Switching to Milwaukee... M12 Fuel vs Regular M18

[gsea]

Hoping some of the many Milwaukee collectors here can give some good input.

I'm looking to switch to Milwaukee and thought I'd pick up an M12 Fuel Hammer Drill/Driver (2597-22) set for $269.99 (which is cheaper than the non-hammer kit for some reason). I figured that gives me hammer capabilities and 90% of the power and capability (1/2" chuck) of the regular brushed M18 stuff in a smaller/lighter M12 body, which should probably handle most of what I need to do. Plus I already have a pair of M12 XC batteries I got for free.

During the holiday deal frenzy I picked up the $199 M18 Drill/Driver (2691-22) and the $99 M12 Drill/Driver (2494-22) set thinking that was a better deal since I get into both platforms for about the same money, even though I lose out on the hammer-functionality and brushless motors. I could keep the M12 set in the truck/trailer and the M18 at home.

I found myself still coveting the M12 fuel stuff while in HD the other day... it just feels better in hand, and I'm considering exchanging the other two kits for it.

You guys who have both, what do you think?

 

[chrisexv6]

With the Home Depot tiered promo "loophole" Ive amassed a collection of M12 Fuel and M18 Fuel stuffs.

I told myself originally all I needed was m12 Fuel...plenty of power especially for the size, lightweight, etc. But I just couldnt shake the fact that ive used 18V all these years, and the 18V tools I had were still about 25% more powerful than the m12 Fuel equivalents.

So I bit into the M18 Fuel kit with the promo (150 off) from HD. Havent even removed it from the case yet, so I can still return it. But again, I have a feeling the extra power will be useful someday. And for sure I will be somewhere where I need a heavier duty drill but a receptacle wont be nearby. I also tend to use my 12V stuff indoors since they are more "around the house" tools (although m12 Fuel stretches that since they are so powerful)

I also added the M18 3/8" fuel impact and 6.5" fuel circ saw bare tools. I know I will get use out of the circ saw, and Im pretty sure the 3/8" impact will come in handy. So at minimum that M18 combo kit I bought will be good for the battery packs. Im sure as time goes by Ill find that I need the 18V hammer drill (and maybe 1/4" hex impact) as well.....Ive never been let down paying money for decent tools. Even if not used everyday, there always comes a time when I feel like I get my moneys worth. At worst I can still return them (within 90 days) or sell them since Milwaukee stuff seems to get somewhat decent $$$.

So if you were taking a poll, my vote would be for both. Milwaukee has some excellent tools (brushed and brushless) but they are definitely not stupid.......putting the M12 fuel stuff just out of reach of 18V power, so you get suckered into buying the 18V stuff too!

 

[Jamie V]

Power vs weight. You decide.

I actually like the M18 fuel stuff and when I need it to be lighter I use the thin batteries.

 

[Nele]

Whatever you do get brushless...

 

[gsea]

With the Home Depot tiered promo "loophole" Ive amassed a collection of M12 Fuel and M18 Fuel stuffs.

What is this loophole you speak of?

I told myself originally all I needed was m12 Fuel...plenty of power especially for the size, lightweight, etc. But I just couldnt shake the fact that ive used 18V all these years, and the 18V tools I had were still about 25% more powerful than the m12 Fuel equivalents.

Have you run into something where the 12 Fuel wasn't enough?

Power vs weight. You decide.

I actually like the M18 fuel stuff and when I need it to be lighter I use the thin batteries.

That's what I'm trying to do... have both!

 

[TomB19]

Forget the price. You will enjoy the M12 FUEL items.

I'll bet you won't need the M18 series tools but, if you ever do, go for the M18 FUEL tools.

 

[Ign]

The M12 brushless drills are great but they're still not 18V. Yes, I've run into times when my 2404 is not enough. And if you're working it hard you're swapping batteries - even 4.0 XC's - a lot.

 

[pleokumo]

Whatever you do get brushless...

why the ultimatum? just curious about as to what is driving the view on the standard m18 stuff...

 

[hickfied]

M18 all the way. ive picked up a couple M12 tools after getting the M18, but i would be highly disappointed in the M12 if that is all I had.

Im not going to be driving screws and boring holes all day with the M12 drill. The M18 last longer, has more power, and has more speed.

Im not going to be using only the M12 3/8 impact, its very nice to have with 87ftlb in such a small package, but sometimes i need the full 200ftlb of the M18 3/8 impact.


If you only tinker around the house, and dont do too many "large" jobs, and dont want to spend the extra money, then, you may be satisfied with only the M12 stuff.

 

[texascrane]

What is this loophole you speak of?

If you buy one of the combo's at home depot along with another tool, you get $150 off. The $150 is split proportionally between the 2 items. So you can then return the one you don't want and you end up with a discount on the one you do want to keep.

If you wanted both items, to maximize the discount you would first buy the combo kit and the cheapest eligible additional item to go with it, which is some cheap ryobi light for $30. Then you return the light. Then you come back and buy the combo with the additional tool you want and return that combo pack.

 

[Ign]

OTOH a small number of the M18 tools are surprisingly heavy. Not really any of the drive tools (except the 2763 impact) but the M18 jigsaw specifically is a beast, esp compared to the M12. However this is a very limited example and so only if you're a big jigsaw user would this be a consideration

 

[boiler7904]

I don't have an M12 hammer drill or their 18V tools but I can assure you that there are some instances where the extra power of an 18V system comes in handy - offers bigger saws, grinder, etc. to tackle bigger jobs. I tend to use my Bosch and Milwaukee 12V tools in the house for small jobs and then my Makita 18V for bigger jobs like building / installing cabinetry, building a ramp into my shed, cutting down a couple of trees with the recip, and so on. My advice is to get both of the budget allows.

 

[chrisexv6]

Im actually planning on using the M18 Fuel circ saw in place of a corded. I have a Bosch wormdrive for the really heavy duty stuff, but everything else the Fuel cordless will work just fine (and since its the 6.5" its left bladed which I like better)

To me thats more of a reason to get into 18V than a drill or impact...saws in particular (circular saw, recip saw, jig saw) seem to be a great match for 18V high capacity battery packs.

 

[TomB19]

why the ultimatum? just curious about as to what is driving the view on the standard m18 stuff...

I tend to share the brushless sentiment.

There's nothing wrong with brushed motors. There are some terrific brushed motor driven tools out there but the brushless is just that little bit sweeter.

Slightly longer run time (but not that much)

Similar or a wee bit more power

Better battery management (packs will last longer when running a FUEL tool because they are actively held within operating parameters.

From the user perspective, the FUEL versions are always a touch nicer. The impact drivers have single hand chucks that are really nice. FUEL tools come with headlights. Etc.

 

[TomB19]

Im actually planning on using the M18 Fuel circ saw in place of a corded. I have a Bosch wormdrive for the really heavy duty stuff, but everything else the Fuel cordless will work just fine (and since its the 6.5" its left bladed which I like better)

To me thats more of a reason to get into 18V than a drill or impact...saws in particular (circular saw, recip saw, jig saw) seem to be a great match for 18V high capacity battery packs.

Agreed. M18 is the way to go for a lot of people, if you have to select one system. I suspect you will also have some M12 items before too long, though.

It's great that Milwaukee has the dual system charger. It won't charge M12 and M18 at the same time. Instead, it will charge them sequentially. Which ever battery began charging first will be charged to completion and then the other will be charged. It's still a nice system. You only need one charger at the job site, unless you have multiple people running a lot of tools.

 

[Trey T]

^Yup. If you required to charge your M12 and M18 batteries, Milwaukee is coming out w/ a charging station that can charge three M12 and three M18 batteries at the same time.

 

[Jeeper]

I haven't used an M18 regular or brushless M18, but I do have an M12 brushless hammer drill and really like it. Just last week I reran my dryer vent and I had to cut through limestone on my house. I used the hammer drill to drill 20 or 30 holes around a 4" circle. Made quick work of them. It is a beast for it's size.

I have used the M12 drill to drill metal, no problems there. Like I said, been really happy with it.

 

[gsea]

Thanks for all the input. I was aware of the combo kit discounts but didn't realize you could return them.

I have heard a few mention that sometimes the 12V fuel isn't powerful enough, but no real examples of when. For things like saws, I will be getting 18V no question. This is just for drills and impact drivers.

 

[BikerDad]

why the ultimatum? just curious about as to what is driving the view on the standard m18 stuff...

The current issue of one of the woodworking magazines has a review/test of the 12v drills and impacts, all of the usual suspects are represented. Of note is the inclusion of both the 12v Milwaukee AND the 12v Milwaukee Fuel models. The # of fasteners driven/screws drilled by the brushless models is MUCH higher than the brushed.

The same dynamic holds for the 18v tools.

That's why "brushless".

(Note: as of this posting, Bosch is the only other company to have 12v brushless tools in the US market, but I doubt they were available yet for the mag test.)