Milwaukee

[hand tools nerd]

Ideally what do you guys recommend for Milwaukee in 1/4 drive and 3/8 drive and 1/2 drive for tools and for sockets extensions and adapters? This is for automotive. And then what about for batteries and better chargers?

 

[merkyworks]

The GJ answer is always going to be ALL OF THEM.

Jokes aside you question is casting a huge net, can you provide a little more detail on what auto things you are looking to do? Just changing winter/summer tires, replace crank balancer, or maybe your doing a full restoration on a classis car.

 

[txvwnut]

Home gamer or professional setting?

Either way all of them.

I use M12 in my personal shop as that fits the bill really well. At the day job it's all M18 as we work on construction equipment and heavy trucks. As for sockets and such anything from Snapon to Harbor Freight will get suggested by this group.

 

[dnschmidt]

I know nothing about their hand tools as I've never used them having a garage full of TOPTUL hand tools. On the cordless side the best impact (most versatile) is without a doubt the 3/8" version 2.0 Stubby impact. Their cordless ratchets are a pick'em situation as I have most of them except for the insider, for which I have no need, Most pros like the extended reach ratchets with I have in both high speed and version 1.0 (I guess these would be called normal speed). The ratchets are not powerful enough to break free 8mm and larger bolts without manual assistance (which because of their length is easily applied) so high speed for the win. Now I know that 2ndgearrubber will join this argument bitchin' about the fact that Milwaukee's ratchets will not break fasteners free (my homeboy is right about this both Snap-On and DeWalt make stronger cordless ratchets and we've had this argument for years) but I'm happy with what I've got.

 

[Kscardsfan]

I am honestly unimpressed with most of the Milwaukee hand tools I've handled, especially for the price. But you will eventually find yourself using all of them in some capacity or another.

 

[Rinspeed]

I'm a huge fan of Milwaukee cordless tools and they are what I buy 95% of the time. Their hand tools on the other hand are not at all that impressive to me.

 

[hand tools nerd]

The GJ answer is always going to be ALL OF THEM.

Jokes aside you question is casting a huge net, can you provide a little more detail on what auto things you are looking to do? Just changing winter/summer tires, replace crank balancer, or maybe your doing a full restoration on a classis car.

The usual maintenance stuff

 

[hand tools nerd]

Home gamer or professional setting?

Either way all of them.

I use M12 in my personal shop as that fits the bill really well. At the day job it's all M18 as we work on construction equipment and heavy trucks. As for sockets and such anything from Snapon to Harbor Freight will get suggested by this group.

Okay thanks

 

[hand tools nerd]

I know nothing about their hand tools as I've never used them having a garage full of TOPTUL hand tools. On the cordless side the best impact (most versatile) is without a doubt the 3/8" version 2.0 Stubby impact. Their cordless ratchets are a pick'em situation as I have most of them except for the insider, for which I have no need, Most pros like the extended reach ratchets with I have in both high speed and version 1.0 (I guess these would be called normal speed). The ratchets are not powerful enough to break free 8mm and larger bolts without manual assistance (which because of their length is easily applied) so high speed for the win. Now I know that 2ndgearrubber will join this argument bitchin' about the fact that Milwaukee's ratchets will not break fasteners free (my homeboy is right about this both Snap-On and DeWalt make stronger cordless ratchets and we've had this argument for years) but I'm happy with what I've got.

Okay

 

[hand tools nerd]

I am honestly unimpressed with most of the Milwaukee hand tools I've handled, especially for the price. But you will eventually find yourself using all of them in some capacity or another.

Okay

 

[hand tools nerd]

I'm a huge fan of Milwaukee cordless tools and they are what I buy 95% of the time. Their hand tools on the other hand are not at all that impressive to me.

Okay

 

[dnschmidt]

Wait for a sale and get the HF ICON hand tools. Best buy, especially when they run coupons which happens all the time.

 

[merkyworks]

The usual maintenance stuff

*Slaps roof* This baby right here will take care of all your needs. M18 3/8" mid-torque impact w/ 5.0 Ah battery

 

[Rinspeed]

Wait for a sale and get the HF ICON hand tools. Best buy, especially when they run coupons which happens all the time.

Either that or Tekton, both are quite acceptable now days. I am a little bit of a snob when it comes to ratchets and much prefer Snap On but that is just me. I do also have a couple Carlyle ratchets and they are very nice for a Taiwan made ratchet. Only thing you have to wait for a sale as Napa retail prices are way high.

 

[shoggoth80]

*Slap roof* This baby right will take care of all your needs. M18 3/8" mid-torque impact w/ 5.0 Ah battery

We've got the 3/8 and a 1/2 at work. They're short, so you can sneak them in places full size guns wouldn't fit... And they put in some serious work. I would say the 3/8 is the more versatile of the two. So depending on your budget, it would be a solid start.

I would also put in a strong argument for a bit driver. Almost any bit driver. With a set of adapters you can speed up a lot of jobs.

I've been rocking the Bauer one from HF. It's not the best of the bunch in terms of performance, but it's been reliable. Great for 1/4 work, speedy screwdriver work, and low torque 3/8 applications. When I need more, I pull out the 1/2. It's the older brushed Bauer gun, but they've been holding up. Haven't needed more grunt at home yet.

From what I know from the check out tools at work, the Milwaukee cordless tools are very capable, and aren't a bad deal, especially if caught on sale. You do have to watch out for fake batteries though. That's been a problem apparently.

 

[hand tools nerd]

We've got the 3/8 and a 1/2 at work. They're short, so you can sneak them in places full size guns wouldn't fit... And they put in some serious work. I would say the 3/8 is the more versatile of the two. So depending on your budget, it would be a solid start.

I would also put in a strong argument for a bit driver. Almost any bit driver. With a set of adapters you can speed up a lot of jobs.

I've been rocking the Bauer one from HF. It's not the best of the bunch in terms of performance, but it's been reliable. Great for 1/4 work, speedy screwdriver work, and low torque 3/8 applications. When I need more, I pull out the 1/2. It's the older brushed Bauer gun, but they've been holding up. Haven't needed more grunt at home yet.

From what I know from the check out tools at work, the Milwaukee cordless tools are very capable, and aren't a bad deal, especially if caught on sale. You do have to watch out for fake batteries though. That's been a problem apparently.

What do you think about getting the 1/4 in one as well?

 

[DAWrench]

What do you think about getting the 1/4 in one as well?

Just get the impact bit driver and use 1/4 drive adapter for sockets

 

[mngundog]

What do you think about getting the 1/4 in one as well?

An 1/4 impact is Way down my list of useful tools. What jobs to you envision a 1/4 impact can do that a 3/8 can't? This is what I grab 80% of the time (not at this price):

Milwaukee M12 FUEL 12V Li-Ion Brushless Cordless Stubby 3/8 in. Impact Wrench with M12 XC Battery 4.0 Ah and Charger Starter Kit 2562-20-48-59-2440 - The Home Depot

Remodify your tool kit by adding this Milwaukee M LithiumIon Brushless Cordless Stubby Impact Wrench.

www.homedepot.com

If you get the above impact in 1/4 you gain basically nothing.
If anything get 3/8 nano sockets:

Amazon.com: Astro Tools 78310 10-Piece 3/8" Drive Low Profile Nano Impact Sockets - SAE : Tools & Home Improvement

Amazon.com: Astro Tools 78310 10-Piece 3/8" Drive Low Profile Nano Impact Sockets - SAE : Tools & Home Improvement

www.amazon.com

 

[Gangly]

I'm a big Milwaukee guy, from power tools to hand tools, and I use them A LOT.

The M12 platform is solid all the way around, and the M18 platform is professional grade as long as you stick with the FUEL series of tools. I beat the snot out of mine and they keep on going, and that includes the batteries. I've had some batteries for almost 10 years, and they still work well enough that I am not ready to throw them out.

Their hand tools are VERY good, with excellent durability. I have their wrenches, flex heads, drivers, sockets, impact sockets, extensions, swivels, etc., multiple variations of their screw drivers, additional ratchets in multiple sizes, and they have all been good with the exception of the 1/4 drive socket wrench. For some reason, it would bind on me if I tried to put too much oomph into turning a bolt that wouldn't budge. I contacted Milwaukee and they immediately shipped me out a brand new one, free of charge, no questions asked. That's great customer service, and I'll stick with a company that has a great product with great customer service.

If your looking to do mechanical work, I would HIGHLY suggest the 3/8 stubby impact, and a 1/2 mid torque impact. Those two impacts will break free just about any bolt on a vehicle. Next on my list of must haves for the mechanic is a 3/8 ratchet wrench. With those 3 items, you can tear down just about any vehicle from bumper to bumper.

 

[GTO]

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www.jerseydiscounttool.com

 

[shoggoth80]

What do you think about getting the 1/4 in one as well?

Just run a 1/4 adapter on the bit driver and get yourself a basic little set of 1/4 impacts or power sockets. If you have a Tractor Supply, they have the Makita impacts in 1/4 and comes in the common sizes you'd expect to see. Comes with the adapter as well. Great little set. I think Titan has similar... But I think the Makita is better quality for dollar.

If you're looking for a more complete spread of sizes, Tekton sells a nice little set, no skips. There's less expensive sets on Amazon if you aren't picky about brand or origin. A decent thinner wall impact set, and you could pretty much forgo chrome altogether. The cheap ish tools available now are light years ahead of where they used to be years ago. Especially if you're in the DIY segment.

 

[dnschmidt]

An 1/4 impact is Way down my list of useful tools. What jobs to you envision a 1/4 impact can do that a 3/8 can't? This is what I grab 80% of the time (not at this price):

Milwaukee M12 FUEL 12V Li-Ion Brushless Cordless Stubby 3/8 in. Impact Wrench with M12 XC Battery 4.0 Ah and Charger Starter Kit 2562-20-48-59-2440 - The Home Depot

Remodify your tool kit by adding this Milwaukee M LithiumIon Brushless Cordless Stubby Impact Wrench.

www.homedepot.com

If you get the above impact in 1/4 you gain basically nothing.
If anything get 3/8 nano sockets:

Amazon.com: Astro Tools 78310 10-Piece 3/8" Drive Low Profile Nano Impact Sockets - SAE : Tools & Home Improvement

Amazon.com: Astro Tools 78310 10-Piece 3/8" Drive Low Profile Nano Impact Sockets - SAE : Tools & Home Improvement

www.amazon.com

I have the Milwaukee 1/4" impact and I really like it. Twenty years ago it would have been worthless when 3/8" diameter (9/16" headed) bolts held everything together with two bolts but on modern cars where they use 20 10mm headed bolts to do the same thing it's small size is very handy. 12mm heads are about as big as it can handle but on my Toyota 10 and 12mm headed bolts are 90% of the car. An impact driver works great but it adds 2 1/2" of length to the tool and many times that's too much.

 

[DAWrench]

I have the Milwaukee 1/4" impact and I really like it. Twenty years ago it would have been worthless when 3/8" diameter (9/16" headed) bolts held everything together with two bolts but on modern cars where they use 20 10mm headed bolts to do the same thing it's small size is very handy. 12mm heads are about as big as it can handle but on my Toyota 10 and 12mm headed bolts are 90% of the car. An impact driver works great but it adds 2 1/2" of length to the tool and many times that's too much.

The 3/8 drive stubby is about the same size as the 1/4 drive. I agree that the 1/4 drive is fine for the 10-12mm but that's about it upper limits. If I was gonna go out a just buy one tool it would be the 3/8 being how it can handle a much larger range of sizes. The second would be the impact driver

 

[1Bad55Chevy]

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[hand tools nerd]

This is the most accurate Milwaukee review on the internet...

TikTok - Make Your Day

Okay thanks

 

[Blackbyrd]

Get the m18 mid torque impact in 3/8's. For the regular stuff this will cover nearly all of the things and is compact enough to work in wheel wells and tight (ish) spaces. I have an older generation of the m12 and it honestly doesnt have enough breakaway torque to do most of the things you would touch under a car.

I have old sears version of craftsman for most hand tools (sockets and ratchets and wrenchs) and ive slowly been replacing them with Milwaukee hand tools. They offer a good amount of teeth for the ratchet joints, but they are very smooth and I often find they slip easy if my hand gets greasy. My standard length 3/8s ball detent feature quit working pretty early.... but it still functions as a tool just requires a bit of care so the socket doesnt fall off.

I quite like their impacts cause of the clear labeling, but I think most high end brands offer a similar option?

Have a m12 ratchet... honestly rarely use it? Its one of those tools thats a convenience if you really wrenched for a living, but I find it gets in its own way on most things I work on and is bulky. Granted its a standard length version.

Ratchet wrenches. Pay for a good set, I have no experience with Milwaukee's. I bought a set of cornwells when I did it professionally for an absurd price.... I've never used another set that felt as good. They are low profile and good teeth count to work in tight spaces, one of my most used sets of tools now that Im a hobbyist.