Milwaukee M18 Fuel!

[HappyHippyDad]

I was working alongside the plumber yesterday. I had to drill some 32mm holes through joists. I always use my Makita 481 high torque drill will a spade bit that has a screw thread on the end. The makita drill will always go through it on t he high torque (slower speed) setting but often stops if I have it on the faster setting.

The plumber got out his Milwaukee M18FPD2 combi drill and it went through like butter. High speed straight through! We did a proper test, using the same drill bit and with both of us trying it.

He then did the same test with his Milwaukee impact driver M18FID2, straight through. I tried with my Makita impact driver and didn't get anywhere. Plus the Milwaukee impact driver was quite short and fitted in between shorter joist spans.

here is a link of the tools he used gen-3-combi-drill-and-impact-driver-kit/p29527?store=SP&utm_source=googleshopping&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=googleshoppingfeed&mkwid=_dm&pcrid=null&pkw=null&pmt=null&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD-

lastly!!! He then got out his Milwaukee multi tool and cut through a piece of wood more like a circular saw than a multi tool. Again, I got out my fairly new Makita multi tool (fully charged battery) and it took bloody ages to get through (at least 3 - 4 times longer).

I realise this thread reads like an advert for Milwaukee M18fuel, but all 3 tools were bloody amazing. Just working out how to justify getting them though, when all my 1000's of tools are Makita!

The builder wasn't too happy though as we didn't get much work done with all of our scientific tests going on

Ps.. I believe Milwaukee do a different range of products, this was the Milwaukee FUEL. I have no idea what their other range is like.

 

[timhoward]

I have the Milwaukee M18 FUEL PD2 combi and it is indeed a brilliant machine.

 

[LukeD]

Ive used a few and they are very very good.

 

[nicebutdim]

Can't fault Milwaukee tools, but I've never noticed any major differences on site. I'll give guys using Milwaukee a lot of carp and they'll throw plenty back at me about Makita, but we use each other's tools all the time and one brand is broadly similar to another.

Makita do tend to go over the top with internal protection. The DHP481 generates something like 120nm on low speed, but considerably less on high speed before torque limiter cuts in. Impact drivers from Makita range from useless to very powerful, so it's difficult to know what you might have.

One question I would raise is the quality and condition of cutting tools used as you've recently posted another thread in which you've stated your reluctance about replacing a two year old chaser blade Joking aside this may not account for the differences you found, but could equally make a huge difference. I tend to buy drill bits from Heller, Reiser and Dormer- they're expensive, but worth every penny and I'll keep old bits for cutting through dry lining. Multi tool blades I tend to buy cheap and in big packs as I invariably cut a lot of blade destroying dry wall. I do keep a couple of good blades for rare times I'm cutting mdf or metal, but i mostly use cheap on softwoods and just accept the slower cut.

 

[Vortigern]

I'm called the Milwaukee kid on site as everything is Milwaukee, pack out, you name it. They were going to buy me a Milwaukee cup! I have found the brushless fuel range excellent. I have tried the rest extensively except makita. The only reason I have never bought makita apart from everyone has them and they can't nick my batteries as they wont fit, is watching them on site Makita always seem to be breaking down and seem to have really big singing chargers. So yeh Milwaukee for me so far.

 

[nicebutdim]

I'm called the Milwaukee kid on site as everything is Milwaukee, pack out, you name it. They were going to buy me a Milwaukee cup! I have found the brushless fuel range excellent. I have tried the rest extensively except makita. The only reason I have never bought makita apart from everyone has them and they can't nick my batteries as they wont fit, is watching them on site Makita always seem to be breaking down and seem to have really big singing chargers. So yeh Milwaukee for me so far.

Over here the opposite is generally found, with Milwaukee being by far the dominant brand on site. Some of the guys I work with are often decked out in Milwaukee branded clothing. It's all a bit mad when you stop to think about it - would anyone proudly wear a Hikvision T-shirt or TikTok hoody?

 

[SparkySy]

Yep same here all Milwaukee gear! It's nearly bulletproof, I have an over 10 year old impact driver that's been absolutely faultless. I will strip it and grease the impact heads from time to time and it's had new batteries but it's unstoppable! It was the first bit of Milwaukee I bought and since then the kit has grown dramatically!
Last thing I bought was the cable stapler and that is amazing too!!
Well worth the money imho!
Before that I was always a Bosch kid and do still run a couple of their tools just because they are still going strong, the 36v SDS must be nearly 20 by now and used nearly daily!
I have a mate who if cut in half would have Dewalt running through him like a stick of rock! And to be fair I really can't tell much difference between that and the Milwaukee!
Sy

 

[Marvo]

I don't do the kind of installation work you guys do, I mostly work in control panels so I hardly ever need to drill big holes through thick material.

With getting older I've been more concentrating on getting my tools lighter, my days of lugging 50 kilos of tools onto or into a roof are over. I've been going the opposite direction and I've got some Milwalkee M12 tools in the last year or two, namely a multitool, a pop riveter, an impact driver and a drill. They're all very capable tools, the drill can easily run a 32mm hole cutter through 1.2 or 1.5mm thick 304 or 316 s/steel. The pop riveter is a revalation if you ever need to do more than 1 or 2 rivets anytime. It can easily do 50 or 60 stainless 5mm rivets on a battery, probably more and it's effortless.

Can't speak to the M18 range but if you're looking for a capable and more portable option I can hikghly recommend their M12 fuel range.

 

[nicebutdim]

I don't do the kind of installation work you guys do, I mostly work in control panels so I hardly ever need to drill big holes through thick material.

With getting older I've been more concentrating on getting my tools lighter, my days of lugging 50 kilos of tools onto or into a roof are over. I've been going the opposite direction and I've got some Milwalkee M12 tools in the last year or two, namely a multitool, a pop riveter, an impact driver and a drill. They're all very capable tools, the drill can easily run a 32mm hole cutter through 1.2 or 1.5mm thick 304 or 316 s/steel. The pop riveter is a revalation if you ever need to do more than 1 or 2 rivets anytime. It can easily do 50 or 60 stainless 5mm rivets on a battery, probably more and it's effortless.

Not only weight to consider, Marvo, but also size. The world's best power tool becomes useless when it won't fit where you need it. Generally I try to find a compromise between power, weight and size, but sometimes it isn't possible. I often drill sizeable or deep holes in masonry and don't want to stand about all day waiting to get from one side to the other, so carry a very big SDS and a dinky litte 12V. I might use the big SDS on five consecutive days or may not use it for several months, but the 12V is used daily for 5.5/6mm holes. Note the '12V' as opposed to 'M12' - apparently in Japan they measure voltage in Volts, rather than Milwaukees

 

[strider6]

Definitely find it's not as simple as brand vs brand, but what area of their lineup the tools sit in.
A cheap Milwaukee will lose to the top of the line Makita any day. I run mostly metabo 12v and 18v, never see them on site so nobody can steal my batteries and I'm quite happy with the kit I have, and the unique features that some other brands just don't do, and I lent my grinder to someone and they were shocked at how smooth it ran.

 

[nicebutdim]

Definitely find it's not as simple as brand vs brand, but what area of their lineup the tools sit in.
A cheap Milwaukee will lose to the top of the line Makita any day. I run mostly metabo 12v and 18v, never see them on site so nobody can steal my batteries and I'm quite happy with the kit I have, and the unique features that some other brands just don't do, and I lent my grinder to someone and they were shocked at how smooth it ran.

Metabo have been making good power tools for a long time. I used them extensively back in the days when everything was corded and still have a cordless Metabo percussion drill from the NiMH days. From memory the chuck lasted two days, but otherwise it was an excellent drill.

The only reasons I opted for Makita when moving to Li-ion batteries was the lack of local availability for Metabo cordless tools and also a very limited range at that time. Never met anyone who complained about Metabo.

 

[strider6]

Metabo have been making good power tools for a long time. I used them extensively back in the days when everything was corded and still have a cordless Metabo percussion drill from the NiMH days. From memory the chuck lasted two days, but otherwise it was an excellent drill.

The only reasons I opted for Makita when moving to Li-ion batteries was the lack of local availability for Metabo cordless tools and also a very limited range at that time. Never met anyone who complained about Metabo.

I've been very happy with them, I had a couple dewalt bits before but honestly I felt like they were crap on the repairability side (most items you cannot buy the trigger/switch for), and were lacking in general quality given the prices, so decided to sell off before I got too deep into their ecosystem.
I only kept the multitool (with a battery adaptor) since I would say the dewalt one has a superior blade change mechanism and trigger. I have a dewalt 12v laser too now since it was a fantastic deal at Elex but probably wouldn't get anything more from them.

My complaints with metabo are really that some of their more niche stuff is overly cheapened for no apparent reason, despite being marketed as a premium brand, and that their 12v line is really lacking. The core tools are as good as any other though, and I get great pricing through a distributor.

 

[LukeD]

Metabo are far superior than most people imagine and excellent value .I might buy their cordless mitresaw ..

 

[strider6]

Metabo are far superior than most people imagine and excellent value .I might buy their cordless mitresaw ..

I've heard the 18v mitresaw from them isn't great quality on the inside, and honestly for at least me, I'd probably be looking at a corded one anyway given it would be a stationary and infrequently used tool. But you may need it for a different situation.
Worth having a watch of Dean Doherty on youtube if you ever frequent there, it's very interesting how crap the internals of some tools are and how unrepairable some are just due to the manufacturer not allowing you to buy parts separately. Made me think of my tool purchases much more carefully now as I like them to last.

 

[nicebutdim]

That's something else I like about Metabo and Makita. Every component is available to buy as a spare and parts drawings are freely available.

 

[LukeD]

That's something else I like about Metabo and Makita. Every component is available to buy as a spare and parts drawings are freely available.

exactly.....I needed a part for my big mitre saw and it was simple to purchase . I also have their Random orbital sander and it sure can sand !!!

 

[nicebutdim]

exactly.....I needed a part for my big mitre saw and it was simple to purchase . I also have their Random orbital sander and it sure can sand !!!

I have a lot of old Makita and Metabo corded tools and most parts are still available at very reasonable prices. Compare that to recent cordless tools from other brands and it looks as though a simple component failure to lead to scrapping of the tool. I guess a lot of tools would be scrapped anyway if something simple failed, but I'm not a fan of throwing stuff away if economical repair can be made. One downside with all modern tools is potted electronics used almost exclusively in brushless models.

 

[strider6]

I have a lot of old Makita and Metabo corded tools and most parts are still available at very reasonable prices. Compare that to recent cordless tools from other brands and it looks as though a simple component failure to lead to scrapping of the tool. I guess a lot of tools would be scrapped anyway if something simple failed, but I'm not a fan of throwing stuff away if economical repair can be made. One downside with all modern tools is potted electronics used almost exclusively in brushless models.

The dewalt 54V grinders are the worst I've seen for that, you cannot buy any part of the inside electronics separately, the motor, switch or contacts go and it totals the grinder for no reason. It really should be illegal to do what they're doing.

 

[mhar]

If you are impressed with the Milwaulke fuel 18V impact driver, wait until you use the Milwaulke 12V surge impact driver. It is hydraulic, quiet, controllable and powerful. Cracking bit of kit, only problem with it is that I now have a spare 18V impact that no longer gets used

 

[LukeD]

The dewalt 54V grinders are the worst I've seen for that, you cannot buy any part of the inside electronics separately, the motor, switch or contacts go and it totals the grinder for no reason. It really should be illegal to do what they're doing.

same as Mirka /metabo orbital sanders