I found an M18 to M12 adapter on Amazon, and I'm curious if it's safe to use it with my old M12 stubby fuel impact. I only have this one M12 tool, while the rest of my tools are M18. Will using an M18 battery potentially damage my M12 impact? I'd like to transition to a complete M18 setup without having to buy a new impact since the one I have works just fine.
3 Answers
Using an M18 battery with an M12 tool is risky. In the best-case scenario, the adapter has circuitry that limits the voltage down to 12V, which could work okay for lower-power tools. But in the worst case, you might overvolt your M12 tool and really damage it—especially since they’re not designed to handle that much power. If I were you, I’d just grab a couple of cheap M12 batteries instead. You can use them with your existing charger, assuming you have a multi-volt one.
I’ve tested it with my cutoff tool, and it ran faster with the M18 battery. However, I did notice the battery indicator blink like it was dying, even though it was fully charged. Sometimes you need to reset it by docking it back in the charger. Just be cautious since it can lead to confusing readings and potential issues.
Honestly, I wouldn't risk it. There's a good chance that using an M18 battery could fry your M12 tools, and I wouldn’t want to gamble with something so expensive. I’d recommend checking out Facebook Marketplace for a used M12 battery instead of messing with the adapter. It's safer, and you'll avoid any potential mishaps.