The Milwaukee addiction thread! :)

[Odd-job]

Ok, I thought I knew the whole OPE line up. What the hell is that thing?

looks like the Quik-lok blower attachment.

M18 FUEL™ QUIK-LOK™ Blower Attachment | Milwaukee Tool

MILWAUKEE® M18 FUEL™ QUIK-LOK™ Blower Attachment is powered by the MILWAUKEE® M18 FUEL™ Power Head w/ QUIK-LOK™ and is compatible with Milwaukee's split boom M18 FUEL™ QUIK-LOK™ Attachment System

www.milwaukeetool.com

Definitely interested in feedback on how well it works (and what use cases) vs the single battery M18 blowers which are cheaper and more compact.

 

[Rusty67]

A shaft driven blower? I'll be damned.

 

[BroncoAZ]

Here is what I found. The first picture is how I have the polishers in the large packout.


Here are the pads and 3” polisher in the deep organizer.


The 7” polisher doesn’t fit the deep organizer, the DA polisher does.



I pried the inside of the lid off the large box and found there is plenty of space to cut a hole and increase the height by half an inch. Between the inner lid panel and the structure there is about an inch available, but at some point structural integrity would be compromised. I assume the medium box lid is identical.


I may end up sticking with the large packout for the polishers and fill the extra space with a pack of microfiber towels. I can fit the large packout tray on top of the backing plates.

Here is where I’m ending up with the polishers in the medium box. I’m going to need to cut a small hole in the inner lid to clear the spindle on the 7” polisher. If I took the handle off I could fit it without the hole, but I like it mostly assembled. The backing plate on the 7” unscrews by hand, so easy to store in the deep organizer with the pads. For now I just took the inner lid out. I’ll get some better foam and cut it properly, but this works for prototyping.

In the large box I can also fit a pack of microfiber towels, but I still like this smaller form factor.

 

[Rusty67]

Maybe you can figure out a way to make the handle on the larger polisher quick-ish release and then turn it 90*?

 

[BroncoAZ]

Maybe you can figure out a way to make the handle on the larger polisher quick-ish release and then turn it 90*?

It does work as you suggest if I remove the handle, but then I have to store the handle and bolts somewhere.

 

[mikeinri]

It does work as you suggest if I remove the handle, but then I have to store the handle and bolts somewhere.

One of these?

Milwaukee 14 in., 8 in. and 6 in. Multi-Size Zipper Tool Bags in Red (3-Pack) 48-22-8183 - The Home Depot

Get a best accessory for storing electrical tape, bits, hand tools and accessories by choosing this Milwaukee Zipper Tool Bag in Multi-Size and Color.

www.homedepot.com

Mike

 

[Plastikosmd]

“Definitely interested in feedback on how well it works (and what use cases) vs the single battery M18 blowers which are cheaper and more compact.”

Blower works great.
I wouldn’t use it for leaf piles ( I have a backpack for that.) It is awesome for my decks, walkways, light snow duty ( 1-2” of powder) and getting into corners and behind bushes. I think 500cfm?? But as the nozzle is close to the task at hand, it has plenty of power for what I use it for. BIL has single and dual blowers. No difference in performance or function other than I prefer mine for directional use more. I don’t have to struggle with debris under chairs, behind grill, under overhanging bushes, in corners like the handhelds do. Pole extensions are great for hitting under eaves or top of screens. As I already had the powerhead, the blower attachment was cheap. In fact, among all of the attachments, it gets the most use.

Additionally,,since most weekly cleaning involves decks, walkways, foundation perimeter etc the backpack sits w stabil mostly. Perfect for what I need it for. Handhelds would be a step backwards for my uses

 

[BroncoAZ]

One of these?

Milwaukee 14 in., 8 in. and 6 in. Multi-Size Zipper Tool Bags in Red (3-Pack) 48-22-8183 - The Home Depot

Get a best accessory for storing electrical tape, bits, hand tools and accessories by choosing this Milwaukee Zipper Tool Bag in Multi-Size and Color.

www.homedepot.com

Mike

Good idea. I’d probably use Magpul Daka pouches as they have been indestructible for me to date. They are a bit more money.

 

[Odd-job]

“Definitely interested in feedback on how well it works (and what use cases) vs the single battery M18 blowers which are cheaper and more compact.”

Blower works great.
I wouldn’t use it for leaf piles ( I have a backpack for that.) It is awesome for my decks, walkways, light snow duty ( 1-2” of powder) and getting into corners and behind bushes. I think 450cfm?? But as the nozzle is close to the task at hand, it has plenty of power for what I use it for. BIL has single and dual blowers. No difference in performance or function other than I prefer mine for directional use more. I don’t have to struggle with debris under chairs, behind grill, under overhanging bushes, in corners like the handhelds do. Pole extensions are great for hitting under eaves or top of screens. As I already had the powerhead, the blower attachment was cheap. In fact, among all of the attachments, it gets the most use.

Additionally,,since most weekly cleaning involves decks, walkways, foundation perimeter etc the backpack sits w stabil mostly. Perfect for what I need it for. Handhelds would be a step backwards for my uses

Many thanks. I can see the reach being an advantage over other form factors. They don't happen to have a gutter attachment?

 

[Plastikosmd]

I use off of my boom lift so I am above gutters but according to info on web

• Milwaukee™ Blower Nozzle Accessory Capable

So I would guess so?

Easy to hold also as the quick loc head has a sling strap

 

[mikeinri]

What's the general consensus on these M18 vacuums?



Do they **** well? And, how good is the filtration?

I'd love to have one of these for use in the RV, but not if it'll blow dust out of the exhaust port.

My current setup is a corded Ridgid shop vac, with two LONG hoses, that way the vacuum can stay outside. Limits me to using it near a power source, of course (old RV, generator quit ages ago, long story), and not for use on rainy days.

Mike

 

[BroncoAZ]

What's the general consensus on these M18 vacuums?



Do they **** well? And, how good is the filtration?

I'd love to have one of these for use in the RV, but not if it'll blow dust out of the exhaust port.

My current setup is a corded Ridgid shop vac, with two LONG hoses, that way the vacuum can stay outside. Limits me to using it near a power source, of course (old RV, generator quit ages ago, long story), and not for use on rainy days.

Mike

I have the original M18 vacuum, the $99 one in the picture. It uses a twist to lock HEPA rated filter, I’ve never noticed any dust coming out if it. I’ve had mine for a few years and haven’t changed the filter. Suction wise it is sufficient for most things I need a portable vac to do, but at 45 CFM it’s not standard 110V shop vac levels of performance. occasionally if I’m cleaning the car with it the suction isn’t enough to pull lint out of the carpet like a full size vac would. It works well with their wall dust accessory. I may end up replacing mine with the packout fuel version only because I am transitioning to packout generally.

I purchased the M18 6 gallon shop vac last year. I really like that one for general garage use and cleaning cars. It eats 12.0 batteries, but the power is about equivalent to an old 3.5 hp 110v vac I had. I hooked it up to my new track saw when ripping plywood, it hooked up to the factory piece on the saw with no adapter and kept my work area clean. After 8 cuts I had a little sawdust on the floor right under the cut path, but the bench and top of the plywood was clean. I like the filter bags for it, they keep the tub and filter clean for a minor investment.

 

[Odd-job]

What's the general consensus on these M18 vacuums?



Do they **** well? And, how good is the filtration?

I'd love to have one of these for use in the RV, but not if it'll blow dust out of the exhaust port.

My current setup is a corded Ridgid shop vac, with two LONG hoses, that way the vacuum can stay outside. Limits me to using it near a power source, of course (old RV, generator quit ages ago, long story), and not for use on rainy days.

Mike

I've had the M18 v1 for probably going on 10 years. I take it camping (for cleaning up all the **** that gets tracked in the tents) and for quick clean up jobs where its appropriately sized vs lugging the full size shop vac or dust extractor. Would go for the M18 fuel IMHO for the slight noise reduction alone. The regular m18 is loud especially in enclosed spaces.

 

[pbon]

The first version of the M18 vac is a screamer. It is loud, but adequate. The new version is about 10% stronger, 2 sided and much quieter. I like the new version so much more that I bought another and am giving away my 2 original versions. Wait for a sale on the new version. But I am not sure it has the power to do what the OP wants

 

[mikeinri]

Should have mentioned, the RV is carpeted throughout, and gets lots of sand and sometimes dog fur.

Mike

 

[BroncoAZ]

Should have mentioned, the RV is carpeted throughout, and gets lots of sand and sometimes dog fur.

Mike

Sounds like a cheap household vac designed for carpet might be the best choice.

My wife just loved it when I grab her Miele canister vac for the bed rug in my old truck.

I do have Milwaukee’s M12 carpet brush attachment. It works well in the truck to get sand out of the carpet when connected to the 6 gallon M18 vac.

 

[mrvm]

Sounds like a cheap household vac designed for carpet might be the best

Agreed…for lots of sand, pet fur or hair etc these usually require corded power for best results. I reserve cordless for quick cleanup.

 

[pbon]

Seems like a small 120V vac is best. Compact, powerful. Ridgid is good.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

What's the general consensus on these M18 vacuums?

I have the regular M18 at home and the M18 Packout vac at work.

Both are great vacuums, but in my opinion the Packout vac is worth the extra cost. Packout compatible (obviously), quieter, little stronger, 2 speeds, better hose storage, better handle. But the cheaper one certainly isn't bad at the $99 price tag.

I'd already had the M18 "tea pot" vacuum in the house for years, but I really wanted a wet/dry vac for the house and small side jobs so the M18 shop vac was a good fit.

 

[Rusty67]

I've got both the OG 0880 vac and the newer fuel one. I actually like the older one better. It is a fair bit louder and doesn't have quite the same level of suction but it is less bulky overall. I do like the fact that the newer fuel one has the external hose storage so you don't have to open it up to start using it. They are both good vacuums. My real complaint about the new fuel one is that I don't think it is worth the additional cost unless you really want the packout functionality.

 

[assassin10000]

Dyson (for powered roller brush) with m18 battery pack conversion. Probably find a cheap one with a bad battery fairly easily.

 

[Rusty67]

Hold on, there is an M18 conversion for the Dyson vacs? Please share!

 

[assassin10000]

Hold on, there is an M18 conversion for the Dyson vacs? Please share!

Yep. Just search "dyson m18" on amazon, ebay, etc.


I've done it to two dysons I was given.

 

[Rusty67]

Well I'll be dipped.....

Is there any concern about draining the battery too far or does the internal circuitry on the battery itself protect the cells enough?

 

[dmittz]

Did a little paint work on my 'poor man's' Milwaukee charging station:

 

[assassin10000]

Well I'll be dipped.....

Is there any concern about draining the battery too far or does the internal circuitry on the battery itself protect the cells enough?

Dunno. I've never tried to take them that low.

Definitely a possibility as it only connects the +/- connections and turns on when the trigger is pulled.

 

[assassin10000]

@Rusty67 upon further thought, the dysons I have shut down when voltage is too low anyways. They run an additional cell in their packs iirc so its 20v+. If I'm remembering this right, this means it may shut itself off well before a chance of damage.

 

[BroncoAZ]

Went moderate retard on packout today. On the good side I found the bottom two large boxes on marketplace for $30 each brand new. I’m about $315 plus tax all in for what’s in the picture. I returned $210 worth of Rigid 2.0 boxes I bought last week, so not too bad. I’m going to use one of the floor plates to make my own dolly setup like what’s shown in this video.

I made my packout dolly today, I think it came out good. I ended up using 28 1/4” stainless T nuts and some wood glue for assembly. I was going to go with 1/4” for the hand truck slot, but I ended up using 1/2” so it would be easy to get the hand truck base in and out. I tested it with the small foldup hand truck and it works. I think it will be better with a larger hand truck because the narrower width would sit tighter to the back of the packout stack and larger wheels would get the dolly wheels farther off the ground. Casters are from harbor freight, the front ones brake. I forgot just how messy the router is, I need to get some dust collection up and running. I ordered a cyclone and hose from Cen Tec to use with the shop vac, but I’m going to need real dust collection eventually.

The new M18 track saw with the Wen tracks works great.

 

[Rusty67]

<3 tilt mode.

 

[mikeinri]

I still haven't pulled the trigger to dive into Packout, but the YouTube algo-robots sent me this today. Pretty interesting.

Mike

 

[mobiledynamics]

I have one Dewalt 40V (1st cordless blower) and two Dual Battery M18

However.......I think I might add a green one

POWER+ 880 CFM Blower

The EGO POWER+ 880 CFM Cordless Blower is our most powerful handheld blower, delivering up to 880 CFM and air speeds up to 200 MPH to power through heavy debris including wet leaves, rocks, mud, and snow.

egopowerplus.com

 

[BroncoAZ]

I have one Dewalt 40V (1st cordless blower) and two Dual Battery M18

However.......I think I might add a green one

POWER+ 880 CFM Blower

The EGO POWER+ 880 CFM Cordless Blower is our most powerful handheld blower, delivering up to 880 CFM and air speeds up to 200 MPH to power through heavy debris including wet leaves, rocks, mud, and snow.

egopowerplus.com

I bought some of those for commercial gardeners last year, they work very well. I also got a bunch of the Stihl BGA86, I preferred the Ego. I wouldn’t want to own either of them personally because it’s another battery platform.

 

[dmittz]

Upgraded my impact driver today to a new fuel model:



Old v.s New

 

[Nobody-named-Olli]

Seems Milwaukee Europe had the euro-influencers over in Monaco for a show & tell.

The battery pack/power supply that can also act as a buffer when used with a generator seems pretty cool!

ROLL-ON 7200/ 3600 W 2.5 KWh Power Supply | Power Supplies | Milwaukee Tool EU

ROLL-ON 7200/ 3600 W 2.5 kWh power supply. REDLITHIUM™ 2.5 kWh internal battery with peak power of 7,200 W and continuous power of 3,600 W. Wheels and telescoping handle providing portable power anywhere and job site ready.

www.milwaukeetool.eu

Kind regards,
Olli

 

[mobiledynamics]

I was doing some privacy hedge trimming....on a landscape ladder with a hedger.

I know there is a Articulating Extending one to be released in 2 months

Has anyone ever used a similar extended tool before. I gotta put on my -thinking cap-, cause I'm thinking long shaft, business working end on the tip of this thing, is it going to be heavy and weird and cumbersome to use

 

[Rusty67]

I have the articulating attachment and when I put the extension pole on it, it most certainly gets a bit awkward to use. I make all my movements more subtle and slow. The extension pole tends to bow a bit from the weight but the unit still works fine. The new standalone unit you are talking about has a much more robust extension system and didn't look like it would bow or get floppy compared to the quiklock setup that is out now. It will probably still get a bit heavy, weight at the end of a long pole means a lot of leverage, can't fight physics right? I am willing to bet it will be a lot easier to control since it won't be flopping around so much.

 

[Odd-job]

I was doing some privacy hedge trimming....on a landscape ladder with a hedger.

I know there is a Articulating Extending one to be released in 2 months

Has anyone ever used a similar extended tool before. I gotta put on my -thinking cap-, cause I'm thinking long shaft, business working end on the tip of this thing, is it going to be heavy and weird and cumbersome to use

I use my quik lok with no extension all of the time. It would definitely be nice to have the extendable version to be able to quickly alternate between reach and close in depending on the situation. Fully extended definitely is cumbersome. I gave up running an extension as it got too floppy as per Rusty67's experience. My main issue is my hedge is tall and deep enough where I still need to get on a small ladder to reach he back top side no matter what.

 

[Rusty67]

Question for you guys about the OG M18 OMT. My quick change mechanism seems to be having issues. I have to unlock it from the back and then stick 2 small screwdrivers under the retainer and a 3rd to unscrew the draw bar. Something started happening where the OMT wouldn't clamp enough and now I have to screw it in more for it to clamp? Once it is screwed in far enough, it won't come apart without a very small amount of prying which is NOT tooless NOR convenient. Has anyone seen this kind of issue before with the OMT clamping mechanism? Simple fix or am I looking for my receipt, not sure if it is still under warranty.

 

[mobiledynamics]

I am so knee deep in Red...but haven't bought any cordless OMT. I should look into them
I have two SuperFeins.

It's kinda like Hilti Sawzall, Corded Super Hawg, SDS Hammers, Metabo Grinders, etc.........all have been replaced with Red.
I should just accept that the OMT may not be as powerful as smooth as the Fein's but the ++++ outweighs the negative.

 

[BroncoAZ]

My latest storage efforts. Tracksaw in the ammo can and the beginnings of battery wall storage.