Milwaukee’s newest M18 cordless power tool is a jobsite fan accessory, model 0886-20. The Milwaukee 0886-20 jobsite fan sports a couple of handy features that have user comfort and convenience in mind.
Although it caught me a little off guard, it’s not terribly surprising to see such a product from Milwaukee. TTI, Milwaukee’s parent company, makes a Ryobi One+ cordless fan, which I reviewed and approve of, and a new Ridgid cordless fan as well.
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Features
- Pivoting fan head with 120° range and 9 stopping positions
- 3 speed settings
- Airflow up to 284 CFM
- Circulates air over 40 feet
- Up to 17 hours of runtime, on low setting, with M18 XC 5.0Ah Li-ion battery pack
- Weighs 6.84 lbs with battery
- Comes with an AC adapter for corded operation
Battery and charger are sold separately.
Street Price: $79
ETA: June 2015
If you’re looking at this image and thinking it looks funny, your eyes are NOT deceiving you. Milwaukee designed the fan such that it can be mounted in a variety of positions from 4 keyhole hanger slots. There are also 2 hanging holes for even greater versatility. So yes, you can attach it sideways to a sturdy wall if you wanted to.
First Thoughts
Milwaukee says that their new fan can last all day on a jobsite – and it can for certain speed settings and battery pack sizes – and they describe how it can be used for worker comfort and functional purposes. They say that it can be used for drying leaking pipes, drywall mud, or paint.
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But let’s be serious. This is a fan, not an air blower. Yes, it probably can be used for very limited drying purposes, but that’s not why M18 users will buy this. They’re going to buy this because it gets hot, humid, and gnarly during certain seasons and while working certain jobs.
I’d say that 95% of the time, the fan will be used as a personal cooling device. And that’s okay. That other 5% of the time? That covers the first 5-10 minutes after a new user unboxes the fan and sees what it can do.
Like most Milwaukee cordless power tools and accessories, the fan looks like a welcome new product. Its street price looks to be $79, which is a bit steep, but you also get more features and a better runtime rating than the $40 Ryobi model. Looks a bit more robust too, but that’s not something you could easily test from a photo.
So… who’s buying one?
adam
Only thing that the Ryobi has over this, is the ability to plug into the wall when the battery goes dead.
Glad to hear Ridgid is also making one as well, as might be jumping companies again to the x5 lineup.
Chance
I think it has that same feature as the Ryobi
“Comes with an AC adapter for corded operation”
adam
missed that. thanks
I wonder how much it would cost for Milwaukee to offer tools like this that also charged batteries. I think I’d pay another $25 to get that feature..
Pete
I saw this on their facebook! Looks cool. I will have one! Maybe two!
steve
They should have integrated a charger into this… it has a battery slot and it has a power cord, would have been nice to make it able to charge a battery while cooling you off.
Jerry
I’m curious about the AC adapter. Does it connect where the battery goes, is it built into the fan like the Ryobi, or something else? An AC adapter that fits where the artery goes would be nice if it could run other tools. For example, someone who does occasional metal work could have a cordless angle grinder, and be able to run it off of 110 for the occasional larger job.
jeff_williams
It’s a “wall wart” style adapter with a barrel plug on the end.
Matt E.
Odd (and a bit annoying), as the Ryobi accepts standard ext. cables. No need to carry a proprietary wall plug around to keep the unit powered.
Barbara
The Ryobi is a great little fan. I bought mine at Home Depot during Father’s Day sales. Needless to say, the fan isn’t the expensive part, the battery’s are. So I watched for a sale on the charger , and 2, 18 v batteries.
I have Bosch, and they don’t have a fan.
I bought the fan for my dog’s agility and barn hunting trials. Buildings are often not cooled, and it can get very hot.
I found an appliance cord that plugs into the back (battery must be removed).
I have found it very handy when having to spend time in the attic or drying wet drywall or a spot on the carpet.
I use it indoors, outdoors, and in my SUV while transporting dogs.
The are a common sight at dog trials, and I see now that Ryobi has also come out with a larger AC/DC fan.
Matt E.
For the money, I think the Ryobi (which I own) is a better buy. The Milwaukee doesn’t look like it’s bringing twice the features to the table, in order to justify being double the price.
Jer
$79 bare tool price? This looks perfect for us, we will use a couple for ventilation of confined spaces we work in. Wondering about the noise level.
Nathan
knowing how things stack up I suspect the build quality and usefullness of this is rather high – I bet it’s quieter than the ryobi device and proably near even with the ridgid device.
intrigued by the wall plug option – would have been nice to see it also charge a battery – even if slowly. IE 2 hours for a compact battery vs the 1 hour quick charger.
would like to see a dewalt version of device.
Otherwise – if it was 99 with a charger capability I’d consider that a decent buy.
oh and I have to ask – is the motor brushless?
Seg
I will want at least one since I have a bunch of M18 batteries. It will also come in handy sitting on top of a cooler pointing at me while I’m sitting on the beach this summer.
Jake S
Any details on the Ridgid fan? I can’t find anything online. Just picked up the Gen5x kit so I might be interested in the fan for working in hot boiler type rooms.
Matt
I will buy one strictly for cooling purposes.
NJElecCont
This would be perfect for those hot summers working up in the attics. Some lady once had a small fan in her attic that we had blowin towards us while we installed some hihats, made it much easier to breathe and work in general.
john
The blade and shrod design look like they are copied over from vornado
That also would be why it blows 40 feet… it creates a vortex of spiraled air that is very narrow allowing it to travel further
Only drawback is it’s not diffused but it is very effective and it can move the air in a room around very efficiently
Jim
I like the Makita version that oscillates much better. Having the oscillating feature is a big plus in a tight spot and it’s been out a while. Come on Milwaukee what took so long. You would think Milwuakee would have had a fan ages ago since Ryobi is made by the same company.
Rob
Anyone know what diameter the fan blades are…?
Or the noise level at Hi, Med, & Low.. (dB or Sones)
K2
I would use this at the cut station for hardi plank or Boral Truexterior. Blow all that dust away that the vacuum missed.
Travis
Will the new 6.0 or 9.0 battery fit under this fan?
Stuart
6.0Ah? Yes
9.0Ah? Probably not, at least not if you want to be able to stably stand the fan up on a flat surface. It doesn’t look like there’s enough clearance for the taller battery.