Does anyone have any comments or criticism about Milwaukee’s cordless tools? I’m considering buying the 18v four tool set (circ saw, sawzall, drill, light) to replace my (don’t laugh, please) Black and Decker 14.4 volt Firestorm set. The batteries are about shot after a year and a half of hard jobsite use. (I bought the set to do some outdoor projects but soon after started framing houses–you know the rest.) I have the Mil radio so I could use the batteries in that. Also, I’ve read very favorable reviews about the drill in particular.
I’ve also used the DeWalt 18v set, and they’re also very good, but I’d like to get something other than Black and yellow this time. Thanks in advance.
Quality before Quantity
Replies
The new Lok-Tor series is great. We upgraded to them from the yellow stuff. Their 14.4 V tools have more torque than the 18V yellow one. The price is probably a little more than you would pay otherwise, but like your tag line says...
Hope this helps. Rich.
I do not own any Milwaukee cordless tools but know quite a few guys who swear by them not at them. My only red tool is a 3/8 hammer drill that has performed great. My local supplier has some great prices and a web store. He had the radio for $71 today only, that is one kicka## sounding radio! Good family business, had an open house today with Milwaukee and Makita reps. I have no affiliation other than a satisfied customer.
http://www.heavydutytools.net/
I have used the Mil 18v for quite a while -- first was a 18v sawzall, with the old style "L" shape battery. Kudos to milwaukee, since they kept the same interface -- the new batts will still fit on the old sawzall, they just don't look right, but they work/fit fine. Chargers are almost exactly the same, so I can charge 2 drill batteries at once.
I have the 1/2" 18v drill/driver, takes some hard knocks. Made a deal on it, in that it came with 2 batteries, got the Milwaukee newsletter within a couple of days, had a coupon for a free battery if you purchased one of several tools in the 18v line.
I'd have no hesitation in buying/using/recommending the Milwaukee 18v tools.
Oh, one downside I forgot to mention about the Milwaukee 18v....the batts are hard to release sometimes----there is a tab on each side of the batt that has to be pushed in.---squees with thumb and forefinger, sometimes u have to squeeze and then tap the end of the battery against something to get it started sliding--just a tight fit.
Real hard to do when your fingers are cold and numb. I did notice that my newest battery, the free one, does release easier than the black ones that came with the drill (the new one is red). The old style "L" shaped battery released easily, but has the same type 2 finger squeeze to release.
I can't speak of anything new other then the limited experience I have using other guys stuff at work and it's all been pretty good.
I bought my Grandfather a 12v cordless drill, probably about 7 years ago or so, he used it day in day out for probably about 4 years, I inherited it back when he passed away, had one of the batteries rebuilt, and used it regulary for about about a year, then left it at my parents place so there was something there when I was over, it's still going strong, no problems at all.
Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, Professional build the Titanic.
Go for it. I have the same kit you're looking at, only I have the "Hatchet" instead of a 'real' cordless sawzall, and now the drills in kits are/should be "Lok-Tor" variety. Hatchet is a sawzall that has a handle that pivots, so handle can be inline with blade or a pistol grip. Pistol configuration allows it to fit between 16" stud bay. Still perfoms all that I ask of it; I do not have a corded sawzall. Lok-Tor was not available when I purchased my kit early last summer.
I should mention that I am DIY, so mine does not get used day in day out. But I have zero doubt they are up to the task. I have used DeWalt cordless previously, and am much more impressed with Milwaukee.
If everything seems to be going well, you've obviously overlooked something.
And the milwaukee replacement parts are cheap enuf....bad switch in my corded sawzall, $9.11 with tax. Counter guy at the tool repair shop said one of the other colors, I think maybe DW, was about $40 for the same part.
Look into remanufactured. Much better pricing
Call 1-800-SAWDUST and ask for Bill. Super Mil rep. Very halpful
Heres one for Dewalt.
Bought a Milwaukee cordles kit mainly for the sawzal would cut 3 door plates then die. The Dewalt can cut all the plates a still power to spare.
Another little extra is if you wait every so often HD or another store will sell you a kit and throw in the radio, it also acts as a charger, the Milwaukee radio doesnt charge
> sawzal would cut 3 door plates then die.
That shouldn't be -- you might send that back to be checked out. Either the battery is bad, or the motor has some internal shorting, or excessive friction someplace.
-- J.S.
mhilton
" .... it also acts as a charger, the Milwaukee radio doesnt charge"
The Milwaukee doesnt charge but the sound is so much better than the yellow one.
I haven't heard the milwaukee so cant comment but i use mine on the jobsite and over saws,hammering,compressors and nail guns my Dewalt sounds great
I 've had a Millwaukee 18V drill for about a year now, and really like it. The one I have has the reversible battery, which is occasionally nice.
If you buy one, check the amp-hours on the bateries. The newer ones have 2.4 amp-hour batteries, where the old ones were 2.0. (I think)
The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery. [Winston Churchill]
I've been abusing daily a 14.4V Miwaukee drill for over 3 years. It's been great. Recently got a Bosch 18V Brute drill and circular saw (introductory deal both for 200 beans if I threw in an old cordless drill, hey what else do you do with a busted DeWalt?). The drill exceptionally nice, the saw is handy, but a bit cumbersome (hard to see the cut line) but not having a cord is great. I've also used the 18V DeWalt kits, no problems. Hey, it's so nice to just grab a saw out of the truck and not have to worry about a cord, you'll think you're so smart every time you use it<G>
EliphIno!
I used mine to drill up to 2 9/16" self feed holes in 2x4s. Wonder why it smoked out after 2 years of that kind of abuse?
crazy thing is that after setting around for a few days it worked again. lost some power but amazed me.
this was after I bought a new one of course!
RED is THE ONLY WAY!
Thanks to all of you guys for the good info. It'll be a while before I can afford to upgrade, but perhaps my boss can hook me up with a deal from the lumberyard. My B&D set has been very helpful and quite reliable for some time now, it's kind of surprising. And the Milwaukee radio (charger or not) is so much better than DW's. BTW, DW has a patent on the charger, that's why Milwaukee couldn't include it in their radio.Quality before Quantity
I had heard the patent story too but Ryobi must have licensed it because I believe they have one. I too have been looking at the radios. My supplier had an open house and had the Milwaukee playing. I could not believe how great it sounds, can charge cell phone and take inputs from cd player and MP3's too. If I had any Milwaukee batts and charger I would probably go with it. But then I can not think any job I would be on very long without power avail. I worked with a guy that had the DeWalt and really liked it until I heard the Milwaukee. The Cerwin Vegas in the house do not sound as good.
Edited 5/17/2003 10:16:40 PM ET by RASCONC
Edited 5/17/2003 10:19:54 PM ET by RASCONC
Well since I as of yet have no cordless Red tools, battery charging isn't a big deal. I normally carry my B&D chargers (2) in the little bag on the back of the radio. I plug one into the pass thru plug and one into the power pole. It's worked for me really well. And yes, again, there's no comparison of the radio to the DW. My crew has both, and my Red one is always the first out. My dad liked mine so much he bought himself one to bring outside by the pool!Quality before Quantity
And the icing on the cake here is my supplier was selling it for $71 factory new in box during the open house! The roving Chinese tool seller Homier was selling the DW reconditioned unit for $89, HD gets $129 for new. They sell Milwaukee, Makita, and limited Porter-Cable. He says his web store is going great. They are a family run electrical and plumbing supply house that usually has the best price around. The new 12" four vial Empire level was $7.90 yesterday.
Another downer to the DeWalt is that the charger is (or a least was) the basic one and does not have the tune-up mode or auto tune-up mode.
I am surprised my old helicopter pilot ears can hear the difference but I can. I guess the Rockford Fosgate radio design is a real step up.
I have the 18v cordless drill with hammer, couldn't be happier, real workhorse, of course all my milwaukee tools work great. Makita 18v is real nice great balance good tool.
I've got the Milwaukee 14.4 v driver/drill and the 18 volt sawzall and driver drill.
In my opinion, the 14v drill is OK, the sawzall is functional, but not impressive. The 18v drill is nowhere near as strong as the DeWalt, and mind you I really don't like most DeWalt tools.
The recip shakes the battery off under heavy use, and as has been pointed out already, the batteries can be really difficult to remove in cold weather or mud.
I'd say they are OK tools but I wouldn't buy them again.
When these die I'll buy impact drivers. Not too sure about the recip, maybe a 24v Bosch or Makita.
DRC
My Dad repairs tools for my cousins construction company, he says he wouldn't own a Milwaukee anything. Most of their stuff sees a lot of use/abuse, it's company owned and he runs a lot of crews. They use just about every brand, I would assume they get abused similarly. My Dad told me they have bins full of un-repairable Milwaukee stuff. Personally I own a Milwaukee Sawzall and a 1/2" hammer drill. No problems so far, but I take real good care of my tools, I paid for them.
That surprises me. I've had no need to repair any tool as yet (proper care goes a long way). But i've heard here and elsewhere that Milwaukee parts are pretty available, even for some very old tools. Also heard that comparative to other manufacturers, parts are cheap.If everything seems to be going well, you've obviously overlooked something.
I've been using daily a MW 18v 1/2"(non hammer) drill for about 1 1/2 yrs. Plenty-o-torque, and no problems.
On the frequent repair/unrepairable note, a coupla friends told me that HD buys downgraded versions of tools using bushings instead of bearings, etc. Maybe those ones being trashed by the crew were bought there?
Mike