To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

The Milwaukee addiction thread! :)

Rusty67

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 28, 2007
Messages
1,294
Location
LA, CA
So I got a chance to use my Nexus gen 2 vac yesterday with the dust separator accessory attached inline. I am VERY happy with it. I had to clean the hopper out on my pellet smoker because they all got wet and mostly turned into sawdust. I'm VERY impressed with how clean the filter is even with the container as full of essentially sawdust as it was. The container was at least 85% full if not more and barely anything made it into the filter area and the filter was nearly spotless. The vac never lost suction the entire time I was using it. I would 100% for sure had to clean that filter at least once. Milwaukee did this one right so if you are sucking up a lot of small particle debris, I can say this attachment is 100% worth it.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

lu787a

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 26, 2025
Messages
78
So I got a chance to use my Nexus gen 2 vac yesterday with the dust separator accessory attached inline. I am VERY happy with it. I had to clean the hopper out on my pellet smoker because they all got wet and mostly turned into sawdust. I'm VERY impressed with how clean the filter is even with the container as full of essentially sawdust as it was. The container was at least 85% full if not more and barely anything made it into the filter area and the filter was nearly spotless. The vac never lost suction the entire time I was using it. I would 100% for sure had to clean that filter at least once. Milwaukee did this one right so if you are sucking up a lot of small particle debris, I can say this attachment is 100% worth it.
When using the dust separator, do you use a bag? I'm currently using fleece bags with my Nexus.
 

capm

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 4, 2022
Messages
150
Well I see the Milwaukee version is inch instead of metric like the Knipex, so it has that going for it :ROFLMAO:

More seriously, I really like the lever extension of the button that Hazet and Klein use.
Too bad Milwaukee didn't go that route.
I often reach for the 10" Klein before the Knipex 250 now.
(The reversible jaw on the Klein is a gimmick that just gets in the way, though).

The jaws look a little clunkier than the Knipex, is that the case?
I have a favorite Knipex with the jaws ground very thin. Not sure if I'd try that with the Korean Milwaukee.
 

Steel_Rain

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 23, 2024
Messages
1,322
Well I see the Milwaukee version is inch instead of metric like the Knipex, so it has that going for it :ROFLMAO:

More seriously, I really like the lever extension of the button that Hazet and Klein use.
Too bad Milwaukee didn't go that route.
I often reach for the 10" Klein before the Knipex 250 now.
(The reversible jaw on the Klein is a gimmick that just gets in the way, though).

The jaws look a little clunkier than the Knipex, is that the case?
I have a favorite Knipex with the jaws ground very thin. Not sure if I'd try that with the Korean Milwaukee.

I too have the Klein and Hazet versions and do like the adjuster / FCL mechanism best.

I don't feel they are clunky, but this is the 5" version, the 10" might be different despite being the same, scaled up design.

Time will tell, I'll put this though its paces over the summer for a HVAC project I'm helping with. I don't own many tools from South Korea, but I have a set of Klein adjustables (that are decent) that were made there.
 

mikey03

Well-known member
Joined
May 17, 2024
Messages
2,030
How’s the new tekton pliers wrench compare? It made in Germany might be made by knipex tbh
 

capm

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 4, 2022
Messages
150
Picked up 2 of these knife sets off the Home Depot spring sale for $20 each. Basically each came with free blades! Not a super exciting purchase but a useful one and it’s at a good price.
IMG_6497.jpeg
I really like the DeWalt (shhh) carbide blades.
$20/50pk more or less.
Last much much longer.
I haven't noticed them as initially less sharp than HSS blades, though I've heard that claim.
Doesn't take long before they're much sharper than a HSS blade of the same age.
 
Last edited:

CJM8515

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 8, 2014
Messages
9,285
Location
NJ
the dewalt blades ARE better, I bought milwaukee blades and tossed them and got more dewalts. the milwaukee blades were not sharp
 

cody1325

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 17, 2024
Messages
1,075
Location
Southwest Virginia
the dewalt blades ARE better, I bought milwaukee blades and tossed them and got more dewalts. the milwaukee blades were not sharp

I'm wondering, are Craftsman blades made on the same line? I used to mostly use Lenox, but I found the Craftsman ones had sharper tips (and well, were sharper).
 

CJM8515

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 8, 2014
Messages
9,285
Location
NJ
I'm wondering, are Craftsman blades made on the same line? I used to mostly use Lenox, but I found the Craftsman ones had sharper tips (and well, were sharper).
possible, i never tried them. but consider stanley B&D own craftsman its entirely possible
 

MattV

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 29, 2020
Messages
93
Location
Canada
What I have at home. Not pictured are various batteries and a string trimmer. The 3/4" is actually a work tool, but it was in sore need of a clean/grease job.
20260503_212243.jpg
 

MattV

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 29, 2020
Messages
93
Location
Canada
That impact looks well loved. Always nice to see tools that have had a hot supper and keep on kicking.
It's definitely been used and abused. On the plus side, the tool does the work instead of me pulling 2 inch wrenches. I've had it 6 years, and I'm still in awe of how much wear and tear on my body it has saved.
 

mobiledynamics

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 14, 2010
Messages
5,034
Location
Gotham City
Haven't paid much attention to what pre-post 'riff pricing on Red tools is, but just looked up the Precision Blower Bare tool.
Am I over thinking this but $180 for this is a bit high....

I suppose I can keep my eye out to see what Father Day promos come around.
 

Cc_windsurfer

Well-known member
Joined
May 1, 2015
Messages
257
Location
SB, ca
Anyone running one of their hedge trimmers? Looking for feedback on how they work, also looking for a good deal since they never seem to be on sale anywhere.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Rusty67

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 28, 2007
Messages
1,294
Location
LA, CA
I have the gen 1 trimmer as well as the gen 1 articulating pole arm trimmer. I like both of them for different things. If you don't have a power head and don't want to get one, the standalone trimmer works fairly well. I also have the 1 handed M12 detail trimmer. I don't really like that one very much. It is great for fine detail work but it just doesn't have quite a big enough throw IMO. I think it should cut 1/4" bigger than it does. It does work really well for detail work though, just less versatile than I'd hoped it would be.
 

YesIHaveAHammer

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 1, 2025
Messages
774
the Precision Blower Bare tool.
Am I over thinking this but $180 for this is a bit high
$150 for the brushless non-Fuel drill. Utility and perceived value of the drill is obviously higher.

Drill has a gearbox, blower just has power modes.

Drill has a chuck, blower has multiple nozzles and a filter.

Drill is probably uses older design components, blower is a new tool and has to pay for its design work.

Drill will sell many times as much as the blower.

Drill often priced with lower margin as an entry into the battery ecosystem.
 

darkzero

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 20, 2011
Messages
3,315
Location
SoCal
Yep, I did look at both parts lists (1/4 & 3/8) & while the yokes (what MW calls it) are different p/ns I still have hope. Even if the overall head size might be the same, they are all shaped different which would explain the different p/ns for yoke. Because of which the boots even have different p/ns cause they are shaped different as well.

I went to HD & looked at them, the diameter of the anvil assemblies do look pretty close. When the anvils become available, either a stock replacement or the low profile ones (which the stock tall knob should swap over) I think I'm gonna buy the 1/4" model & give it a go.

Again my desire to swap anvil is not because of the head size, it's the speed. The new 3/8" is noticeably slower than the 3/8" HS which I have now. I rather have the speed. If it don't work out, I'll just keep my HS.

20260228_082538.jpg
Went through with my plan, picked up the 1/4" ratchet after finally getting my hands on a 3/8" anvil (sorry, I'm not gonna say how or who I got it from, took almost 2 months & shipping was expensive).

TLDR as the kids say these days....
For the stuff I work on, it wasn't worth it to me. Ergonomics & weight wise, so much better, but the performance, I prefer my High Speed by far. Even though the new 1/4" ratchet is rated for 100 more rpm than the High Speed, my 3/8" HS is way faster (no load) & I don't like that the new ones don't have the "braking" feature. My HS spins well over 1K rpm no load.

Been using it for 2 weeks now daily at work, maybe I'm just way too used to my HS but I greatly miss the higher speed & braking feature, the new is more powerful which is nice but for my needs I don't need the increased power. I definitely would not want the rated 70 ft/lbs that the 3/8" model has over the rated 45 ft/lbs for the 1/4" model. The 3/8" HS is rated for 35 ft/lbs but the new 1/4" model feels like it has much more than 10 ft/lbs increase in power. I'm probably the only one who would be unhappy with a power increase. Haha. But if it had the braking feature I bet I would feel different.

My use case.... I work on cars but not repairs, no engine work or suspension, I'm an upfitter. 95% of the vehicles I work on are brand new & haven't even been on the road. I already spent the money & went through the trouble so not giving up on it yet, gonna keep using it of course. Hopefully I eventually get more used to it but I'm much more a fan of my old HS.

20260502_210241.jpg
20260516_181824.jpg
20260516_181955.jpg

Obviously I was able to swap the anvil with no issue. Just to note if anyone wants to do the same thing. BTW better off waiting for the low profile anvil assy to start shipping & just swap over the actual shift knob if you prefer the tall which was my original plan. My 1/4" anvil had a plastic spacer on top of the anvil. The parts diagram does list the spacer for both the 1/4" model & 3/8" model. However the 3/8" anvil assy I received did not require the spacer to fit in the 1/4" head. I couldn't tell if the 3/8" head is taller than the 1/4" head when I looked at both ratchets side by side in person. Only noticeable difference was obviously the thinner neck on the 1/4" so the boots are also different between the 1/4" & 3/8" models. The 3/8" has a thicker crankshaft & bigger needle bearings hence the bigger size.
20260503_165543.jpg

New 1/4" with 3/8" anvil swap vs 3/8" High Speed comparison
20260503_175927.jpg
20260503_175833.jpg
20260516_190929.jpg
 
Last edited:

ecotec

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 5, 2010
Messages
5,405
So, I have to wear the Class 2 Milwaukee Bolt safety helmet for my current contractor… and yes… I have to wear the chin strap…

A couple days ago, I bought the headlight made specifically for it. My old one had a battery that was getting a little long in the tooth. Anyways, I give it a pass. It is a little heavier than my old one. It has a cord from the battery compartment, that attaches to the back of the helmet, to the light in the front. We shall see if this cord holds up long term.

Another point: this battery system is not perfect. After about 4 years, the battery occasionally flashes red/green on the charger. When that happens, you have to take the battery out of the headlight and put it back in. It will then charge.

I bring my old battery to work in case I run out of charge. My new headlight battery is making it through the workday on the second and third brightness levels. On the brightest setting, the battery will only last for about 4 hours… and I assume that is when the battery is pretty new.

This…IMG_5865.png
 

Rusty67

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 28, 2007
Messages
1,294
Location
LA, CA
I have 2 different headlamps that run off this single 18650 battery platform from Milwaukee. I don't use them every day but they have been good to me. Overall I really like them and have had no real issues with them. That being said, you have WAY more miles on yours than I do. What I really like is that if my headlamp runs out of charge, I can swap over to a fresh battery very quickly and away I go. I don't have to wait for a built in battery to charge or cycle through endless AA or AAA batteries.
 

Odd-job

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 13, 2017
Messages
2,255
Location
SF Bay Area
My Milwaukee drought continues... bought this Milfawkeee pressure washer off of Amazon to make myself feel better. $70. We'll see how it holds up. Supposedly uses a brushless motor. Pressure is nothing compared to my 120v AR610, but this has no cord to manage and is much easier to schlep around the yard with it just being tethered to a hose. Works well enough for lighter duty stuff like bike washing and stuff that I don't want to completely blast. Might be gentle enough for dirty children.

Supposedly can draw out of buckets, etc. Haven't tried that yet, but having a mobile pressure washer setup was my main draw. Cheaper than the Fantik setups with the dedicated water storage too.

Might need to try one of the m18 glue guns...

1780269870974.png

1780269903862.png
 

Rusty67

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 28, 2007
Messages
1,294
Location
LA, CA
I always use regular hose pressure when I clean a reusable air filter. That thing probably doesn't make enough pressure to mess up the filter media though.

I bought a couple of these week before last. We used the **** out of them this past week on a controls cutover. What a huge time saver, wish I’d gotten them 6 weeks ago 😖

IMG_8571.jpeg
OMG they did finally update that driver! At my old company the techs in the back used to use the old version of that screw gun to build computers. It absolutely cracks me up that this tool is still around/getting updated/is the only tool I know of that uses that battery pack. I figured if they ever updated it they would update it to take the same single cell battery that the headlamps take. Maybe the last update for this driver was before those came out? It is a great little low torque driver with a LOT of reach.
 

Tundra1

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 3, 2023
Messages
195
Gonna be a tough market to break into with ttt on YouTube giving objective test data on them. Hope it does well.
 

assassin10000

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 11, 2022
Messages
370
Is it actually an air hammer or a mechanical hammer that hits like an air hammer? This is an "air" hammer right?

An electric striking hammer that does similar work as a pneumatic "air" hammer.

Something to add to your addiction/tool stable.

Gonna be a tough market to break into with ttt on YouTube giving objective test data on them. Hope it does well.

Hoping it does well when they test them.

Kind of a tough sell at $600 a pop tho, if it doesn't work as well as pneumatics ones.
 

mikey03

Well-known member
Joined
May 17, 2024
Messages
2,030
What is .401 and .498? diameter of shank of the head? Honestly I only used a airhammer once at my friends house a long time ago
 

assassin10000

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 11, 2022
Messages
370
What is .401 and .498? diameter of shank of the head? Honestly I only used a airhammer once at my friends house a long time ago

Diameter of the shank of the shaft on the bit used. The part inserted into the tool.

The larger size is typically on a stronger/heavier duty tool.
 

Rusty67

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 28, 2007
Messages
1,294
Location
LA, CA
An air hammer is a tool I just never learned to use. I've tried them out with no success, then again they weren't the best ones out there. I've always done the job other ways. People swear by them for bushing removal but I stick to a sawzall if I have to go that route to get a bushing out. Not sure I've ever use one honestly. What do you guys use your air hammers for? I'm much more excited to get my hands on the M18 jump pack than one of these.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom