Opinions needed (Makita 18v Subcompact vs. Milwaukee 12v Fuel)

[aabee]

Just wanted to get some opinions on which way to go between the 12v brushless Fuel impact/hammer drill combo kit by Milwaukee and Makita's 18v brushless sub-compact drill/impact combo. Milwaukee has a sale at my Home Depot where the 12v Fuel is $169, while Makita's sub-compact kit comes with a free third battery for $229. I already have Milwaukee's surge/hammer drill 18v combo and a Fuel circ. saw, as well as Hitachi's Triple Hammer, so I'm not looking to expand much (if at all) in either the Milwaukee 12v or the Makita 18v (knock on wood). They both feel great ergonomically, and appear to have similar specs. I know Milwaukee's 12v Fuel has been out for 3-4 years, but they told me they don't have any plans to come out with newer versions of their Fuel fasteners. Both of these deals are limited time, so I'd greatly appreciate honest opinions. Thank you!

[BMack37]

I own the Milwaukees but I do like Makita...I'd get the Milwaukee, the tools are comparable, though the Makita (I believe) is smaller. The only reason to buy the Milwaukee is practicality, there's a huge m12 lineup. The charger for your m18s will work for the m12, so you aren't adding a charger. Lastly, Milwaukee has more sales and that leads to better deals on eBay for new tools sold from kit splitters.

 

The hammer function on the m12 Fuel is nice to have but keep in mind that it isn't close to being as good as a m18 hammer functionality...so that difference is relatively moot.

 

Isn't the deal from HD $169 with a free tool or 4.0 battery? http://www.homedepot.com/s/milwaukee%20m12%20free?NCNI-5

 

It seems for $229 you can get the Fuel hammer drill, Fuel impact driver, 4.0 battery, 2.0 battery and a free brushed tool or 4.0 battery.

[HiltiWpg]

For me it was simple.
The M12 stuff is good, but heavy and the balance is odd.

I wanted sub-compact, but having 2 battery platforms sucks. No matter how good a 12v line is, it will never have the power of an 18v etc. With the Makita, you get the best of both worlds!


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[kornomaniac]

1 hour ago, BMack37 said:

The only reason to buy the Milwaukee is practicality, there's a huge m12 lineup. T

 

Well the obvious counter would be:  Makita's 18V system is triple the size of Milwaukee's 12V

 

 

[ChrisK]

2 hours ago, aabee said:

Just wanted to get some opinions on which way to go between the 12v brushless Fuel impact/hammer drill combo kit by Milwaukee and Makita's 18v brushless sub-compact drill/impact combo. Milwaukee has a sale at my Home Depot where the 12v Fuel is $169, while Makita's sub-compact kit comes with a free third battery for $229. I already have Milwaukee's surge/hammer drill 18v combo and a Fuel circ. saw, as well as Hitachi's Triple Hammer, so I'm not looking to expand much (if at all) in either the Milwaukee 12v or the Makita 18v (knock on wood). They both feel great ergonomically, and appear to have similar specs. I know Milwaukee's 12v Fuel has been out for 3-4 years, but they told me they don't have any plans to come out with newer versions of their Fuel fasteners. Both of these deals are limited time, so I'd greatly appreciate honest opinions. Thank you!

I had the Fuel and now have the Makita subcompact. It's awesome. The assist mode is friggin phenomenal for touch up work but will drive large fasteners easily. It's light, compact and super comfortable to use. Plus the assist mode is actually quite quiet.

[HiltiWpg]

If you need a simple comparison, I can give you my personal experience and observations.

 

M12 Fuel impact is quite a bit heavier and the balance is a bit off. I also found the grip of the M12 fuel to be a bit small and odd fitting. When you squeeze, the back of grip it feels like it pushes away from your hand. It's awkward.

The noise level of the M12 is also crazy high. It's very clacky sounding too.

 

The M12 Fuel hammer drill is actually pretty damn good. Much better than the impact for overall performance. Balance is a little off, but nothing bad enough to worry about. The chuck is cheap and can loosen easily, but if you get one that is aligned properly, it's going to be fine for most jobs. Charging is slow....

 

Makita has made a very nice sub compact set.

The feel in the hand is awesome. Great balance and grip feel.

The most glaring and annoying thing about the Makita impact is that it doesn't have a quick load collet. How can you even sleep at night Makita? Monsters...

The impact has 2 speeds and Cam out mode, with led control. Very nice controls.

 

The drill is so lightweight, it's hard to believe. The chuck has a nice ratchet feel, doesn't loosen either. Torque is great considering the size.

The only major flaw is the lack of a hammer option.

Charging is super fast. Batteries have the fuel gauge so you don't need the tool to see capacity.

 

 

 

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[rrich1]

if you wanted to get one id go makita. But it depends on what tools you want. Do you want a cordless ratchet? if so go Milwaukee. Do you want a hand held planer, sander, or other wood working tools? if so go Makita.

 

Hitachi really seems to be bringing new tools to the market lately. if you can wait id hold off for a few months to see what else they will bring out. There new stuff looks great.

[aabee]

I picked up the 12v Fuel to give it a trial run, and will do the same with the Makita, and return one or the other (or both) after testing them out a bit. One thing I've already noticed with the Fuel is the chuck spins. I didn't even put a bit in it; it continues to spin after I release the trigger for a second or two, and this happens on both the 1st and 2nd gear. Is this common? It's one of the many reasons I returned my Kobalt 24v drill; the chuck kept spinning and it wouldn't retain my bit after I let off the trigger. I'm slightly leaning Makita to begin with.

[aabee]

38 minutes ago, rrich1 said:

if you wanted to get one id go makita. But it depends on what tools you want. Do you want a cordless ratchet? if so go Milwaukee. Do you want a hand held planer, sander, or other wood working tools? if so go Makita.

 

Hitachi really seems to be bringing new tools to the market lately. if you can wait id hold off for a few months to see what else they will bring out. There new stuff looks great.

 

I'm not planning on purchasing more tools in either platform (I know, famous last words) once I make my decision. It will be for only these kits.

 

Re: Hitachi, they're indeed killing it of late; their Triple Hammer is my Rolls Royce of power tools. But I'm just looking for something compact at the moment, and there isn't anything planned there and their 12v line is weak akin to DeWalt but with marginally better support.

[ChrisK]

17 minutes ago, aabee said:

 

I'm not planning on purchasing more tools in either platform (I know, famous last words) once I make my decision. It will be for only these kits.

 

Re: Hitachi, they're indeed killing it of late; their Triple Hammer is my Rolls Royce of power tools. But I'm just looking for something compact at the moment, and there isn't anything planned there and their 12v line is weak akin to DeWalt but with marginally better support.

Aaron, I don't have a lot of Makita tools but the ones I do own are wonderful tools. I have the brushless barrel grip 18v jigsaw, their new brushless 18v recip, the brushless 18v sander and the new compact impact gun. I've also got the brushless grinder and the 36v chainsaw. Everything that I own that's teal (or black as is my newest acquisition) is well made, well constructed and exceeds all of my expectations. I'm not a big fan of Milwaukee but it's semantics at this point! That new compact gun is awesome! I've been using my 18v jigsaw for the last several weeks and though it ain't my Carvex it's an awesome portable saw.

[HiltiWpg]

I picked up the 12v Fuel to give it a trial run, and will do the same with the Makita, and return one or the other (or both) after testing them out a bit. One thing I've already noticed with the Fuel is the chuck spins. I didn't even put a bit in it; it continues to spin after I release the trigger for a second or two, and this happens on both the 1st and 2nd gear. Is this common? It's one of the many reasons I returned my Kobalt 24v drill; the chuck kept spinning and it wouldn't retain my bit after I let off the trigger. I'm slightly leaning Makita to begin with.

That was my only real complaint with the M12 Fuel drill, the sloppy chuck. Chuck for wobble too!

 

 

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[aabee]

Big thank you to everyone who's posted. I'm going to go with the Makita. In addition to having better ergonomics, I've found that the drill is superior (non-spinning chuck, shorter length) and the impact is as well (assist mode, slightly higher torque). One thing that's really awkward about the 12v Fuels are their angled chucks on both the drill and impact. They're set up that way (I'm assuming) so they can stand up with the smaller batteries but they just feel off when drilling and driving as I'm used to the 90 degree angles instead of the 45. Keep posting in this thread though, as I'm sure others are likely in the same boat with both promotions going on!

[Bremon]

18 hours ago, kornomaniac said:

 

Well the obvious counter would be:  Makita's 18V system is triple the size of Milwaukee's 12V

 

 

I was gonna say... 18v Makita lineup is pretty big too. Especially if you like impact drivers lol. 

 

Makita is the obvious choice to me. I like my M12 stuff but the Fuel M12 stuff isn't very compact anymore comparatively. 

[BMack37]

21 hours ago, kornomaniac said:

 

Well the obvious counter would be:  Makita's 18V system is triple the size of Milwaukee's 12V

 

 

 

Yes but the m12 lineup is bigger than the Makita 18v compact line. He already has a 18v system so he has access to full sized tools. The 36v is a good selling point on the Makitas.

[JimboS1ice]

M12 fuel combo for 169 at HD, great price there


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[HiltiWpg]

M12 fuel combo for 169 at HD, great price there


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They are long overdue for a refresh, it's probably coming soon.
They seem to be clearing out a lot of M12 stuff.



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[Bremon]

Agreed @HiltiWpg

[aabee]

39 minutes ago, HiltiWpg said:

They are long overdue for a refresh, it's probably coming soon.
They seem to be clearing out a lot of M12 stuff.



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I reached out to Milwaukee via their Facebook page and asked them when/if they'd be releasing more compact M12 fasteners a few weeks ago, and they told me nothing was in the works. Even mentioned the fact that their Fuel drill/driver in particular is longer than most compact 18v drills these days. They were groundbreaking when they were released but their size hasn't aged well.

[Bremon]

Their social media team will say nothing about anything that hasn't been formally announced. Sometimes they'll say "we can't say anything yet but keep checking this page", mostly about storage solutions, but most companies don't talk about stuff much until the press release is out. 

[tugnut1]

I love the Milwaukee M12 Fuel tools.  Lots of power for the size tool.  Large selection of 12 volt tools by Milwaukee also. Never used the Makita compact tools though.

[FrosBros82]

3 hours ago, tugnut1 said:

I love the Milwaukee M12 Fuel tools.  Lots of power for the size tool.  Large selection of 12 volt tools by Milwaukee also. Never used the Makita compact tools though.

Agree, I like the M12 Fuel tools as well, as they are perfect garage use. I use some at work, but I usually keep the M18 handy for those particular tasks.

[mohawkdec]

i dont have a problem at all with my m12 fuel system, i have five tools inside a milwaukee hard case along with  four lights, two chargers and a bunch of batteries.cant do that with my 18 volt dewalt system. the feel of the m12 along with the build quality is what sold me on the system. i like to feel the tool in my hand, maufactures are being pressed so hard to make things lighter and smaller, some of the new tools i pick up today are so light, that they feel really cheap, thats not for me, but thats me talking. i have an old milwaukee 9inch grinder thats weighs 14.8 lbs. but that weight can be a good thing too.I  dont know,, i just have a problem with tools that defy gravity.

[Biggie]

I have to agree I still prefer a tool that has a little weight to it.  I know its probably all mental and I'm sure manufacturer are using new light weight materials that are just as strong.  I like the feel of the 2753 over the dcf 887 because it feels like its built heavier in the motor and impact mechanism but in reality I'm sure the dcf 887 is probably just as durable and might be less fatiguing over a days work.  

[aabee]

Just used the sub-compact 18v impact driver today.

 

I friggin' love it. The assist mode is worth the difference in the kits alone, and it operates smoother and quieter. Speaking of weight, I like the larger base of the 18v compared to the torpedo-style batteries. This isn't to say the Fuel isn't good (it certainly is), but I knew I made the right decision the minute I sank my first screw. Thank you everyone!

[Bremon]

3 hours ago, Biggie said:

I have to agree I still prefer a tool that has a little weight to it.  I know its probably all mental and I'm sure manufacturer are using new light weight materials that are just as strong.  I like the feel of the 2753 over the dcf 887 because it feels like its built heavier in the motor and impact mechanism but in reality I'm sure the dcf 887 is probably just as durable and might be less fatiguing over a days work.  

Of all the comparisons to make I don't think this one stands up. Performance, size and weight is practically indistinguishable on these two units. At least the ones I have. Basically comes down to the grip you prefer, the batteries you have and whether the one-handed bit change is worth having 2.5 speeds instead of 4 (come on; the 887 precision mode doesn't really count for much lol).