Cordless drill Milwaukee M12 or M18

[treesner]

Hey guys,

I'm looking for a drill setup. Currently I do furniture and instruments with mainly hand tools. For drilling i use auger/brace, egg beater or drill press. When those construction style jobs (screws instead of dowels/joints) come up I borrow my neighbors M18 and M12 driver.

The setups i'm contemplating are.

1) Milwaukee M18 fuel. Seems like it will handle all my needs. Later down the line get something more dedicated for screwing like a m12 or festool cxs with angle adapters and such

2) Milwaukee M12 fuel 1/2. Light weight and I think it will handle most of my needs. Maybe get a corded drill in the future.

3) Milwaukee M18 brushless drill & impact kit. Would be nice to have both drills one dedicated to drilling and one to screws right out of the gate

4) Festool CXS 3/8. Seems like a great drill with all the attachments but it's only 3/8, maybe get a corded drill later for big jobs.

5) Festool T18

thanks!
-chris

 

[pablo94sc]

M12 has a lot of useful tools like the inspection camera, and are great for the homeowner and professional. They are also lighter and generally more compact for working in tighter areas. For your needs seems like M12 is the way to go. It's what I would buy if I was going to get away from Ryobi.

 

[KamiCrit]

M12 fuel, all the power without the weight. You also save a few bucks.

When you need to do something heavy duty bust out the corded drill.

 

[Trey T]

M12 Fuel drill.

For impact and you required to drive 2-3" long screw a lot, skip the M12 fuel impact and get the M18 fuel impact. For anything shorter than 2" screw, M12 fuel impact driver will make you happy.

 

[bcradio]

M12 Fuel.

M12 Fuel impact works great on 3" - 3.5" screws. Only time I'd up it to M18 Fuel is if I was a professional deck builder doing it all day everyday.

 

[TomB19]

Use cases vary too widely to determine the best tools without knowing how they will be used.

If I had to select a single battery system, it would be M18 but I'm glad I am not limited to a single system because I love my M12 stuff.

 

[treesner]

Well it seems the M12 Fuel has a good reputation around here. It was the drill I originally was set on but then started thinking an 18v would be better for my first drill as it could tackle everything but might have to look back into the m12 again, many thanks.

Anyone tried this m12 version with the 3 different head options like the festool cxs? It would be $230 + shipping + getting a US style charger (the batteries are the same from what i read)

 

[Sully1978]

For what you've described, M12 Fuel all the way. I use my M12 Fuel drill to for up to 1/2" holes in 1/4 steel, and up to 3/4" holes in wood and composites. The M12 Fuel impact driver will run 3" screws no problem. I'd go M18 if was driving screws all day, everyday, but otherwise M12 is more than capable.

 

[6-Speed]

The M12 Fuel Hammer Drill is a fine cordless tool.

 

[mrvm]

Even though the M18 Fuel has awesome power and the M12 Fuel has been described by some as having power rivaling old-tech 18V, sometimes I grab the Bosch 12V impactor and drill for my needs on a job that has tight workspaces. The M12 Fuel tools are powerful but they are not as small as the old Bosch 12V impactor/drill.

 

[jd_1138]

I'd get both the 12V and the 18V lines, as the 18V impact and regular drills are quite a bit more powerful than the 12V. Of course, some jobs don't require the extra power, but some do.

And if you can't afford both a 12V and 18V in Milwaukee or Festool, then go cheaper on one side or the other. Like getting 18V Ridgid or Ryobi and 12V Milwaukee, for example.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Actually I would have picked M12 Fuel 3/8" but they don't exist. M12 3/8" non-Fuel is still pretty good for a lightweight drill (using the smaller batteries).

A 1/2" drill should have triple gear reduction for maximum torque.