I know very little about power tools but I have a surprising number of Milwaukee tools sitting here. The reason I have so many of the Milwaukee tools is that they make some stuff that dovetails nicely into my needs, and I get a discount at work on them. Because I have so many of their tools, I have a pretty big stack of batteries for them…and, of course, this tends to keep me in the Milwaukee ecosystem because I don’t want to add a new battery into my logistics.
The guy at work who orders Milwaukee tools for us brought this new product to my attention:
Yes, its a self-warming lunchbox. Apparently these things have been around for a while and there’s no shortage of them on Amazon. However, this one runs on the Milwaukee batteries I already have, and it mates with the Packout locking system of the Milwaukee cases/boxes/containers.
Seemed like something that might be worth dropping some coin on. The biggest use I see for this, other than jobsite stuff, is for hunting and ice fishing. No need to haul around a propane stove, or limit yourself to whatever a Jetboil can reconstitute. Take yesterdays pot roast, drop it in, set it and forget it.
I have a propane cookstove up at the Beta Site but, honestly, its just more convenient to break out lunch from something like this…for now.
It arrived the other day and, of course, I had to try it. I have quite the assortment of Milwaukee batts and they recommended the 6.0 battery. I loaded the food container with some leftovers right out of the cold fridge, popped them in the warmer, set the termp for highest of its three settings and let it go for two hours. The way this thing works is that you tell it what time you want to eat and it starts warming the food two hours before that. A countdown timer and progress bar show how close you are to lunchtime. So, if youre a lunch-at-noon kinda guy (as Iam) this things automatically turns on at 10a and starts warming.
At highest setting the food was very thoroughly heated through and hot. More importantly, it didnt generate heat high enough to scorch the contents to the container. When i cracked open the containment vessel the food was hot, not dried out, and otherwise exactly I wanted.
I will be the first to say that this is, for most people, an unnecessary luxury. And a lot of people will say they’d rather save the moeny and just eat some instant oatmeal made with water heated over an Esbit stove. No argument from me. However, for me, this thing is an ideal tool for giving me a hot meal aftert a long day of banging around the Beta Site hauling rocks, climbing hills, and cutting logs.
You can get a basic one with a 12v plug that works with the jackery. This would give you options. (Probably 1/3rd the cost also). Enjoy!
I Still have my lunchbox from when I was a Roughneck. Im 71,bought it fifty years ago. But if I was going out on rigs today, instead of heating burritos on the exhaust manifold of a Biggass motor on the rig, I’d have one of those.
I applaud Milwaukee for finding a niche, and filling it.
Now, how about a drink cooler?
Well, you say that….https://www.milwaukeetool.com/products/details/m18-30qt-rolling-fridge-w-packout-compatibility/0810-20
Excellent!
Now if only Milwaukee hadn’t discontinued their M18 propane torpedo heater! Would warm those conex boxes right up.
(But you can buy the puke green one made by their sister company…)
0801-20, 70,000 BTU, M18 or 120V
Engine block burritos….brings back memories of my time in Ketchikan, running the bonfire & wild life safari boat tour. After the 2nd week you got tired of rein deer hotdogs. I would make up burritos and put them on the manifold. Couldn’t go wrong.
C-rats (not MREs) wired to the exhaust manifold of various US Army vehicles like Gama Goats, while pretending to care about ground controlling in a German winter.
Wow, a cordless, battery powered crock pot!
Now you only need a coffee maker that takes Keurig coffee pods and runs on M18 batteries 😉
Too bad every brand has proprietary batteries/voltages.
For now. THere are third-party vendors who make adaptors to allow batteries to be used across different platforms. I suspect at some point there will be a standardization in the industry.
I don’t think so. The manufacturers make a significant portion of their profit from their batteries.
Rather like Gillette selling razors at cost, but charging a hell of a lot for blades
Once I figured that out (and finally retired from the military) I grew a beard, bought a Merkur razor, and a box of 100 feather brand blades. I figure my grandsons will be fighting over them.
when you live North – you look for gear like that just to keep stuff from freezing >>>>
Off subject but I’m out to Darby pretty regularly and the people I stay with are guides and packers. Have you given any thoughts about mules or horses for traveling the back country. Easier traveling and a pack animal or three you can carry a lot of stuff