Milwaukee M18- looking for feedback from owners

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Good day all:

I have a whole bunch of Milwaukee M12 tools and I absolutely love them. I need to upgrade to bigger power. I like the idea of having a dual charger for the M18 and M12. My only issue is that I have had problems with the switches on 3 different drills- always the same problem. The light stays on after the drill is off and it never goes out unless you unplug the battery. That's the only issue I have, but I don't want to invest in the M18 if they are going to have the same issue. Dewalt is similarly priced.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

*** By the way, Home Depot is our only big box store and they are now mostly pushing Milwaukee now, so batteries and accessories would be easier to source locally. Side question- are you guys in the states seeing the same thing at Home Depot? Dewalt is only special display stuff and Milwaukee has taken over.

[Earl Rumans]

I have quite a few M12 Fuel and M18 Fuel tools and I have never had a single problem with any of them. The M18 Fuel tools are really unbelievable with their power and the way the batteries last so long. They are constantly coming out with new innovations in their lineup. I don't think you could go wrong with the M18 tools.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Yes- I really love the Milwaukee lineup. They seem to cover more bases with one battery. It is what I love most about the M12 system.

[Dave Sabo]

*** By the way, Home Depot is our only big box store and they are now mostly pushing Milwaukee now, so batteries and accessories would be easier to source locally. Side question- are you guys in the states seeing the same thing at Home Depot? Dewalt is only special display stuff and Milwaukee has taken over.


Depot is the "preferred" vendor of Milwaukee and most likely accounts for the bulk of their sales. They use the good/better/best/ model to flog the tools: Ryobi/Ridgid/Milwaukee are at every Depot, with local areas or stores carrying other brands as fillers. Some of the stores around me have an extensive Bosch offering while others carry nothing. Dewalt is pretty well represented at all of them too.

[Victor Robinson]

I have both M12 and M18 lines. They are sweet. If all you want is drill/driver type of tools, I'm not sure the brand really matters. But if some of the more unique tools appeal to you, the M18 Fuel line is seriously awesome. The new M18 outdoor tools (string trimmer, hedge trimmer) are quite good also. Only dogs in the lineup are the cordless nailers...not terrible if you need cordless but not quite a replacement for pneumatic in terms of ergonomics (heavy, large noses) and functions (e.g. can't use the 18g at anything other than perpendicular to work surface).

[Mike Hollingsworth]

Their copy of the multiMaster beats the Original for under $100.
And who thought of a battery powered caulking gun?

[Earl Rumans]

Their copy of the multiMaster beats the Original for under $100.
And who thought of a battery powered caulking gun?
I have the caulking gun, I recently used it to re-caulk my kitchen and master bath. What a time saver, as well as saving my arm from all the squeezing. One of the neatest tools is their M12 PVC pipe cutter. https://www.milwaukeetool.com/power-tools/cordless/2470-21 I just had to redo all the piping for my pool, so I picked this tool up. What a lifesaver, working by myself it would have taken me much much longer to get all the perfect cuts this tool provided.

[Mike Kees]

Malcolm I am a full time carpenter with a crew of 2-3 guys. We switched to milwaukee M18 tools in 2012. I am still using the three original batteries that I bought in 2012. The tools are excellent. I do however buy only the "fuel'' brushless versions. I have owned Bosch, Dewalt and craftsman in the past, Milwaukee is by far the best. I seriously thought about Makita,I have quite a few friends in trades that use them. Makita batteries have issues lasting here in Alberta,maybe it is the colder weather. Good luck with your choice,Mike.

[John TenEyck]

I have a M18 hammer drill and impact driver; bought them as a refurbished set with two 3 aH batteries and a 12/18V charger from CPO for about $200 2 years ago. They looked and smelled new. The only thing I noticed slightly amiss is the drill doesn't spin exactly true, there is just a slight bit of runout in it which doesn't really effect it in use. Don't know if others are like that, it has something to do with the hammer drill feature, or it got dinged. In any case, both tools are powerhouses. In regular drill mode the drill will cut 3/4" holes in PT lumber with a spade bit w/o much effort, and cut 2-1/8" lockset holes with a hole saw with no more effort. The hammer drill function is similarly good. I've drilled quite a few 1/2" x 6" deep holes in 20 year old concrete with it. It gets pretty warm but never slows down. The impact driver is amazing. I've driven 8" timber screws into PT beams with it w/o predrilling. 3" and 4" screws in PT lumber are child's play; it will drive them all day long on 2 batteries, at least as fast as I work. For light work it's too powerful and you have to be careful not to snap off the screw. Actually, it will snap off 4" GRK construction screws, too, if you horse on them too much. Never had a bit of trouble with either tool in 2 years.

I just bought the M18 6-1/2" circular saw. I bought this one new as a bare tool, again from CPO for about $109 to my door. I've used it to cut up a few sheets of 3/4" plywood into planter boxes. The miter adjustment is very nice and solid, and the saw cuts great with the stock blade about as fast as you can push it through the sheet. It drains the battery pretty fast though. I think I drained a fully charged battery in less than 2 sheets, although there were quite a few cuts that needed to be made. Probably less than 100 ft of cutting though. I'm plenty happy with it for what I paid for it but think the Fuel version is likely a lot more capable if $ are not a concern.

John

[John Lankers]

I bought a 9 tool kit in 2008 and replaced one of the original 2 batteries this Jan., I used most off the tools hard while I was still farming and only the impact driver is losing some off it's "oomph" now. I also bought a large kit as a gift for my son a few years ago when he graduated from college, he uses his tools every day at work and loves them.
Buy brushless tools if you can and when buying batteries check the AH ratings, not only the price. I believe they offer a 9 AH battery now which is very impressive.

[Wayne Lomman]

I used to use Makita cordless drills professionally but changed about 6 or 7 years ago to Milwaukee. I won't be changing back. The engineering shop uses dewalt and they are forever replacing failed batteries. Cheers

[Aaron carter]

I have a M18 hammer drill and impact driver; bought them as a refurbished set with two 3 aH batteries and a 12/18V charger from CPO for about $200 2 years ago. They looked and smelled new. The only thing I noticed slightly amiss is the drill doesn't spin exactly true, there is just a slight bit of runout in it which doesn't really effect it in use. Don't know if others are like that, it has something to do with the hammer drill feature, or it got dinged. In any case, both tools are powerhouses. In regular drill mode the drill will cut 3/4" holes in PT lumber with a spade bit w/o much effort, and cut 2-1/8" lockset holes with a hole saw with no more effort. The hammer drill function is similarly good. I've drilled quite a few 1/2" x 6" deep holes in 20 year old concrete with it. It gets pretty warm but never slows down. The impact driver is amazing. I've driven 8" timber screws into PT beams with it w/o predrilling. 3" and 4" screws in PT lumber are child's play; it will drive them all day long on 2 batteries, at least as fast as I work. For light work it's too powerful and you have to be careful not to snap off the screw. Actually, it will snap off 4" GRK construction screws, too, if you horse on them too much. Never had a bit of trouble with either tool in 2 years.

I just bought the M18 6-1/2" circular saw. I bought this one new as a bare tool, again from CPO for about $109 to my door. I've used it to cut up a few sheets of 3/4" plywood into planter boxes. The miter adjustment is very nice and solid, and the saw cuts great with the stock blade about as fast as you can push it through the sheet. It drains the battery pretty fast though. I think I drained a fully charged battery in less than 2 sheets, although there were quite a few cuts that needed to be made. Probably less than 100 ft of cutting though. I'm plenty happy with it for what I paid for it but think the Fuel version is likely a lot more capable if $ are not a concern.

John
I agree with the runout problem. I have the fuel drill and impact and took mine in for repair due to poor runout issues still had some bad runout with the replaced chuck. Makita actually owns a company that is known for their quality chucks and have almost no runout. I like the rest of Milwaukees line up better which is why I went with them but if I just needed a drill I may go with makita brushless because of the quality chuck.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Good feedback- thanks to all. I went by HD today and it seems the Milwaukee stuff is considerably more expensive. I want to stick with the Fuel brushless, as I did find a lot of difference with them in the M12 series. I will still likely go with the Milwaukee. I mainly need a hammer drill and cutoff saw.

[Mike Hollingsworth]

I have the caulking gun, I recently used it to re-caulk my kitchen and master bath. What a time saver, as well as saving my arm from all the squeezing.

It can empty a tube in 3 seconds.

[Brian Lefort]

We used to use Makita in our construction company. Got tired of the platform changing. I have held off for a while switching, but recently gone with Milwaukee. Reason is work was done at my dad's house 2 yrs ago (whole house generator installed). Dad passed away a few months ago, and I have been cleaning out the cellar. I came across a milwaukee flashlight with the double sized M18 battery. Turned it on, and it worked. hit the battery charge tester, and it was 50%!. 2 years in his cellar sold me.

[Bill Dindner]

I have a few m18 products, really like the Fuel Circ Saw and the Surge impact. I don't care for the Fuel Hammer/ Drill/ driver, it's powerful but the clutch is so imprecise it's basically useless on soft woods like construction grade lumber. If I had to start over, I'd likely try another brand, maybe Bosch.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

UPDATE: I am now officially a Milwaukee addict. Let me say first- I respect that there are great tools out there from many different manufacturers, but I have to say Milwaukee has an amazing lineup with the need only to buy two types of batteries- the M12 and the M18. As mentioned in the original post, I have had an issue with the switch on the M12, but also I totally abuse them, so I wasn't ready to write Milwaukee off just yet. I'm glad I did not. I ended up getting the M18 hammer drill and impact driver set. As you all may know, I recently rode out two hurricanes. That drill and driver was able to board up my house, my neighbor's house, and help boarding up yet another neighbor's house, all on one charge. They are amazing tools, very well built, and very well thought out. I ended up also getting the 7 1/4" saw, and have now on order the SDS Plus rotary hammer (I live in a stone house- even to hang a picture requires a tough drill), the impact wrench, and am soon going to order the portable deep cut bandsaw.

Also, I bought for the storm an array of LED lights that use the M12 batteries, as well as the M18 radio. Those things quite literally were lifesavers, as they carried us through the storm, and have now carried us through almost two months without power. I charge up the lights with the generator, and then shut down the generator and use the M12 LED's for lights. One floodlight lights up a room to the point you forget that the power is off. Also these have been rained on a few times and although I do not believe they are supposed to be waterproof, they have withstood me leaving them on the porch when a torrential rain came along.

I do have other brands of tools, but have converted all my cordless tools to Milwaukee and am very pleased with them. I am just posting this update for anyone that might be searching through the archives and come along the post. Go with the Milwaukee M18 and you will not be sorry. The M12 lineup is also excellent. The M18 tools come with a charger that will charge M18 and M12, which is very handy. The main advantage for the M12 is the lightweight. Some tools, like the clamp meter (which I also just ordered) uses the M12 because they don't need a lot of power. So you will probably end up with some of both. Most of their portable lights use the M12. The M12 6.0AH battery pack will power their LED flood light through a whole evening, which for me means 6PM to around 10 PM, with power to spare. Usually after that they are on two of four "blips" on the battery indicator. As for the M12 drills, I love them for their light weight, but living in a stone and concrete house I kind of abuse them. Now that I have upgraded to M18, I am reserving the M12's for drilling holes in wood in the shop and when I need a lightweight drill, like when balancing on a ladder.

[Andrew Joiner]

I followed your hurricane experiences with Milwaukee tools Malcolm. I bet if you tell the Milwaukee company your story they may sponsor you or donate to your community. If they read your posts about their tools being lifesavers to you and your neighbors, they would have to be inspired. Your real life experience is better than any "made up" advertisement.

[Tim M Tuttle]

The bulk of my tools are from a 14 piece Craftsman set I got in 2004. I upgraded the batteries to lithium earlier this year. The drill and driver work great. The rest in the set are worthless. Going to be upgrading to a new platform shortly and Milwaukee is on the list. However, I bought a Dewalt Flexvolt grinder earlier this year which came with two batteries so I am already knee deep in Dewalt.

It surprises me that Home Depot's major push in your area is Milwaukee. I go to two or three different HDs in this area and they all push Dewalt as much or more than Milwaukee.

[Larry Edgerton]

Throw the Dewalts away and start over. No hurricane like Malcolm, but I use my tools to put food on the table, and have switched to Milwaukee totally.

Malcolm, good to hear you are OK. Hell of a deal.......