Bmill25

So after 10+ years of using Milwaukee tools I believe I'll be transitioning to a new tool brand. One reason I bought Milwaukee was the 5 year warranty. Recently I sent back two tools for warranty and both were rejected for "excessive use." I'm sorry I use your tools everyday. I guess that's too often. Anyways, is there a similar tool system that has a good warranty. There's a Lowe's near me and they sell FLEX. Is that a good system? The tool I use the most is a grinder. Thanks for the info.

So I'm sure this has been asked before, but is there a power tool company out there that isn't made or has materials made in China. With all this tariff stuff going on, I'm sure that everything made in China will increase in price. I'm invested in Milwaukee, and I know they're made in China, but if a company can rival Milwaukee in quality and is made anywhere but China, I'll consider buying some whenever the Milwaukee tool need replaced.

Yes I understand the red "steal me" and unfortunately I'll need to buy another brand because with a new kid I can't afford a new packout system. I bought these as a Christmas present for myself. The boxes weren't able to be seen from the nearby road. They were hidden behind a dumpster so the thieves had to drive up the driveway to see them.

So I showed up to my job site today and most of my basically brand new packout system was gone along with nearly all my masonry tools. Fortunately I took my power tools and the medium box, home with me this weekend. Really took the wind out of my sails. It wasn't that I lost that much stuff, and my insurance deductable is $250, so it's not terrible, but man, it's not only taking what I use to make a living, but taking $250 out of my bank account. So tomorrow I have to go and buy a ton of tools I shouldn't have to buy and waste a day doing it. I don't know if anyone out there has the Milwaukee tick or some other tracking device, but I think I'm gonna buy some tomorrow and download the app I don't want to tell you you have to get the tick, but putting the app on your phone could save someone a big headache. I think I can say that most of us use our tools to help pay the bills, and none of us would wish this on anyone. Rant over.

Everyone is complaining that the M18 batteries are no longer really compatible. The new power tool won't run right without the 12A batteries. Its been that way ever since the 4A battery came out. No one is gonna toss the 12A battery on the Surge and run that all day. You'll have forearms like Popeye. And also no one will take the original 1.5A battery and put it on the Fuel circular saw, much less the table saw. Are they compatible? Eh, I guess so, but each tool has the ideal battery for it. The little ones for the impacts, the 4.0 and 5.0 for the hammer drill, circ saw, grinder, etc, the 9.0 for the OPE, and now the 12.0 for the new tools. I have no problem with them calling it compatible, because in a pinch, its nice to know that I could put a 4.0 on the new table saw and get that one last cut out of it.

If i want to buy a power tool, I would rather travel 25 miles to the nearest HD than go to Lowes that's 2 miles away. The power tool selection is atrocious.

How well would it cut rebar?

I posted this question and I have since bought a Surge and the Black Friday M12 impact set that comes with the packout box. Both are great. The Surge is definitely quieter and powerful enough to send 3 inch x 1/4 inch tapcon zipping into blocks. Both are great products.

I think it would be cool to see a small desk that you could mount. A dolly that connects the boxes would be great as well.

I know the 2362-20 Lantern/Flood light has 400 lumens. I'm not sure what you'll be using it for, but a couple of those should light up a small area nicely. And it has a USB port to charge your phone, which is nice. I have the m18 version and it has 700 lumens and its really nice for dark areas and even camping. Milwaukee makes great 18v lights, I know you want m12 but, for some serious retina burning light, that would be the way to go.

From everything I hear it’s a good idea to get a heated vest and wear a hoodie overtop of it. Keep the heated part close to your body.

I usually use gloves for masonry work in the winter. Just the cheap jersey gloves. In the summer i probably should but don’t because I need to “feel” my work and gloves get in the way of that.

I bought two Milwaukee recon tools and they both had issues with the forward and reverse buttons. One slid back and forth with no pressure needed. I pretty much had to hold the selector while pressing the trigger. The other was completely backwards. They also both had the previous owners name scratched into the side. I’ll just buy new.

Do I NEED a new storage system? Probably not. Is my tough system good enough? Yes. Could I turn down $100 off the PackOut? NO!!!!! Plus the rep was there and gave me a shirt and a bottle opener. Props to Milwaukee!!

I'm considering buying a M18 Surge to go along with my M12 Fuel Impact. The M12 has plenty of power for what I do and I was wondering if they are comparable to each other in power? The most difficult work it would be doing is a 3 inch tapcon screw. I know that the Surge is considerably weaker than the regular Fuel impact, but I figure that someone out there has both tools.

Ok, now I see it. Being computer illiterate, I didn't realize they were videos. When I buy a piece of equipment, I don't buy from a company that specializes in something else. My truck is a ford, not a Nissan. My power tools are Milwaukee, not Chicago, my hunting dog is a German shorthaired pointer, not a shitzu, my levels are Stabila, not Milwaukee. I get companies want to make more money and they expand in order to do that, but Milwaukee bought Empire and they make damn good levels. Why make levels to compete with a company they just bought?

This may be a stupid question, but is it possible that its not the Milwaukee that is off? Maybe the Milwaukee is more sensitive than the other level, hence the bubble looks further off than what it is?

My m18 batteries stay in my toughbox on the back of my truck all winter. If the batteries can't take the abuse, I'll check into a system that can. So far after two winters they all work well. I guess I'm a rookie too.

That’s an incredible deal!

I'm a masonry contractor and my jobsites can get pretty messy at times. Usually by 2 pm the jobsite is a wreck, but I always make sure the last 30 min or so are spent organizing and cleaning. A lot of times the mess isn't totally put away, just organized better.

I'm planning on changing accounting software on Jan 1, just wondering what a good, EASY, online accounting software would work for my small masonry construction business. I was looking at Quickbooks online, but I was afraid that it may be too complicated.

My saw does do that as well, and it does a great job at cutting down the dust. But when I'm working at a new construction home where there is no water or electric there's not many options for dust control.

I'm usually a one-man crew masonry contractor, and usually I'm just cutting one or two concrete block every so often. If that's the case, I'll take a long breath and cut quickly. If it's a lot of cutting, I'll wear a respirator. If they can come up with a cordless and waterless solution to suck up the dust, I'm all for it, but until then I'll probably end up taking deep breaths.

Considering buying the m12 power port. How quickly does it charge cell phones? How many times will it charge a phone? Is the m18 power port much better?

I'm a masonry contractor. Foundations, chimneys, stone veneer, bricks, etc. I started going to work with my dad when I was 7. Full time when I was 16. Started my own business when I was 28. I've never done anything else except a second job as a pizza delivery guy. I always tell my wife I lay things all day and when I get home I'd like to have it happen to me!