Milwaukee m18/m12 tools

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1952Chevy

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I had an old hand-me-down Sears/Craftsman 9.6v drill when I first moved in on my own. Luckily I was able to find some new replacement batteries at Sears for about $10 each(this was circa 2010). Used that for a few years, and then needed some more tools. I did my research and decided M18 was the line I wanted to get into. Handed the drill down to a younger friend.

I bought an M18 kit from home depot. It was regular non-fuel/brushed. Drill, impact driver, flashlight, hackzall, circ saw and radio with 2 3Ah batteries. Had a battery die at the 2 year mark, but due to living overseas I couldn't send it in for warranty. At the 3.5 year mark(after the warranty period for the battery) I submitted a warranty claim with an explanation of the circumstances. About 2 weeks later I had a new battery on my doorstep.

This really fueled me(no pun intended) to continue with Milwaukee. I ordered the M18 Fuel string trimmer and a 12Ah battery. It's amazing!

Then got a good deal on some M12 fuel stuff, and really like that(honestly use it more than the M18). Also got the M18 fuel 3/8 mid torque impact wrench, and 1/2 fuel impact (1400lbft version). I wouldn't say I have put them through the wringer, but they have done everything I have ever asked, and more. Outside of the single battery issue, I have had no problems at all. They are more expensive, but I feel they are worth it.

Another thing that I felt was important in my decision making was how many tools are available, as well as how long the M18 line has been running. I don't see it going anywhere anytime soon.

I would still like an M12 Fuel 3/8 stubby impact wrench, and some electric ratchets.
 

95burban

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Fuel is a must on most everything. I bought a brushless m18 grinder because it’s smaller than the fuel and a sawzall knowing that it probably wouldn’t hold up to the abuse. Well I was wrong, I have ran them continuously for several minutes along side their fuel counterparts under extreme load cutting large piston rods to remove crank shafts out of large industrial engines
 

Erik the Awful

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I'm all in on Makita, but last month my wife inherited her dad's Milwaukee M12 tools. When I had to go help my son work on his Altima, I grabbed the Milwaukees to give them a bit of a test. They worked great.

The one Milwaukee tool I have is an old M4 cordless screwdriver. I ended up buying replacement batteries and a replacement charger. It's outstanding for dashboard work.
 

letitsnow

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This is one that I’ve been sitting on the fence with for a while as a “might be nice to have” maybe.

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I have one of these, and it is ok. It isn't super powerful and it also takes 2 hands to operate it at times because of the shape/balance. It has served me well over all though.

I love the m12 3/8" drills and have 2 that have been used and abused. They are light and easy to use in small spaces. Balanced perfectly.

I have some M18 stuff also and that stuff is even better. Love this stuff.
 

east302

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I have one of these, and it is ok. It isn't super powerful and it also takes 2 hands to operate it at times because of the shape/balance. It has served me well over all though.

I love the m12 3/8" drills and have 2 that have been used and abused. They are light and easy to use in small spaces. Balanced perfectly.

I have some M18 stuff also and that stuff is even better. Love this stuff.
Thanks, that’s what I was wondering.

I have one of their M12 ratchets and thought I’d use it all the time. Nope. If I have to use a manual ratchet to break a bolt loose then I tend to just keep using it.
 

OutlawDrifter

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Good stuff, I made the switch from Ryobi One+(which I used for 10 years) gear about a year ago. I'm all M18 Fuel stuff right now, but will be picking up some M12 stuff like the ratchet.

That 1400ft/lb 1/2 Impact is no joke. Changed some rear tires on a 7810 John Deere tractor last March...the 3/4" pneumatic impact wouldn't touch the lug nuts after tons of ugga duggas. Grabbed the Milwaukee and it zipped all 20 off, no problem.
 

RichLo

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This is one that I’ve been sitting on the fence with for a while as a “might be nice to have” maybe.

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I have this and its one of the 'under-whelming' M12s that I mentioned before. Its ok but not worth $250 IMO. Maybe the new High Output Batteries will help? They seem to help the M18 impacts quite a bit.
 

TreeGeared

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I personally use Milwaukee M18 tools around my home shop. Guys at work loved them as well until they were forced to switch to Dewalt. One guy worked on mowers all day and then went and worked on trains second shift. His Milwaukee tools looked like they had been to Hades and back but they still worked.

My dad had a 7.2V Makita that he carried on his truck. He went through at least 4 batteries before the drill finally died it was at least 15 years old. I picked up a couple of Makita 18v impacts when we had to switch over. No complaints with those either.
 
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