A new Milwaukee USB-C charging accessory pack recently launched at dealers – I first spotted it at Acme Tools. While not a big deal, especially since the wall charger still has a USB-A outlet, this is the latest sign that the power tool industry is moving forward with USB-C, albeit very slowly.
The latest Dewalt cordless personal worklights feature USB-C charging.
Dewalt launched a USB-C PD charging kit last year – we reviewed it here.
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The new Dewalt ToughSystem 20V Max battery charging tool box also features a USB-C port, as well as a USB-A port.
As of last year, Milwaukee started designing their personal lighting products with USB-C charging. Their Packout compact worklight, shown here, features USB-A and USB-C charging ports.
Dremel announced new cordless scissors last year, and it too features USB-C charging.
All of the new Husky rechargeable LED lighting products that launched this past winter featured USB-C charging.
Worx moved to USB-C at least as of 2020, when they launched this 3-speed cordless screwdriver.
Surprisingly, the Makita XGT cordless microwave has a USB-A port.
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I heard from a component maker a few months ago – they wanted to talk about a “USB-C based solution specific to power tools that they were working on, but also acknowledged that “USB-C adoption in this segment” has been “very slow.”
I haven’t seen any notable developments since then that might accelerate USB-C adoption, but I remain hopeful and have been checking back periodically. Could brands be doing more with USB-C? Absolutely. But, some progress is better than nothing.
Personally, I want to see more USB-C chargers, similar to the two-way adapter Dewalt launched for their 20V Max line. While not perfect, it’s very convenient and has a tiny footprint.
Obviously it’s not cost-effective to replace pricier equipment just because they don’t feature USB-C ports. I can tolerate USB-A on charging devices, as I still have plenty of compatible cables and don’t always need a faster charging rate, but I don’t want to see micro USB (or worse – mini USB) on new equipment.
3-1/2 years ago, I wrote a story – Why Dewalt Probably Won’t Make a USB-Chargeable Cordless Power Tool Battery. Built-in charging would still add to a battery’s size and weight, but the charging rate is no longer the biggest obstacle.
There are now plenty of USB-C PD chargers that can reach 100W outputs, and many of us have become accustomed to using the connection with modern personal electronics and devices.
Brands have been almost keeping pace with modern times, as they design new flashlights and personal worklights, compact tools, and charging products with USB-C ports.
What other ways can – or should – USB-C be used in the tool world? Are there potential implementations that might save you time or effort?
Hon Cho
While I look forward to USB-C being truly universal, I’ve come to grips with managing different connection standards. What would really be nice is to have USB-C charging ports on all batteries, so not needing a different charger for each battery system.
Stuart
Maybe one day.
I’d be happy with slide-on charging adapters similar to Dewalt’s.
Ball_bearing
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Jon
Pretty sure the Milwaukee Top-Off Inverter has a USB port for charging like you’re talking about.
Stuart
The M18 Top-Off is for charging electronic devices using battery power. https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/milwaukee-m18-top-off-usb-ac-power-adapter/%3C/a%3E
What Hon Cho is wishing for is built-in USB-C ports for charging batteries.
John
They do make a m12 adapter that lets you charge the battery from USB though (48-59-1201).
Tojen1981
It’s not 2-way though. You can’t charge the battery if you plug the usb-c cable into a wall wart.
Adam
I’m not so interested in it on tool batteries. It’s a tiny and relatively sensitive port not designed for dust and grime. Flaps rip off, the little board inside can break, etc.
Pretty much every other device with an integrated battery should have USB-C tho (phones, headphones/headsets, flashlights, 4v tools, etc). I refuse to buy any device with micro-USB. The jacks/connectors always stunk, and they charge way too slow. Barrel chargers are too varied (annoying).
Carmelo
I picked up a Klein 3×360 green laser ($250) and the USB c charging is just great. You can charge the battery seperatley or while using the laser with a phone charger.
JDsantos
About time. The tool industry has been my nemesis in trying purge all micro-USB from my home. It’s especially frustrating since those delicate connectors are the first failure point for anything living in my garage.
Lance
Planned obsolescence, pure and simple. USB-C has been around a long time now, and is the connector of the foreseeable future. Power tool companies are moving slow on purpose, but now that a few have started they’ll all jump on board quickly as to not be left behind. 5-10 years worth of tools will have obsolete USB connections almost over night.
Josh H
I don’t think the tool companies are that malicious. It was probably a combination of terminal cost and lack of consumer pressure that made them wait as long as they did to switch.
In the past, the cost of a USB-C terminal was much higher than a micro-USB terminal of an equivalent power capacity. It didn’t really effect profit margin on higher cost items like phones or laptops, but definitely did for the less than $100 market segment. Now that USB-C is getting used more and more, economies of scale kicks in and the cost per terminal is low enough to justify replacing micro-USB. That, and the pressure from consumers to use USB-C is much higher now than it was 5 years ago.
Also switching from micro to USB-C doesn’t brick the tools you have. You’ll be able to easily buy inexpensive micro-USB cables for quite a long time.
Lance
All good points, but the fact Milwaukee is including micro-USB adapters with their new C cables (per the image above) will likely obliterate any savings they realized from using the micro format in the first place.
I’m not saying obsolescence implying the devices can no longer be used, I’m saying it will drive an upgrade path that favours the company. Same as when Apple ditched the 30-pin connector for Lightning… might as well switch everything over so you’re only dealing with one cable, right? 😉
Albert
I hope Milwaukee updates their M12 USB charger to use USB-C or even folding AC prongs. I really need a compact charger for my tool bag.
Rob
Seriously! I keep checking Etsy waiting for someone else to release their own.
If I had more electronic exp I’d consider
buying a usb-c charging board offAmazon/eBay and making it fit into my knockoff USB M12 charger.
Adam
That’s what has kept me from buying that charger! I put a hard stop on USB in my purchases years ago. Just was tired of the teeth on it wearing out, and the overall fragility. It was always junk.
I put off buying a laptop for years too, because I didn’t want one that wasn’t charged via USB-C. Eliminated flashlights, headlamps, etc etc from consideration…
Shawn Y
I think the USB Implementers Forum first needs to get down on the consumer level to reorganize or remarket USB-C as a whole into unambiguous and distinct tiers (as well as standardizing tier labels directly onto the cable head). There’s plans to label only a few of the high end capabilities, i.e. 240W and 40Gbps.
While this mess of cables w wildly diff capabilities unified into the USB-C head type was accelerated into place by the European Parliament’s new law allowing only USB-C interfaced electronics to be sold there beginning next year, the USB symposium rushed to comply w little thought to end user. It seems to cover mostly Best Buy categories of stuff but the intent is to phase out all legacy interfaces in the market.
There are currently 12 variations of USB-C cables (and growing) w a mix and match of amperage, wattage and data-transfer speed/disabled. Prices vary wildly as well given the specs from $5, $7.50, $10, $11.50, $17, $22, $28, $35, $45, $50 or $60 per cable. I don’t want to spend $60 on all my cables just to be on the safe side.
I was on a trip recently where I needed to transfer some data from my phone to computer and happened to have unwisely folded my cables as to break. I ran to the store and picked one w above average watts at a middle-high price point just to be futureproof. I get back and my computer doesn’t detect anything. Apparently, I picked up a PD charging/data-transfer incapable cable.
Anywho, I’m sorry for a long comment on only tangentially related to the article. I’ve found myself opining away on an article topic I have …thoughts on only to regret it near the end having realized I’ve barely grazed the actual article at all. I’m typing this last paragraph after such a realization.
Yes, I believe most all new tools launched after October 2024 that would use a USB-type interface for power or datalogging will all adopt the USB-C interface.
Munklepunk
I have dozens of USBC cables from various brands, some well known, Samsung, Anker, some unpronounceable and dirt cheap, they have all worked fine. I don’t know what you are doing but stop buying from gas stations maybe. When they first came out there were no standards and crappy cables were everywhere, Benson Leung became a hero in putting a stop to that.
Adam
Yeah they need to consolidate to a handful of catch-all standards for cables. Honestly just fly me out and I’ll workshop it all out for FREE.
I don’t know what these people are thinking.
Munklepunk
What’s nearly as bad is round charging ports for 12-46 ish volt electronics. 5.5×2.1mm, 5.5×2.5mm and on and on, they all rate the same and are a small size difference.
MM
Back when Radio Shack was still a thing those round coaxial power plugs were one of my most commonly purchased items. There must have been at least a dozen different types and there was no consistency regarding which diameter(s) were used for what voltage, current, or even polarity. Sometimes it was center-positive, sometimes center-negative. At least those seem to be replaced more and more often by USB type connectors these days.
John
There’s nothing they can do when most of the cheap cables you buy aren’t compliant anyway. A usb-c cable that won’t transfer any data is not part of the standard, so changing the standard won’t do anything.
Shawn Y
I was told later that it’s actually a “feature” to prevent spyware and stuff from infecting those who often use public charging stations.
Saulac
Amen to standardizations. Let not forget to appreciate the efforts to made this where it is today, and also the arguements against it (in the name of innovation and customer satisfaction).
JR Ramos
Shawn Y has a good post and it’s very relevant. What we’re most often seeing so far is a USB C port but not really C implementation. Often that’s ok and it’s convenient for users (nobody misses Mini….Micro wasn’t that bad as far as physical configuration goes).
I’m not sure how much benefit there really is in a lot of devices to have full C implementation and there are some drawbacks to tacking it on to batteries/cells. Mostly this is poor understanding, poor instruction/design, and/or poor workmanship at the China factories that make the charging circuits/boards and the cables. I don’t know why they are having such issues with these charging circuits but it seems like many of them are failing across different product categories (we see it an awful lot in flashlights at any price level but that’s a tougher use case with a lot of heat in a confined area and circuits crammed onto impossibly small boards).
Personally I don’t like chargers that take USB power input – would rather have a traditional switching supply (still need a wall outlet for any of it anyway). I think the more powerful bricks and warts now are great but their main draw for many seems to be portability in a sling pack or something. Having it on tool battery packs could be very convenient and as more and more vehicles can deliver respectable current from their onboard ports, it really could be great for field workers and new construction, etc.
I don’t know how much the communication capabilities of USB C would/will help in the tool world. Bluetooth seems more convenient and easy enough to implement as they have. Wireless has been the future for some years now, even in vehicle repair shops.
Munklepunk
Micro was garbage and seriously prone to failure. C has a much larger port and can handle much larger transfer speeds and charging speeds. Because of this, if necessary, you could charge a tool battery at almost decent speeds if using the proper charger.
One big issue people are missing is that USBC tech is increasing fast, it’s beyond what it was a year ago. Phones can fully charge in 20-30 minutes now, transfer speeds are pushing 40 Gbps. When USBC on phones first came out fast charging was 1.5-2.5 hours. That was just a few years ago. Maybe that’s why apple makes such bad cables, so people have to replace them so often that they never have to worry about old cables being used on new chargers, not that apple would grace its customers with upgraded charges.
JR Ramos
Do you *want* to charge your batteries that fast…that’s the question. Even with our good high drain capable cells in tool battery packs, fast charging still takes its toll (to say nothing of the charger itself). Remember we’re still on li-ion not the same as what’s in phones and laptops these days.
On the data side…assuming we want to pay the money for the complexity and implementation in chargers/circuits, what do we do with it on tools? I know what’s being done now via BT but if those functions were to go wired, you don’t need USB C to do that well. What do we do with the capability?
Right now the majority of C-to-A cables are not using real C implementation (the cable nor, generally, the charging circuits) in devices that aren’t computer/phone related. And then there’s the aspect of communication triggers to contend with.
charles
I use usb-c/thunderbolt cables every day many times professionally and personally. we have completely switched to using OWC Thunderbolt 4 rated, 100W rated, cables. yes, expensive. but we never have to think about the damn cables. they have 18″, 36″, 72″ cables available.
Jim Felt
OWC is always a great resource. (Though I doubt they’re on Amazon)…
Jim Felt
Dangitall! OWC is on Amazon.! I’d never looked until just now. Crap. Learn something useful even this late at night.
Adam
I was just looking at OWC cables… I am putting off a hardware refresh at my desk, but in the meantime needed a couple cables and probably getting TB4 for a small premium over USB4.
I’ll probably wind up just getting a USB4 dock, but dammit if I’m gonna fuss over a couple bucks on cables and be stuck shelling out again.