Biggie

I think dewalt is currently on their game and have a very good offering of tools that might even be class leading in some areas but to act like they're light years ahead of everyone else simply isn't true.

In my first post I said the reason for getting a drill driver was to save length and weight (even if it was a very small savings) because I don't use the hammer function. But after looking at the specs of the m12 gen 2 drill vs hammer drill there is no difference in length or weight which is very uncommon. So in my opinion prices being the same there would be zero reason to not get the hammer drill.

Also the reason they're appealing to me, I work with metal, but I still haven't made the jump.

Is it a motor issue or a impacting mechanism issue?

I'd be interested in your findings. Everything I've seen shows the dewalt being a beast but there was a video from makita at WOC showing the new makita smoking the dewalt. I'm a little skeptical of the video but if it's legit, it looks like makita hit a homerun.

If you really want to buy a tool that will last 30 years I would stay away from anything that requires an app to change the settings. Computer technology just evolves and changes so fast. I can't imagine using a computer from the 80s or even the 90s today and in a lot of cases even if you wanted to things just aren't compatible. This is one of the problems I see with some of the technology that they're putting into power tools. I think in the end it will cut into the long term life of the tools.

I did look into metabo and even thought about a corded model but I sure do like the convenience of cordless and it just makes more sense to be in a platform I already have (milwaukee or dewalt).

Has anyone heard if there is possibly a flat-head fuel grinder in the works. We've never had a flat head before but now that Dewalt has one out they've kind of caught my eye. Just seems like one more option for that hard to reach spot. I would just assume have it be Milwaukee but I have to admit Dewalt has my attention with some of their tool releases in the last 2 years.

A tools grip can be a pretty subjective thing because everybody has different sized hands along with different applications. I personally found the very first brushed m12 tools to have fat grips but their new stuff fits my hand almost perfectly. Now I would say I have slightly larger than average hands but the way grip tappers behind the trigger makes it sit in my hand nice and tight. Yes the bottom of the handle is bigger but its still much more compact than a slide type battery (not talking about the m12 larger xc batteries).

The grass isn't always greener on the other side. When my worker brought the dcd995 to me he had a 1/2" drill bit stuck in the chuck and somewhere along the way managed to snap off the chuck retaining screw. I was able to get the chuck to release with a vise and vise grip and by the grace of God I was able to get the snapped off left handed screw out of the drill with an easy out.

If you went the ridgid route you could get the $250 5 tool kit. Then get this https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-18-Volt-Cordless-Lithium-Ion-Brushless-3-Tool-Automotive-Combo-Kit-with-2-4-0Ah-Batteries-and-Charger-R9215N/302859910. For $300 you get the brushless impact wrench, grinder, x5 impact driver and 2 4.0 batteries. So you'd be at $550 and have 2 impact drivers. Maybe you could trade one for an impact socket set haha.

I'm sure it still wouldn't end up being cheap but metabo does have a rebate for some free bare tools. Acme has it advertised and if you just click on the ad it's a bit confusing as to what you have to buy and what you get free. Somehow I viewed the rebate flyer last week so it was saved on my tablet but for the life of me I can't find it on acme anymore. Looks like you could buy a grinder kit and a impact wrench kit and get a drill and impact driver free. Metabo_Cordless_Q1_2018_MIR.pdf

There are a lot of knowledgeable guys on here that have insider info, so if you're ever wondering about a particular tool just ask. I'm sure if a tool is going to be updated anytime soon someone on here will know and chime in.

I picked mine up on ebay because I have an ebay account and I was able to save a few bucks because the seller had free shipping. It is part number 608116-00SV Anvil Assy and it's available at many parts supply stores online ie: ereplacementparts, tool parts direct. It is the same 3/8" anvil that has been used for years. Its was used with some older 12v as well as the 18v dc823, 20v brushed dcf883, and 20v brushless dcf890.

Impact drivers and compact wrenches typically share some components but if you look at a parts diagram there are usually a quite a few differences. A lot of them have different size motors, electonics, gearing/impacting mechanisms, nose cones, and anvils. But in the case of the dcf886 to the dcf890 the only difference is the anvil everything else is the same.

Yea that would definately be frustrating. I had some issues with one of my 2604 getting 1/4" bits stuck a few times where i needed a vise grip to release it. Oiling the chuck seemed to help but after doing some research I think I found my issue. The chuck wouldn't grip the smaller bit and would allow it to push down into the back of the chuck. Then I would retighten the chuck with the bit slid all the way to the back of the chuck. It's my understanding that a bit needs a little room to move back into the chuck in order to release the bit. Once I started making sure to not tighten the bit when it was at the back of the chuck my problems went away. Don't know if that makes sense or has anything to do with your issues but just thought I would share.

I think I found the topic you were remembering but I haven't heard or seen anything about it since. Not trying to steal your thread but do people think the rohm is a better chuck? We have a dcd985, dcd995, and dcd996 as well as m18 fuel 2604, 2703, and 2704. Personally I think all keyless chucks suck at holding a drill bit tight which to me is what's most important. I know the milwaukee chuck has a pretty chintzy feeling outer sleeve and the rohm looks to be better build but my own personal experience has been that the milwaukee does a slightly better job of holding the bit. I know I'm a small sample size and was just curious why you and others wanted to switch to a rohm chuck.

Yep I also did an anvil swap on a 886 a couple weeks ago. After doing the swap I was suprised at just how much power it had. I was also questioning how the internals would hold up so out of curiosity I got looking at parts diagrams. Turns out the dcf890 3/8" brushless compact impact wrench, which has 150ft/lbs of torque and cost $180, has identical internals to the dcf886. So dewalt actually did the same anvil swap guys have been doing for years on the 886 and gave it a new model number. Still boggles my mind it took them so long to do it.

Being the impact wrench connoisseur I am, I'm a bit jealous I'm not in the Makita line. After buying the m18 mid torque I've found that I along with the rest of my crew like to use the smallest possible tool that can get the job done. For us that's a compact impact wrench for 90% of our work and this sub compact looks like it would have about the right balance of size and torque. I really like how sleek the head and body of the tool look for being able to get into a tight corner.

How practical is having a second trigger to switch power modes. I find myself accidentally bumping the mode selector enough when they're on the base. If anything I would like it to be harder to switch modes and this looks like it would be prone to being bumped. How many applications are there where you need to be switching back and forth between modes, for the most part I set the mode and it stays there.

Is this just a charger not a new power station and is that 90 minutes for the 9.0 flexvolt?

And if they're expanding on the new m12 fuel drill/ impact they might as well throw a 3/8" anvil on the impact. Sure would be sweet to have an impact wrench that compact and pushing 125 ft/lbs of torque. The latest bosch 12v impact wrench is similar in size but only has 85ft/lbs of torque.

When I first read this topic back in June I took it as milwaukee covering their behind from stupid people. I also didn't have a 9.0 at the time but now have 3. So today I was watching a youtube video on the new m12 drill and in the comments a guy was saying how 4 of his 12 9.0s melted on a charger. Then I googled it and I had to look pretty hard but there were a few other cases of 9.0s starting on fire. I know this is probably a very small percentage of the overall 9.0 sales. It just makes me worry as I keep my batteries in a bag in the cab of my truck that gets parked in the shop. Sure would hate to get the call that your shops burnt to the ground some night. Are any people on here having issues or are there just a select few people doing dumb things with the batteries.

Well I cheaped out and just took an old 886 to do the 3/8" anvil swap. So far so good, did a little testing with a 1/2" bolt, washer, lock washer, and nut set up. I compared it with a dcf880, dcf887 with 1/4" to 3/8" adapter and a fuel 2654. On a 1/2" bolt (3/4" socket) there was no real noticeable difference between any of them. None of them could tighten the bolt to the point where another couldn't take it off.

In my case I also have a sds rotary hammer so I never use the hammer drill feature. I have a m18 gen 2 hammer drill that I got in a kit and when I wanted a back up drill I opted for the gen 2 drill driver because it was $30 cheaper and slightly shorter (less weight too but hardly noticable.) But after getting the drill driver I found that the chuck doesn't have the carbide tips in the chuck jaws. I don't know if I notice a huge difference in the way it secures drill bits but I would think the hammer drill chuck will wear less over time. All that being said I don't know if there is a difference in chucks on the m12 gen 2 but might be worth checking because I know they're different on the m18.