. I learned this with blowers. Aerodynamics is very complex,so one can be fairly truthful by marketing stuff that plays on normal folks lack of understanding. Stuart has helped clarify things in the past for me in terms of the sciences involved.
Koko The Talking Ape
I was just going to say the same thing.
So let’s work this out:
M12 Fan: 14 MPH max, 400 CFM max
M18 fan: 18 MPH max speed, 284 CFM max
(Both sets of figures from Stuart’s post.)
The M18 produces max airspeed about 30% faster than the M18, so assuming the same diameter fan, it should give 30% greater CFM than the M12, which would be 400 x 1.3 = 520 CFM. (We’re assuming that the max airspeed gives the max CFM for both, which seems reasonable.)
But the M18 actually gives only 284 CFM, around half that. So it must have half the fan area. A circle’s area is Pi x r^2, so to have half the fan area, the radius must be divided by sqrt of 2, or about 1.4, The M12’s radius is 3 inches (6 in. diameter), so the M18’s radius is about 3/1.4 = 2.12 inches, or a diameter of about 4 1/4″ inches.
Does the M18 have a diameter of 4 1/4″ inches? It sure doesn’t look like it.
Somebody check my math?
Stuart
Air volume is not solely dependent on fan size; speed is a big contributing factor.
There are numerous computer fan speed sizes, such as 80mm, 92mm, 120mm, 140mm, 200mm, etc.
To achieve the same airflow, a smaller diameter fan has to operate faster.
Fan blade profile can be impactful as well.
Air speed and airflow volume are not calculable values, they have to be measured. As such, you cannot draw parallels between two dissimilar designs.
Numbers are largely insignificant unless you’re comparing similar designs and form factors, or at least in my opinion with respect to cordless fans.
What is the air movement like a distance of 5 feet from the fan? Things like that have to be tested or felt, and cannot be easily conveyed via air speed and volume measurements.
Basically, don’t get hung up on the numbers here.
Koko The Talking Ape
“To achieve the same airflow, a smaller diameter fan has to operate faster. Fan blade profile can be impactful as well.”
Right, I know all that, and assumed that for my calculations.
“Air speed and airflow volume are not calculable values, they have to be measured.”
I didn’t compute those values, I used those values as received (from you) to compute the necessary difference in fan diameter to achieve those figures.
And that diameter makes no sense, hence the airspeed and volume rates make no sense.
“What is the air movement like a distance of 5 feet from the fan?” That’s perhaps relevant to how or whether you’d use it, but not for this particular discussion (about whether those numbers make sense.)
Stuart
In theory, air speed and air volume are usually related.
But with fans, you have occlusions the reduce the cross sectional area – the fan motor – as well as a reduction due to grills and physical supports.
There’s fan blade size, nominal cross sectional area, and also apparent size.
Let’s say you have a 6″ fan and a 12″ fan, and they have comparable performance, as well as comparable nominal cross sections for airflow. A 12″ fan will still perform differently regardless as to what numbers might suggest.
The suggestion that the M12 fan would have to be significantly larger than the M18 fan to move more air is logical, but flawed.
There are too many factors to be able to make any assumptions.
At the least, the fan blade geometry is different.
If the M12 fan geometry was scaled up to the same size as the M18 fan, and it was rotated at the same speed as the M18 fan, how would it perform compared to the M18?
Do the performance specs make perfect sense at face value? No, it’s counterintuitive for a smaller 12V-class fan to have higher airflow specs than a larger 18V-class one.
We need more pieces to the puzzle.
Looking at the front view of the fan, the amount of free space is not going to be based on fan size.
Simplistically, instead of trying to compare fan blade sizes, we can use speed and volume figures to determine duct size.
Speed (distance/time) x duct area (distance^2) = volume/time
Volume/speed = area
M12: 14 MPH 400 CFM
M18: 18 MPH 284 CFM
1 mile = 5280 feet
1 hour = 60 minutes
M12: 1,232 feet per minute, 400 cubic feet per minute
M12: 3.08 square foot area (extrapolated)
M12: ~11.9″ duct radius (extrapolated)
M18: 1,584 feet per minute, 284 cubic feet per minute
M18: 5.58 square foot area (extrapolated)
M18: ~16.0″ duct radius (extrapolated)
What does this mean? Nothing I would be comfortable drawing any conclusions from.
What they are probably doing is using a flow hood of some kind to take airflow measurements a certain distance away from the fan, either before the intake or beyond the outtake.
The M12 fan moves air at up to 400 CFM to attain a 14 MPH max air speed.
The M18 fan moves air at up to 284 CFM to attain an 18 MPH max air speed.
By my calculations, the M18 fan pushes air through a roughly (and hypothetically) 1.81X larger cross sectional area and also achieves a higher air speed. I don’t know if this is accurate to conclude or not, or if other factors are at play.
My point is, don’t get hung up on the numbers. They are meaningful, and can be used to compare performance, but drawing accurate conclusions is not straightforward without knowing more.
Here’s a loose example about what I meant about how calculable vs. measurable values can be used. John runs 100 meters in 12 seconds. Joe runs 100 meters in 15 seconds. In a 1000 meter race, who would win – John or Joe? Can you answer this question with high reliability without more information?
James C
This is why it’s so confusing. This is a (presumably) smaller fan operating slower but moves 50% more volume than the m18. It doesn’t pass the smell test. Inquiring minds want to know what’s up with that.
Surely the numbers aren’t insignificant. If you were comparing the two boxes in the store which would you buy? Would you be confused and just get the cheaper Ryobi hybrid fan instead?
I guess we’ll need to wait until a youtuber compares the two. Maybe see how much of their mullet wig blows in the wind or something.
Jared
The magnet is a simple but useful addition. Maybe I throw one of these on the hood of my open-air tractor? Nice.
Kevin
Or clamped to the ROPS, blowing right down the back
Rob H
That is an excellent idea!
MichaelT
That might motivate some to actually deploy their ROPS…
Dave P
I have a couple of M18s and my assistants like them. They’re not all that big, I can’t see the sense in buying a 12 V fan that’s not much smaller, lower power, and then not being able to plug it into the wall…
Davethetool
I would definitely have to see it both in person and to actually test it beforehand. Fans can be all over the usage spectrum as far as delivery and true air flow.
Davethetool
These are avail when?
fred
ToolNut seems to be taking pre-orders:
https://www.toolnut.com/shop.html?q=m12+fan
fred
Acme says they will ship on 5/12:
https://www.acmetools.com/milwaukee-tool-m12-mounting-fan-bare-tool-0820-20/045242586608.html
Stuart
As I mentioned in the post, it’s expected to start shipping on April 2022.
Adam
Only took a year to release such a simple item. I bookmarked the HD placeholder page last spring, and gave up checking.
M18 needs a fuel or more advanced model with true hybrid plug, and an much large blade. Something that might full PackOut width would probably make the most sense for them, profitability wise. If they added oscillating to the mix, even better.
Gregg
Lol. Great another item to add to my Eiffel Tower pack out system.
Kevin
Yeah, but that puts the floodlight at the top higher up.
It’s a feature
Chris
Milwaukee’s late to the party for me.
I bought one of these at direct tools for $20 (or $25 at home depot).
https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-ONE-18V-Cordless-4-in-Clamp-Fan-Tool-Only-PCF02B/315493213
This M12 fan doesn’t deserve to be $80 without a wall adapter option.
You can buy 3-4 of the Ryobi fans for the price of the Milwaukee.
If you want to stick with only M18 batteries, you could pick up an M18 to Ryobi 18V battery adapter for $25 and get access to plenty of Ryobi tools that Milwaukee doesn’t make (Fantastic drum fan, several hot glue guns, etc.).
Chris Losada
Did anyone catch the this one does around 50% more CFM at less millage than the m18? I think there’s something wrong with the specs
Adam
What are the “pass through holes” used for in regards to mounting? Hang it from a rope around my neck? I guess that’s the imagine that would have been more helpful for me, not the magnets in use
SamR
Ridiculously tall and with poor features. Hard pass for me.
Koko The Talking Ape
Yeah, it’s funny-looking. But I guess the reason is to accomodate the battery, which pivots along with the fan instead of being mounted on the stationary base (as in the DeWalt and Ryobi fans.) That eliminates the need for sliding electrical contacts or flexible wires, so it might be longer lasting or more reliable. I dunno.
Big Richard
I think Flex got it right. They did brushless and hybrid, even got USB-C charging ports.
https://www.protoolreviews.com/flex-24v-brushless-hybrid-jobsite-fan-fx5471-z/