Milwaukee M12 tools that are worth it?

[slackdaddy1]

I know there must be 100 Milwaukee cordless threads, but I did not find one specifically about M12 tools "usefulness"
When I added my M18 Fuel Impact to my home shop, I have not taken the air impact out of the drawer. I also have a M18 cordless drill and a driver, along with a combo M12/M18 charger.

So I want to add some more cordless to the shop.
Along with my 1/2 SAE and Metric sockets, I have a large set of 3/8 drive SAE/Metric sockets, so I am looking at the M12 stubby 3/8 impact.
Looking at the 3/8 M12 ratchet?
Also looking at the 1/4" collet straight die grinder.

I do light metal fabrication and jeep/car builds.

Any other M12 tools I should consider?
Any I should stay away from ?

Thanks,
Slack

 

[Canyon56]

I love my M12 stubby 3/8 impact driver. It's a powerful tool that's never let me down.

 

[ToolGuy89]

The 3/8 stubby impact is a really nice piece, the 3/8 fuel ratchet is nice, the new radio is nice, and the others are mainly nice as well.

 

[toolin' around]

I have both M18 and M12 drill and driver, and I always default to the M12... they live in my tool tote, light and easy to handle, plenty powerful, I just hang them on the corner of my pocket if I need a free hand.

I have the 3/8 ratchet, but honesty never use it... I just find it slow and less convenient that a regular socket ratchet for most applications.

I have both the M18 and the M12 compact sawzall... I'll pick up the M12 9 times out of 10. Easy one handed operation and more control.

I have the M12 pop riveter, and it's awesome if you do much of that type work.

I have the M18 die grinder but it's just too big and cumbersome... I wish I'd got the M12... may get the 90 degree version at some point.

Also have the M12 rotary tool which comes in handy...

 

[CJM8515]

You want the M18 LED stick light, the M12 3/8 stubby is the most versatile out of them all.



I have every impact gun they make except for the right angle ones and use them. The stubbys I use the most now and you can generally get away with 3/8 the 1/2 is needed for the anvil size in some cases and the 1/4 is ok but the sockets are just smaller. they all have the smae power just a different anvil. I also have the non fuel ratchets and like them, the M18 3/8, 1/2 mid and high torque, m18 drill and such. I love them all.

 

[Ign]

The die grinders are great.

The ratchets are handy. I just got the extended reach 3/8" and very impressed, but also the head is HUGE and access can be an issue.

The 3" cutoff is great during custom builds for cutting bolts. I've even cut u-bolts with it -- less likely to get away from you and knick a brake line or electrical.

Love the underhood light.

Love the rivet gun.

 

[HAULNSS]

I love the M12 inflator for quick tire fills and the whole family has the M12 heated jackets.

Randy

 

[Ign]

Also the mini bandsaw can be cool for drama free one hand cuts in small stock

 

[jeepinerdeep]

My M12 Drivers and Drills are grabbed before my M18 90% of the time. I just got both stubby impacts, nice.

I have a brushed hackzall, and the fuel is supposed to be even better.

Only M12 tool I think is a bit of a turd is the jigsaw.

The new service and repair light is on my list for January.

 

[dacan23]

Hmm... I probably have 50 M12 products, I have never said any of them are not useful. Like someone else said I grab my M12 stuff most of the time over my M18 stuff.

 

[DeeKay]

A few months ago I had an M18 Fuel 1/4" hex impact that took a dive off of the top of a chiller and exploded, I ended up replacing it with an M12 "surge" 1/4" hex impact which is surprisingly powerful for how tiny it is. I don't know how the two would compare driving long deck screws all day, but for tek screws and taking apart compressor housings it's great.
Also bought the M12 rivet gun for a project and damn it's nice. If you ever have to do more than like 50 steel 3/16 rivets I would totally buy the thing. Unfortunately it won't do 1/4" diameter rivets which would be nice.

 

[Ign]

I also keep the M12 screwdriver on my cart loaded up w a P2 bit. Nice for tearing down a dash or interior panels, and the clutch can be set really light so you don't strip small screws/plasti-screws during reassembly

 

[setfocus]

I've got the M12 fuel (current gen) impact driver, hammer drill, and M12 stubby in 3/8 drive

I'm happy with all three. The impact driver and drill replaced old makita (slide in handle batt) 12v tools and the stubby replaced an old snap-on ct4410 14.4v nicad impact. Old tools are now at home.

I'm an auto tech and swiched to the M12 line because... #1 - I'd run out of batts drilling out a broken bolt, makita never made large capacity batts for the old 12v line. #2 - The snap-on 14.4v nicad batts were going bad and #3 - dropping down to one batt platform at work

I'll probably buy a multi charger and an extra M18 batt so I can bring in my sawzall, and at some point, maybe get one of the M12 ratchets

 

[Ign]

The M12 dud: the "Dustbuster" vac. Don't waste your time or $

 

[Jmonnty]

I have the m12 sds rotary hammer, installer drill, and the ratchet. Most on my other tools are Dewalt 20 and flexible, I carry the installer drill and sds when installing door hardware.

 

[On-Wheel]

M12 grease gun is great.

 

[plinker]

In no particular order for most used, all are at work for the most part, some for a long time.
"stubby" 3/8 impact 2554
3/8 non fuel ratchet,
1/4 non fuel impact,
1/4 non fuel ratchet,
Basic m12 drill/driver, the fuel version is probably better.
Underhood light (spendy yes, but well worth it if you need one a lot)
Grease gun
M12 bandsaw; very useful, I've not really used a hack saw since getting it, great for light stock metals and cutting bolts, ete...

The 3/8 fuel impact is a good tool, though outclassed by the M18 fuel 3/8 impact torque wise. The stubby 3/8 is comparable to the M18, just fatter.

At home, I have the spotlight which gets used daily as a flashlight, and the jigsaw which is nothing super special other then it takes m12 batteries, Not sure if the M18 is any better, but if a good one is needed Bosch is it.

 

[dacan23]

For garage/shop/jobsite your right, for household use its at least average, since I have so many red vacs, the M12 has always been in the house. At least the batteries dont die and cant be replaced like B&D or my Dyson.

The M12 dud: the "Dustbuster" vac. Don't waste your time or $

 

[Ralf11]

How noisy is the M12 inflator?

 

[xela456]

How noisy is the M12 inflator?

It's pretty noisy for sure, and don't let it get wet.
I'm on my third one, really the only complaint I have on it is the screw on chuck, I'd prefer the clip on chuck.

As far as M12 tools that are totally worth it my list is as follows:
Stubby 3/8 Impact for bolts 1/2 and under with a 3.0 battery you probably wont reach for another impact
Right angle Die grinder, if you didnt use one before this will make you find uses for one
I use them as an industrial mechanic, so they are definitely getting a big boy test.

 

[On-Wheel]

Same as all the rest.
YouTube has a comparison video using noise db.

M12 hack saw is great.I think I have the bigger one.

 

[Renegade1LI]

The 1/4"ratchet is great for body work & light duty stuff, the m12 multitool is a work horse & the installer kit has been getting used a lot, really can't complain with the m12 line.

 

[Git]

I liked the M12 installation kit so much, I bough a second one. I also really like the 'surge' hydraulic driver and inflator, although it is very noisy, really comes in handy.

 

[pizza]

related question: which tools are really worth getting in m18 over m12?

 

[Renegade1LI]

related question: which tools are really worth getting in m18 over m12?

SDS drill, 1/2" impact, 7 1/4 circ saw & definitely a 1/2" drill driver, it ***** you need both

 

[designer485]

I am a big fan of the m12 screwdriver. Grabbed a deal last year during black Friday. I know some guys don't love the ergonomics of the m12 stuff, but it fits my hand like a glove and the balance feels great to me.

 

[PugetDude]

Only M12 tool I think is a bit of a turd is the jigsaw.

^^+1 on this^^

I have quite a few M12 tools, my favorites are the right angle die grinder, Fuel Hackzall, sander/polisher, Rotary Tool, OMT, and Fuel 3/8 drill.

The jigsaw is worthless, swivel lock is a joke, it won't stay locked and drifts when cutting. Hasn't been out of the drawer in months. Save your money, skip this one.

Flashlight and 3/8 ratchet are also good, but don't get used as much.

 

[toolin' around]

On the M18 question...
+1 on the SDS drill, it’s a beast.

 

[Kaervak]

These are the M12 tools I've purchased that I've deemed must haves. Your opinions may vary

Non fuel 3/8 ratchet, plenty of power for what I was looking for. I've actually broken fasteners with it, so the fuel version would probably be overkill

Fuel 1/2 hammer drill. Needed a 1/2 chuck drill that wasn't crazy money and the M12 was the winner

Non Fuel 3/8 chuck drill. Needed a basic drill to have in the house and that one got the win.

Fuel right angle die grinder. Excellent tool, so much more convenient than using air for me and plenty of power for what I use it for.

Fuel 3" cut off tool. When I need to make quick cut in light gauge metal or smaller rods/bolts, it's incredibly convenient and so much easier to use than an angle grinder with a cutting disc. With that said, it does have its limitations and knowing them will make using it much better.

Fuel 3/8 stubby impact. It's my go to impact, it has handled everything except one set of over torqued lugnuts. I have the M18 high torque and I've only used it once because of the stubby, that's how good it is.

M12 inflator. More convenient than using my compressor to fill tires. It's not as fast, however my compressor leaks and waiting for it to build pressure and then top up tires takes longer than just using the inflator. If I have to fill a bunch of tires, I'll use the compressor, but the majority of time the inflator gets the job.



Whatever tools you get go with the M12 XC packs. They make quite a difference on the performance of the tool.

 

[nieuport17]

M12s are light, compact and just powerful enough to do the work. Those are their main usefulness.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Long neck 1/4 ratchet is awesome.

I still have my standard length one, but have not actually needed it since I got the long neck last year. Most of the time total tool length isn't a limiting factor to fitting somewhere you'd use a 1/4 powered-ratchet.

 

[plinker]

Something regarding batteries, Unless you need them for access reasons, the 2.0 batteries are something it only pays to have a couple of IME. They get used mainly with the ratchets as access requires and once in a while with an impact/drill.

The 3.0XC (in particular) and 4.0 batteries are all I use for the most part. If I did buy a 6.0, I'd likely just use it for the underhood light, but I like having enough batteries on hand to go around, so it's a moot point for me. This has worked for me for the last four years or so, but YMMV, ete...

 

[dkroth]

M12s are light, compact and just powerful enough to do the work. Those are their main usefulness.

This.

I've been saying this for years.

People here got all excited when the 8.0, 9.0 and 12.0 batteries came out for the M18 line. I'm over here thinking, "why do I want to run a driver/drill that's attached to a car battery?"









.

 

[dkroth]

Do you 3/8" ratchet fans find the detent doesn't hold the socket very well?

I've had two ratchets and the detents on both are weak sauce.









.

 

[plinker]

Do you 3/8" ratchet fans find the detent doesn't hold the socket very well?

I've had two ratchets and the detents on both are weak sauce.
.

It could be better, same with the 3/8 impact anvils to some extent, but the positives still out weigh the negatives overall I think.

 

[M635_Guy]

I'm a huge fan of the M12 stuff.

My M12 SURGE is my absolute favorite tool - quiet, powerful, virtually zero vibration.

My M12 Stubby (1/2") has been a star

The M12 hood light makes things so much easier. I recently got the M12 Rover with the magnet and it's already a go-to.

I have the 3/8" FUEL ratchet, and it has been great. It sees a lot of use. I don't tend to reef on it, but the tear-down comparisons I saw vs. the standard M12 showed a much tougher/beefier mechanism for the FUEL. Since then I've seen so much love for the "regular" one I wonder if I should have gone with that and put the savings toward the extended reach model. But I've been really happy with the FUEL.

For the kind of stuff I'm doing the right-angle die grinder is fine - battery life is the main limitation, but nit a biggie for the quick stuff I need it for.

M12 FUEL multi-tool is light and versatile, and pretty damn powerful. Ditto the Hackzall.

Have M18 stuff I like - Rover light, the Mid-torque impact being the best of that lot. I have the brushless M18 drill (2801), but I'm guessing an M12 2503 would do most if not all of the work I need.

Milwaukee has done a fantastic job with the M12 line IMHO

 

[ilikedirt]

My most used m12 tool is the 3/8 ratchet. It's awesome. When you run a bolt down and it runs out of torque, let off the trigger and give it a quarter or half turn then you are good to go!

 

[Crabman]

Most used are probably:

3/8 non fuel ratchet, good light tool, if not enough torque you can turn it like a regular ratchet and then spin the fastener off. I have never felt the need for the fuel. If it's that bad I get impact or breaker bar.

Inflator. I have a lot of vehicles, 3 trailers, lawn tractor and cart and on and on. The convenience of portability over a 12V power point unit is immeasurable, as is the ability to set the pressure and walk away to do something else. It will labor if trying to do a big truck tire from low, but for most of my needs it is great. I sees someone said don't get it wet. I would add, FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS and do not overheat it. I did fry one with impatience. I will say Milwaukee sent me a new one under warranty as "customer goodwill" or some such thing.

I prefer the 3/8 drill to the hex driver. I use it a lot. It is light and with the adjustable torque, and a light trigger finger, you can mitigate fastener destruction. I reamed out a lot of screws with the hex before switching over. It sits on my big tool box with a P2 ready to go at all times.

The rover light is very handy and I also use it often

I also like the Fuel hackzall, a recent addition for me. It works great one handed on many tasks that I had to lug the sawzall out for before. Lighter than M18, and all the power I need.

Recently got the OMT and caulk gun, which I am looking forward to trying out.

 

[dacan23]

LOL. Exactly, for around the house stuff its M12 all day, heavy car work, building a shed, framing a room, then its M18.

I like everything M12, even the stuff people knock. My Fuel M18 jigsaw is awesome, but its so big sometimes I need the M12 to do a small light task, yeah its weak and slow but it saves the day when needed. Before I got the M12 Fuel hacksaw I needed to cut a toilet tank bolt in a tight space the non fuel hacksaw I had saved the day, once I upgraded I had a similar need and the M12 Fuel was to big and I had to cut something by hand, well now I own both, yeah the plain one is weak and breaks easily, but saving the day once is worth owning it.

When I do car work the place is littered with M12, lights, ratchets, stubbies and maybe one M18 bigger impact.

I have the 3 head M18 rocket which is for garage use, the M12 which I wasn't to crazy about at first lives in the house and I love it now.

This.

I've been saying this for years.

People here got all excited when the 8.0, 9.0 and 12.0 batteries came out for the M18 line. I'm over here thinking, "why do I want to run a driver/drill that's attached to a car battery?"









.

 

[Ign]

Also if you don't wear a headlamp the old school M12 stick light is actually a pretty good trouble light. You must fit a camera magnet to the 1/4-20 bung in the back, but it's a simple mod that's WELL worth it.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HVGK9S4/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I use a 2115 headlamp now but if anyone's working with me in the shop they use the stick light. My buddy dropped it on the floor at least a half dozen times last night but it was unphased.