How would you use Milwaukee ONE-KEY™?

[Nalu Rash]

 

The cats finally out of the bag. We've all been speculating for months about what the hell ONE-KEY™ could be, and now we have the details. I highly suggest that you watch the latest Tool Talk Episode or read the article on the subject at Toolsinaction.com.

 

Basically, it boils down to three core features: Inventory Management, Tool Reporting and Tool Control. These features will be released over a span of time, beginning this September with Inventory Management. Tool Reporting to follow in October and Tool Control in January 2016 alongside the release of the new M18 Fuel tools that will sync with ONE-KEY™.

 

 

Inventory Management:

Will be available via the Web and iOS/Android devices. This will allow the you to keep detailed information about all your tools. My guess is Make, Model, Serial Numbers, stuff like that. If you’ve ever registered your Milwaukee tools through the Heavy Duty Club page, you will know what I mean. You can keep records of other tools not manufactured by Milwaukee as well. You will also be able to keep tabs on the location and the user of your tools. For instance, let’s say I give C Harris my Milwaukee M18 2604 Hammer Drill/Driver. I can open up the ONE-KEY™ app, assign that tool to C Harris and hold him accountable for anything that happens to it. Why this needs to be done in an app is beyond me, but it might be beneficial for large companies.

 

Tool Reporting:

Will be added in October with the release of the new M18 Force Logic Utility Crimpers. Tool Reporting will allow the user to upload information about the tool being used. In the case of the M18 Force Logic Utility Crimpers, the user can upload how many hits/misses he has had with the tool as well as how many times the tool had been used or serviced. This all sounds a little too micro manage-y to me.

 

Tool Control:

This is probably what most people are going to be excited about. With Tool Control, you will be able to customize tool settings. Max Speed (RPM), Torque, Trigger Ramp Up can all be changed and assigned as a setting or profile. Different fasteners require a different speeds and torques depending on the application. You could have a setting, on the same drill, that could be used for self tapping screws with a slow start and ramps up the speed to drive it home. Then change to a specific torque setting to drive in some bolts without over torquing them. All this can be done on the same drill, with no feathering of the trigger, just pull and go. The applications for this sound pretty interesting to me, although it’s still a bit much. I’m so used to my way’s but I’m always willing to learn new things to do a better job.

 

How would the crew use Milwaukee ONE-KEY™? I’m curious to hear any clever ways of using this technology, especially the Tool Control part. For example, it might be cool to have different settings for drilling into different materials. Say a slower RPM for Metal and a higher speed for Wood.

[glass]

i would never use it. I am a craftsman not a computer nerd. This is total bullshit. I am considering selling all my fuel tools and going metabo. Anybody interested in some tools?

[comp56]

I hear you, let's hope for Milwaukee's sake they offer both flavors of tools with and without one key or not increase price for them because I agree I would never need this why should I pay for it. I think this is a move in the wrong direction for them. I agree technology is technology but just keep making powerful and dependable tools 

[Bremon]

They have stated they are offering both One-Key and No-Key versions. There will be a small premium for it.

i would never use it. I am a craftsman not a computer nerd. This is total bullshit. I am considering selling all my fuel tools and going metabo. Anybody interested in some tools?

Haha so true, this retroactively makes all Fuel tools terrible. You should just give them away, no one would pay for this junk. Incidentally, let me know if you would like my mailing address. Nalu also has a growing hunger for Fuel, and Proto would probably lose his cookies if you sent them his way.

[RickyMcGrath]

They have stated they are offering both One-Key and No-Key versions. There will be a small premium for it.

Haha so true, this retroactively makes all Fuel tools terrible. You should just give them away, no one would pay for this junk. Incidentally, let me know if you would like my mailing address. Nalu also has a growing hunger for Fuel, and Proto would probably lose his cookies if you sent them his way.

I agree! Milwaukee is total junk now that One Key is out. If you have paypal, I'll gift you some funds to cover shipping.

[RickyMcGrath]

I can't say what I would use it for exactly. I would definitely have to play with it to see how it would benefit me. Being that I'm not a tradesman and often find myself doing a wide variety of trades, this may be beneficial for setting custom "tunes" (that's the diesel gearhead in me thinking) for different varieties of work.

[comp56]

what is this world coming to? look how society has changed, everyone is looking at a 4"x3" piece of glass......call me old school but put the effin phone away and get to work......

I am not a contractor or a mechanic but if I was .....my time would be worth more doing the job at hand than to worry about my tools on the job site......time is money if the tool don't cut it get one that will.......

Customer: can I get you to put a couple holes beside the jack-wall? 

Worker: one sec.......so sorry.....please excuse me I just got an email from Milwaukee .......it says it is recommended I charge my battery......I will do your holes later......

 

side note: last week I had a roofing company redo our roof, 4 guys 2 days 85 bundles...every time I went outside 2 of them were looking at their phones.......when the roof was done their boss came by to check everything, I said is that why my quote is so high you have to factor in 8 hours of phone time? WTF?

[Bremon]

I don't personally see myself using this much. As I said before, maybe the One Key version of the 2754 is in my future if it means I can ditch my torque wrench. Otherwise I'll get the standard 2704, 2753 and 2754.

I can see myself using the inventory app at work if it isn't crap though. We have a few dozen people and tools and supplies grow legs all the time, not necssarily stolen, but certainly forgotten on sites. Even something as basic as $25 tape measures add up.

[kornomaniac]

I think Milwaukee one key falls in thesame category as bosch's wireless charging.

For a select group of people its handy and even ups their productivity ( repetative fastening )

Its not a technology for the most people

[DR99]

Why is every one so hostile on this. Milwaukee isn't forcing you to buy into the system. Selling off your perfectly good tools just because Milwaukee wants to add more features. I hate to tell you Metabo is full of all sorts of things like a digital clutch, This is for big commercial jobs where they need to keep track if things are installed properly they have been using similar technology on automotive assembly lines. You will be able to buy M18 fuel tools with out one key. You will see this feature on most high end brand tools in the future.

[austinthecity]

i would never use it. I am a craftsman not a computer nerd. This is total bullshit. I am considering selling all my fuel tools and going metabo. Anybody interested in some tools?

Yup! I'll take em =]

[glass]

My point is if Milwaukee invested this kind of money and research into the actual tools and not this smartphone craps they could make some seriously good professional tools .But I guess gizmos for consumers at home depot is more profitable .The electronic forbid setting on the metabolism is actually a useful feature as one sets it on the tool not onyour phone. 

Hey maybe all you guys and just get in your self driving trucks and set up computer controlled tools .Lol

[glass]

Electronic torque setting on metabo. Spell check kills me sometimes .

[dwain]

i think it all depends on how well the app is designed. if you can whip out your phone for 30 seconds and then have totally different tool to use as a result, that's pretty cool. If the app isn't intuitive and beautiful, fail.

[Bremon]

My point is if Milwaukee invested this kind of money and research into the actual tools and not this smartphone craps they could make some seriously good professional tools

This comment is laughable. Milwaukee *has* invested this kind of money into their tools, and do make seriously good professional power tools. Maybe you haven't been paying attention but TTI has done the opposite of what most people thought they would; they've funneled serious resources into revitalizing the Milwaukee brand. I'd rather use a 2654 than a Hilti impact any day. Plus warranty is longer than most brands and in my experience is basically no questions asked.

With regards to the impact especially, the buttons are on the tools, with the speed selector you can tune in four specific settings for your most common tasks and jump between them as necessary. This is the type of thing you would set in the morning and go. Then when you have different tasks, say 8 screws that use a different setting, you still have your variable speed trigger to feather them in properly.

As I said earlier, this tech won't benefit me much on the tool side of the equation, but for the production guys getting paid piecemeal I cn see it being a real benefit, and the future implications for this tech across Mileaukee's lineup is immense. Might as well get used to it, sounds like it's coming to Makita soon, and one day even Dewalt will stop dragging their feet and have electronic controls.

Of course, let us know how you enjoy your Metabo, if memory serves Dwain had great things to say about their hammer drill in the OTT shoot out, and as a member of the crew, give us a link to your eBay listings if you follow through on selling your M18.

[Maxwell Tyler Ray]

Hey for whoever wants to dump their Milwaukee tools put me on the list..

Remember there junk now so don't expect me to offer much for em...

[glass]

So the app will turn my impact Into a sawzall?

[glass]

Just imagine getting to the job and none of your tools work just to find out a competitor hacked into your one key disabling all your tools or resstting all the settings. 

[Doof]

First off, GREAT WRITE-UP, Nalu!

 

Second, I think, as far as some comments go, perspective is way off here. If you don't want it or don't need it, then it's not for you, but it's not a gimmick. Some companies buy HUGE quantities of tools at a time every year or so. When I say huge, I mean imagine 100,000 kits +/- at a time. Think Verizon, TVA or Duke/Progress Energy. Think infrastructure installation and regional residential installation. Think Exxon or Shell. Think global hotel chains. These tools are perfect for that. And maybe a dream come true to those at the top of the corporate purchasing chain.

 

I've read before that the difference in choosing one cordless brand over another might be getting 1 or 2 more high-energy-demand holes sunk on a single battery charge. Imagine being able to tweak your tool and being able to promise 4, 5, maybe 10 more holes or bolts tightened and torqued because the tool performs precisely as you need it to with no waste. That could mean jobs getting done more timely, the tool or battery lasting a few months more, and maybe saving the company hundreds of thousands if not millions. Not to mention, being able to assure the tool is not undergoing unnecessary wear and tear. And, with tracking, more assured  general property protection which may equate to insurance savings--especially with torque protection.

 

If those things are not for you, then by all means, don't go for it. But if you get a lot of mileage out of your tools, using them everyday, and in a variety of applications, then this should make more than a little sense to you. Perhaps DIY-ers needn't see this as "have to have," but then again, many DIY-ers don't really need a drill with 1200 in/lbs of torque or an impact with 1800 in/lbs. Often times, they just like to have them. Still, this technology should prove useful to the DIY tinkerer and the lone handyman as much as a large corporation.

 

It's just progress. I love to recall a decade ago when cell phones "were for women and soccer moms" and every other truck you saw had a sticker on it saying something against cell phones. Today, the person one is most likely to see talking and texting while driving are dudes driving their work trucks and on-duty cops. In other words, don't bang it till you try it, or you may just be short changing the potential of the whole thing--and you may find yourself playing catch-up.

[comp56]

that is a great write up too Doof, and you are right, I may have jumped the gun on my opinion due to lack of knowledge, ignorance or just out right being over excited. But now that I know there will be 2 versions of the tools it makes sense that this new step can help people that will want it or implement it. Having said that I still do think it isn't the best solution even for bigger buyers or fleet buyers. having worked in a machine shop/fabrication shop with 150+ men for over 30 years the production problems all came with personal interaction, cell phones can help a company and can also hurt a company........people have to realize it isn't like it was 20 years ago when you only seen bosses with cell phones now everyone and their dog has one and with social media at their finger tips all I see is production taking a hit......because now you don't have to just talk to your co-worker about that big fish you caught over the week end you can discuss the story over the internet all day long with all your friends all the while you are suppose to be working. I can't change the fact that I am old school and I can't change the fact that I think cell phones are more damaging to a place of work that good and Milwaukee is indirectly encouraging it rather than producing better tools for production......

[glass]

you think the add campaign is for exxon   come on how many of us are going to use this crap

[Doof]

I totally agree with you Comp, I just think it's a matter of personal perspective. Do I expect to be an early adopter, heck no. Do I think it's necessary to get work done, no. I really don't like smart phones either. I wish people would still talk like they used to in public. Prolly gonna go back to a flip-phone after this contract. Heck, I think TV and video games hurt our society more and more everyday. But, there are advantages and disadvantages to all technology.

 

I miss kids just playing in a creek, building dams, being able to knock on a stranger's door, not fearing the outside, being able to do math without a calculator. I miss not having to give out your ss# for everything. Most especially, I despise Email! And not having to be at the beck-and-call of a cell phone. Yet, there are advantages to these things beyond the individual experience.  I know when my families safe, etc...

 

While I personally like my indulgent, introspective, creative, quiet time without distractions, a bit (not all) of this tech-junk is making progress the rule rather than the exception. The bosch wireless battery-charger is a gimmick. The torque safety on Makita, progress. Diseases are being cured left and right, there is less violent death and hunger in the world than ever before in history, more education, and more safety. But we are more detached, more suspicious, more stand-offish, less friendly, quicker to snap, less polite and compromising, and much more self-indulgent than ever before.

 

I agree with you profoundly, but I also agree with the other side. I believe contradictions can co-exist. To each his own, as long as it doesn't step on anyone else's toes. Still, my kids gonna be hiking and camping and playing in the creek before he owns a TV or a phone or a computer or a video-game console. Heck, he's 22 mo. old and he just steered his first tractor last week (wish it were and ox and yoke. His first tools will be manual, to be certain! We all gotta learn to crawl before we walk... then we can get Milwaukee and start to Run!!! Its all about where we stand and standing for something we've looked deeply into.

 

Cheers!

[DR99]

My point is if Milwaukee invested this kind of money and research into the actual tools and not this smartphone craps they could make some seriously good professional tools .But I guess gizmos for consumers at home depot is more profitable .The electronic forbid setting on the metabolism is actually a useful feature as one sets it on the tool not onyour phone. 

Hey maybe all you guys and just get in your self driving trucks and set up computer controlled tools .Lol

They didn't have to add much except a Bluetooth unit. If you look on AvE's videos all of today's tools are computer controlled. Milwaukee just gave you access to them. Just because your tool can talk to another device some how makes it less of a tool that makes no sense to me. If you looked the Gen 2.0 fuel tools had all sorts of upgrades on the internals of the tools

[Bremon]

 

If those things are not for you, then by all means, don't go for it. But if you get a lot of mileage out of your tools, using them everyday, and in a variety of applications, then this should make more than a little sense to you. Perhaps DIY-ers needn't see this as "have to have," but then again, many DIY-ers don't really need a drill with 1200 in/lbs of torque or an impact with 1800 in/lbs. Often times, they just like to have them. Still, this technology should prove useful to the DIY tinkerer and the lone handyman as much as a large corporation.

 

It's just progress. I love to recall a decade ago when cell phones "were for women and soccer moms" and every other truck you saw had a sticker on it saying something against cell phones. Today, the person one is most likely to see talking and texting while driving are dudes driving their work trucks and on-duty cops. In other words, don't bang it till you try it, or you may just be short changing the potential of the whole thing--and you may find yourself playing catch-up.

I agree with this. This seems to be getting a lot of flak here and on other forums. That surprises me to an extent. I know a lot of guys are like truck guys and just want better versions of the same technology they are already used to, but if you're posting about tools on the Internet odds are you're an enthusiast and progress like this should be seen as exciting. Instead, the guys in our shop who don't give a rat's ass about what color of drill they use think this is cool, while us enthusiasts mostly bash on it. The current implementation isn't for everyone but the future potential of this is massive.

Just imagine getting to the job and none of your tools work just to find out a competitor hacked into your one key disabling all your tools or resstting all the settings.

You realize these aren't connected 24/7 and use limited range communication right? Odds of your Visa's chip being compromised is higher than your tools settings being messed with (and I don't know anyone self-important enough to worry about someone fiddling with settings). If people hate you that much your whole drill is going to walk off, not your settings. Will you be selling your tin foil hat with your Milwaukee tools, or is that accessory compatible with Metabo?

[Bremon]

No different than a guy not buying a 2015 pickup because their 2013 is only half paid off (or less, with the way people seem to finance things these days), and is working fine. Plus, now that you're in the system you can buy a bare tool in the future for $150 instead of a full kit.

The backlash I'm seeing is a weird tool version of "I just bought last years truck on clearance and the new year is new sheet metal and engines, F you Manufacturer!". How else would we ever have new, improved technology?