The Milwaukee addiction thread! :)

[dacan23]

Acme has had 20% before, dont know if it has ever been sitewide, though 10-15% sitewide happens about 1+ a quarter. CPO seems very stingy in their sales, use to have 25% off a few times a year. Now CPO has smaller sales and more exclusions, I hardly ever see great deals with them anymore. I havent ordered from CPO in 2 yrs, if you dont count that mistake they had a few months back where then they canceled all the orders.

Does ACME or CPO ever have 25 or 30 percent off like zoro?

 

[Bremon]

Yes the M12 sticklight was freebie offer for quite a while with some kit purchases as the 2362 lantern is right now.

I have a few of the lights the 2361 M18 flood was one of my first purchases. Both that one and the M12 2351 stick light are wicked handy at my job. That truview is something to discern colors in low light conditions worked for me

I think the 2362 12v lantern is great. I got one for a GF to use for lighting during power outages and to keep her phone charged and since I had lots of battery and chargers already too so she was all good to go. I even liked it so much I got one for myself recently. I can even imagine how much more light the 18v version puts out as its both taller and has 700 lumens vs. 400 on the M12 version.

I had both the M12 and M18 lanterns, I preferred the form factor of the M18 and increased output, so gave the M12 to my parents who live on an average and are fairly deep in M12. I've used the M18 camping and am very happy with it.

 

[theoldwizard1]

HD buying Milwaukee was the last nail in Lowe's coffin afaic.

From Wikipedia

The Milwaukee Tool Corporation is a brand of Techtronic Industries, along with AEG, Ryobi, Hoover, Dirt Devil and Vax.

 

[DFB]

I agree about CPO not having the great deals it seemed they once had but CPO does run those 15% off coupon codes a lot so that helps out some on price. Acme often the 10% off.

Haven't seen much in Milwaukee power tools from good ol' HD on their "Special Buy of the Day" either lately but I once got a new 2657-22CT 2 speed impact driver kit for $89 like that. And my 2607-22CT hammer drill kit was $169 at CPO on a sale. I just looked around they are $229 at 4 different places right now, HD CPO ACME and on Amazon. The newest CT kits should all have the 2.0AH batteries now too. Though the CPO site lists a 2606-22CT drill kit with the 48-11-1815 1.5ah batteries @ $169 still.


Toolup is running a 2 day only 10% off coupon code on Milwaukee bare tools right now started today but its not working for any of the lights just tried it.

But it does work on the fan

I have the 0886 fan. I use it all the time. All last summer doing the finish work in our new barn store especially in the upstairs loft putting down a floor it was great and lasts for hours on a 4.0 battery. The fan, the 2590 M12 radio and 2592 BT speaker are all part of my daily red tool arsenal lol! I even take the fan and BT speaker to my wkd flea mkt and use them both under my tool tent on hot summer days. A lot of people have a lot negative things to say about that speaker but I like it (I haven't read all of these pages so I don't know if any of those Milwaukee offerings have previously been discussed ) I also have an Altec Lansing H20 and a Monster Superstar to compare it against too and if the battery runs down I can just swap one out instead of waiting to recharge it as I always have M12 tools with me. I'm not real worried about breaking it at work (read that as kids we hire cripes one day they had my radio hanging off the sill of a second floor window trying to catch a station reception Where I work both are loud enough for general job use but not overly enough to piss off the big boss

I also have both the 12v and 18v LED flashights and the 18v was a free promo that came with 4.0 amp 18v battery in a pkg for buying a 2797 gen 1 kit. And I did get an M12 spotlight as soon as they came out. I was quite surprised how compact it was.



I have been passing up the on the 2360 floodlight since it's release always thinking it was too much money though the free battery offer they were having with it for a while cushioned the original price immensely. The 120v power option is pretty handy to have.



Eventually I think I should get a cordless LED stand light (oh what will I do with all those old halogens)

but I haven't been paying much attention

So which one is the best stand light now?

 

[kctyphoon]

Theres a couple places taking pre orders on the search light for $99.. I already ordered one.

 

[firworks]

I want that search light but I'm in austerity mode to buy another camera... I hope it doesn't go up much after the preorder sale.

 

[dacan23]

HD and many places have the Rocket 1st Gen stand light and free battery kit right now, thats the best deal, thats what I got last year plus a $25 or $50 disc.

The new Raptor 2nd Gen light is going to be like $400...

Eventually I think I should get a cordless LED stand light (oh what will I do with all those old halogens)

but I haven't been paying much attention

So which one is the best stand light now?

 

[Ign]

HD and many places have the Rocket 1st Gen stand light and free battery kit right now, thats the best deal, thats what I got last year plus a $25 or $50 disc.

The new Raptor 2nd Gen light is going to be like $400...

Yeah, the few that my store has still have the old-style clamps. Would be really nice if they were all the new improved clamps so you didn't have to call for the upgrade kit. It was reported here some HD's do have the new-clamp versions. The only way to know is to look.

 

[kctyphoon]

The HD by me just expanded their Milwaukee section.. It was pretty funny when I started talking to the manager in the isle and was telling him about what was coming out next as far as the lighting.. He asked if I had any of what was on display.. I looked over, and answered - yea, all of them..

 

[170-3tree]

Man I love lighting stuff, but every time I buy something I can't think of a place to use it. I've been good with my streamlight and my hood light. Thought maybe an adjustable spot would be cool for setting down and pointing up underneath a car, but just not sure I'd get use out of it.

 

[kctyphoon]

Honestly, one of the best lights I have is the Capri tools LED light.. You can get them for under $40, and it always seems like it's more usable than anything else I have..

Edit - here, same light.. Thing is great.

Neiko® 40464A Multi-Purpose Cordless Work Light | 350 Lumens Brightness | 5 Hours Run Time | 4,000 mAh Rechargeable Li-ion Battery https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WI9585I/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I just picked up another Coast headlight for home.. Was out in the driveway late the other night installing an air horn on my motorcycle, and was cursing at how much one would have helped.. So I got this one at HD today for $29. Didn't really need the long runtime for home use. 300 lumens on high, 175 on medium, 39 on low. 2hr 45 min, 3hr 30min, and 22hrs are the runtimes with 3 AAA batteries.. The beam doesn't focus on this one, which is fine cause I wanted a floodlight anyway - and the batteries are stored in the light housing,so no pack on the back of your head if you need to lay on the ground.. Also, it just has the regular headband, and not the strap that goes over your head too. Seemed like a good choice for toying around at home and its certainly bright enough.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Coast-FL60-LED-Headlamp-21304/206668908

 

[dacan23]

I've been meaning to test some lights. M12 vs M18 Lantern on the deck to see the difference. M12 Mag vs M12 Spot vs Old M18 Flood, I only turned on the Mag real quick since I got it last week, it seems impressive, perhaps as bright as old M18 Flood, a nice wide beam, and its shines very far almost as much as the M12 Spot.

 

[mobiledynamics]

Batteries aside, when I think of spot/mag lights, I don't think of milwaukee.

It's more about a headlamp or a Fenix tactical equivalent.

 

[MikeF2316]

The HD by me just expanded their Milwaukee section.. It was pretty funny when I started talking to the manager in the isle and was telling him about what was coming out next as far as the lighting.. He asked if I had any of what was on display.. I looked over, and answered - yea, all of them..

I might be scared if I had better stock than Home Depot...

 

[jetdawg]

Good thing they have a five year warranty.

Yes because you'll need it.

I would like to see pics of one of these mountains.

Me too.. All anyone needs to do is cruise eBay and search for the rebuildable or for parts power tools.. There are not many fuel tools on there - I'm betting in part do to the digital protection incorporated into the tools. I find it pretty hard to believe that some of the best made power tools that have been directly competing with Hilti, snap on, Ingersoll Rand, Greenlee ect - have "mountains" of broken tools laying around from failure. IF that were the case, the feedback on this thread would reflect that.

Not sure how you'd consider a 1 3/4" demolition hammer or diamond coring drills "not" heavy duty...

Me too, be interesting to see broken tools.

I have a slew of Milwaukee stuff, starting with Nicad drills and sawzall, 28V drills, metal saw Sawzall, 12 v too many to mention, 18 Fuel stuff again too many to mention, never had an issue other than chuck run out on NiCad 18 drill after I beat the **** out of it.

I don't doubt Milwaukee stuff isn't as good as used to be but it works well for me or I wouldn't have it

Maybe he meant to say - he saw mountains IN Milwaukee..

Here you go bud, all belong to one guy.

Not that great a vote of confidence though: anything modern is worthy of dumping the white Makitas for lol.

The white makitas are homeowner grade and antiquated tech, pretty funny comparison though.

 

[walrus]

That looks like a pile, pretty small mountain . I used drill and 2 different Sawzall today, 18 and 12. Did their job easily.

 

[jetdawg]

Yeah it's only 10 or 11 tools no big deal I guess if you're a homeowner

The 6.0 m12 batteries are awesome though.

 

[ilovevocs]

Yes because you'll need it.



















Here you go bud, all belong to one guy.

The white makitas are homeowner grade and antiquated tech, pretty funny comparison though.

Guy must be a commercial roofing contractor. 'Round here we consider cordless tools consumables I don't care what brand it is.


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[Bruce Wayne]

To be fair a couple of places that I worked used Dewalt exclusively and they had piles of broken drills, drivers, etc. Any power tool that ran hard will eventually fail. It's the nature of the beast. Nothing lasts forever.

 

[kctyphoon]

Whoa... that's some mountain... can't see them all.but I don't see anything that says fuel either..
I work with people that can literally break a hammer.. not sure I'd blame the hammer for failing though...
My personal collection of.milwaukee tools is larger than that pile.. so imma go out on a limb and say those came from all different people, or someone that has no business hammering a nail if that's all from one guy..

 

[chrisnazzy]

I've been buying Milwaukee cordless for about 13 years. 1st was an 18 volt Lok-Tor drill back in 2003. I've never owned any other brand of cordless tool because I've never had to replace or warranty any one of their tools due to failure. I'm sure they would be there to stand behind any of the "mountain" of M12 or M18 tools I currently own though so this is enough for me to not shop for anything but Milwaukee.

 

[JettaGetUpandGo]

The only Milwaukee tool that I've ever killed was an M12 non-Fuel, non-hammer drill. I was foolishly drilling 2.25 or 2.5" holes with a forstner bit. It made it through 12 like a champ though before it gave out. I wasn't mad since I knew it was well beyond the scope of the tool.

 

[jetdawg]

I'll ask again. How does that compare to their competitors? I can dump a pile of tools in dirt and kick them around too. I wouldn't expect them to work too well afterward.

We see about 4-5x more failures as compared to makita or dewalt. The old milwaukee stuff was bullet proof, we're still repairing hole hawgs and roto hammers from 25-30 years ago that are still in service today but modern corded sawzalls come in multiples on a weekly basis along with toasted m18 hackzalls, fuel impacts, drills and sawzalls.

 

[Bremon]

Lots of brushed tools in that pile. Anyway, at work our roofing division has tons of broken 20v Max. I don't hold it against Dewalt, I know what kinds of people were holding those tools and most have less brains than the drills, impacts, saws they abuse.

There's not enough "Guaranteed Tough" in the world to outdo "guaranteed stupid". "nothing but heavy duty" is outmatched by stupidity and complacency as well. Nearly every tool failure I've seen is by someone cooking the motor pushing the tool past what it was designed for. A brushed cordless circ saw is not a worm drive. A compact cordless drill is not a Hole
Hawg. High torque flagship cordless drills still aren't super hawgs/ joist drills. Etc., etc.

 

[Ign]

I ordered the new M12 batts today! Got an email from CPO they're in stock. Got two 3.0 compacts - mostly for heated gear - and one 6.0 XC for my 2438 sander/polisher.

Looks like Toolup has 'em too. Seems the 9.0 M18s landed today too. The best deal there is probably the starter kit for $249 to get a rapid charger.

You guys arguing about failure rates are silly. You can be a Milwaukee fan and admit their quality has dropped. I do. I still like the tools and line up overall, so I continue to run them. It's not your job to defend Milwaukee, and you're not being personally insulted or slighted if someone states Milwaukee quality is not what it used to be.

 

[Chromdome35]

We see about 4-5x more failures as compared to makita or dewalt. The old milwaukee stuff was bullet proof, we're still repairing hole hawgs and roto hammers from 25-30 years ago that are still in service today but modern corded sawzalls come in multiples on a weekly basis along with toasted m18 hackzalls, fuel impacts, drills and sawzalls.

Interesting, I wonder if the volume of Milwaukee tools you see is a function of market penetration? Is there simply more of it out there so the overall failure rate isn't any higher or lower than any other brand?

 

[Tenex]

I ordered the new M12 batts today! Got an email from CPO they're in stock. Got two 3.0 compacts - mostly for heated gear - and one 6.0 XC for my 2438 sander/polisher.

Looks like Toolup has 'em too. Seems the 9.0 M18s landed today too. The best deal there is probably the starter kit for $249 to get a rapid charger.

You guys arguing about failure rates are silly. You can be a Milwaukee fan and admit their quality has dropped. I do. I still like the tools and line up overall, so I continue to run them. It's not your job to defend Milwaukee, and you're not being personally insulted or slighted if someone states Milwaukee quality is not what it used to be.

PSA: People get offended when you suggest they don't know as much as they think they do. Most take their purchases personally. No one wants to hear that their money was not as well spent as they thought.

 

[ilovevocs]

^^ could it be possible that we own these tools, work them hard, and have a hard time excepting what is being said because the experience we have had is so far removed from what is being presented.


I have owned all the major brands and we continue to go back to Milwaukee.


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[jetdawg]

Lots of brushed tools in that pile. Anyway, at work our roofing division has tons of broken 20v Max. I don't hold it against Dewalt, I know what kinds of people were holding those tools and most have less brains than the drills, impacts, saws they abuse.

There's not enough "Guaranteed Tough" in the world to outdo "guaranteed stupid". "nothing but heavy duty" is outmatched by stupidity and complacency as well. Nearly every tool failure I've seen is by someone cooking the motor pushing the tool past what it was designed for. A brushed cordless circ saw is not a worm drive. A compact cordless drill is not a Hole
Hawg. High torque flagship cordless drills still aren't super hawgs/ joist drills. Etc., etc.

Well said and agreed, this happens all the time.

I ordered the new M12 batts today! Got an email from CPO they're in stock. Got two 3.0 compacts - mostly for heated gear - and one 6.0 XC for my 2438 sander/polisher.

Looks like Toolup has 'em too. Seems the 9.0 M18s landed today too. The best deal there is probably the starter kit for $249 to get a rapid charger.

You guys arguing about failure rates are silly. You can be a Milwaukee fan and admit their quality has dropped. I do. I still like the tools and line up overall, so I continue to run them. It's not your job to defend Milwaukee, and you're not being personally insulted or slighted if someone states Milwaukee quality is not what it used to be.

It's to be expected. Every milwaukee dealer should already have the 9.0s, 12v 6.0s and new 12v 3.0s they were shipping out from warehouses a couple weeks ago. I don't know how they squeezed a 6.0 battery into that little frame.

Interesting, I wonder if the volume of Milwaukee tools you see is a function of market penetration? Is there simply more of it out there so the overall failure rate isn't any higher or lower than any other brand?

I don't think so, there are tons of makita and dewalt out there. Just because you see a sea of red when you walk into hd, they aren't representative of the distribution of tools in tool stores across the country. Lots of construction companies use makita, dewalt and hilti exclusively.

 

[dacan23]

2763-22 Kit for $329, not bad it's $100 off.

http://www.ruralking.com/m18-fuel-1...m_medium=cpc&gclid=CN684qq6o88CFQ1ahgodDX8BnA

If anyone finds a RK %off coupon that works with this please let me know. I scoured the web and any codes I found did not work.

Another good RK price on 2696-24 kit $299

http://www.ruralking.com/milwaukee-m18-cordless-combo-kit-4-tool-set-2696-24.html

 

[mobiledynamics]

The only Milwaukee tool that I've ever killed was an M12 non-Fuel, non-hammer drill. I was foolishly drilling 2.25 or 2.5" holes with a forstner bit. It made it through 12 like a champ though before it gave out. I wasn't mad since I knew it was well beyond the scope of the tool.

Cordless is so a game changer in alot of tools that would be cordered. With about 12-15 batteries on rotation, I redid alot of wrought iron painting / prep last year.

I had that grinder in all sorts of directions I would normally would not have with my Metabo due to cord safety, etc. Tons more efficient in that respect. But, I was going through 5.0 batterys like nothing...

The key is having enough reserve for the task at hand....

 

[dacan23]

Your phone & email get banned from that retailer because your harassing them everyday when its gonna ship?

I have a $50 HD promo credit, need to decide whether I'm gonna get the M18 search or M12 rover flood..... if the search doesnt come with the shoulder strap that may help me decide lol

Theres a couple places taking pre orders on the search light for $99.. I already ordered one.

 

[JimDon]

I thought about the shoulder strap a little bit, but any thrift store should have a ton of soft-sided luggage and/or larger backpacks that can be had for a song that will have a detachable shoulder strap that will work well with that searchlight. I think I have two or three extras in my basement right now that would work. Cheers,
JimDon

 

[MikeF2316]

Here you go bud, all belong to one guy.

The white makitas are homeowner grade and antiquated tech, pretty funny comparison though.

I'm not sure that molehill convinces me. 6 days and you come up with a picture of a few tools that look like they've been rattling around loose in the back of a pickup truck for a few years?! Sorry, not convinced.

 

[170-3tree]

Little update on my addiction's progress.

I LOVE the ratchet. It's easier to handle than my air ratchet. It's a bit slow turning, but I think it definitely levels out with being less cumbersome and trying to prevent the air hose from messing up a fender.

Bad news. Mine broke. I guess I was curious and it didn like the amount of force I put on it. I know now for the new one. Home depot was easy about the exchange and didn't give me any trouble. My apartment complex signed for my impact today so I should get it tomorrow.

 

[rice rocket]

I'm not sure that molehill convinces me. 6 days and you come up with a picture of a few tools that look like they've been rattling around loose in the back of a pickup truck for a few years?! Sorry, not convinced.

Doubt any picture would convince most the people on here, the red blinders are welded on fully.

 

[jetdawg]

Doubt any picture would convince most the people on here, the red blinders are welded on fully.

I was laughing when I saw that pile in person I mean that impressed me and I'm in the industry but I guess you can't impress the internet. I wish I took a pic of the dude who had one of those large green plastic bins on a cart with about 25 broken fuels in it.

Anyways back on topic. The lighting is superb it's going to be interesting to see what other options come out with like dewalts 7000 lumen daisy chain work light and how it stacks up (pun intended). Hopefully this sparks more innovation in that area.

 

[kctyphoon]

Your phone & email get banned from that retailer because your harassing them everyday when its gonna ship?

I have a $50 HD promo credit, need to decide whether I'm gonna get the M18 search or M12 rover flood..... if the search doesnt come with the shoulder strap that may help me decide lol

Not sure what you mean.. I just placed the order and figure it gets here when it gets here. I haven't contacted them.

I just ordered some more **** for my motorcycle, and I've been looking at the pelican lights for work.. If this vendor pulls through and gets one those pelican 9460 lights, (@$1,500), I might ask him to get 2 of the pelican 9490's afterwards.. I hate that these things don't use lithium batteries, but the runtimes are pretty decent on the medium settings.. The 9490 is 3000 lumens on medium, and has a 12 hour runtime..

This is the 9490.. 6000 lumens on high, 3000 on medium, 1250 on low..
Medium gets you a 12 hour runtime. Folded it can used as a flashlight, extended I think the mast is 6'.. This would make a great item for Milwaukee to copy with m18 batteries. Even better if they made it so you could plug 2 batteries in.

 

[dacan23]

So I did a little testing. All with M12 or M18 XC batteries.

M18 vs M12 Lantern - There is not that much difference, yes the M18 is brighter, but not that much. The range and spread of the light is not much different either considering how much larger the M18 is. Tested in 180 and 360 modes.

M12 Mag vs M12 Spot - The Spot is brighter but the Mag has a more even light output, as expected I guess where the Spot is more focused in the center and the outer beam is dimmer. The Mag is good at distance, but over a 100ft its hard to see things well, where as the Spot you can see at a distance very well at the center of the beam.

M12 Mag vs M18 Old Flood - The Mag casts almost the same width and almost as bright. Surprising the difference between the 2 is very small, yes they cost the same but didnt expect them to be so close.

Overall I am impressed in the Mag compared to other lights I have, its very bright and has a wide even beam. From my deck to the ground of about 15-18ft I think the light circle on the ground was about 35-40ft wide. Would be interesting if someone compares it against some popular Mags.

I've been meaning to test some lights. M12 vs M18 Lantern on the deck to see the difference. M12 Mag vs M12 Spot vs Old M18 Flood, I only turned on the Mag real quick since I got it last week, it seems impressive, perhaps as bright as old M18 Flood, a nice wide beam, and its shines very far almost as much as the M12 Spot.

Kidding as you have been waiting so long for the light that you would be impatient.

Not sure what you mean.. I just placed the order and figure it gets here when it gets here. I haven't contacted them.

Yeah, I am familiar with repurposing straps, just really going to be surprised if the bare tool does not come with it.

I thought about the shoulder strap a little bit, but any thrift store should have a ton of soft-sided luggage and/or larger backpacks that can be had for a song that will have a detachable shoulder strap that will work well with that searchlight. I think I have two or three extras in my basement right now that would work. Cheers,
JimDon

 

[dacan23]

https://milwaukeetool-rebates.herokuapp.com/#/home/plumbing-electric

But it's limited to participating distributors, if you hit the submit/redeem button and input zip code it will show you participating dealers.

Gonna be a question, probably, for Milwaukee themselves, but if I buy the kit and the store doesn't have that offer, can I have it fulfilled by Milwaukee directly?