The Milwaukee addiction thread! :)

overkill19 · Aug 7, 2020

The Milwaukee addiction thread! [emoji4]

Just bought this on Kijiji, brand new in box, I haven’t even seen it yet as my niece is picking it up for me.
I watched lots of reviews on you tube.
If it’s half as good as my little 1/4” impact it should be good. I mainly bought it to have in my toyhauler on long trips.
What do you guys think? Seemed like a good deal, $475CAD vs. Over $620CAD plus tax
Worst case I buy a tool only mid torq and sell the high torq!

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DerekV · Aug 7, 2020

Got sick of Milwaukee dragging their feet, and sick at the thought of spending MX Fuel money for the likely upcoming MX Fuel variety, so here we go. M18x2 and/or M18x4 brushless lawnmower. Just a few 10AWG M18 pack adapters, genuine Wago Levernuts, and extra wire/spade connectors/electrical tape/etc. and you’re good to go.

The 6Ah Ryobi pack takes 3 hours to charge and just barely finishes my ~1/4 acre yard. All things considered though, it works surprisingly well. Four M18 5.0s makes a 10Ah “pack”, and all can charge simultaneously in ~1 hour with my bank of standard chargers. I also have the option to run just 2 M18 packs, i.e. a pair of 12.0s or 9.0s. My goal is not only to have more battery options, but also to decrease wear and tear on whatever batteries the mower is using. Fully charging + fully discharging a pack (my only 40v Ryobi pack I might add) is a good way to guarantee a limited life. The 5.0s should allow a full mow without a full discharge.

I think it’ll be wise to keep the packs the same models and to make sure they’re all at the ~same resting voltage level for safety and pack longevity reasons. Actually excited to mow the lawn now

We’ll see how it goes tomorrow morning.

48548 · Aug 8, 2020

I think that is a great idea.... i am still waiting on a leaf vac.

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pwschuh · Aug 8, 2020

48548 said:
i am still waiting on a leaf vac.

You and me both!

DerekV · Aug 8, 2020

The Milwaukee addiction thread! [emoji4]

DerekV said:
Got sick of Milwaukee dragging their feet, and sick at the thought of spending MX Fuel money for the likely upcoming MX Fuel variety, so here we go. M18x2 and/or M18x4 brushless lawnmower. Just a few 10AWG M18 pack adapters, genuine Wago Levernuts, and extra wire/spade connectors/electrical tape/etc. and you’re good to go.

The 6Ah Ryobi pack takes 3 hours to charge and just barely finishes my ~1/4 acre yard. All things considered though, it works surprisingly well. Four M18 5.0s makes a 10Ah “pack”, and all can charge simultaneously in ~1 hour with my bank of standard chargers. I also have the option to run just 2 M18 packs, i.e. a pair of 12.0s or 9.0s. My goal is not only to have more battery options, but also to decrease wear and tear on whatever batteries the mower is using. Fully charging + fully discharging a pack (my only 40v Ryobi pack I might add) is a good way to guarantee a limited life. The 5.0s should allow a full mow without a full discharge.

I think it’ll be wise to keep the packs the same models and to make sure they’re all at the ~same resting voltage level for safety and pack longevity reasons. Actually excited to mow the lawn now We’ll see how it goes tomorrow morning.

Post-mow follow up: excellent results. Some before/after observations:

BEFORE
Ryobi 40v 6Ah pack (10S-2P)
Ambient temp (last mow) = 91*F
Pack temp after mow = never measured, but definitely very warm, probably ~115+*F
Start voltage = 40.9v
End voltage = 33.9v (“one bar” on fuel gauge)
Grass = dry and light, but dense Bermuda. Fertilized 10 weeks and cut 8 days prior.

AFTER
Milwaukee “40v 10Ah pack” (10S-4P via four M18 XC 5.0 packs)
Ambient temp (this morning) = 91*F
Mower “battery bay” peak temp = 104*F
Start voltage = 41.5v
End voltage = 36.6v (“two bars” on fuel gauge)
Grass = same Bermuda but tall, wet, and heavy. Fertilized and cut 7 days prior.
Notes = no pack movement or loose connections (bumpy back yard, too). Wiring/junctions did not heat up, actually cooler than packs (ambient). Mower seemed to wind up with slightly more authority and fought off bogging down noticeably better on near stall conditions. All packs charged up to and discharged down to within a 0.04v window (charged high = 20.78v, charged low = 20.74v // discharged high = 18.30v, discharged low = 18.26v).

Verdict = success, very worthy modification if both caution and common sense are exercised.

[emoji106]

DerekV · Aug 8, 2020

48548 said:
I think that is a great idea.... i am still waiting on a leaf vac.

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Thanks

Black300zx · Aug 8, 2020

Re: The Milwaukee addiction thread! [emoji4]

DerekV said:
Verdict = success, very worthy modification if both caution and common sense are exercised.

[emoji106]

Very neat project! I guess I never realized that "40V" was a bit of a roundup and was really just a pair of 18V packs in parallel. I have nothing in the M18 or Ryobi 40V platform, but I do have a small investment in Ryobi 18V tools (backup drill/impact driver, radio, lantern, OMT, leaf blower). I have ~1/8th acre of my yard that I push mow (takes ~10 minutes). I wonder if it might be worth doing your mod, but with my Ryobi 18V batteries, if my gas powered push mower ever dies.

DerekV · Aug 8, 2020

Re: The Milwaukee addiction thread! [emoji4]

Black300zx said:
Very neat project! I guess I never realized that "40V" was a bit of a roundup and was really just a pair of 18V packs in parallel. I have nothing in the M18 or Ryobi 40V platform, but I do have a small investment in Ryobi 18V tools (backup drill/impact driver, radio, lantern, OMT, leaf blower). I have ~1/8th acre of my yard that I push mow (takes ~10 minutes). I wonder if it might be worth doing your mod, but with my Ryobi 18V batteries, if my gas powered push mower ever dies.

Thanks! I’d definitely do it, although the included 40v pack will probably do you just fine. It is nice to have other battery options though. This mower with a revised 6.0 pack (10S-3P w/2Ah cells vs. 10S-2P w/3Ah cells which is what I have) and charger is only $259 at HD right now. I don’t even know if you can get this mower as a bare tool.

I also modified the handle brackets a bit to fix a design flaw, I’d definitely recommend doing that. If you are thinking of getting one, PM me for details. I wanna keep the “M18x4 Ryobi mower” topic as Milwaukee as possible in this thread [emoji23]

RKA · Aug 8, 2020

Isaias dropped my neighbors tree on top of my shed and the corner of my house. I would estimate it’s a 50-60ft maple. I used the M18 hackzall to get this far, climbing up onto the tree or a ladder to get the taller stuff. If I’m up for it, I’ll take out the chainsaw tomorrow and start chopping the bigger pieces. Town will only pick up 6ft and 60lbs pieces until next Friday.

Black300zx · Aug 9, 2020

Re: The Milwaukee addiction thread! [emoji4]

DerekV said:
This mower with a revised 6.0 pack (10S-3P w/2Ah cells vs. 10S-2P w/3Ah cells which is what I have) and charger is only $259 at HD right now. I don’t even know if you can get this mower as a bare tool.

Good point, I had assumed that it was available as a bare tool.

Bighead38 · Aug 9, 2020

RKA said:
Isaias dropped my neighbors tree on top of my shed and the corner of my house. I would estimate it’s a 50-60ft maple. I used the M18 hackzall to get this far, climbing up onto the tree or a ladder to get the taller stuff. If I’m up for it, I’ll take out the chainsaw tomorrow and start chopping the bigger pieces. Town will only pick up 6ft and 60lbs pieces until next Friday.

How far down in Jersey are you? I’ll drive down with my friend and we’ll cut and stack it for you. For a small fee.

chappys4life · Aug 9, 2020

Is the 1/4 ratchet worth it? Found a 3/8 & 1/4 ratchet set non-fuel for 120 locally. Wondering if it’s worth it to have the 1/4 ratchet or just buy the bare 3/8 off amazon.

Odd-job · Aug 9, 2020

chappys4life said:
Is the 1/4 ratchet worth it? Found a 3/8 & 1/4 ratchet set non-fuel for 120 locally. Wondering if it’s worth it to have the 1/4 ratchet or just buy the bare 3/8 off amazon.

I think so. Am currently looking for 1/4 myself since I am sick of sticking an adapter on my 3/8. This is also a result of GJ convincing me to up my 1/4 socket selection.

That’s a decent deal if the ratchets aren’t beat to ****. PM me if you go for the deal but decide not to keep the 1/4

RKA · Aug 9, 2020

Bighead38 said:
How far down in Jersey are you? I’ll drive down with my friend and we’ll cut and stack it for you. For a small fee.

Too late unfortunately, but thanks for the offer. I got out the chainsaw and got it down to this today. Rest will wait for a tree crew. Why? I don’t have any use for firewood, town won’t pick up anything heavier than 60 lbs and that remaining trunk (20-25ft) is perched flat against my shed and on that smaller branch. I decided it would be wise to stop at this point.

Hammer1963 · Aug 10, 2020

I have a mower like that and have thought about adapting the M18 batteries as well. Now that you have made it look easy, I believe I will have to copy your idea!

DerekV · Aug 10, 2020

Hammer1963 said:
I have a mower like that and have thought about adapting the M18 batteries as well. Now that you have made it look easy, I believe I will have to copy your idea!

[emoji106]

Ign · Aug 10, 2020

danski0224 said:
Yes.

But seriously, Milwaukee could have moved that content from the end of the instructions to either the "Setting the clock" section OR "Setting the radio preset" section, because neither will stick without those batteries.

IME Milwaukee's printed instructions are always poor. The things you REALLY want to know are buried in crammed paragraphs, if they're mentioned at all. You can almost always learn more from reviews, YT vids or product announcements than you can their instructions.

In unrelated news, I'm beginning to wonder how I ever got by without the little M12 3" cutoff tool. It's great for cutting apart tack welds, and is probably the best thing I've ever found for ripping 1/2-13 expanded (unless I want to take the time to painstakingly set up a fence for the plasma). It's also very useful for complete weld beads, but in smaller stuff like 1.5" x 14ga square tube.

Ultimately it's less drama than a grinder 'cause you can hold it with one hand and help stabilize the work with your other. Plus, unlike a grinder it can't really get away from you and fawk something up.

dacan23 · Aug 10, 2020

Great example is the drywall gun nor the collator instructions tell you that you have to remove a piece off the chuck to get the bit to fit with them together.

Ign said:
IME Milwaukee's printed instructions are always poor. The things you REALLY want to know are buried in crammed paragraphs, if they're mentioned at all. You can almost always learn more from reviews, YT vids or product announcements than you can their instructions.

In unrelated news, I'm beginning to wonder how I ever got by without the little M12 3" cutoff tool. It's great for cutting apart tack welds, and is probably the best thing I've ever found for ripping 1/2-13 expanded (unless I want to take the time to painstakingly set up a fence for the plasma). It's also very useful for complete weld beads, but in smaller stuff like 1.5" x 14ga square tube.

Ultimately it's less drama than a grinder 'cause you can hold it with one hand and help stabilize the work with your other. Plus, unlike a grinder it can't really get away from you and fawk something up.

Wanna Ride · Aug 13, 2020

How is the antenna and the FM reception? The specs and reviews also say the battery lasts about ten hours, would you say that’s accurate and which battery are you using? Found several reviews online, but haven’t spoke with someone who actually owns one. And we all know online reviews can often be superficial.

I’m planning on buying one of these in the next few days. Not for the shop or jobsite, but just to have in the house in the event of a power outage. We don’t get many of those, but want to access local stations when we do. Cell service and internet access also turns to **** if the storm is bad enough to knock out the power. And... it’ll be perfect for the occasional need for a bluetooth speaker in the house too. This one seems to check all the boxes for me.

javyLSU said:
New Bluetooth radio/charger arrived today. So far I really like it.

javyLSU · Aug 13, 2020

The Milwaukee addiction thread!

Wanna Ride said:
How is the antenna and the FM reception? The specs and reviews also say the battery lasts about ten hours, would you say that’s accurate and which battery are you using? Found several reviews online, but haven’t spoke with someone who actually owns one. And we all know online reviews can often be superficial.

I’m planning on buying one of these in the next few days. Not for the shop or jobsite, but just to have in the house in the event of a power outage. We don’t get many of those, but want to access local stations when we do. Cell service and internet access also turns to **** if the storm is bad enough to knock out the power. And... it’ll be perfect for the occasional need for a bluetooth speaker in the house too. This one seems to check all the boxes for me.

So far the FM reception has been great, and that’s with the LED lights on in my garage, which can interfere with reception. I’m using a 2.0 battery on it, and I would estimate it lasted between 8-10 hours, mostly streaming from my iPhone. I really like it so far - it’s way more than I need for my garage, I have to keep the volume turned down to about 1/3 of the max, which I can conveniently do right from my iPhone. It’s also nice to be able to charge batteries (both M12 and batteries chargeable through USB), I’ve used that feature several times already. [emoji106][emoji106] from me.

Pitalplace · Aug 13, 2020

Wanna Ride said:
How is the antenna and the FM reception? The specs and reviews also say the battery lasts about ten hours, would you say that’s accurate and which battery are you using? Found several reviews online, but haven’t spoke with someone who actually owns one. And we all know online reviews can often be superficial.

I’m planning on buying one of these in the next few days. Not for the shop or jobsite, but just to have in the house in the event of a power outage. We don’t get many of those, but want to access local stations when we do. Cell service and internet access also turns to **** if the storm is bad enough to knock out the power. And... it’ll be perfect for the occasional need for a bluetooth speaker in the house too. This one seems to check all the boxes for me.

I have the 2890 and the reception is horrible. I wish I could find a better antenna or get rid of this. If you live in the city it may work better

alex50 · Aug 13, 2020

Recently changed sliding closet doors to mirrored sliding doors for a couple of bedrooms in the house. I needed to trim the top and bottom metal rails of doors slightly to make it fit. It was the perfect job for the M12 FUEL™ 3" Compact Cut Off Tool. Made quick work of it and am happy to have the tool in my collection.

1320 · Aug 13, 2020

I'm late to the party on the M12 right angle die grinder, but I just picked one up and I like it so far. I also like the sponge looking stripper discs, which I had never used before - now I feel like I have been missing out all this time.

I got one of the 6" braking grinders and I REALLY like it. I don't think the regular Fuel 4-1/2" is any slouch and this one is even more powerful. I do feel like having the right batteries has to go a long way. I can see disliking all of the grinders if you don't have any of the modern batteries. The brake is nice, but not that big a deal to me.

pwschuh · Aug 14, 2020

Went one step deeper into the abyss yesterday by picking up a 2522-20 bare tool M12 FUEL 3" compact cut-off tool at HD.

It works great but man does this thing chew through my tiny 1.5 batteries. Time to step up to something larger.

Rusty67 · Aug 14, 2020

CP 3.0 at a minimum on those little guys. Probably best to go XC.

1320 · Aug 14, 2020

I like the 3" cutoff tool. I love the shoe/guard and the fact that you can change the wheel direction. It does eat batteries, though. I use mine with the XC6.0 with good results.

dacan23 · Aug 14, 2020

Sophisticated security measure for open house as we are moving

Rusty67 · Aug 14, 2020

dacan23 said:
Sophisticated security measure for open house as we are moving

They will probably steal your toilet paper and light bulbs. It is a thing, people are the worst.

G1GRANDEUR · Aug 14, 2020

1320 said:
I also like the sponge looking stripper discs,

those are great for removing heavy rust fast without any clogging.

dacan23 · Aug 15, 2020

LOL, Supposedly people are stealing the hard to find sanitizing items at open houses lately.

Rusty67 said:
They will probably steal your toilet paper and light bulbs. It is a thing, people are the worst.

Wanna Ride · Aug 15, 2020

javyLSU said:
So far the FM reception has been great, and that’s with the LED lights on in my garage, which can interfere with reception. I’m using a 2.0 battery on it, and I would estimate it lasted between 8-10 hours, mostly streaming from my iPhone. I really like it so far - it’s way more than I need for my garage, I have to keep the volume turned down to about 1/3 of the max, which I can conveniently do right from my iPhone. It’s also nice to be able to charge batteries (both M12 and batteries chargeable through USB), I’ve used that feature several times already. [emoji106][emoji106] from me.

Pitalplace said:
I have the 2890 and the reception is horrible. I wish I could find a better antenna or get rid of this. If you live in the city it may work better

Bought one of the new M12 radios (2951-20) yesterday. FM reception is great out here in our rural area, and all “local” channels come in fine. This is going to be perfect for all my needs. I was very happy to hear the sound quality and volume level, plus I discovered it has adjustable bass and treble levels. I put a partially charged standard M12 battery in it, and used it at varying volume levels on radio and Bluetooth source for a total of six hours and thirty four minutes before it died. I also charged my iphone for just over thirty minutes to get it to 100% (started charging it at about 45%). After the M12 battery died, it took one hour and twenty-four minutes to charge the battery back up to 100%.

48548 · Aug 15, 2020

Works the packout be better than the old boom box? I like it takes m12 and m28.... but i have close to 20 m18 and 10 m12 batteries now doesn't matter. Does it pick up am? Why no one does an hd radio is beyond me... not for quality for the sub channels I can't get any other way or they are stronger....

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Wanna Ride · Aug 16, 2020

Yes, it’s an AM/FM receiver. But I don’t listen to AM, so I’m not concerned with any AM reception. I have some specific needs for this particular radio, and it checks all those boxes for me.

48548 said:
Works the packout be better than the old boom box? I like it takes m12 and m28.... but i have close to 20 m18 and 10 m12 batteries now doesn't matter. Does it pick up am? Why no one does an hd radio is beyond me... not for quality for the sub channels I can't get any other way or they are stronger....

spyerx · Aug 16, 2020

I want to thank this tread for funneling money from my bank account. I replaced some larger RIGID which worked fine but the sizes annoyed me for my type of use.

I love the M12 size for the automotive and around house work I do. Picked up
M12 Fuel hammer drill (which i use mostly as a die grinder LOL, works fine for minor Roloc cleanup on brake hubs)
M12 Fuel impact driver (I use this mostly as a screw gun the low speed is fantastic for that and stops right when torque is reached)
M12 Fuel 1/2 stubby impact (this thing is GREAT!)
M12 inflator
M12 LED task/stick light thing
M12 rotary tool
Batteries: 2x 1.5, 2x 2.0, 1x 3, 1x xl4, 1x xl6

The inflator will do a whole car from low pressures with the 4. The 6 stays on the impact. The 1.5 will run the light for hours. I use the smaller batteries on the others.

I think I need that little sawzall for tree cleanup... the die grinder would be nice to have... the little saw...

Farmer888 · Aug 16, 2020

Re: The Milwaukee addiction thread! [emoji4]

overkill19 said:
Just bought this on Kijiji, brand new in box, I haven’t even seen it yet as my niece is picking it up for me.
I watched lots of reviews on you tube.
If it’s half as good as my little 1/4” impact it should be good. I mainly bought it to have in my toyhauler on long trips.
What do you guys think? Seemed like a good deal, $475CAD vs. Over $620CAD plus tax
Worst case I buy a tool only mid torq and sell the high torq!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

You did good! its the 2767? I bought that new and paid the full price and really happy with it. Bought a grinder off kijiji brand new as well, I just wonder how many of these unused tools are stolen? I didn't ask lol

dacan23 · Aug 17, 2020

Wish I didn't miss this deal, did get the backpack vac with 5.0 $249 deal and the 3/8 extended ratchet kit with metric ratcheting wrenches $329, paid 15% less after using my rare coupon

Black300zx · Aug 17, 2020

So....I've had my first M12 purchase that I'm luke-warm about - the M12 jigsaw.

Good power, good battery life, but the sawdust just kept piling up in front of the base, covering up the line I was trying to follow. The blade also deflected a lot during turns.

Perhaps it was the material I was cutting (3/4" MDF)? Perhaps the deflection was the junky kit blade? Perhaps I just got spoiled using my dad's corded Bosch which has the air puffer to keep the cutting path clear and a little pair of clamps that laterally support the blade?

My main use right now is rough-cutting material before routing it to match a template, so it's more than adequate. Just a bit concerned that it won't cut it (pun intended) if I have a project that requires more accuracy.

pbon · Aug 17, 2020

dacan23 said:
Wish I didn't miss this deal, did get the backpack vac with 5.0 $249 deal

That vac needs an 8, 9 or 12 ah battery

Click to expand...

techieman33 · Aug 17, 2020

Black300zx said:
So....I've had my first M12 purchase that I'm luke-warm about - the M12 jigsaw.

Good power, good battery life, but the sawdust just kept piling up in front of the base, covering up the line I was trying to follow. The blade also deflected a lot during turns.

Perhaps it was the material I was cutting (3/4" MDF)? Perhaps the deflection was the junky kit blade? Perhaps I just got spoiled using my dad's corded Bosch which has the air puffer to keep the cutting path clear and a little pair of clamps that laterally support the blade?

My main use right now is rough-cutting material before routing it to match a template, so it's more than adequate. Just a bit concerned that it won't cut it (pun intended) if I have a project that requires more accuracy.

I haven't had blade deflection problems, but yeah the dust really does pile up in front of the blade.

dacan23 · Aug 17, 2020

Cant remember if my buddy has discussed his experience with run time. Thanks for the tip, I have plenty of 8s and 12s, the 8 is my fav battery now a days.

pbon said:
That vac needs an 8, 9 or 12 ah battery

The Milwaukee addiction thread! :)

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