milwaukee2.jpg

The Milwaukee Chuck

Posted by 141drew Posted onSep 20, 2019 at 4:03 PM and filed under Reviews & Features
Updated onUpdated on May 28, 2021 at 11:37 AM

So I am a Milwaukee guy… Not because of any kind of brand loyalty, but simply because I’m tied to the battery. About five years ago, I bought a 2604-20 M18 drill. It has served me well. Really well. But the chuck has ALWAYS sucked on this thing. It slips, it tears up bits, and has jus generally failed since day 1.

Anyhow, after tearing up yet another bit today I decided to test the water here on the Garage Journal. Does anyone else have this issue with their Milwaukee chucks? Or is this just an issue with my older generation drill? Either way, anyone ever tried replacing the chuck for another?

Hoping for a success story of some kind. Let me know in the comments!

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rlitman

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It's not just you. I've seen the complaint in threads here, and a friend of mine has had several chucks replaced under warranty. I can't say that I've had any issues myself, but yeah, chucks are a known weak point for them.

I've read that some unobtainable Rohm replacements exist. The spindle on the Milwaukee drills is non-standard.
 
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Tallpilot

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I literally just got mine back from service. The 'new' chuck looks different and seems much better. Maybe they started sourcing from Rohm?
 

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RDeMeyer

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Ryan said:
milwaukee2.jpg


So I am a Milwaukee guy... Not because of any kind of brand loyalty, but simply because I'm tied to the battery. About five years ago, I bought a 2604-20 M18 drill. I...


To read the rest of this blog entry from The Garage Journal, click here.

.
Click to expand...

I have the Milwaukee problem (sickness) too, but never had any issues with the chuck slipping. But honestly I use the impact driver as my go to drill.
 

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Ryan

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Makes me feel better it’s a known problem anyway. Do the newer drills have better chucks?
 
I

Ign

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Ryan said:
Makes me feel better it’s a known problem anyway. Do the newer drills have better chucks?
Click to expand...

I feel like the chuck on the 2804 is better but don't have enough real world use yet. It has a sleeve with a red stripe.

ALL of my other Milwaukee drills have Rohm or Metabo chucks on them now. Holding off on the 2804
 
2

2ndGearRubber

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I've always felt the M12 drills I've used have garbage chucks. A friend who uses his for work got a few warrantied by Milwaukee. He says the new design is much better, both in terms of spinning true, and holding the bits.
 
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Ign

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2ndGearRubber said:
I've always felt the M12 drills I've used have garbage chucks. A friend who uses his for work got a few warrantied by Milwaukee. He says the new design is much better, both in terms of spinning true, and holding the bits.
Click to expand...

I put a Rohm 1/2" capacity on a 2407 that I've used extensively over YEARS in light production (hundreds of trigger pulls per day when used)

The damn chuck cost as much or more than a 2407-20 but it's been worth every penny, and nice to be able to fit 1/2" shank tooling for light use like deburring plastics or non-ferrous
 
C

Cleave

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I work at a construction firm, and saw a Milwaukee drill in the dumpster, labeled "bad chuck."

I fished it out of there and brought it home. Its the 0240-20 3/8" chuck with cord. Motor works fine, the Jacobs keyless chuck doesn't.
So I figure out how to remove the chuck, not too tricky.
I had a 1/2"-20 threaded chuck on hand (Jacobs Multicraft 1/2" keyed chuck) that I got for maybe $0.10 from an estate buyout type store.
The new chuck fits, not a bad drill for basically free, all my other drills are yellow.
 
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RKA

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Ryan, I put a Rohm chuck on my gen 2 drill. The original had bad runnout out of the box. Knowing any warranty replacement was likely to have the same issues, I installed a rohm chuck and it runs true. I think the model I have is 2704 (it was the start of the 2nd gen brushless drills) and they switched to a 9/16" threaded chuck at that point. Your drill is one generation older and might have 1/2" threads on it. If you do a little searching, I'm sure you'll find the concrete answer.

Regarding the newest generation drills, the chucks look a lot like the Rohm's from the pictures. I wouldn't be surprised if they were.

Edit:
This thread confirms you have a 1/2"-20 thread on the chuck of the 2604 drill. The Rohm part number is 893352.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=385961&highlight=rohm
 
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Ryan

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RKA said:
Ryan, I put a Rohm chuck on my gen 2 drill. The original had bad runnout out of the box. Knowing any warranty replacement was likely to have the same issues, I installed a rohm chuck and it runs true. I think the model I have is 2704 (it was the start of the 2nd gen brushless drills) and they switched to a 9/16" threaded chuck at that point. Your drill is one generation older and might have 1/2" threads on it. If you do a little searching, I'm sure you'll find the concrete answer.

Regarding the newest generation drills, the chucks look a lot like the Rohm's from the pictures. I wouldn't be surprised if they were.

Edit:
This thread confirms you have a 1/2"-20 thread on the chuck of the 2604 drill. The Rohm part number is 893352.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=385961&highlight=rohm
Click to expand...

Hero.
 
E

eastbaysubaru

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Strictly anecdotal, but I haven't had any problems with the chuck on my drill. It hasn't seen a crazy amount of use in the year and a half I've had it but it's performed flawlessly thus far. Good to see some options though in case it has issues later on.

-Brian
 
N

NFH2740

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rlitman said:
It's not just you. I've seen the complaint in threads here, and a friend of mine has had several chucks replaced under warranty. I can't say that I've had any issues myself, but yeah, chucks are a known weak point for them.

I've read that some unobtainable Rohm replacements exist. The spindle on the Milwaukee drills is non-standard.
Click to expand...

27xx and 28xx model drills use the 9/16-18 spindle. The Rohm 9/16-18 is readily available on Amazon; $53 with Prime.
 
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D

DC73

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It's not just the M18s. My M12 2403 drill has a horrible chuck. It won't stay tight on the bit. I've hated it for the entire 3 years I've owned it. I really like the rest of my M12 & M18 tools.

Would like to find another chuck if anyone knows which Rohm or other quality replacement to get.

DC
 
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RKA

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DC, you just have to find out what size threads are on the bottom of that chuck. I have the second gen M12 drill which had 1/2”-20 threads so I used the same Rohm chuck I mentioned to Ryan above.

One word of warning for the M12’s, it does change the balance, adds a bit of weight and increases the length, particularly on the second gen M12’s which were much more compact than the first gen.

Edit: here is a 2704 (M18) and 2504 (M12) with Rohm chucks installed. On the very right is the original M12 chuck that came with the 2504. It’s both lighter and shorter than the Rohm.
 

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Ryan

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If I weren’t so invested in the Milwaukee batteries, I’d be soooo tempted to switch to Bosch... and only because I actually really dig their drill.

As it is, new chuck time for me.
 
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2manytools

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Ryan said:
Makes me feel better it’s a known problem anyway. Do the newer drills have better chucks?
Click to expand...

The red addiction? Highly infectious once you get contract, but most people don't mind having it in the end.


...oh, the runout :rolleyes:


I do second the Bosch. Best feel in the hand in my opinion, especially their 12v line
 
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techieman33

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The chuck on my M12 gen 1 hammer drill wouldn't hold anything tight. I'm pretty sure that the hard stopping from the brake is what causes it. Swapped in a Rohm and haven't regretted it for a second.
 
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CJM8515

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I had the same issue and bought 2 more bare tools of the newer generations (I had the first gen non fuel and fuel) and the chucks were only slightly better. I bought the latest gen fuel hammer/drill and it has a WAY better chuck. the one has a red stripe on it.



what is the part number for the chuck for 9/16" threads?
 
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CR888

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I wouldn't bother warranting a Milwaukee drill chuck, forget it. Your best bet is to replace it when brand new with a Rohm or Jacobs or even a decent Chinese chuck is better. Why suffer every time you use you drill due to insisting on using a garbage Milwaukee chuck. Factor it into the cost when buying a new drill & get on with life. Chucks are easy to replace, particularly when drill is new and unused.
 
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MushCreek

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My old M18 (about 9 years old) still has a good chuck, despite years of heavy abuse. The low speed gears stripped out, so I bought a 2804. The chuck ran fairly true, but started acting up. It would lock onto a bit so tight I had to use Channelocks to get it open. After a bit of that, it wouldn't hold the bit tight any more. I just put a Rohm chuck on it, and it runs great; perfectly true.
 
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Locker537

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I had mine warrantied because it wobbled badly, making it useless for anything but rough framing. The new chuck it much better. Milwaukee made it right, like they always have in my experience.
 
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trythis

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I use Milwaukee at work, I am a makita guy at my home shop and never had any issues at home with my 15 year old gear except batteries wear out.

The Milwaukee's at work are roached. They are used in a museum environment by people that I would mostly consider light weights doing fairly light duty work hanging art. The chucks slip and drop bits which is terrible around million $ art. They torque out on me all the time just drilling 1/2 holes in thin aluminum plate. I haven't been impressed, but hopefully the newest versions are better.

I have one Red M12 at home that is 10 years old and I use it in the house for light stuff and its holding up fine but I can't torque the chuck like I can on my Makita's.
 
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Rabid Badger

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Ryan said:
milwaukee2.jpg


So I am a Milwaukee guy... Not because of any kind of brand loyalty, but simply because I'm tied to the battery. About five years ago, I bought a 2604-20 M18 drill. I...


To read the rest of this blog entry from The Garage Journal, click here.

.
Click to expand...

Pretty common.


Tallpilot said:
I literally just got mine back from service. The 'new' chuck looks different and seems much better. Maybe they started sourcing from Rohm?
Click to expand...

Yep, it's a Rohm.

Ryan said:
Makes me feel better it’s a known problem anyway. Do the newer drills have better chucks?
Click to expand...

Only on the high end. The rest of their drills are using the same old piece of ****.
 
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DC73

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RKA said:
DC, you just have to find out what size threads are on the bottom of that chuck.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Your post was very helpful. I'll have to find some time to disassemble my drill and verify the threads. The Rohm chuck sounds like a good solution.

DC
 
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CJM8515

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trythis said:
I use Milwaukee at work, I am a makita guy at my home shop and never had any issues at home with my 15 year old gear except batteries wear out.

The Milwaukee's at work are roached. They are used in a museum environment by people that I would mostly consider light weights doing fairly light duty work hanging art. The chucks slip and drop bits which is terrible around million $ art. They torque out on me all the time just drilling 1/2 holes in thin aluminum plate. I haven't been impressed, but hopefully the newest versions are better.

I have one Red M12 at home that is 10 years old and I use it in the house for light stuff and its holding up fine but I can't torque the chuck like I can on my Makita's.
Click to expand...

I too felt the same way about them till I got the newest milwaukee fuel drill w/rohm chuck. I used it today and it drilled right thru the steel of my atv frame no issue.
 
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truckdriver

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My old 2604 has never slipped on a bit. Drilled 20 3/4 holes in my semi frame for an extended 5th wheel slider. Used 1/8 and 3/8 bits and finished with a reamer. What I hate about mine is the horrible run out. May have to check out the new version of the fuel drill if it's supposedly better.
L
 
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jhelrey

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I sent mine in to get replaced. I was having to use large Channel-locks to remove the bits.
 
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Robinson1

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Ryan said:
If I weren’t so invested in the Milwaukee batteries, I’d be soooo tempted to switch to Bosch... and only because I actually really dig their drill.

As it is, new chuck time for me.
Click to expand...

I think Bosch is producing the best build quality and best balanced cordless drill on the market. They just feel right.
 
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DFB

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Had a Hitachi drill that the braking action would always loosen the bit after a few trigger pulls no matter what. Real PITA watching your drill bit fall out when up on a ladder

I have both the Gen 1 Fuel M18 hammer drill and the Gen 1 Fuel M12 drill. No issues at all with the M12. Fond of that drill too for power and lightweight compared to the big boy.

As for the M18 there is definitely some runout if you just stand there looking at spinning when using some bits, but not with all bits or insert holders all of the time and for my construction use it doesn't bother me enough in the least to change the chuck out or to have to get a new drill :dunno:
 
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whatsitsname

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I had problem with my clutch slipping and I didn't even use the drill that often. But Milwaukee did a warranty repair on the drill and it works fine now.
I will say that Milwaukee warranty is great. No receipt, no problem. Fast turnaround time and free shipping both ways.
 
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MacMcMacmac

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Ryan said:
milwaukee2.jpg


So I am a Milwaukee guy... Not because of any kind of brand loyalty, but simply because I'm tied to the battery. About five years ago, I bought a 2604-20 M18 drill. I...


To read the rest of this blog entry from The Garage Journal, click here.

.
Click to expand...

Of all the Fuel stuff we have at work, the chuck on these drills are the only things that stand out as absolute trash. They never run true and are murder on bits. Junk from day one. Newer versions seem to have been fixed.

I don't know if its the distributor we bought them from but the warranty was of no use to us.
 
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redragoon

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I know TOT was complaining about his chuck and has replaced it twice in videos. The newest chuck is in this video (1:05 for PN). It's a superior electric model.


https://www.amazon.com/Superior-Electric-ST13B-Keyless-Drill/dp/B003Z2O4CK

I have also had issues with my M12 and M18 chucks, but I have a drill press so the bigger stuff is usually done there. I'm sure their OEM chuck is fine with 3 sided drill bits, but it hasn't done great on standard round bits. I'll be looking into the Rohm model for mine if it starts to be a constant issue.
 
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