Need opinion on Milwaukee 12 volt Lithium-Ion driver

[Louis Brandt]

Hello,
Does anyone have an opinion on the 12 volt Lithium-Ion Milwaukee driver that Home Depot is selling for $129, with charger and battery? I didn't write down the model number. It's not on clearance, it's just their regular price, but for the money and the Milwaukee name, that seems to me to be a good buy, and it's an Li-Ion unit. I'm wondering whether anyone has one and if so, what's their opinion.
Louis

[J. Z. Guest]

I bought one, and I really like it, but if I had it to do again, I'd get the Bosch 10.8 V one.

The reason is that lithium-ion cells are all nominally 3.6 V. Three cells like this yields 10.8 V. The Milwaukee & Bosch each have three cells. Milwaukee even copied the battery contact design. So how is one rated 10.8 V, and the other 12 V?

The Ratings Game, that's how. The open circuit voltage of the Milwaukee is just under 12 V. Under load, I'm sure it isn't. (there's no good way to measure it)

Milwaukee advertises more speed, and more torque. I doubt that's true. Assuming the same caliber of motor (they both use cheap can motors) same caliber of battery (they do, Milwaukee just puts extra padding or something in there) etc. more speed = less torque.

I really like it, but I'm bitter for having gotten duped by the ratings game and paid an extra $20-30 more for what amounts to nothing or nearly nothing. I thought Milwaukee was above that sort of BS.

Now, the boxes on the newer Bosches say: 10.8 V (in small letters) and "12 V MAX" in a big red triangle.

Onto the main question: Ergonomically, it is great. The enclosure is rugged & thick plastic. The rubber overmolding is nice. The weight & balance are outstanding. The clutch is smooth and the settings are well-spaced. The clutch is very nice and so's the nylon case. The case has that godforsaken big dorky MADE IN CHINA tag on it, but the seams seem to be sewn well and the zippers are ultra smooth. One thing I really like about it is the chuck. When I pull out on it, the bit pops out just a bit, and the chuck stays out a bit. When I put the next bit in, it snaps/locks into place.

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[Joe Vincent]

I have one and like it a lot. I believe it's on Amazon as a "Gold Box Special" today.