New Milwaukee 12v for saw repairs - Disappointed..

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Hi guys, this will piss off Milwaukee fanboys, but I brought a Milwaukee 12v impact for chainsaw repairs. My first impressions leave me disappointed which I share in this video. Keen to hear how you like it if you have one?

 
I really like my m12 fuel impact driver, fuel stubby impact wrench, and non fuel ratchet. The impacts have 18v power in a small package and the cordless ratchet is very handy. The m12 hammer drill is not amazing and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that to anyone in the market. It feels clunky and has an electronic clutch that’s annoying.

DeWalt has the best balance and hand feel but they’re 12v line is weak. I got the m12 ratchet initially because DeWalt doesn’t even make one. For trade specific 12v tools you really can’t beat their selection. It’s why you see a lot of electricians and plumbers using m12 in my neck of the woods.

That said I’m not a Milwaukee fan boy and I still have and use my DeWalt stuff. The battery release on the m12 system is annoying, and the larger grips feel weird at first. I think once you start using them you’ll at least come to like the impact.
 
That’s why I started moving over to the Milwaukee was they seemed to have more automotive related cordless tools. The cordless ratchet was my first purchase and I love it. I’ve found that my 12v fuel Milwaukee’s to be every bit as powerful as all my 20v Dewalt tools. And The 1/2” Milwaukee impact has gobs more torque than my 1/2” Dewalt impact has. I’m an electrician by trade and a serious backyard mechanic so I need a mix of cordless tools.
 
Wow I didn't even know they made 12v tools still. I remember 25+ years ago if you had 12v you were on the cutting edge of technology. One of the best tools I have is the dewalt cordless 68k btu heater. I have dewalt stuff and it has been pretty good to me, but I hear Milwaukee has alot if great stuff.
 
Return it if you do not like it, at a 400.00 price point I know I would instead of making a video nitpicking one of their cheapest tool lineups. That being said you know you got a construction special right? for folks that hang cabinets and pictures or set doors not really the setup for machine repairs. Look at the ridgid stuff if you an find it locally, its been really fabulous for the local contractors crews and they beat the snot out of them and its half the price. Ive owned dewalt and its good stuff but the batteries fail to hold a charge too soon, milwaukee batteries suffer broken cases when used on impacts but they last years of recharges and you can get aftermarket cases. The m12 stubby 3/8 impact is a great tool and so is the m12 1/4" ratchet tho i wouldent get the m12 drill unless yu want to have a huge battery hanging off the end. If you think the m12 stuff is expensive don't even bother looking at the m18, I find the larger grips excel when your hands get wet, oily etc and they are nice and soft reducing hand fatigue and arthritis inflammation compared to other tools.
 
Return it if you do not like it, at a 400.00 price point I know I would instead of making a video nitpicking one of their cheapest tool lineups. That being said you know you got a construction special right? for folks that hang cabinets and pictures or set doors not really the setup for machine repairs. Look at the ridgid stuff if you an find it locally, its been really fabulous for the local contractors crews and they beat the snot out of them and its half the price. Ive owned dewalt and its good stuff but the batteries fail to hold a charge too soon, milwaukee batteries suffer broken cases when used on impacts but they last years of recharges and you can get aftermarket cases. The m12 stubby 3/8 impact is a great tool and so is the m12 1/4" ratchet tho i wouldent get the m12 drill unless yu want to have a huge battery hanging off the end. If you think the m12 stuff is expensive don't even bother looking at the m18, I find the larger grips excel when your hands get wet, oily etc and they are nice and soft reducing hand fatigue and arthritis inflammation compared to other tools.
My 20v dewalt batteries are finally dying after about 8-10 years of use. I need ro replace them. Haven’t had any breaking issues with any of my Milwaukee batteries YET, and hope I don’t. Definitely not impressed with the Milwaukee cordless chainsaw but that battery is an absolute beast in other tools.
 
My dewalt batteries from 2013/14 are starting to go. But I didn't treat then well. Luckily i find new ones on eBay pretty cheap. I don't buy the generic chicom ones.
 
Return it if you do not like it, at a 400.00 price point I know I would instead of making a video nitpicking one of their cheapest tool lineups. That being said you know you got a construction special right? for folks that hang cabinets and pictures or set doors not really the setup for machine repairs. Look at the ridgid stuff if you an find it locally, its been really fabulous for the local contractors crews and they beat the snot out of them and its half the price. Ive owned dewalt and its good stuff but the batteries fail to hold a charge too soon, milwaukee batteries suffer broken cases when used on impacts but they last years of recharges and you can get aftermarket cases. The m12 stubby 3/8 impact is a great tool and so is the m12 1/4" ratchet tho i wouldent get the m12 drill unless yu want to have a huge battery hanging off the end. If you think the m12 stuff is expensive don't even bother looking at the m18, I find the larger grips excel when your hands get wet, oily etc and they are nice and soft reducing hand fatigue and arthritis inflammation compared to other tools.
I didn’t make the video to nitpick. I made the video to share in the joy of unboxing a new tool, but was left feeling disappointed.

I wanted the 1/4” collet as I’m undoing or doijg up hex, torx or flathead screws using 1/4” hex shanks 90% of the time. The only sockets I need are flywheel, clutch and carb. The first two are under 20foot pounds. The carb is 2.5 foot pounds. This impact puts out over 100 foot pounds - I certainly don’t need or want the weight or multiple adapters to fit the stubby.
 
The next thing your going to figure out is these tools only produce about 65-75% of their claimed torque using the biggest battery offered, using the small battery you'll be lucky to see half the rated 1300 inch pounds. At a true 100lbs of torque those little 1/4" hex shafts snap right off. Where these tools shine is in the variable trigger control, it should work excellent for machine screws, wood screws, deck screws , m6 shanked bolt and the majority of m8's. FYI hex/allen/torx/safety torx/flat/phillips all come in 1/4" , 3/8" and 1/2 drive. The M18 battery cases break on the upper half where the tiny safety torx screw into, warrantied 2 so far and super glued a 3rd due to to the 1/2 drive fuel impact having crappy tolerances in the battery receiver and 0 extra reinforcements for rigidity so when it gets down to business the heavy 8ah battery is beaten around a lot. The m12 batteries like to break at the squeeze release points if dropped.
 
I took it back for a refund. The other thing I noticed was that because the weight was all in the head, even small screws that require a little force want to twist your wrist. It’s small, but much more noticeable than a tool that has the weight evenly distributed between battery and head. For now I’ll stick with the current one I have. I wouldn’t rely on it for daily professional use, but for hobby use on saws and other small engines as well as the countless times I have put up brackets and shelves, a gate and cabinet hinges, it’s been flawless for the last two years. With a 5 year replacement warranty and an original cost of 70 usd with battery and charger, I really can’t complain. B161B55A-0EE3-459D-84F2-B67F9DC1B8EB.jpeg
 
Ok, so I’m curious to know, anyone working on small engines - chainsaws, strimmers, mowers, etc, do you use an impact wrench or impact driver?
Everyone I have seen working on small equipment has always used an impact driver with the collect to take hex, torx and other bits then they just add a socket adapter when they want to remove nuts and bolts with sockets.
My understanding is impact wrenches are for heavier tasks, cars, vans, tractors.more
Torque less rpm

while impact drivers are for smaller fasteners, torx, hex, square and smaller nuts like we have on chainsaw clutches and flywheels, m8’s on carbs and exhausts… more rpm less torque.

Yet many have said an impact driver isn’t used for small engine repairs?!?
 
I think its a matter of preference and the size of fasteners and how many ft lbs it takes to free them. I seen a sweet little dewalt 3/8 impact wrench but I will hand turn things for the prices they fetch. I do keep a dewalt cordless 1/2" impact wrench in my car to make changing a tire easier.
 
i never use an impact wrench unless its kill or cure, they have snapped countless crank and clutch threads
I have seen a lot of damage done by careless people, power tool or not, you can’t blame a tool for the stupidity of the user. An impact tool doesn’t damage threads, a careless user does. Give them a ratchet and they’ll turn it the wrong way and still damage the threads..

I’ve seen more damage done by a rope or piston stop using a ratchet or breaker bar than an impact driver with compression as resistance on removing clutch and flywheel nuts.
 

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