Bremon

I think you're correct, in that Miwaukee's marketing department is first rate, but I do have to disagree with you a bit. I personally think you have to be crazy, at this point in time, to buy the 2750 over the 2653. They are very similar; like you said build quality is likely neck and neck. The real kicker for me is single speed (from what I saw in the TIA video) vs 3 speed. I'd bet money that "red link plus" is just the electronic settings for speeds, but it's worth the premium. They are both variable speed but I like the tool to do as much of the work as possible, and the option to limit its power to a quarter or half (just guessing, don't have the specs in front of me) is much nicer than spending time feathering the trigger to get to where you want.Similarly I already have a 2604, and was waiting on the 2701 but decided on a 2403 instead. M12 was even more compact and had the mode select collar which is a great convenience (convenience being my main reason to get a second drill in the first place). Until I start seeing some great sales on these new compacts I will likely be pointing people to the brushed or the Fuel models depending on their needs. The value just isn't there in these kits (speaking as a Canadian).

Build quality of the brushless motors, intelligence between battery, charger, and tool. Fuel also has more power and premium features (ie torque modes for impact driver, separate mode select collar on drills, etc.)

Hopefully what I'm seeing is an early adopter tax and these have excellent sales come Father's Day because my usual store is selling them only 20-30 bucks difference (Canadian) between these and the Fuel version depending on which kit you go for. Bare tools are priced identically. I would pay the small increase in price every time, especially for the impact.

If no one gets an answer to you sooner I can check mine on Sunday for you. Update: 1.75" is the inner diameter of the guards for the Fuel.

I actually got a shirt from them last week haha. This thread immediately came to mind. It was worth taking the time to enter the promo code online.

Their marketing department definitely knows what it's doing. I own all red because I got to pick bonus tools with my kits. 2730 saw free with my 2604 hammer drill and 2720 sawzall with my 2653 impact driver. Made buying Fuel models a no-brainer. I also ended up with the M12 Fuel hackzall and impact driver with a stick light and an extra 4.0. I've added at least 3 more Fuel tools and some odds and ends so I'm all in at this point but am still waiting on some nice promos or updated Fuel versions of older tools though. I bought the portable shop vac even though it's aging because I needed one though. CFM could be so much better with a brushless motor.

More likely to be teething pains on an early manufacturing run of a new product would be my guess. A replacement will fix the issue I'm sure.

More power with less "intelligence" between battery, charger and tool, and less convenience, ie power settings for impact and separate mode select collar for drills. That looks to be it. I think you made the right choice toolcop. I'm really tempted by this set but I definitely don't need a third impact driver and drill.

I drive a Chevy, and I'd be open to Ram or Ford next time around. Whoever makes the most competitive product gets my money. My dads side of the family is all GM, moms side is all Ford. (Yes I would say my Chev was the most competitive at the time despite the rear DRUM brakes haha). If we only based it on looks, my votes go to '15 Sierra, F150, Silverado, Ram in that order. Half ton only. 3/4 ton and up is Sierra, Ram, Silverado, Super Duty.

yeah, I gathered that you sub it out. Tough to find good help, it sucks when the guys that under fill or do work improperly give the business a bad name. On the other hand, there's more and more operations opening all the time so it's easier to kick the bad ones to the curb.

NER great video. I'm a spray foam contractor and our general rule of thumb is "do not overspray". We have air powered grinders running off of our compressors to shave it down as efficiently as possible, and I have to say your method is one of the best I've ever seen. Another great video, we all appreciate you taking the time to make them. That festool system is great, and the ingenuity on your part made it even better!

"Just check and add". It's so "efficient" that it burns the old stuff out.

Awesome job, thanks so much to you and Mike for the huge undertaking. Clicked on the site and bookmarked to prevent any tears. Looking forward to more OTT in the future! (Also pleased to see a strong showing from the red team).

Still yet to hear anything from Milwaukee via press release or anything for North America. Maybe at the media event this year?

Hilti's big price tag buys you peace of mind if nothing else. They are quality tools, but their specs aren't necessarily always best-in-class. I certainly wouldn't complain if I came to be in possession of some.

True. OP did mention an interest in brushless though. Plus with the new M18 it seems like it's not just on premium tools anymore and is starting to trickle down. Going with M12 I have no experience with brushed models but have read enough about them being gutless that my attitude is "more is always better". More power in the same package is worth the extra money on every job you use it on long after the point of sale. Milwaukee is also quite generous with promotions. My fuel circ saw, fuel sawzall, m12 stick light, extra batteries, etc. have all been free toss-ins. There are of course great deals to be had on the standard stuff as well, but M12 Fuel on promo isn't out of reach of a homeowner.

If you can only have one, drill. That is the Jack-of-all-trades power tool. Tons of capabilities. However, like NERemodeling says, find a deal on a combo kit. The new brushless M18 kit or the M12 Fuel kit I would highly recommend. I have experience with (and own) plenty of M12 and M18 Fuel and would recommend them both. Go with whatever has the lineup that appeals to you most. M12 is plenty for homeowner needs. these new entry level brushless promote extended runtime. Add a 5.0 to the equation and that thing ain't got no quit! Juice for days haha.

That was when they had more than 60% marketshare to themselves. How times have changed.

Not just a tool fight, a king of the ring, I want to see the M18 Fuel siblings in any proposed tool fight!

That's common between a ton of brands. There's no selling to each other, it's just a GM frame going underneath a GM truck. Just like there's no more chevy small blocks, all engines are shared between brands, developed by GM Powertrain. Ford is no different with Lincoln, etc.

I would trust it more if it was "professional grade".

Thanks for taking the time, that's a nice looking unit. Would love to see big red follow in Makitas footsteps on this one. The small things like light placement, and the option to disable it are very well thought out. Auto-On is excellent as well. Again, good job, would like to see your thoughts on some M12 stuff in the future!

I agree with FrosBros, the 2653 is the ultimate impact driver in my opinion, but the 2604 is a big pig that I hate to drag out when I don't need that much power. 5lb isn't that heavy but compared to a 2.9-3.5lb smaller drill, you definitely notice the difference, hence my fence-sitting on this vs the M12 Fuel for around-the-house tasks. I only own 4.0 m18s so if this goes on sale for a decent price with 2.0 I may jump, otherwise I'll put my m12 4.0s to work.

NERemodeling makes some good points, it does make a difference knowing what kind of arsenal you're adding the tool to. Added convenience can be a bigger factor when you're adding to a collection that's already capable of handling the toughest jobs, etc. That said, lifetime cost-of-ownership is something I like to factor in to my purchases, whether tool-related, vehicle-related, etc. and there's no doubt in my mind that over the life of the tool the 2730 will cost me more money than the 2731 would. There are other factors, of course, like weight, but with these saws the difference isn't like the compact impact vs the high torque (basically double), it's roughly 10%. 6.8 lbs vs 7.5 lbs (without battery). If I wanted a lightweight saw that can do most things and was ok with pricier blades, the M12 2530 would be my choice*. That's in the vicinity of 5.5 lbs. (*pendng reviews confirming that it is a quality piece of equipment). If you want to stay in the 18 volt range, the 2630 is a quality tool though. My posts maybe sound a it harder on it than they ought to, it is a good Jack-of-all-trades saw and is comfortable to use, and I would recommend it to others, just trying to give you food for thought; buyers remorse is a crappy feeling.

I don't have the 7.25" so you can take my opinion with a grain of salt, but I do have the 2730 6.5". If I had my way, I would have the larger saw. Despite being blade-right, it's more capable, blades are cheaper, and the weight difference is negligible. The redeeming factor for my 6.5 was it was free with my 2604-22 kit. Well, that, and it is still a great saw, the 2731 just seems better (2731 and 2530 would be my ideal combo).