The Milwaukee addiction thread! :)

[M635_Guy]

I'm wondering how everyone likes these M12 stubby impacts. They've been on sale recently and are kinda tempting.

I have a couple other M12 tools - the ratchet is my fav tool in the garage I think, lol. The drill and impact driver are so-so. I actually prefer my older Craftsman C3 drill although it's much heavier and maybe would be better compared to the M18 stuff?

I'm just not sure an M12 impact would have the strength I'd need and almost seems odd that they even off a tool like this in M12 vs M18. Interested to hear others' experience.

I'm also a C3 refugee. I have and love the Stubby - more grump than my old C3 1/2" impact and obviously far smaller. I use it with a 6.0Ah battery and it's great.

If you're going to have a single impact, the brand-new M18 mid-torque 1/2" is pretty darn compact and a monster on power.

^Kind of a follow up post to the one above me.

Opinions please, I need/want a 1/2” impact. I’m debating the M18 full size non fuel one from Milwaukee, obviously. But everyone is recommending the M12 1/2” stubby, I will be doing everything from taking wheels off to installing a lift on my 4runner. Which one would you guys buy?

Personally, if you're going to use the thing a lot, I wouldn't bother with anything that isn't in the FUEL line. See my comment above with about the new Mid too if space/weight isn't a big deal. It's not massively bigger than the Stubby. Here's my last-gen Mid with my Stubby[/URL] - the new Mid is going to be even smaller.

M12 or M18 Surge? Mostly house work, woodwork type use

I have both battery platforms, so no issues there

M12 Surge. Specs are (nearly?) identical, and it's a dream to use. Smooth, quiet and light, while still offering tons of power. I'll never go back to a "regular" 1/4" impact driver if I can avoid it.

 

[danyo492]

Thank you everyone for the replies. It’s helped a ton. I’m picking up the M12 Fuel stubby 1/2” impact. Seems like everyone loves the heck out it and I’m sure I will too!

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

CAN somebody comment as to whether the M12 FUEL or M18 fuel (new versions) oscillating multi tools cut similarly power wise?

I'm trying to figure out which to buy. I own both battery platforms but no multi tool yet. I do mostly carpentry, pine board and softer wood. Nail cutting and drywall.

What does the m18 excel in that the m12 wouldn't?

 

[kppolich]

Super happy with this dual rapid charger. The fans do run, but it is worth it to have 2 simultaneously charging.

 

[DerekV]

CAN somebody comment as to whether the M12 FUEL or M18 fuel (new versions) oscillating multi tools cut similarly power wise?

I'm trying to figure out which to buy. I own both battery platforms but no multi tool yet. I do mostly carpentry, pine board and softer wood. Nail cutting and drywall.

What does the m18 excel in that the m12 wouldn't?

From what I remember from the Pipeline event when these were released, the M18 was noted as both more powerful and having a more aggressive oscillation angle.

 

[DerekV]

Super happy with this dual rapid charger. The fans do run, but it is worth it to have 2 simultaneously charging.

Been a big fan of the Quad Standard Station (patent pending...kidding) for several years now. Gotta be able to charge more than one at a time. I’ve never felt the need for faster charging because of this.

 

[danski0224]

Super happy with this dual rapid charger. The fans do run, but it is worth it to have 2 simultaneously charging.

That would be nice, of course Milwaukee didn't bother to put a single M12 port in the middle...

 

[mc4life27]

Try the M18 with the newer 3.0 batteries. The weight makes a huge difference. The run time isn't nearly as good as a 5.0 but I don't mind swapping a 3.0 battery pack during a project because of how much more maneuverable/agile the tool is with the smaller battery.







I have an M18 Surge and I LOVE the thing. It is so much quieter than my other impacts that I don't even use the others anymore. It still isn't whisper quiet but man is it great. The M18 model does have a little more jam than the m12 model but not as much as I had expected. If you are going to do mostly smaller stuff with it, the m12 will be just fine.

Agreed on the newer 3.0 batteries. They are what I mainly use in all of my m18 guns. I have 5 or 6 of them. So sure runtime is shorter then the 5.0 but the weight savings is nice. Also surges are they way to go unless your running in long and or big fasteners in all day long.


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[oldschoolcraft]

I’ve not needed new cordless tools for a while and still don’t, but have decided to jump in this Black Friday deal season.

I’m 90% sold on M12 because I am a hobbyist home gamer and battery life doesn’t matter. Power might matter, but for most things it doesn’t. And I’d bet access and limited space will ding me more than power.

It looks like people reallly love the stubby m12 impact wrench in 1/2”

I see people referring to the “new” one as having more power but I’m not sure which model. Can anyone help with that? Does it have only 250 ft-lbs?

Because I saw some reference in this thread to 450 but looks like that’s reserved for the M18s.

 

[GeoBruin]

The newest m12 stubby is rated at 250 ft/lbs of breakaway torque in either the 1/2" or 3/8" anvil.

The m18 mid torque model is rated at 450 ft/lbs of fastening torque but 650 ft/lbs of breakaway torque.

 

[ThatSickRip]

Found another use for the M12 inflator....I was drilling for Tapcons in the garage and laundry room to hang shelving, and I didnt want to mess with the compressor to blow out the holes ( I have HORRIBLE luck with snapping heads without blowing the dust out first). I put the inflator needle one, turned it on and ****...clouds of concrete dust came out and I didnt snap any Tapcon heads

 

[jonshonda]

Found a guy on FB mrktplc selling a new M18 blower and M12 3/8" stubby for a good price (hoping to get him under $200 for both). Crossing my fingers that we can make the deal happen.

I have been eyeing the M18 blower for a while for quick garage and around the perimeter of the house leaf blowing, as well as blowing off cars after washing. I've got a big Stihl backpack blower for doing a lot of blowing (tons of trees/woods around me), but I really am too lazy to go out to the shed, fire it up, throw it on my back....just to blow leaves for 3 minutes.

 

[Rusty67]

It will work fine for cleaning out the garage and blowing leaves around. I'm not too sure about drying a car with it. Has anyone tried that with the blower?

 

[GeoBruin]

It will work fine for cleaning out the garage and blowing leaves around. I'm not too sure about drying a car with it. Has anyone tried that with the blower?

I have. It doesn't work like you would hope. In my head it would work like the blowers at the car wash but it's just not enough air.

 

[jshillin]

It will work fine for cleaning out the garage and blowing leaves around. I'm not too sure about drying a car with it. Has anyone tried that with the blower?

If you have some good protection on your vehicle, a blower will dry most of your car and does a great job cleaning out crevices like in the mirrors, door handles, wheels, etc. I get most of the water off and just have to blot dry a few spots with a waffle weave towel.

 

[GeoBruin]

If you have some good protection on your vehicle, a blower will dry most of your car and does a great job cleaning out crevices like in the mirrors, door handles, wheels, etc. I get most of the water off and just have to blot dry a few spots with a waffle weave towel.

If by protection you mean wax, that certainly explains why it doesn't work for me

 

[jshillin]

If by protection you mean wax, that certainly explains why it doesn't work for me

Yeah, sealant, wax or coating. If you don't have something on it to make it slick to bead/sheet off the water it won't help much at all because it has too much surface tension.

 

[jonshonda]

I don't need it to be completely dry when done, but really want to get the hard to reach areas blown out, and the majority of the water off so I can come back and finish up with a drying towel.

 

[BrianJ]

Has anyone found a solution for swapping out the compact inflator chuck for a better one?

 

[APG12]

Has anyone found a solution for swapping out the compact inflator chuck for a better one?

Slime 20332 Inflator Hose Adapter h.../B01MY55BT5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_k29vzOJBUEcAz



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[Colin Len]

I'm also a C3 refugee. I have and love the Stubby - more grump than my old C3 1/2" impact and obviously far smaller. I use it with a 6.0Ah battery and it's great.

If you're going to have a single impact, the brand-new M18 mid-torque 1/2" is pretty darn compact and a monster on power.

Thank you so much for this insight, it's VERY helpful. I don't have the C3 impact but I've been extremely happy with the 1/2" drill driver I have (it was their best model, kinda like the Fuel versions of Milwaukee). My C3 drill seems much more powerful than my Milwaukee Fuel drill and impact driver M12.

I guess I don't really 'need' a cordless impact but I sure do WANT one! (or two, haha)

 

[dalepres]

I don't have time to read 1138 pages, so please excuse me if this is discussed already. It's time to start replacing my 18v Dewalts and I read great stuff about Milwaukee.

The question I have is how much longer before Milwaukee dumps the M18 and goes to a higher voltage battery or even just a new model, either case leaving me with legacy stuff I have to adapt to keep using, as Dewalt did? I see on the first page of this thread that the M18 was around at least 6 years ago, in 2014. That's a long life for a battery design. I'm hesitant to start putting money into M18 and then Milwaukee changes things around. I'd rather start buying battery tools early in the model lifecycle rather than late.

What thoughts on this or info about Milwaukee's future plans do you have?

 

[Malaworkerbee]

I don't have time to read 1138 pages, so please excuse me if this is discussed already. It's time to start replacing my 18v Dewalts and I read great stuff about Milwaukee.

The question I have is how much longer before Milwaukee dumps the M18 and goes to a higher voltage battery or even just a new model, either case leaving me with legacy stuff I have to adapt to keep using, as Dewalt did? I see on the first page of this thread that the M18 was around at least 6 years ago, in 2014. That's a long life for a battery design. I'm hesitant to start putting money into M18 and then Milwaukee changes things around. I'd rather start buying battery tools early in the model lifecycle rather than late.

What thoughts on this or info about Milwaukee's future plans do you have?

Milwaukee isn't Dewalt who likes to change their battery platform a couple times every decade.

They're committed to M18 and have supported it since it's release in 2007. I dont expect any change until at least 2025 or later, and even then expect forward/backwards comparability. They haven't talked about nor shown any information on abandoning the platform. The only new technology is MX Fuel which are giant batteries made for industrial trades.

Ryobi, which also owned by the same parent company (TTI) has committed to always supporting their 18v platform.

Hell they're still making and selling V18 batteries for tools made pre 2007.

 

[48548]

I don't have time to read 1138 pages, so please excuse me if this is discussed already. It's time to start replacing my 18v Dewalts and I read great stuff about Milwaukee.



The question I have is how much longer before Milwaukee dumps the M18 and goes to a higher voltage battery or even just a new model, either case leaving me with legacy stuff I have to adapt to keep using, as Dewalt did? I see on the first page of this thread that the M18 was around at least 6 years ago, in 2014. That's a long life for a battery design. I'm hesitant to start putting money into M18 and then Milwaukee changes things around. I'd rather start buying battery tools early in the model lifecycle rather than late.



What thoughts on this or info about Milwaukee's future plans do you have?

Don't get me started.... I bought the v28 set when it came out and added the bandsaw and impact.... now still have that and the m12 and m18.... m28 batteries still work and use the tools a lot.... but they never pushed to sell them.

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[danski0224]

I don't have time to read 1138 pages, so please excuse me if this is discussed already. It's time to start replacing my 18v Dewalts and I read great stuff about Milwaukee.

The question I have is how much longer before Milwaukee dumps the M18 and goes to a higher voltage battery or even just a new model, either case leaving me with legacy stuff I have to adapt to keep using, as Dewalt did? I see on the first page of this thread that the M18 was around at least 6 years ago, in 2014. That's a long life for a battery design. I'm hesitant to start putting money into M18 and then Milwaukee changes things around. I'd rather start buying battery tools early in the model lifecycle rather than late.

What thoughts on this or info about Milwaukee's future plans do you have?

Anyone that knows is probably working under a NDA.

The main issue with the original V18 line compared to the M18 line was communication between the tool and the battery. Milwaukee tried with the V18 lithium battery packs, but those were a failure. There may have been battery cell packaging issues within the limitations of the V18 tool interface.

Short of a breakthrough in battery technology, the current M18 standards will likely be in play for a while yet.

There are so many tools available, the aftermarket will continue to support the existing M18 lineup long after Milwaukee abandons it- which I really don't see happening anytime soon.

My beef is the "almost there" releases, and the V2.0 and V3.0 quickly follow.

As far as the M28 line goes, it probably never sold very well to begin with, then the battery/motor/electronics evolved to the point where a 18 volt tool was as good or better. The M28 stuff was out when the V18 was NiCd battery tech.

 

[Ign]

Why do people think if Milwaukee introduces a new line you won't still be able to buy M18 batteries? That logic has always confused me.

I know a few are still ticked about V18 but that platform was short-lived and that was ~2005.

M28 is basically like Latin right now but you can still buy new batteries to this day.

People seem to think that Milwaukee's biggest platform with hundreds of tools and 13 years + still going will cease to exist OVERNIGHT ANYWHERE if something else is introduced?

That's like thinking you won't be able to find a single part for a JK the second the JL was introduced.

 

[dalepres]

Why do people think if Milwaukee introduces a new line you won't still be able to buy M18 batteries? That logic has always confused me.

I know a few are still ticked about V18 but that platform was short-lived and that was ~2005.

M28 is basically like Latin right now but you can still buy new batteries to this day.

People seem to think that Milwaukee's biggest platform with hundreds of tools and 13 years + still going will cease to exist OVERNIGHT ANYWHERE if something else is introduced?

That's like thinking you won't be able to find a single part for a JK the second the JL was introduced.

I think that because Milwaukee is not the Milwaukee of, well, Milwaukee, or of the 80s. And, as others said, there's Dewalt.

 

[BrianJ]

Slime 20332 Inflator Hose Adapter h.../B01MY55BT5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_k29vzOJBUEcAz



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thanks!

 

[48548]

Why do people think if Milwaukee introduces a new line you won't still be able to buy M18 batteries? That logic has always confused me.



I know a few are still ticked about V18 but that platform was short-lived and that was ~2005.



M28 is basically like Latin right now but you can still buy new batteries to this day.



People seem to think that Milwaukee's biggest platform with hundreds of tools and 13 years + still going will cease to exist OVERNIGHT ANYWHERE if something else is introduced?



That's like thinking you won't be able to find a single part for a JK the second the JL was introduced.

My m28 stuff still does what I need it to do... but have all new virgin m18 to replace it on hand, hehe

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[M635_Guy]

I don't have time to read 1138 pages, so please excuse me if this is discussed already. It's time to start replacing my 18v Dewalts and I read great stuff about Milwaukee.

The question I have is how much longer before Milwaukee dumps the M18 and goes to a higher voltage battery or even just a new model, either case leaving me with legacy stuff I have to adapt to keep using, as Dewalt did? I see on the first page of this thread that the M18 was around at least 6 years ago, in 2014. That's a long life for a battery design. I'm hesitant to start putting money into M18 and then Milwaukee changes things around. I'd rather start buying battery tools early in the model lifecycle rather than late.

What thoughts on this or info about Milwaukee's future plans do you have?

I doubt they're moving any time soon. They seem to be focused more on expanding the line vs. setting everyone up to be mad when they change battery platforms. Their tools perform great @ 18v - the rest seems like marketing on voltage...

 

[Firefighter1406]

Cleaned out all my boxes from the garage so I could fit the kayaks. Two years of purchases........I think I have a problem, probably need counseling.

 

[ovilla]

Cleaned out all my boxes from the garage so I could fit the kayaks. Two years of purchases........I think I have a problem, probably need counseling.

What’s the tool on the top left hand side?

 

[jonesg]

Cleaned out all my boxes from the garage so I could fit the kayaks. Two years of purchases........I think I have a problem, probably need counseling.

throw the boxes away, its called trash.
On further consideration, throw the kayaks out.

 

[ThatSickRip]

Cleaned out all my boxes from the garage so I could fit the kayaks. Two years of purchases........I think I have a problem, probably need counseling.

I had to do the same thing over the last 2 weekends lol. I had all my boxes on my storage rack where my bins were supposed to go..problem was the rack was full of Milwaukee boxes and the totes were on the floor

 

[Firefighter1406]

What’s the tool on the top left hand side?

The compact router.

 

[gtsgarage]

Cleaned out all my boxes from the garage so I could fit the kayaks. Two years of purchases........I think I have a problem, probably need counseling.

I had the same experience last year when I needed to clear out my new age cabinet. The large cabinet was full of red boxes. I too have a problem.

I bought duplicates this year to have at the cabin because I was afraid I’d leave them up there and it’s over 3 hours away. I got the 1/2” drill, 1/4” hex, OMT and inflator for the cabin. I truly love the inflator.

The only thing that you have that I want is the rocket light how do you like it?

 

[jonshonda]

Picked up the M12 3/8" Stapler yesterday for putting up lights. We have wire mesh gutter guards, so typical clips are out. Cedar siding holds the staples well, and the adjustable power means the staple isn't pinching the wire too tight.

 

[mobiledynamics]

I have boatloads of the Tough XL cases...don't really use it for jobsite stuff. Just like the thick heavy walled materials, nice tight lids, etc...

Anyhow, while I think the packout is not as (robust) in wall thickness compared to the Dewalt, I picked up 2 tri carts and of course.....I had to get the Packout Vac to boot. Call it a splurge buy

 

[M635_Guy]

As seen in the New Arrival thread, I present to you the Gen 2 Mid Torque:

vs. the Gen 1 - definitely shorter and a bit lighter

Stacked view with the Gen 1 at the bottom and the M12 1/2" Stubby on top:

With batteries the size difference isn't quite as significant, but still noticeable. Shown with the M12 Stubby for some additional scale:

A bigger lanyard hole on the Gen 2:

I'm looking forward to trying out the Auto mode, and definitely like the triple lights - a huge plus IMHO. Those two features alone are a big plus for me. I've always found the power of the Mid just fine, so the additional grump of the Gen 2 will be peace of mind, but isn't solving a problem I currently have. I really appreciate the compactness of the Gen 2. I also have a couple M18 3.0Ah High Output batteries waiting to be picked up, and will be interested to see how it performs with those - seems like it will be a Big Stubby!

 

[sayoda]

Man that gen2 really looks compact! You'll have to give a review after you used it a little bit... Even though I'm happy with my 1st gen mid torque, I'm always looking for the next tool [emoji3]

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