# Converting from DeWalt to Milwaukee



## emtnut (Mar 1, 2015)

Well, this comes to mind


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## AlbertaBeef (Mar 30, 2013)

This will be the second best decision you will ever make!


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## RePhase277 (Feb 5, 2008)

Do it and don't look back. What can Milwaukee do better than DeWalt? Everything.


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## Switched (Dec 23, 2012)

Milwaukee is awesome!

I have a bunch of their stuff....

They look really pretty with their red and black color scheme.

They have a ton of different cordless options in both 12v and 18v.

But, the best part is, you get to know their repair department really really well! :laughing:

I have had so/so success with them, DeWalt also. Way better than the Makita experiment though, that went down in flames. (Speaking of cordless only).

The #1 thing about them is the product variety, they make just about everything in a cordless version.


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## Grogan14 (Jul 16, 2009)

For our trade, Milwaukee, hands down. If I were a carpenter, maybe it'd be Makita. 

I have been all Milwaukee for a couple of years now - most of it Fuel - and have not had one problem with any of them. Some folks are just brutal on tools.


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## zac (May 11, 2009)

Switched said:


> Milwaukee is awesome!
> 
> I have a bunch of their stuff....
> 
> ...


What's interesting with that switched is that 10 plus years ago milwaukee only sold a 4 piece combo set and offered very little else (in cordless ). 
I haven't had any problems except with the 12 volt hacksaw and oscillating tool (like a roto zip). I have had multiple of both and they had the same continuous problems which left them unusable. Also the old v28 batteries were junk. 


Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk


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## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

sorry to hear you're becoming a plumber.


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## cad99 (Feb 19, 2012)

Milwaukee seems to be more innovative on tools targeted on us. I been in warranty dept plenty
With both brands. Pretty much apples to apples in quality. The main reason I made the switch to big red is keeping track of batteries,there was a time that everyone on every job site had 100 plus Dewalt ni-cad 18v. 


Living the dream one nightmare at a time[emoji769]


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## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

Dewalt does have a powder actuated tool that that Milwaukee does offer.:gunsmilie:


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## wendon (Sep 27, 2010)

Switched said:


> Milwaukee is awesome!
> 
> I have a bunch of their stuff....
> 
> ...


You must have been targeted..... I've had excellent luck with Milwaukee. The Fuel stuff is great! Never had an M18 battery fail.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

I switched to Milwaukee a year or so when I got tired of keeping track of the crappy Dewalt batteries.
A nice plus was that the hammer drill and the impact fit right into the Dewalt cases.
That made it very easy for me.
Oh yeah, the $99 lantern LED light is the bomb. Would buy all Milwaukee just for that reason.


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## dthurmond (Feb 7, 2011)

Just bought the m18 hammer and impact driver and they are awesome . Not sure how long they will last but for what they cost should be a while .


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## David C (May 19, 2015)

Just man up and buy some Milwaukee Fuel like the rest of us, at least you won't look like a damn wood butcher !







TheApprentice_ said:


> be man!! get a truck and throw a tool box on it and there you go!


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## TheApprentice_ (Apr 11, 2015)

David C said:


> Just man up and buy some Milwaukee Fuel like the rest of us, at least you won't look like a damn wood butcher !
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hahahaha well I grew up using it because my dad is a wood butcher


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## David C (May 19, 2015)

TheApprentice_ said:


> Hahahaha well I grew up using it because my dad is a wood butcher


To be honest I have DeWALT, Bosch and Milwaukee at home, and DeWALT is hands down the most user-friendly/ergonomic drill/driver/impact I've used, while Milwaukee is the most powerful and expensive (I only have the Fuel versions of their tools), but Bosch was my first powertool that I bought for myself (1380slim angle grinder) as well as all my 12v powertools, because they're rugged, comfortable, not too expensive and offer more power than DeWALT while being more compact and lightweight than Milwaukee.

Like anything else in life, if it's wasn't for a proprietary power pack interface, everyone would be using Milwaukee batteries on DeWALT drills and Bosch wireless charger.


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## Spunk#7 (Nov 30, 2012)

About two years ago I got rid of assorted cordless tools and got all 20v Dewalt,everything! Didn't get any kits,so far I couldn't be happier. Everything taking 20v batteries allows me to have one battery per device,a real space saver. Never bought any Milwaukee cordless tools,so I can't help you with that. Good Luck!


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## Tortuga (Sep 22, 2014)

I have all Milwaukee stuff. The first mechanic I worked with had Milwaukee, so that's what I got too. The only issue I've had was trying to run holesaws and unibits with the 12v Fuel hammer drill. It was way more than that drill was built for and the transmission blew out of it by the end of the project. It would be fine for occasional use like that, but I was installing 14 rooftop units in a hurry and beat on it pretty hard.


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## TheApprentice_ (Apr 11, 2015)

David C said:


> To be honest I have DeWALT, Bosch and Milwaukee at home, and DeWALT is hands down the most user-friendly/ergonomic drill/driver/impact I've used, while Milwaukee is the most powerful and expensive (I only have the Fuel versions of their tools), but Bosch was my first powertool that I bought for myself (1380slim angle grinder) as well as all my 12v powertools, because they're rugged, comfortable, not too expensive and offer more power than DeWALT while being more compact and lightweight than Milwaukee.
> 
> Like anything else in life, if it's wasn't for a proprietary power pack interface, everyone would be using Milwaukee batteries on DeWALT drills and Bosch wireless charger.
> 
> ...



i would love milwaukee batteries on dewalt drills with the bosch wireless charger that would be absolutely amazing


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## catsparky1 (Sep 24, 2013)

I had DeWalt for years and years never a problem other than crap batteries . I make a living with my tools as us all . One day all my tools were stolen and my salesman at the supply house said try Millwaukee , I laughed so he made me a deal on non fuel tools (fuel didn't exist yet) . I treat my tools very well but not these . I made it a point to break them and I really tried hard to destroy them . I took courses on how to break them . I loaned them to other trades to break them . Well they don't break . Now I'm all gen two fuel and have most of the m18 tool line . 

Hands down Milwaukee is the best tools out there right now . Best thing I ever did was go big red . You will love the gen 2 fuel tools . Word of caution the hammer drill will rip you're arm off if you use it wrong .


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

Wait a second, I just noticed the OP is the cub asking about a credit card! 

Mannish Boy: you wear out the tools, then you convert if you want to. You have about three years to decide unless someone steals the Dewalts. 

If there was enough of a difference that it was making you unproductive, then you'd have a reason to switch now. Either one is way better than my first cordless, a Porter Cable 12V, which was good enough to do a TON of work with for three or four years, when the batteries went. That's back when Porter Cable made great cordless tools. And I walked ten miles barefoot in the snow to get to work, uphill, both ways.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

splatz said:


> Wait a second, I just noticed the OP is the cub asking about a credit card!
> 
> Mannish Boy: you wear out the tools, then you convert if you want to. You have about three years to decide unless someone steals the Dewalts.
> 
> If there was enough of a difference that it was making you unproductive, then you'd have a reason to switch now. Either one is way better than my first cordless, a Porter Cable 12V, which was good enough to do a TON of work with for three or four years, when the batteries went. That's back when Porter Cable made great cordless tools. And I walked ten miles barefoot in the snow to get to work, uphill, both ways.


Agreed. Use it, abuse it and, when it wears out, that's when you make a decision.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

splatz said:


> Wait a second, I just noticed the OP is the cub asking about a credit card!
> 
> Mannish Boy: you wear out the tools, then you convert if you want to. You have about three years to decide unless someone steals the Dewalts.
> 
> If there was enough of a difference that it was making you unproductive, then you'd have a reason to switch now. Either one is way better than my first cordless, a Porter Cable 12V, which was good enough to do a TON of work with for three or four years, when the batteries went. That's back when Porter Cable made great cordless tools. And I walked ten miles barefoot in the snow to get to work, uphill, both ways.


First cordless I had, circa late 1980s, was a Panasonic. I think their were maybe two professional choices back then not counting Craftsman


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

I switched to Panasonic after that Porter Cable, they were considered the top shelf drill at the time. 

Actually that porter cable was the first one I paid for, the first one I had was a 9.6V AEG a customer gave me. I didn't realize it when they gave it to me, but AEG was an expensive brand at the time.


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## zac (May 11, 2009)

Panosonic ' s were ahead of the times. I recall their metal cutting cordless saw 20 years ago. I think it was 15 volt. 

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## cad99 (Feb 19, 2012)

I really wanted to go to Panasonic when the dewalts died. But there price was so out of line. 


Living the dream one nightmare at a time


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## TheApprentice_ (Apr 11, 2015)

splatz said:


> Wait a second, I just noticed the OP is the cub asking about a credit card!
> 
> Mannish Boy: you wear out the tools, then you convert if you want to. You have about three years to decide unless someone steals the Dewalts.
> 
> If there was enough of a difference that it was making you unproductive, then you'd have a reason to switch now. Either one is way better than my first cordless, a Porter Cable 12V, which was good enough to do a TON of work with for three or four years, when the batteries went. That's back when Porter Cable made great cordless tools. And I walked ten miles barefoot in the snow to get to work, uphill, both ways.


thats what i decided to do is just wait till these die


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## TGGT (Oct 28, 2012)

I like Milwaukee but just wish they were at least USA owned/made. I have no reason to switch now since they sit at the house (union). Dewalt needs to catch up in the innovation department.


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## chknkatsu (Aug 3, 2008)

wow, a lot of milwaukee fans here. im a dewalt guy. have any of you tried the new brushless Dewalts?


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## David C (May 19, 2015)

chknkatsu said:


> wow, a lot of milwaukee fans here. im a dewalt guy. have any of you tried the new brushless Dewalts?


Yes and they aren't too bad, but the Milwaukee Fuel 2797-22 kit is still way more powerful and batteries last longer too. DeWALT ergonomic's is still better than Milwaukee tho.


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## wendon (Sep 27, 2010)

chknkatsu said:


> wow, a lot of milwaukee fans here. im a dewalt guy. have any of you tried the new brushless Dewalts?


Are you a plumber or a carpenter??


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## JBrzoz00 (Nov 17, 2013)

My Dewalt 18v was getting old and worn out. Just got the Milwaukee 2897-22 kit and got a free sawzall on a promo. The 5 amp hour batteries are great and the brushless drill is stupid powerful. Well worth the money. I basically kept the Dewalt rolling along until I needed new batteries. It just wasn't worth messing with the old Dewalt anymore.


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## HackMaster (Sep 4, 2015)

I've tried just about everything out there over the years and my experience is that DeWalt is second best but cost more then their dependability dictates. Every DeWalt tool I've owned either burnt out, gears broke or the clamshells broke. Ryobi was surprisingly the second best in cost to reliability considerations. My old Milwaukee 14.4v Drill still works to this day and I still have the 2/original batteries that still work. 

I'm not a fan of DeWalts new Brushless line, again, cost to reliability has a wide gap. They are way too pricy for what you can get out of it. I have all but converted to Milwaukee. They are running the company based on a principal to "Cut The Cord" and their tool releases are reflecting as much. There have been some bugs and flaws here and there but the cost of the tool is very good to the reliability. I've had very few problems, I've been using them for over 5 years and have over 60 tools. My tool chest is growing as they release more tools.
They are aggressively pursuing the electrical and plumbing trades and are starting to hit HVAC and Carpentry trades. They are very in tune with their users and have the absolute best customer service. 

There are many reasons Milwaukee is the best choice but its really going to boil down to you trying one of each to decide. If there are those you work with that own them, maybe you can ask to borrow I for a day so you can try and decide. I've personally been receptive to those wanting to decide. There is a huge difference in borrowing someone's tools because you don't have your own and wanting to make an educated decision on choices before making a decision.


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