Will Your Makita or Milwaukee Batteries Fit a Clip Gun?
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The Outback ClipGun takes a Makita style slide on pack, and one 4.0Ah battery comes in the kit. Milwaukee packs fit through an adaptor, which Outback sell for around $40. Ryobi, DeWalt and Bosch don't have an adaptor path we're aware of, so plan on the battery that comes with it.
One thing to sort before you click buy. Outback's own listing isn't consistent about the voltage. The product title and the spec table both say 18V. The page URL and some of the surrounding copy say 20V. We've asked them to confirm which one is correct and we'd rather tell you that up front than pretend the question doesn't exist. If your decision hangs on the voltage, ring us on 0431 183 421 before you order and we'll get it in writing from the supplier first.
Why 18V and 20V MAX are usually the same battery
This trips people up constantly, and it's worth understanding because it's not specific to this tool.
A lithium ion cell sits at about 3.6V nominal and about 4.0V fully charged, straight off the charger. Five of those cells in series gives you 18V nominal and about 20V at peak.
Makita, Milwaukee, Bosch and Ryobi quote the nominal figure and call it 18V. DeWalt, Craftsman and Porter-Cable quote the peak figure and call the identical pack 20V MAX. Same cells, same real world performance. One marketing department rounded up, the other didn't.
So when you see a tool listed as 18V in one place and 20V in another, it's most often the same pack described two ways rather than two different products. That's the likely explanation here, and it's still not a substitute for the supplier confirming it in writing. We're not going to state the voltage as settled fact until they do.
What it does mean practically: don't reject a tool because the number doesn't match the sticker on your Makita pack. And don't assume a 20V MAX DeWalt pack will fit an 18V Makita fitting, because the numbers matching or not matching has nothing to do with whether it physically seats.
Why platforms don't swap
Three separate things have to line up for a pack to run a tool.
The physical rail. Makita LXT packs slide on. Milwaukee M18 packs slide on too, but the rails, the latch positions and the terminal spacing are different. They won't interchange.
The terminals. Positive and negative have to land in the right spots, in the right order, at the right width.
The communication. Modern packs and tools talk to each other over extra terminals. That's how the tool knows the pack's temperature and state of charge, and how the pack knows to shut down before a cell gets damaged.
Makita, Milwaukee and DeWalt each use a proprietary connection that's incompatible physically and electronically with the others. That's a deliberate commercial decision as much as an engineering one.
The word "style" is doing some work
The spec sheet describes the battery format as Makita style 18V MAX. That word "style" means the fitting matches the Makita LXT footprint. It doesn't automatically mean every genuine Makita pack seats, latches and runs perfectly.
We've asked Outback exactly which packs they've tested, including whether a genuine BL1850B or BL1860B drops straight in. Until that answer comes back in writing, the honest position is that the gun takes an 18V pack in the Makita LXT fitting, and if you're planning to run your existing Makita packs on it, check with us first.
We'd rather answer that question on the phone in two minutes than have a $1,799 tool come back because we got ahead of ourselves.
The Milwaukee adaptor
Outback make an adaptor that lets a Milwaukee M18 pack run the gun, and it's around $40. They also do a bundle built around it, which is the bare gun plus the adaptor plus a large box of clips, so you're not paying for a battery and charger you already own.
Two things you should know before you go down that road.
An adaptor sits between the pack and the tool and it can't replicate the communication the pack expects from its own brand of tool. Every major manufacturer treats a cross brand adaptor as outside the terms of the pack warranty. Milwaukee don't support it, and if your M18 pack dies while running through an adaptor, that's your problem rather than theirs.
We've also asked Outback whether running an adaptor affects the ClipGun's own 12 month warranty. When that answer lands we'll put it on the product page in plain words, whichever way it goes.
None of that means don't use one. Plenty of contractors run adaptors happily and Outback sell one themselves, so they're comfortable with it on their tool. It means go in knowing what you're accepting.
Amp hours, not volts, is the number that matters to you
Once you're inside a platform, voltage is fixed. The number that changes your day is amp hours.
| Pack | What it means on the fence |
|---|---|
| 2.0Ah | Light and compact. Fine for repairs and short runs. |
| 4.0Ah | The pack that comes in the kit. The sensible middle ground. |
| 5.0Ah | More work per charge, a bit more weight on your hip. |
| 6.0Ah | Longest run between swaps, heaviest, and generally the dearest. |
A 5.0Ah pack holds roughly two and a half times what a 2.0Ah pack holds. It doesn't make the tool more powerful, it makes it run longer before you swap.
We're not going to put a figure on how much work you'll get out of one charge, because we haven't tested it and the number on the supplier's spec sheet hasn't been substantiated to us yet. What we can tell you is what every contractor running cordless already does. If you're on a fence all day, you have a second pack on charge while you work. If you're patching a boundary on a Saturday, one pack is plenty.
A spare battery is the cheapest insurance against standing around at two in the afternoon, and on a big exclusion job it's not optional. There's more on why that job in particular eats batteries in the exclusion fencing clipping guide.
Cold mornings and old packs
Lithium ion loses capacity in the cold. That's true of every cordless tool on the market, not something specific to this one. A pack that gets you through a full afternoon in February will get through less on a frosty July morning, and it'll come back once it warms up.
Keep spare packs in the cab rather than on the tray, and don't leave them on a hot dash all day either. Heat is what kills cells over the long run.
If you're running packs that are five or six years old, they won't hold what they used to. That's normal wear, and it's worth knowing before you blame the tool.
What we'd actually recommend
If you don't run a cordless platform already, take the full kit at $1,799 with the battery and charger included, and add a spare pack if you're working full days. Order your C24 clips at the same time, because they aren't in the box.
If you're already deep in Makita on the ute, talk to us first. Confirm the fit with us before you order, and if it checks out you may be better off with fewer spare packs and more clips.
If you're a Milwaukee crew, factor the adaptor in and decide whether you're comfortable with the warranty position on your packs.
The whole range is on the fencing clip guns collection, and if you're still weighing up cordless against other options, start with the cordless clip gun buyer's guide or the head to head in battery clip gun vs air compressor.
FAQ
Will my Makita batteries fit?
The gun takes an 18V pack in the Makita LXT slide fitting, and the spec sheet describes it as Makita style. We've asked the supplier to confirm in writing exactly which genuine packs they've tested. Send us your pack model before you order and we'll check it for you.
Will my Milwaukee batteries fit?
Yes, with an adaptor. Outback sell one for around $40, and there's a bundle built around it for crews who already own M18 packs. Be aware that a cross brand adaptor sits outside Milwaukee's pack warranty.
Is it 18V or 20V?
The supplier's own site says both, which is why we're not stating it as fact. In most cases 18V and 20V MAX describe the same pack, one quoting nominal voltage and the other quoting peak off the charger. We've asked them to confirm and we'll update the product page when they do.
What about Ryobi, DeWalt or Bosch?
As far as we know there's no adaptor path for those on this gun. Ask us before you order rather than after, because we'd rather tell you no up front.
What battery comes in the kit?
One 4.0Ah lithium ion pack and a 240V charger, along with the belt clip, the carry bag and the manual. Clips are sold separately.
Do I need a spare battery?
If you're doing repairs and short runs, no. If you're on a fencing job all day, yes, and a third pack isn't silly on an apron job where you're clipping thousands a day.
Does a bigger amp hour pack make it hit harder?
No. Amp hours are runtime. Within the same platform the voltage is fixed, so a 5.0Ah pack simply runs longer between swaps than a 2.0Ah one.