Milwaukee's M18 and MX FUEL drain tools are the cordless answer to machines that were corded for eighty years. They are genuinely good, and the manufacturer is unusually direct about the one mistake that gets people hurt.
Who makes them
Milwaukee Tool is a brand of Techtronic Industries (TTI), listed in Hong Kong, with R&D headquarters in Brookfield, Wisconsin. TTI also manufactures the RIDGID-branded power tools sold at Home Depot under licence from Emerson — so the same company sits behind two of the brands on that aisle.
The line, and what each part of it is for
| Tool | Line size |
|---|---|
| M12 TRAPSNAKE toilet auger | 2″–4″ — toilets specifically |
| M18 FUEL Drain Snake w/ CABLE DRIVE | up to 3″ |
| M18 Drum Machine, 3/8″ cable | 1½″–4″ |
| M18 FUEL SWITCH PACK sectional | modular — 5/16″ core suits 1¼″–2½″ |
| M18 FUEL Sewer Sectional | 7/8″ and 1¼″ cable |
| MX FUEL Sewer Drum | 3″–8″ sewer laterals |
Cable sizing from Milwaukee's own manual: 1/4″–5/16″ cables suit 1¼″–2½″ pipe; 3/8″ cables suit 2″–3″. A residential main lateral is typically 4″ — above both.
The warning worth quoting in full
From the M18 FUEL Drain Snake operator's manual:
“Only use the drain cleaner for the recommended drain sizes. Using the wrong size drain cleaner can lead to twisting, kinking or breaking of the cable and may result in personal injury.”
That is a manufacturer stating plainly that a size mismatch is a safety problem, not just an effectiveness one. Running a sink-sized cable down a 4-inch main line is the most common version of this mistake.
The same manual repeats the glove warning found in RIDGID's: latex or loose-fitting gloves can wrap around the cable and cause serious injury.
What it costs
Home Depot listings at the time of writing: the M18 FUEL Drain Snake kit around $499, the M18 3/8″ × 75 ft drum machine kit around $699, and SWITCH PACK sectional systems from roughly $1,107 to $1,677 depending on cable size.
Last checked August 2026. Prices move, and this is a category where they move a lot.
Published third-party ranges shown so you can sanity-check a quote. Not our prices, not an estimate, not a quote.
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Call (888) 855-8790Questions people ask
Is a cordless drain machine as good as a corded one?
For branch lines and small drums, cordless is now standard professional kit. For main-line work the constraint is cable diameter and machine mass rather than the power source — and those still point at large corded or MX-class machines.
What size cable for a 4-inch main line?
Not the small ones. Milwaukee's manual puts 1/4″–5/16″ cables at 1¼″–2½″ pipe and 3/8″ at 2″–3″. A 4″ lateral is past both, which is why main-line work is a different class of machine.
Does Milwaukee make a machine called the Sewer Sixty?
Not that we can find. The current sewer-class products are the M18 FUEL Sewer Sectional Machine and the MX FUEL Sewer Drum Machine. If a listing offers you a “Sewer Sixty”, check the model number.
Who owns Milwaukee Tool?
Techtronic Industries (TTI), a Hong Kong-listed manufacturer. TTI also makes the RIDGID-branded power tools sold at Home Depot under licence from Emerson.
Can I rent Milwaukee drain tools?
Not typically. Home Depot's rental fleet for drain machines is General Wire Spring and Electric Eel. Milwaukee is sold rather than rented.
How do I find drain cleaning near me instead of buying a machine?
Call the number on this page with your town or ZIP code and we will route you to an independent contractor covering that area, at no charge to you.
These are published third-party figures, not our prices and not a quote. We do not set anyone's rates and cannot price your job — only the contractor who sees your line can. Figures as published by each named source, last checked August 2026. Prices move; re-check the source before relying on a number.
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