Milwaukee Power Tools

[OR VietVet]

Just picked up my recently purchased set of Milwaukee Battery Powered Tools. The first in line is the right angle 3/8" ratchet, model #2557-20, at 55 ft. lbs. of torque which as we all know is not for breaking things loose but to roll out or in quicker than by hand. I can get and will get a more powerful battery for it for more speed and power. I just want to see how it does in its stock set up.

Next is the 3/8" impact, model #2852-20, that has 600 ft. lbs. of torque and again I can get more powerful battery if want to.

Next is the 1/2" impact, model #2863-20, that has 1400 ft. lbs. of torque and I think, not sure, can get a more powerful battery if want to.

They all come with cases and a battery charger and 2 batteries.

I do have air compressor and the full gambit of air tools but wanted to try out the battery powered no air hose to deal with, set up.

Any experience out there with any of these?

 

[drakon543]

first question is where did you get them? ive heard a rumor that the ones you get in like home depot are actually lower grade internals than the same model you would get if you bought it straight from Milwaukee or an industrial supplier. i have no real basis for comparison besides the one a coworker has at work he ordered from Milwaukee and the identical looking one at home depot does appear to have a slight weight difference. outside of that ive been replacing alot of my tools with thier products at home and at work and so far ive been very impressed.

 

[wjburken]

I bought a compact drill of that series and both batteries were DOA. Local store replaced them. Said they had a lot of issues with the batteries and the chargers. That was in December of 2018 so hopefully they got things squared away since then. Once I got the new batteries, I’ve been happy with it.

 

[OR VietVet]

I did try to buy at the Home Depot about 2 miles away but the kits that I bought, with 2 batteries and a charger and a case, had to be ordered in. I talked to Milwaukee and ordered them from them and they were sent to Home Depot and I got a 10% military discount. I picked them up yesterday and I have them all set up in my mini shop. I charged all the batteries and am set to go. No matter how hard I try, when I hit the power button on the 1/2" impact, I cannot keep my wrist from twisting. I will soon be using all of them on a 2012 Honda Civic clutch job so I will get to see how well they work. Thanks for the input. This will be strange for me to not have air hoses all over the place.

By the way, I took that belt hanger bracket off of the 3/8" impact.

Milwaukee makes a 12.0 ah battery for the 3/8" and 1/2" impacts and a 6.0 ah battery for the 3/8" ratchet. More power and lasts longer between battery charges. I will use what came with them and see if I need to spend the money.

 

[Rocket Man]

Those hanger brackets are handy af when you’re working on something and need to hang it from a back pocket for a second. We use cordless impacts and drills at work a lot ( DeWalt is our preferred brand by far- they outlast and outperform all the others) and I’m usually using both a drill and impact and I take turns hanging one or both from my pockets because there usually isn’t anywhere to set one for a sec while I grab or position something. Milwaukee is a good brand too, nothing wrong with their stuff except the keyless drill chucks sometimes wear out.

 

[OR VietVet]

When I bought the tool box and tools recently it came with a Makita battery powered quick connect driver, a drill and a right angle drill and a charger and 6 batteries, that all still work. I knew then that no more than I would use them I would not need to buy any of those. I bought the 3/8" ratchet and 3/8" impact and the 1/2" impact to try and get away from the air hoses with the tools that I knew I would use a lot of. I read reviews and also have experience with the Milwaukee battery powered tools we use here at my facility. I watched countless videos about all of them at you tube. I did see and hear good things about Ingersoll Rand and Dewalt and Makita but in the end Milwaukee was my choice. I hope they perform as well as I hope they do.

 

[Rocket Man]

When I bought the tool box and tools recently it came with a Makita battery powered quick connect driver, a drill and a right angle drill and a charger and 6 batteries, that all still work. I knew then that no more than I would use them I would not need to buy any of those. I bought the 3/8" ratchet and 3/8" impact and the 1/2" impact to try and get away from the air hoses with the tools that I knew I would use a lot of. I read reviews and also have experience with the Milwaukee battery powered tools we use here at my facility. I watched countless videos about all of them at you tube. I did see and hear good things about Ingersoll Rand and Dewalt and Makita but in the end Milwaukee was my choice. I hope they perform as well as I hope they do.

I really want 1/4” and 3/8” cordless ratchets but I do have an air line on a retractable reel that’s pretty easy to use so I’m still using the air versions. The cordless versions aren’t cheap.

 

[OR VietVet]

Yea. That 3/8" ratchet, case, charger, 2 batteries was $299 minus my 10% military discount of basically $30 totaled $269. After using nothing but hand tools or air tools for so many years I am sure I will have to get used to battery powered but I am willing to try.

 

[HiHoeSilver]

I really want 1/4” and 3/8” cordless ratchets but I do have an air line on a retractable reel that’s pretty easy to use so I’m still using the air versions. The cordless versions aren’t cheap.

Air is still king. No point in switching if you already have a setup, imo.

 

[randeez]

i use the hell out of the same ratchet, it wont "bust" much more than bolts with a 10mm head loose. you can use it like a regular ratchet to loosen bolts and then use the power to run them out though.
also have the 1/4" impact driver, really light weight, 2.0ah and up batterys last a good while - the 1.5ah seem to only last about 1/2 as long. hung about 40 sheets of plywood with ~10- 3" wood screws each during hurricane season last year
my other favorite tool to go with the little batteries is the underhood light


have air, i still use the battery...even for the big stuff i have a dewalt 1/2 impact that has zero problems taking off axle nuts, suspension parts, etc

and the differences from homedepot to milwaukee.com are probably different models. they seem to put out a different version every 1-1.5 years of the same tool. youll find a lot of bare tools on amazon that are old part numbers, virtually the same tool however

 

[sumo]

I got the 3/8 and 1/2 2 5.0 batteries and charger on a promotion through my tool vendor. I don’t use my air impact much anymore. It’s a bit heavy but I’m getting massive forearms from using it on the daily. I was looking into the IR and Snap-on but then this promo came out.

 

[OR VietVet]

I could no longer justify Snap-On or Ingersoll Rand cordless tools when I am no longer making my living with them.

I am just really looking forward to no hoses to flip around out of the way. I may go back to air tools but I will give cordless tools a fair shot.

Plus, this 67 year old man could use some help with building my forearms and wrists back up. I used to be able to crush a hand shake, if I wanted to, but not so much any more.

 

[randeez]

the only thing i dont like about the ratchet is changing the direction

 

[sumo]

The ratchets I don’t care for. The heads are much to large for me to use in tight quarters. Still prefer the cordless snapons

 

[OR VietVet]

the only thing i dont like about the ratchet is changing the direction

You gotta change the air ratchets as well. Tight quarters, like Ian was talking about, is where you will likely be on a smaller bolt or nut and with those I like to FEEL the tension with a hand tool.

 

[BlackYukon]

That 3/8 Mid torque Impact is an absolute beast, Iv had mine since it first came out and have been nothing but happy with it. It's taken on every task and challenge Iv thrown at it.

Milwaukee is hard to beat when it comes to power tools, at least imo. They're always innovating and coming out with more awesome stuff. I find myself buying allot of their tools even if i don't need them or for a one off project. It's like the male version of Women's Shoes, You just want them all..

 

[sumo]

That 3/8 Mid torque Impact is an absolute beast, Iv had mine since it first came out and have been nothing but happy with it. It's taken on every task and challenge Iv thrown at it.

Milwaukee is hard to beat when it comes to power tools, at least imo. They're always innovating and coming out with more awesome stuff. I find myself buying allot of their tools even if i don't need them or for a one off project. It's like the male version of Women's Shoes, You just want them all..

if you get a chance, the 1/2 is a beast
the best thing that’s hard to pass
Up is the for the price of a Snapon 1/2 you’re getting a 3/8,1/2, 2 lith batteries and a charger. SO or IR only offer 1 year warranty, MW comes with 5 year and batt covered too.

 

[BlackYukon]

if you get a chance, the 1/2 is a beast
the best thing that’s hard to pass
Up is the for the price of a Snapon 1/2 you’re getting a 3/8,1/2, 2 lith batteries and a charger. SO or IR only offer 1 year warranty, MW comes with 5 year and batt covered too.

Yup I also have the 1/2 Mid torque and the 3/4 High torque. Both have ridiculously good power for their Sizes, at least compared to pneumatic. Fortunately I haven't had to Warranty any of their tools but that is comforting to know they have a longer warranty period than competitors.

 

[OR VietVet]

That 3/8 Mid torque Impact is an absolute beast, Iv had mine since it first came out and have been nothing but happy with it. It's taken on every task and challenge Iv thrown at it.

Milwaukee is hard to beat when it comes to power tools, at least imo. They're always innovating and coming out with more awesome stuff. I find myself buying allot of their tools even if i don't need them or for a one off project. It's like the male version of Women's Shoes, You just want them all..

My new 3/8" impact, at 600 ft. lbs., has plenty of torque to remove lug nuts without having to use the 1/2" impact. Plus, as Ian said, that 5 year warranty is hard to pass up.

 

[sumo]

Made a quick test vid using the 1/2 on setting 3. I’ll do one when I find a more stuck bolt
As you can see how much torque it kicks even with a torque stick. It will snap a fail guys arm lol