Opinions on Milwaukee M12 platform

[dk10438]

wanted to get some opinions on whether or not I should add these to my tool box. I'm really mostly a home handyman and don't use the tools to build much. Currently I have a 14.4 V NiMh Makita Impact, 18VNiMh Makita drill, 18V Makita Circular saw. As far as pneumatics, I have a IR 2115 impact, husky 3/8 in drill, and a husky 1/4 impact.

I picked up the M12 FuelImpact driver/drill kit for 200 at HD. I'm wondering if I should upgrade the cordless tools since the NiMh battery platform is about 10y old now. The cordless tools still work fine, albeit a little on the heavy side.

 

[Vin]

that's a question that only you can answer. But ask yourself: how much do you need them; or can you rely on what you already got?

That being said the m12 tools that I have used (drill & hacksaw) have been great.

 

[dacan23]

For around the house stuff or light car work the M12s are great, small tools and small batteries. The hacksaw is a must have, its like a light duty sawzall, used mine recently to cut tank bolts on a toilet.

For most light-medium tasks the M12s are enough tool. They have almost everything except large heavy duty stuff like a full sawzall, 7 1/4 circular, 1/2 impact etc.

 

[dk10438]

Honestly, I don't need them since what I have already does the job fine. But then again, 200 is a pretty good price and you never can have too many tools and these are lighter. Initially I was leaning towards just waiting for the Makita batteries to die or the tools dying but now I'm thinking of just switching platforms to M12 since the power is almost as good as the Makitas and I always have the pneumatics if necessary.

 

[Greg85mcss]

I got the same kit a little over a year ago & have had the ratchet for about 3. Battery life is awesome. I use them professionally & only have to change every couple months. Did yours come with an xc battery (the one with the square base)? I've never charged that one & it has 2 bars left. I've heard good & bad reviews of the saws but the bad ones seemed like people abusing them


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[Frank Dukes]

i bought these last week with a 15% off menards bag. score. I like them, i did not need them. they aren't really any smaller than my 18v dewalt stuff other than battery size and weight. I like them though, and i have been wanting the heated hoodie for a long while now so that made it even easier to convince myself i needed them.

 

[rick carpenter]

NiMh and NiCad battery packs can be rebuilt if you wanted to squeeze some more life out of your older tools.

 

[Jeeper]

It's a great platform. I have been on it for about 2 years now. A friend of mine suggested to me, and I bought it and love it. I have since gotten several friends buying it as they needed new drills.

Couple of notes:
- the M12 seems as powerful as the old 18volt
- batteries don't seem to degrade much, especially compared to nicads
- much lighter in weight
- high quality
- good selection of tools.
- A fuel impact is awesome. Drive 3" screws into wood with no problems


You can't go wrong with them. You'll be happy that you upgraded and pissed because you will want more and more tools in the set. There are great deals out there depending on the time of year where you can get extra batteries or a smaller bare tool for free. Take advantage of them to get started.

My favorite tool: M12 fuel impact with hex drive. Powerful, light. Use it to drive screws or put a 3/8" drive adapter on it for use with impact sockets.
least favorite: hacksaw/sawzall. I like it and use it but the stroke is short on the blade so takes longer to cut than a big sawzall.

 

[Bruce57]

I have the M12 bandsaw. It's a great tool and performsee well, with excellent battery life.

 

[Frontierajl]

I personally like my M12 stuff more than any of my 18 volt stuff. Size and weight being the main reasons and the power to size ratio is great. I have the hackzall, actually I have the regular brushed one and the brushless FUEL version. I like the FUEL version more. The amount of M12 tools they offer is great too. I highly recommend them, they're the first ones I reach for when working on stuff at home.


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[swampdog1950]

How do you get the impact to drive 3" nails?

 

[Jeeper]

How do you get the impact to drive 3" nails?

haha....screws....I meant screws.

Can't believe you used that as your first post.

 

[CSRPenFab]

I have the M12 Drill and M12 3/8" ratchet and I love both of them. Had I not previously purchased a DeWalt 12 volt impact and driver, all my stuff would be M12. The form factor of the M12 is perfect for around the house stuff.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Seldom use 18v anymore around the shop or for projects. 12v kicks ***. I have damn near all m12 and m18 line up to choose from btw

 

[dk10438]

yeah, that does it. I'm just going to keep them and start building up the M12 collection.

 

[mshell56118]

yeah, that does it. I'm just going to keep them and start building up the M12 collection.

This is what I am doing, I have a working impact driver and drill, I have been buying tools i dont already have in another form in M12

 

[TomB19]

I like M12. I'm not sure it's any better than the other 12v platforms but it's certainly a good platform.

I even like the basic M12 drill/impact tools, with the exception the drill comes with a horrible chuck. That chuck releases drill bits. It literally doesn't work. I've even tried hex bits and it still spits them out,

My drill is two years old so I hope Milwaukee has upgraded the chuck a tiny bit in that time. I put a crappy old chuck on my M12 drill and have actually enjoyed the drill now that it works.

 

[firworks]

I'm really loving the M12 stuff. I've got larger drilling tasks covered with a full size 18V Fein, and a Compact 18V Drill/Driver set from Bosch. For everything else I've been going M12. I've got the M12 LED Stick, M12 Fuel Circular Saw, M12 Band Saw, M12 3/8" Drill, M12 Bluetooth Speaker. I'm right on the precipice of getting the M12 Fuel 3/8" Impact Wrench and M12 1/4" Ratchet.

The only M12 tool that's been a disappointment was an M12 incandescent light. It's complete garbage but that's just because it's incandescent. I think the newer LED versions are good.

I really appreciate that the batteries are cheap. I've never had a cordless tool kit with so many batteries. I'm used to seeing the old 18V batteries for 90$ and thinking "That'd be nice but I'd never spend that much just to have an extra battery".

 

[the gypsy]

Hi dk10438. I was in a similar position years ago. I had a Bosch drill and saw combo. So I did not want to buy another drill, but I walked into HD and saw a Hackzall (small Milwaukee sawzall with a hex driver was free) for a small price, well you can guess the rest I think.
I was so impressed that whenever a Milwaukee tool was on sale I bought into the system. It was awhile before I bought a hammer/drill and impact wrench the only difference is that I went M18 because I had many drills both battery and corded.( and my wife had bought a hammer drill/ impact combo which I could use)
So if you want to try the M12 get a tool you don't have and replace your Makita Drill/driver when you can no longer rebuild the batteries or you tool breaks and needs an expensive repair.
I apologize for my long response but this is how Ijustified the purchase into another platform.

 

[bcradio]

Seldom use 18v anymore around the shop or for projects. 12v kicks ***. I have damn near all m12 and m18 line up to choose from btw

You have roughly 100 Milwaukee cordless tools?

Thats impressive!

 

[ilovevocs]

I do enjoy my m12 stuff. The ratchet is my favorite. Like others have said around the house the m12 are my go to tools when tackling my honey-do list.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

You have roughly 100 Milwaukee cordless tools?

Thats impressive!

Here's an old pic. More's been added since then. Not at 100, but I don't do Pro Pex so stuff like that I obviously don't buy. But that M18 mag drill.....oh yea.

 

[Fugio]

M12 stuff is pretty awesome. I have a pretty good mix of M12 and M18 tools.

First, you'll be soooo glad to ditch the NiMh and NiCad battery packs. Lithium Ion is just better in every way imaginable. When I upgraded to Milwaukee last year, I gave all of my old Craftsman C3 tools to my dad, including 4 lithium ion batteries. He called me a week later to tell me how much he loved them and to say that he tossed almost 20 C3 NiCad batteries in the garbage and that he will never go back. Lithium ion really is that much better.

The M12 is awesome if the wife uses them too. Mine does. The hacksaw ( or tree pruner as my wife calls it) is a must have item. So is the 1/4" screw gun. I use the M12 radio more than just about anything. In fact, I have 2 of those!