2023 test5 productsPower Tool Batteries
Which Power Tool Batteries Brand Wins?
We compared 5 power tool batteries options head to head. Milwaukee came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
Milwaukee
Price shown in test: $90
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Budget pick
Labtec
Price shown in test: $22
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Runtime test powering a 150W fan load | Maximum torque test, drill driving 5 inch lag bolts | Impact driver speed test, 3 attempts averaged | Angle grinder overload and runtime test | Short circuit test with a current meter | Internal resistance test | 1 amp discharge capacity test | 10 foot drop test | Teardown and fuse interconnect inspection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Milwaukee Red Lithium XC 6.0, new$90 | 39 minutes 15 seconds, longest of all batteries by over 10 minutes | 183 in-lb, best of all batteries | averaged about 6 seconds, best of all batteries, barely edging out the used 5.0 Milwaukee | 6 minutes 38 seconds, about twice as long as the second place finisher | made it to 390 amps before shutting down in about 2.5 seconds, internal fuse style interconnect worked as designed | 5.9 milliohms, by far the best of all batteries | over 1,000 mAh more than the second closest competitor, computed to 113 watt hours against a rated 108 watt hour claim | held up just fine | not tested |
| 2Milwaukee Red Lithium XC 5.0, used, about 5 years old | 28 minutes 40 seconds, outlasted the three knockoff brands by over 3 minutes | 175 in-lb, almost as good as the new 6.0 Milwaukee, second best overall | averaged 6.08 seconds, moved into the lead over the knockoffs | 2 minutes 42 seconds, did not smoke like the Tenmoer | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 3Labtec$22 | 25 minutes 20 seconds | 143 in-lb, worst of the four in this test, 40 in-lb less than the 6.0 Milwaukee | averaged 6.31 seconds, best of the three knockoff brands | 1 minute 52 seconds | made it to 112 amps before powering down, small amount of smoke, smelled hot | 12.9 milliohms, best of the three knockoffs | 2,820 mAh, best of the three knockoffs, computed to about 75 watt hours against a rated 108 watt hour, 6 amp hour claim | held up just fine | internal fuse style interconnect melted as designed at just over 100 amps, host says the battery passed the test |
| 4TENMOER$30 each, $60 for a pair | 21 minutes 44 seconds, about 4 minutes less than the Labtec | 146 in-lb, second best of the four, 3 in-lb better than the Labtec | averaged 6.95 seconds, slower than the Labtec | 3 minutes 33 seconds, best of the three knockoffs in this test, but the battery overheated and smoked heavily since it lacks overload protection, voltage afterward measured just over 2 volts and the Milwaukee charger flashed a fault indicating the battery was likely damaged | made it to 227 amps before powering down in under 2 seconds, better short circuit protection than the Amityke | 13.1 milliohms | performed almost as well as the Labtec, computed to about 73.5 watt hours against a rated 108 watt hour claim | not tested | internal fuse style interconnect melted as designed |
| 5Amityke$26 | 15 minutes 50 seconds, worst of the three knockoffs, about 10 minutes less than the Labtec | only 89 in-lb, worst of all batteries by a wide margin | around 7.15 seconds, worst of the three knockoffs | gave up in only 10 seconds, by far the worst of all batteries | made it to 123 amps before the current dropped to zero at almost 8 seconds, described by the host as definitely not a safe battery, smoking pretty badly | 13.4 milliohms, worst of the three knockoffs | only 1,520 mAh, described as absolutely terrible, computed to about 54.7 watt hours against a rated 108 watt hour claim | held up just fine | came dangerously close to catching on fire when opened up |
How it was tested
- runtime test powering a 150W fan load
- maximum torque test in a drill driving 5 inch lag bolts
- impact driver speed test driving lag bolts, 3 attempts averaged
- angle grinder overload and runtime test
- short circuit test with a current meter
- teardown and fuse interconnect inspection
- internal resistance test
- 1 amp discharge capacity test with computed watt hours
- 10 foot drop test
“When it comes to tool batteries, I typically go with the philosophy of buy once, cry once. And for that reason, I really like the Milwaukee. However, there are some times when the knockoff battery is the way to go. And for that reason, I really like the Lab Tech.”