Milwaukee 12v brushless drills/drivers

[Stuey]

Milwaukee M12 Fuel Brushless drills and drivers, via TG

New line will include a screwdriver, drill, hammer drill, impact driver, 1/4" and 3/8" wrenches.

No official specs are available yet. Tools will be out in "winter", which we're assuming means Jan 2013.

I tried them out briefly at a Milwaukee media event. Milwaukee reps keep boasting improved runtime, power, and whatnot. Me, I just love that they completely redesigned the handle geometry. I greatly prefer Dewalt 12V handles over Bosch and Milwaukee, but the new handles might convert me to the red team.

+ new 2.0 and 4.0Ah batteries.

Images and a few more details via blog link above if you're interested.

 

[Monte]

nice !

 

[BrokewrenchLS1]

Oh nice...I've got the M12 drill and impact on my Christmas list, so I can hope they'll hit before that.

Any word on whether pricing for the brushless will be higher than the current stuff in stores?

 

[Stuey]

Oh nice...I've got the M12 drill and impact on my Christmas list, so I can hope they'll hit before that.

Any word on whether pricing for the brushless will be higher than the current stuff in stores?

No idea at the moment. I also don't know if they will maintain non-brushless and brushless drill/driver lines. When I checked about a week ago, some of the 12V screwdrivers and drills were cheaper than I last remember, but that might not mean anything.

 

[jeep450]

Oh nice...I've got the M12 drill and impact on my Christmas list, so I can hope they'll hit before that.

Any word on whether pricing for the brushless will be higher than the current stuff in stores?

The M18 drill is quite a bit more so it would stand to reason the M12 will be higher as well.

 

[Stuey]

The M18 drill is quite a bit more so it would stand to reason the M12 will be higher as well.

True, but it should drop in time. I did ask about the new batteries, and at least they won't be too much more expensive. Maybe at first, but prices should stabilize before long. Hopefully the drills and drivers follow similar behavior.

 

[marcusicp]

Any idea if the old M12 batteries will work with the new brushless stuff?

 

[Stuey]

Any idea if the old M12 batteries will work with the new brushless stuff?

I can think of no reason why they wouldn't work. Obviously the new batteries will provide the best performance, but the older ones should work fine.

 

[JeepsAreBuilt]

Bump. Any update on a release date ? I'm looking to buy some m12 tools. But am thinking I should wait a bit longer.

 

[dsmnickk90]

Bump. Any update on a release date ? I'm looking to buy some m12 tools. But am thinking I should wait a bit longer.

Same here . I almost pulled the trigger on the 1/4" and 3/8" impact this weekend. I just saw this now I'm glad I didn't

 

[Conductor562]

The M18 drill is quite a bit more so it would stand to reason the M12 will be higher as well.

The M18 Fuel stuff debuted at the exact same price as the previous models and Milwaukee made a point of that. If the brushed model is cheaper now it's only because it is now antiquated to a point but that was not the case at launch. I guess it really depends on the retailer, but a mark up on the Fuel line was an exception rather than the standard.

 

[dsmnickk90]

The M18 Fuel stuff debuted at the exact same price as the previous models and Milwaukee made a point of that. If the brushed model is cheaper now it's only because it is now antiquated to a point but that was not the case at launch. I guess it really depends on the retailer, but a mark up on the Fuel line was an exception rather than the standard.

Have you used both? Is the fuel really worth the extra price?

 

[Conductor562]

Yea, I've used them both. I bought a new Milwaukee combo set about 2 months before they announced the Fuel stuff so I was especially sad at launch but I had to have the Fuel hammer drill. The Fuel is really nice. You notice a little more power and maybe a little better run time, but nothing that's gonna knock your socks off. The biggest advantage for me is the lack of heat generated by the Fuel. The brushed model (like any brushed drill) generates a lot of heat when used for longer periods of time. When I'm plunging spade bits I attach the side handle just for that reason because the back of the drill gets hot enough that it's uncomfortable to hold. I'm a bit of a skeptic when it comes to some of the advantages all of the manufacturers claim with the brushless motors though, especially the 10X motor life claim. Let's pretend that under normal professional use the carbon brushes in a motor need replaced every 3-5 years ( I believe 3 is very conservative), am I to believe that the brushless tool lasts 30 - 50 years? That absurd. They test these things by turning them on and letting them run until they peter out. That being said, the immense heat generated by the brushes would be the direct cause of the failure in nearly all cases. Even at that you could spend 10 minutes sticking a new set of brushes in at a cost of less than $20 and you're good to go. That's also why I say the lack of heat generated is the primary benefit to the brushless models. If I needed a drill I'd opt for the brushless even if it was a few buck more. But I don't see where it would make sense to replace a working drill just for the benefits.

 

[03protege]

Yea, I've used them both. I bought a new Milwaukee combo set about 2 months before they announced the Fuel stuff so I was especially sad at launch but I had to have the Fuel hammer drill. The Fuel is really nice. You notice a little more power and maybe a little better run time, but nothing that's gonna knock your socks off. The biggest advantage for me is the lack of heat generated by the Fuel. The brushed model (like any brushed drill) generates a lot of heat when used for longer periods of time. When I'm plunging spade bits I attach the side handle just for that reason because the back of the drill gets hot enough that it's uncomfortable to hold. I'm a bit of a skeptic when it comes to some of the advantages all of the manufacturers claim with the brushless motors though, especially the 10X motor life claim. Let's pretend that under normal professional use the carbon brushes in a motor need replaced every 3-5 years ( I believe 3 is very conservative), am I to believe that the brushless tool lasts 30 - 50 years? That absurd. They test these things by turning them on and letting them run until they peter out. That being said, the immense heat generated by the brushes would be the direct cause of the failure in nearly all cases. Even at that you could spend 10 minutes sticking a new set of brushes in at a cost of less than $20 and you're good to go. That's also why I say the lack of heat generated is the primary benefit to the brushless models. If I needed a drill I'd opt for the brushless even if it was a few buck more. But I don't see where it would make sense to replace a working drill just for the benefits.

Thanks for posting that, it makes me feel better about the standard motor m12 set I just bought.

 

[jrlp]

Brushless motors are really that good. They've been used in the r/c market for a few years now, and completely blow nitro vehicles out of the water.

Brushless really do last longer, no comm to wear out, which is the sister to brush wear. No need to surface the comm after brush changes, only 2 bearings to wear out on a brushless motor. I have brushless systems that push 5kw that have enough torque to shear 1/4" thick hardened toolsteel shafts in an 8lb buggy.

 

[JASTECH]

I see the M12 Rotory tool is clearanced at Home Cheapo for $80 something. I still need to get rid of my Milky radio.
Conductor, I have some of the M12 that is new but need to trade or whatever for the brushless, it's a safety issue for me. Home Depot just kinda blew me off about trading. I have a used Milky jobsite radio too.

 

[Stuey]

No ETA as of yet, and I don't really expect to see these to hit the market before maybe January.

If you are looking to buy into the 12V platform and can wait, wait for the Fuel models to come out. Technical specs have not yet been released, but I expect for them to offer more power, longer runtime, and in more compact packages. Ergonomics seem to be much improved as well. But the Fuel versions will presumably cost more, at least initially.

 

[Conductor562]

The brushless motor will last longer, no doubt about it, but I'll be wanting a new cordless kit long before I have to worry about that