Milwaukee Tools

Again, I see nothing wrong with tinkering. My understanding of the REDLINK is that it is based on amp draw, I have tools that constantly shutdown an amp draw from the batteries when used outside their normal parameters. M12 FUEL Hammer drill when using 1 3/4" hole saw comes to mind, also our M18 FUEL stick vacuum. These tools will shut down when they are overdrawing amperage from the batteries. This preserves the tool and the battery. The M12 drill would wait until it cooled off and try again. The M18 Vacuum has a little O/L indicator that will tell you the filter is clogged and you need to clean it (will continue to run), it will flash at you if it is overdrawing amperage shut down.

If you just un-solder the batteries and attach alligator clips to a car battery, I am 98% sure you can operate the light, tool or other without having having an issue. BUT the item using the power might still shutdown based on it's own amp usage. Last thing to be said:

Milwaukee even has a 12v car charger for all M12/M18 batteries.

 

Yeah... I'd love to have some insight, because I don't see the "why"

 

I talked to an electrician at work. He said he left his lights on once and jumped his work van with a M-18 12 using a couple leads he made.

 

That wouldn’t surprise me. M18 12.0 battery is a beast.

 

I have this M18 Brushless (not FUEL) hex impact sitting in my HD eCart. $99 until April.

I then I ask myself: "do I want the M18 Brushless or the M12 Fuel with a hard case and free tool?"
So I will ask the red crowd -

1. Does anyone have the M18 brushless?
2. Do you use hard cases or do they just get in the way?
3. M12, if you had a choice between a Fuel or Fuel Surge what would you chose?
4. Free tool (not another oscillating tool, or drill) Lantern or Vacuum?

Money isn't the issue but... I want stop swapping out tools, especially with this three house renovations project about to get underway next month.

 

I have the Fuel, but I can't see the non-Fuel being any slouch, and at that price? How can you go wrong???? I hate hard cases; I like bags that I can jam stuff into, don't ned to lay everything out a certain way... If a choice and money wasn't an issue, go for the best, Fuel Surge. Lantern - my M18 vacuum chews through batteries at an impressive rate; I don't see M12 being a great option for a high-demand item.

 

I know at $99!!

That is what I keep coming back to... for $99 brushless M18, bag, charger, 2Ah battery. It will sit there in the eCart until we close on the properties next month. If the M12 Surge goes on super sale, I will grab that.

With all this switching around I have left myself with only 4 M12 items currently:

• M12 Tools - Impact Driver, Oscillating tool, Fuel 3/8 Impact Wrench, Fuel Hackzal
• Batteries - CP2.0, CP3.0, XC4.0 and XC6.0 honestly the CP3.0 is my favorite, its small and last a long time.
• M12 Chargers (2)

M18 has grown a bit.

• M18 - Fuel Stick Vacuum, 6 1/2" Fuel Circular Saw, M18 Chain Saw, Fuel Hammer Drill, Fuel High Torque Impact
• Batteries - CP3.0 H-O, (3) XC5.0, XC8.0 H-O, XC12.0 H-O
• M18/M12 Chargers - (2) standard, Rapid Charger

 

The mod would seem especially useful for the M12 inflator. Keep it in the truck and plug it into the truck when filling the tires and use a battery when using it away from the truck. The M12 tower light can run on battery or household current so it certainly seems like a possibility.

 

Agreed. For auto use it could really help to have options in a pinch.

Regarding the 'why' question above, I am new to a red tool switchover and was looking for options. Tokyo Joe I did not know abt the car charger, thx for mentioning it.

 

I think every major manufacturers of tools has some sort of automotive charger, Dc-Dc chargers are pretty simple. Milwaukee is the only mfg I know (without too much research) that does Hybrid charging on their tools like packout radios and lights that are also charging stations when plugged in. Seems like such an easy idea, but this is one of the things that Ryobi hasn’t done yet for it’s fans or lights; where you still need it running after the battery is exhausted and you want to just plug it in and charge it instead of pulling the battery and charger out and run an extension cord…

 

Welp, based on your current tool collection you need an m18 driver and it might as well be a $99 brushless with freebies. Just think how much sleep could be lost if you /don't/ get it.

I just got the m18 surge and it became my go-to for just about everything. What surprised me most about it is the lowest setting is perfectly gentle for small cabinet hinge screws and the like.

 

I dunno if I would go with a hex impact if you are mostly using it for automotive. Would prefer a 3/8” drive over hex.

1. I have some M18 brushless. Also have some non brushless. The non brushless stuff still works pretty good.
2. Have never used any of the hard cases. They are gathering dust in my basement.
3. Can’t say anything abt the Surge stuff, I don’t own any (yet).
4. Free tool… If M12 go with the lantern, if M18, get the vac. I recently bought the M12 stick vac and I am disappointed in it. Have had an M18 vac for years, it works well.

My two most recent free tools have been the M18 sander and the M12 radio. Haven’t used the sander yet but the radio is great.

 

Do you miss any of the power of the extra 100lbft that the Surge is lacking from the regular Fuel Impact? I guess I can always have the 3/8 Impact Wrench in the bag ready to drive bigger stuff. I do a lot of mixed work with the impact both Industrial and home renovations.

HA HA HA I haven't yet used a Milwaukee tool other than the M12 Oscillation tool on my current truck!

I was at first disappointed with our M18 Stick because the brush head is too aggressive and overloads the battery draw and shuts everything down, we have LVP flooring in our entire house so the non-brush head works great. I went with the M18 stick Vacuum over a Dyson because of cost and how many I see for sale re-manufactured. It has been 16 months with the stick vacuum and its pretty great for us!

 

Maybe my ears are sensitive, but I like the quietness of the surge more than I miss a putative performance hit vs. the non-hydraulic impact driver. I think the surge is plenty powerful/useful and makes an ideal daily driver. If the surge was bogged I could try the mid-torque, but for non-specialized stuff the surge seems good enough for me. I do residential stuff so no heavy projects for me though.

 

I absolutely love the Surge, the first time I used it I had to double take that it was actually impacting… Highly recommend!

 

Surge if mostly running screws if doing mix of smaller stuff and bigger lags go with the regular.

 

Hundred pound feet extra is nothing to sneeze at.
I have an M18 non fuel hex, an M12 non fuel hex, a 3/8 M12 fuel stubby and an M18 Fuel 1/2” high torque.

The two hex drives are work tools, have driven thousands of lag bolts with the M18 w/o issue. The others are home/garage tools for the most part.

My M12 stick vac just doesn’t suck so good. It is fine with dust, sawdust etc but lacks the stones for things like wood chips, small rocks etc. My m18 box vac handles all that with no issue (other then being loud).

 

Going back through your posts I realized you said M12 stick vacuum. While I was talking M18

Good to know the M12 vacuum is not ready for full use.

 

In reference to my question above, yes you can apply 12V from a power supply to the largest two spade connectors of the m12 light and it works as usual. On high mode at 12V it draws 0.973A, i.e. 11.6W.

 

Twins! I have that power supply in white!