# Replacing DeWalt 12v Max with Milwaukee M12 Fuel?



## SteveBayshore (Apr 7, 2013)

Picked up a Milwaukee M12 600mcm cable cutter a few weeks ago. Tried it a few days ago; NFG. Cutting a bunch of 600s, I spent more time trying to get it un-jammed than I did cutting conductors. Will be replacing with a Greenlee Gator as soon as I can afford it.


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## ilikepez (Mar 24, 2011)

I don't think so. Why change if you aren't absolutely floored on the idea? Dewalt makes quality stuff. They also have some brushless 12 volt max tools I think. I would just keep using the ones you have.


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## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

if you like milwaukee, you might be a plumber, maybe you should go terd herding.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

Stick with what feels right. I have had two Milwaukee products just come out of the repair depot, one is there right now and I have another to take back. That's four Milwaukee tools less than a year old that have had problems.


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## daveEM (Nov 18, 2012)

99 abuses his tools methinks :laughing:.

I've four M18s. Haven't pulled a corded tool for 6 months.


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

daveEM said:


> 99 abuses his tools methinks :laughing:.
> 
> I've four M18s. Haven't pulled a corded tool for 6 months.


I've got all M-18 stuff with no problems,And I beat the hell out of them too.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

daveEM said:


> 99 abuses his tools methinks :laughing:.
> 
> Maybe  ...
> 
> ...


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## Shane B (Feb 24, 2013)

SteveBayshore Picked up a Milwaukee M12 600mcm cable cutter a few weeks ago. Tried it a few days ago; NFG. Cutting a bunch of 600s, I spent more time trying to get it un-jammed than I did cutting conductors. Will be replacing with a Greenlee Gator as soon as I can afford it.

The Greenlee Gator is an awesome tool to have if you have alot of big cables to cut.


I just swapped over from dewalt to the M-18 line and there great


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## daveEM (Nov 18, 2012)

Two faulty trigger switches. Weird. I chopped out a hundred feet or so on a plaster walled reno I was doing. Up, down, sideways, - dust till the cows come home. Easier than fishing. Mask. Give her. Hackzall still runs like a champ. Use that tool all the time (M18)

My Fuel drill (M18) also drilled several hundred holes in that house. 2 inch and only one for the service tho. I hate my 4 inch hole saw and don't use it.

My impact and LED light are great... although I must admit my LED light did take a crap at about hour 20 hour mark (LED dimmed big time). It's replacement has run 100s of hours tho.


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## BraddaJ (Feb 23, 2013)

Used to be a makita user but my boss bought the 18 fuel and once I tried it I had to buy one... I also picked the fuel 12v drill driver and I love it! I kinda like the ergonomics of the dewalt but I love this new fuel!!! I think I'm gonna buy all Milwaukee from now on


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## UncleMike (Jan 2, 2013)

BraddaJ said:


> ...I kinda like the ergonomics of the dewalt but I love this new fuel!!!...


That's just it - each brand has their pros and cons. I like the ergonomics of the DeWalt better, but I wish they had a battery gauge. I've seen a standalone battery gauge for Ryobi 18v batteries. I wish DeWalt offered something like that; it would really help get me off the fence between Milwaukee and DeWalt.


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## Resiguy (Dec 5, 2007)

*Milwaukee Tools...*

I've had my M12 Hacksaw in for repairs after cutting drywall a few times as well. I brought it in for repairs, and since have had no problems with it. I don't cut drywall with it anymore, at least not overhead where the dust can pile inside of it. Overall though, all the Milwaukee products I've purchased I've been more than happy with. My m12 drill w/keyless chuck is almost 5 years now and beat the living crap out of it. Although, I did smoke two battery's after installing about 100 lag bolts when I first bought it. Wish I'd had my M18 impact to do that job which would have been a breeze. But the battery's have been improved since then too. 
I just purchased the newest version of the m12 fuel brushless Hammer/Drill driver and can't wait to test that out.


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## UncleMike (Jan 2, 2013)

I don't like the idea of reviving an ancient thread, but it seems like the best place to ask, since I started the thread in the first place...

A year later and I'm giving the M12 Fuel tools another chance, mainly because I miss the battery gauge and additional torque on the screw driver, allowing me to make fewer trips back to the van for my drill. But I'm having a problem with cam-out on phillips head screws, using the same driver bits, screws and wood as used with the DeWalt screwdriver, and I have no cam-out issues with the DeWalt. I'm able to drive the 2" #8 screws completely into the wood without any cam-out issues on the DeWalt, but the bit cams-out every time with the Milwaukee.

The only reason I can come up with for this is that the angle of the grip is causing me to not have the bit in line with the screw when using the Milwaukee. Does this sound likely, or do you have any ideas why this would be?


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## swissmiss177 (Feb 3, 2012)

GAAAAAAAAAA philips are about as bad a the flats! 

for gods sake use robbie screws or torx if you have to. Other wise just might as well use nails for everything


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## FrunkSlammer (Aug 31, 2013)

Yeah I do hate phillips heads.. robertsons or death!

UncleMike, I had trouble for quite a while.. I used to own Makita and got really used to them. The angle is slightly different on the m12, but it will grow on ya. Now I can't use other brands because I'm used to the m12.


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## papaotis (Jun 8, 2013)

formerly being the only cheering section for those orange tools, i have not been happy at all with the new ones! i wish i could find my old ones, they were great!


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## AllWIRES (Apr 10, 2014)

papaotis said:


> formerly being the only cheering section for those orange tools, i have not been happy at all with the new ones! i wish i could find my old ones, they were great!


Are you suggesting I would be happier going from orange to m12? 

I'm so torn I can't sleep. HD website has the hammer drill, impact, and hackzall for $300. And I like that 2 batteries are only $80.

All this red love is infecting me.


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## wendon (Sep 27, 2010)

AllWIRES said:


> Are you suggesting I would be happier going from orange to m12?
> 
> I'm so torn I can't sleep. HD website has the hammer drill, impact, and hackzall for $300. And I like that 2 batteries are only $80.
> 
> All this red love is infecting me.


Make the switch. It's not worth the embarrassment on the job site having those yellow, homeowner brand power tools.


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## Mike_586 (Mar 24, 2009)

UncleMike said:


> That's just it - each brand has their pros and cons. I like the ergonomics of the DeWalt better, but I wish they had a battery gauge. I've seen a standalone battery gauge for Ryobi 18v batteries. I wish DeWalt offered something like that; it would really help get me off the fence between Milwaukee and DeWalt.


Years ago I switched from DeWalt to Milwaukee and remember the tools feeling kinda strange in the hands. Later most ECs switched over to Milwaukee as well and its pretty rare to see much from DeWalt anymore and the rare times I hold a DeWalt tool, they just don't feel right anymore. 

Honestly I find that most of the tastes in ergonomics are more from familiarity than anything else.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

I was a huge fan of Dewalt, then I switched to Milwaukee. I can't see going back. Now that I think about it, I see less and less of Dewalt out there.
I think the dozen or so batteries I had to buy using Dewalt sealed the deal.
I do still use the small Dewalt vacuum and will until I find one that uses a Milwaukee battery.


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## wendon (Sep 27, 2010)

jrannis said:


> I was a huge fan of Dewalt, then I switched to Milwaukee. I can't see going back. Now that I think about it, I see less and less of Dewalt out there.
> I think the dozen or so batteries I had to buy using Dewalt sealed the deal.
> I do still use the small Dewalt vacuum and will until I find one that uses a Milwaukee battery.


I've got it!:thumbsup: M18

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwauke...ss-Wet-Dry-Vacuum-Tool-Only-0880-20/202043806


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## AllWIRES (Apr 10, 2014)

wendon said:


> Make the switch. It's not worth the embarrassment on the job site having those yellow, homeowner brand power tools.


These are the type of comments I find irritating.

I'll be sure to keep this in mind when spending hard earned dollars...


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## FrunkSlammer (Aug 31, 2013)

I'm sure Dewalt has some good professional quality product lines, but the Dewalt stuff I see out there in the hands of people is usually DIY/Consumer grade junk, not professional quality.


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## AllWIRES (Apr 10, 2014)

Does anyone in service/maintenance have daily experience with the M12 series?


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## mobiledynamics (Dec 15, 2012)

Apples - Oranges. 
Some like Fords, Some like Chevys....

YMMV with any brand....


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## EBFD6 (Aug 17, 2008)

AllWIRES said:


> Does anyone in service/maintenance have daily experience with the M12 series?


I am a commercial/industrial service electrician. I use the m12 line exclusively. If you are thinking about going m12, make sure to buy the fuel drill. It has much more power than the non-fuel version. It also has a 1/2" chuck. The little bandsaw is awesome. The impactor gets used everyday for everything. The multi-tool has been a lifesaver on more than one occasion. In summary, a solid tool line, especially for service work. Construction might need something a little beefier, and I doubt you could rough a house with it (I've never roughed a house in my life, but I would imagine drilling that many holes through wood beats on a drill). I'm happy with the m12 line and definitely recommend it.


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

I switched everything to M18 and I haven't looked back. Best cordless tools I've owned, hands down. I'm sure M12 is just as good.


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## BababooeyHTJ (May 31, 2013)

I love Milwaukee's m12 line.

That said, I prefer my brushless 20v max drill to Milwaukee's m18 fuel.

Doesn't seem as powerful but runtime seems better, I don't have to worry about breaking my wrist, and I love that 3 spend transmission.


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## UncleMike (Jan 2, 2013)

wendon said:


> I've got it!:thumbsup: M18
> 
> http://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwauke...ss-Wet-Dry-Vacuum-Tool-Only-0880-20/202043806


I've got the Milwaukee M18 vacuum too, and I like it better than the comparable DeWalt 2 gallon vac, but DeWalt has a smaller (1/2 gallon?) vac that I do miss; it's great for cleaning up after old work drywall cutouts.

Sent from my Moto X using TapaTalk


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## FrunkSlammer (Aug 31, 2013)

That little Dewalt vacuum works pretty good, I like it. But I wouldn't switch to Dewalt tools just to have a nice portable vacuum. The Milwaukee m18 vacuum has more power (in my opinion), but it's quite a bit larger.. but at least it's rectangular and easy to stow away.


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## papaotis (Jun 8, 2013)

allwires, no im not suggesting you drop orange and go red, just saying that the quality of rigid has dropped considerably, and even though they have the lsa, im starting to think its not worth taking the the stuff infor repairs and bad batteries so often! i had them replace the chuck on my les year old 18v hammer drill because it kept coming loose while drilling. new one does the same thing!:blink:also, i dont have red battery tools, but i have some corded ones that are 30 years old and still going strong!


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## AllWIRES (Apr 10, 2014)

The more I look into the m12 series the better it looks. Even have a thermal camera and a sds hammer. Kind of worried about power but they seem to have as good or better specs then most 18s.


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## FrunkSlammer (Aug 31, 2013)

I love m12, wouldn't change to any other brand at this point.

That thermal camera is ridiculously expensive though.


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## Wpgshocker (Jan 25, 2013)

AllWIRES said:


> The more I look into the m12 series the better it looks. Even have a thermal camera and a sds hammer. Kind of worried about power but they seem to have as good or better specs then most 18s.


I switched from an entire Makita kit to the M12 series. I have every fuel tool(hackzall pre-ordered) and a ton of other regular tools. I regret nothing. The Fuel SDS easily chews through 90% of my daily crap. Anything bigger than 3/4 -1" I typically pull out the Hilti. The only tool that hasn't really impressed me is the angle drill, but given how often I need it, it gets the job done in a pinch.


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## UncleMike (Jan 2, 2013)

Wpgshocker said:


> I switched from an entire Makita kit to the M12 series. I have every fuel tool(hackzall pre-ordered) and a ton of other regular tools. I regret nothing. The Fuel SDS easily chews through 90% of my daily crap. Anything bigger than 3/4 -1" I typically pull out the Hilti. The only tool that hasn't really impressed me is the angle drill, but given how often I need it, it gets the job done in a pinch.


The M12 Fuel SDS marketed as max 5/8" hole size (solid bit). You also use it for up to 1" holes? If so, for pre-drilling for fasteners or for passing through a wall?


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## Wpgshocker (Jan 25, 2013)

UncleMike said:


> The M12 Fuel SDS marketed as max 5/8" hole size (solid bit). You also use it for up to 1" holes? If so, for pre-drilling for fasteners or for passing through a wall?


I push a 1/4 or 3/8 first, then the 1". It flies through, no overheating etc. I do floor penetrations, cinder block and poured this way. When I do 1" poured, I take my time and let the bit do its job, but always with a pilot hole. Always with a Hilti brand bit.

I typically use it for anchors and Tapcons as well. So nice and lite for up on the ladder.


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