Anyone else have issues with Milwaukee tools?

[Sugarfryz]

Auto mechanic here, I own several Milwaukee tools, I've purchased the strong 1/2 impact, 3/8 impact, 1/4 ratchet (which I sold), 18v drill, 12v drill, 12v impact driver. All of them are the fuel series. I've had all of them for about 6 months, I've had to send the 1/2 impact in twice because it completely stopped working. It would free spin, but as soon as it would impact it'd shut off and die, would have to remove battery to reset, then it'd do it again. And just yesterday my charger kicked the bucket and is no longer operational won't charge anything. In my opinion I baby these tools, I love them but I'm worried about longevity and I heard that these are the toughest. Am I the only one having issue?

I gotta admit they are kick *** tools tho, just been having issues.

 

[Sugarfryz]

Video of what I'm talking about

 

[AngryBeaver]

is the charger doing it on all the batteries or just one?

 

[trackwelder]

I have a ton of Milwaukee stuff, probably over a hundred different items in all. The only tool that was junk in my opinion was the 3/8" ratchet.

 

[bcradio]

I had an issue with my jigsaw trigger but that was repaired by Milwaukee and no issues since.

 

[Sugarfryz]

is the charger doing it on all the batteries or just one?

All batteries. I ordered another it was only 30 bucks

 

[Sugarfryz]

I had an issue with my jigsaw trigger but that was repaired by Milwaukee and no issues since.

They didn't seem to do anything when I sent mine and n.

 

[American Locomotive]

Are you sure you batteries aren't bad? That impact just turning off like that suggests either the battery protection is kicking in, or the motor overcurrent protection is kicking in.

 

[Sugarfryz]

Are you sure you batteries aren't bad? That impact just turning off like that suggests either the battery protection is kicking in, or the motor overcurrent protection is kicking in.

The batteries work fine with all my other tools, and switching batteries with the impact yields same results

 

[Bert_]

Probably not all of your issues but since you mention them all being "fuel" brushless tools. I have not been real happy with the longevity of those. Great power and better battery life for sure, but they just don't seem to hold up real well. And repairs are pretty much just the whole board inside so even fixing them gets expensive.

 

[redwrench60]

It's just you,lol. All my Milwaukee stuff kicks *** and I have a BUNCH of it at home and at work. Both M12 and M18 fuel and non. I'm a mechanic like you.

 

[Ign]

All batteries. I ordered another it was only 30 bucks

The forward/reverse switch on my 2763 went bad. Milwaukee repaired under warranty no charge.

I had a standard M12/M18 combo charger die. Honestly I think an electrical surge at my wife's office killed it as they had some other electronics kick the bucket after a storm. I sent it in for warranty, they sent me a new charger.

Dunno why the OP didn't attempt to warranty his charger rather than spending $30 on another one. Plus just about 4 minutes ago (literally) I ordered another rapid charger for myself on ebay for $29.99. If you paid $30 I hope you upgraded to the rapid charger.

Milwaukee stuff fails just like anything else. I'm a fan boy but with a realistic outlook. All the "heavy duty" marketing is just that - MARKETING. All power tools are made in China these days and none of them are gonna be perfect.

If you think they're not fixing your impact properly and/or not catching an intermittent problem, do this: buy a new 2763-20 from HD and return yours. When you return it tell them it's not working right so they won't put it back on the floor and they'll RTV to Milwaukee/TTI.

Based on the video it looks to me like you have a flakey switch, flakey battery contacts (most noticeable on impacts from vibration) or an over-protective overload circuit (the Fuels are notorious for protecting themselves too much).

 

[Sugarfryz]

The forward/reverse switch on my 2763 went bad. Milwaukee repaired under warranty no charge.

I had a standard M12/M18 combo charger die. Honestly I think an electrical surge at my wife's office killed it as they had some other electronics kick the bucket after a storm. I sent it in for warranty, they sent me a new charger.

Dunno why the OP didn't attempt to warranty his charger rather than spending $30 on another one. Plus just about 4 minutes ago (literally) I ordered another rapid charger for myself on ebay for $29.99. If you paid $30 I hope you upgraded to the rapid charger.

Milwaukee stuff fails just like anything else. I'm a fan boy but with a realistic outlook. All the "heavy duty" marketing is just that - MARKETING. All power tools are made in China these days and none of them are gonna be perfect.

If you think they're not fixing your impact properly and/or not catching an intermittent problem, do this: buy a new 2763-20 from HD and return yours. When you return it tell them it's not working right so they won't put it back on the floor and they'll RTV to Milwaukee/TTI.

Based on the video it looks to me like you have a flakey switch, flakey battery contacts (most noticeable on impacts from vibration) or an over-protective overload circuit (the Fuels are notorious for protecting themselves too much).

I didn't warranty it because I don't want the down time. About an hour drive to the Milwaukee repair center, Home Depot I have to pay a "diagnostic fee" I'll warranty it eventually and have a charger at home and work.

 

[Sugarfryz]

How's reliability on the ir cordless line?

 

[Ign]

I didn't warranty it because I don't want the down time. About an hour drive to the Milwaukee repair center, Home Depot I have to pay a "diagnostic fee" I'll warranty it eventually and have a charger at home and work.

eservice ship it off on their dime

no driving to Milwaukee repair center

no going to HD. Your HD will attempt to "diagnose" Milwaukee products???

 

[WittHay]

I have a similar Fuel lineup to the OP's. plus a couple of grinders and a 3/4" impact. No problems and have been surprised by their performance in tough conditions.

Similar to TV's and cellphones bound to be a few duds when electronics are mass produced in China. Years ago had a made in USA 1/2" Snap-on air impact, that failed within months of buying. Sent it out for warranty, power was fine but somehow the forward/reverse function was backwards from factory.

 

[MushCreek]

I've had the same set of pre-Fuel M18 tools for years. I built my entire house with them. I've had the brushes wear out on the 1/4" impact, but they were only $12 to replace. I've always had a problem with the drill, though. Sometimes, you pull the trigger and it doesn't run. Swap batteries, and it's fine. I have 5 batteries, so I thought maybe it was one particular battery, but no, it does it with any of them. Very random and intermittent. It doesn't happen often enough to be a big problem; just curious as to why it does this. Down time doesn't affect it, either. Drill a hole, fine, Move on to the next hole, and nothing.

 

[PCustoms]

I've always had a problem with the drill, though. Sometimes, you pull the trigger and it doesn't run. Swap batteries, and it's fine. I have 5 batteries, so I thought maybe it was one particular battery, but no, it does it with any of them. Very random and intermittent. It doesn't happen often enough to be a big problem; just curious as to why it does this. Down time doesn't affect it, either. Drill a hole, fine, Move on to the next hole, and nothing.

Same issue with my fuel hammer drill right now. Suspect it may be a failing switch. Wonder if they are the same part between fuel and non fuel?

 

[shawndp]

I've had the trigger go on my 1/2" impact that sees a lot of use and apparently abuse from co-workers because it had oil in it when it was opened. But the other stuff has held up well - just the batteries gone bad.

 

[3 Gun Shooter]

I had one of my M18 batteries that wouldn't charge. Swapped it out at the local Milwaukee repair center in 10 minutes. Finally have one of my M12 batteries dying. Thing is 5 years old at least of hard use. I guess it is time to get some more M12 batteries

 

[pepi]

The batteries work fine with all my other tools, and switching batteries with the impact yields same results

Sounds like it is the tooL donut.

I have many HotRod magazine issues, no tool problems with my Milwaukee stuff/ Did have a charger fail after 15 years, the cost of living.

greg

 

[77thor]

We've had many problems with their newer (Fuel) cordless reciprocating saw...
the blade release lever must have broken 4 or 5 times and a couple of times the saw just slowed down to a crawl, even with freshly charged batteries.

 

[Pipe_guy]

I had a trigger fail on a fuel drill that was only a few months old and I've worn out a couple 1/2 impacts but they have a pretty hard life so I don't know if I would fault them. The batteries seem to last about a year under hard use. Over all I think they are decently made. At my last job I had a 1/2 IR cordless impact and it seemed a little more heavy duty. More of an industrial tool. If I were to buy my own I would go with the IR but we get the Milwaukee's at work.

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

 

[MikeF2316]

I have more than a dozen milwaukee tools, some older corded stuff, some brand new battery stuff. My oldest batteries are about 4 years old or so, and I've never had an issue with a single piece.

 

[crewchief888]

i havent had any issues with 12v or 18v batteries, my 18v batteries and 3/8" dr impact live a hard life in my service truck over the past 3 years.
everything has a nice coating of oil, grease and diesel fuel.

i've had to replace the hog ring on the anvil a couple times, had a 12v LED flashlight that would stop working when i flexed the head.
milwaukee replaced it

i have a 12v fuel 1/2" drill, 18v fuel grinder in my service truck, 12v fuel impact driver and non fuel 3/8" drill in the garage.

i grab the 12v milwaukee drill/impact before i grab the orange 18v drill/driver...

 

[Ign]

I had one of my M18 batteries that wouldn't charge. Swapped it out at the local Milwaukee repair center in 10 minutes. Finally have one of my M12 batteries dying. Thing is 5 years old at least of hard use. I guess it is time to get some more M12 batteries

The compact 3.0's and XC 6.0's are awesome

 

[Rdan]

My Milwaukee's are still going. I finally had my oldest M18 2.0 batteries go out after 10 years. I still watch for sales around X-Mas on new batteries or upgrade when they offer new Batteries with a tool. I love the rapid chargers and got a HD deal on the 6 pack M12 & M18 Rapid charger for $79 on clearance. A great upgrade, I got tired of all the M-12 Chargers I had around. Have a friend I sell my old stuff too, he loves it. I will be giving him my old screwdriver M12 in the near future. True, I am just an advance DIY, I have handed my Milwaukee's to pros that were shocked they worked so well. Dan

 

[Ign]

^^^the original M18 compacts batteries were 1.5 and the XC's 3.0. If it has no numbers on the side this is what it is. I doubt you had 2.0's that were 10 years old, more likely 1.5's. If it was a 2.0, "2.0" would be clearly marked on the side after "Red Lithium"

But I agree..... 8-10 years is not unreasonable life expectancy.

 

[Sugarfryz]

So looks like I’ll be sending this stupid 1/2 impact for the FOURTH TIME IN TWO YEARS

Video of what it’s doing now. Was loosening something for about two seconds then this

 

[tarbellb]

Definitely looks like some stripped gears or a slipping ring? *****.

 

[mautotech]

I got a 18volt fuel drill as a present at Christmas and was using it over the last few weeks for modifying the trusses in my barn. After driving in a few hundred construction screws the torque is no longer consistent. One screw it will screw in halfway, another, it drives deep into the wood. What a piece of junk.
So i went out and bought a dewalt 20v drill and have screwed in hundreds of screws so far with it and its totally consistent. What a difference.
You couldnt pay me to use another milwaukee drill.

 

[lincwelder225]

Where's kctyphoon??

 

[WWheeler]

Just wore out my 3/8" M12 ratchet. Ball detent went first so it wouldn't hold a socket on anymore and almost immediately after that it started grinding/slipping. Had to look back. It looks like I bought it September 3, 2015. It was good while it lasted. It's one I used at home so not all that often. Not sure if I'll try to warranty it or not.

 

[Buckgnarly]

Had to wait a few weeks for parts, but just got my weedwacker back from warranty. Testing it today.
Also had a fuel grinder die after short use, but Milwaukee fixed it quickly and its been good since.

 

[jimreed2160]

My biggest problem with Milwaukee tools is the rapid accumulation. I started with an M12 drill/driver kit and now that red stuff is all over the house and shop. Lights, ratchets, packouts, batteries! Every time I turn around there is something else here. And the tools that were here before don't get used anymore. I am seeing red!

 

[dnschmidt]

You could have this thread for any brand of tool just fill in the blank with Bosch, Festool, Makita, Fein, Metabo, Hitachi, DeWalt or whatever.

All I can say is they have the absolute best warranty and I swear that they reproduce as mentioned above. Every time I look around there are more Milwaukee tools in my house. Maybe I should keep them apart from each other. I know their having *** behind my back as there can be no other explanation.

 

[Sugarfryz]

You could have this thread for any brand of tool just fill in the blank with Bosch, Festool, Makita, Fein, Metabo, Hitachi, DeWalt or whatever.

All I can say is they have the absolute best warranty and I swear that they reproduce as mentioned above. Every time I look around there are more Milwaukee tools in my house. Maybe I should keep them apart from each other. I know their having *** behind my back as there can be no other explanation.

I just wish it was easier to warranty for me. Takes a couple weeks each time

 

[Sugarfryz]

So I once again had another issue, I sent it back in because the anvil won’t turn and the motors running.

Got it back this week, was using it, and just today it’s doing the same thing. This will be the sixth time in two years I’m sending this ************* in.

 

[Mr_B]

^ do you have an airline available

For battery I like the IR battery impact line .
Milwaukee reminds me too much of snapons 14.4 line - constant same tool service repairs but just better warranty which fortunate but still big time waster which not what want in profesional scenario ...

 

[iWrench]

I own: m12 1/4" fuel hex impact driver, m12 fuel 1/4" ratchet, m18 1/4" fuel hex impact driver, m18 1/2" fuel mid torque impact, m12 90* drill, m18 1/2" compact brushless drill/driver. I am an auto technician and I use them often, some on a daily basis. No problems so far. My original 3/8" non-fuel cordless ratchet did take a dump on me right out of the 5 year warranty period, but I figured I got my use out of it. Threw it away and bought a new fuel 1/4" ratchet.

I did however own a Mac Tools 1/2" brushless impact. Starting after a few months of use, the impact would just stop working in the middle of using it and I'd have to reset the trigger to make it go again. According to Mac, you have to take the battery out and wipe in between the battery contacts with an index card to clean the contacts. Mac thinks this is normal, I see it as a poor design flaw. I sold the impact and bought a Milwaukee. Been using the Milwaukee for several months now with no issues. I know how it is to have trouble with a tool, it *****. Hope you get your Milwaukee stuff straightened out.