A spare tool battery already holds a real charge.
An adapter turns that charge into an AC outlet and USB power for the rest of the house, the truck, or a campsite, and the three adapters here serve three different battery platforms. Milwaukee’s M18 TOP-OFF only sends power out. Ryobi’s ONE+ unit also puts power back into its pack through USB-C. EGO’s Nexus Escape brings the most AC headroom of the three.
| Pick | Battery platform | AC output | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee M18 TOP-OFF 2846-20 | Milwaukee M18 | 175W | $106.08 |
| Ryobi ONE+ PCLBG06B | Ryobi 18V ONE+ | 200W pure sine wave | $109 |
| EGO Nexus Escape PAD5000 | EGO 56V ARC Lithium | 400W pure sine wave | $169 |
Milwaukee M18 TOP-OFF 2846-20 for M18 owners who need an outlet
Price: $106.08
Where to buy: Amazon
Output runs through one 120V AC outlet rated at 175W continuous, a 45W USB-C PD port, and a USB-A port, and all three can run at once off a single M18 pack. Match the port to the load before plugging in: a laptop on USB-C gets 45W at most, not 175W; a laptop that needs more can run its own AC charger off the outlet, as long as that charger stays under 175W.
AC output from this unit is not a pure sine wave.
Sensitive electronics can be picky about that, so check the device manual first. Ryobi and EGO below both deliver pure sine wave power. Pack size sets the ceiling on runtime: a 5.0Ah M18 battery stores about 90 watt-hours, and conversion losses trim that budget further.
Phones and lights run for hours on it. Hungrier AC gear drains the same pack fast.
Charging runs one way here: a drained M18 pack still goes back on its regular Milwaukee charger, and battery, charger, and cables are all separate. This pick pays off only if M18 gear already fills the shelf.
Ryobi ONE+ PCLBG06B for ONE+ owners who want to ditch the dock
Price: $109
Where to buy: Ryobi
Ryobi rates this unit at 200W of continuous pure sine wave AC power from an 18V ONE+ battery. Output runs through one AC outlet, two USB-C ports, and an 18W USB-A port.
USB-C is where this pick pulls ahead. One port moves up to 60W in either direction, so it can charge the ONE+ pack as well as power a device, while a second port supplies up to 30W out. Refilling the pack through USB-C means a wall supply or a Ryobi solar panel can stand in for the dock charger.
A 60W USB-C cable comes in the box. A wall supply and a battery do not.
One trade-off sits in the switching: AC output turns off while the pack charges or while USB pass-through runs. A built-in phone holder and separate switches for the light, USB ports, and AC outlet suit a bench or a tailgate.
Individual switches also protect runtime.
Shutting the AC outlet off while only USB gear runs keeps the inverter from drawing power it does not need, and its task light gets its own switch for the same reason.
EGO Nexus Escape PAD5000 for EGO owners with bigger loads
Price: $169
Where to buy: Amazon
Any EGO 56V ARC Lithium battery clicks into the PAD5000. Output is a pure sine wave AC outlet rated at 400W continuous, with 800W peaks that last up to one second. Double the Ryobi unit’s AC rating changes what can plug in.
Small AC gear that would strain the smaller units gets real headroom here. Runtime still depends on pack size, load, and conversion losses.
USB-C on the main port handles up to 100W in either direction: an EGO pack can recharge through that port, and pass-through power keeps connected devices running during the refill. A second USB-C port and a USB-A port each supply up to 18W.
Size stays portable at 3.3 pounds and roughly 7.7 by 4.7 by 8.2 inches. EGO rates it for indoor use. Battery and charging supply stay separate purchases.
Pass-through changes the refill routine too. A pack can sit on the unit and recharge from a wall supply while a phone tops off from another port. For light loads, one unit on the table replaces a dock charger and a separate USB hub.
Which adapter fits your batteries
M18 owners who need an occasional outlet and fast phone charging should start with Milwaukee. It’s the simplest unit here, and the lowest priced.
ONE+ owners get the strongest case for retiring a charger: Ryobi’s two-way USB-C turns one adapter into both a power source and a refill route.
EGO owners with small AC gear to run should take the PAD5000, because its 400W ceiling is the reason to pick it over the other two. None of the three, though, makes sense as a first buy into a new battery platform.
A battery and charger added to any of these prices will usually cost more than a standalone power station with the same output.
