ChrisK Posted December 7, 2013 Report Share Posted December 7, 2013 So...as promised from my earlier post, my review of my first M12 Fuel tool. While checking out eBay last month, I came upon an awesome deal. Somebody was selling a brand new 2403-20 Fuel Drill Driver. Now I had decided I was going to get the hammer version but the price of this kit was $108 shipped with one 2.0 and one 4.0ah battery. So I bought it.Last week I did my first big project of the year. I kind of took a hiatus from work around the house and with new change comes my new living room. That change included my 51" Samsung TV. Arr arr arr. Also in the change was a new pellet stove and my own built hearth pad (saved $389 retail). I have a Hitachi brushless 18v hammer drill but said "hey chucklehead...let's try out that fancy new rig you just bought". So, M18 Circular Saw M18 Recip and my M12 Fuel drill driver to the rescue. As most of you know Milwaukee is an innovator. This mean my 12v drill has a 1/2" metal chuck. I bought a Lennox hole saw, 3" and 2" and although I had faith it would do this, it actually DID blow right through my house. NO PROBLEMS! That's pretty darn good ladies and gents. So as far as my opinion goes, this is a pretty freakin' awesome tool. Pros: 1/2" metal chuck. Up to 1700 RPM's. 350" lbs of torque. 4.0ah battery (three bars after the entire job was done).Cons: it is pretty big but seriously. It's smaller than most 18v drill drivers. That is the only con in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicholasShetley Posted December 7, 2013 Report Share Posted December 7, 2013 That was an excellent deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Javier Posted December 7, 2013 Report Share Posted December 7, 2013 You have good taste in tools. That's an awesome deal you got. I've been looking for a long while for a great deal on eBay for a fuel impact driver m12 but no luck so far.I agree the fuel m12 drill is a bit big. The first time I saw it at the store. It had a 4.0 battery and I thought it was an 18v until I took a good look at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DR99 Posted December 8, 2013 Report Share Posted December 8, 2013 I do wish the drill was a little bit smaller, but ever with that its a really good drill. I know some people don't like the stem pack batteries but they make the drill compact without the big bulge on the bottom like slide packs, and if you want the drill too stand they have the xc packs anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisK Posted December 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2013 Yeah, I have like five or six small battery packs (1.5ah) and one 3.0ah xc pack that I use on my Milwaukee multi tool. Now I've got a 4.0 and a 2.0. I don't mind the xc packs, they are big but the trade in run time, and power is worth the sacrifice in size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trogo Posted December 9, 2013 Report Share Posted December 9, 2013 Nice score. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric - TIA Posted December 10, 2013 Report Share Posted December 10, 2013 Nice deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conductor562 Posted December 12, 2013 Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 Hell of a price on a hell of a tool! Great post Chris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisK Posted December 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 Thanks Travis! I really can't say enough good about the tool and the battery life. Plus the price boom-ya! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conductor562 Posted December 13, 2013 Report Share Posted December 13, 2013 Those retail for like $180. That was certainly a steal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DR99 Posted December 13, 2013 Report Share Posted December 13, 2013 I need to troll Ebay for tool deals more often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conductor562 Posted December 14, 2013 Report Share Posted December 14, 2013 I need to troll Ebay for tool deals more often.I got my M18 kit for $325 brand new about 3-1/2 years ago. It's just a matter of being able to wait on the right deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicholasShetley Posted December 14, 2013 Report Share Posted December 14, 2013 I have bought many high end tools on eBay. I always make sure the seller has a very high rating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwain Posted December 16, 2013 Report Share Posted December 16, 2013 I've not got to hold one of these yet, but after hearing the great reviews (but concerns over size), i just checked the specs. The M12 FUEL drill is half an inch longer than the compact Dewalt 18v (790), and only half a pound lighter (both with 2.0ah batts)! Does its power justify the size? Is this too big for a 12V drill? granted, the 12v dewalt is about the same (im a fan of both brands). Maybe its great for those who don't have an 18v line! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Javier Posted December 17, 2013 Report Share Posted December 17, 2013 Unlike dewalt Milwaukee didn't design different bodies for the fuel 1/2 drill and hammer drill. So the 2403 is just as long as the hammer drill version because the body is made to fit the hammering mechanism even though it doesn't have it. Both also have a mode selector switch which the dcd790 doesn't have and that ads a bit of length. Now let's compare two drills with similar features the 2404 vs the dcd795. Both are brushless and both are hammer drills and yet the dewalt is longer. Not by much but it is. The dewalt doesn't have a mode selector switch and if it did it would add a bit more length to it as well. So the reason the dcd790 is shorter in length is because it doesn't have a hammering mechanism and a mode selector switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwain Posted December 17, 2013 Report Share Posted December 17, 2013 thanks for the info. im certainly not trying to create a yellow vs red debate (i have and love both . whilst there is nothing wrong with your comparisons, you were still comparing a 12V tool to an 18v tool. and that was my question,if 18V drills can be this small (Dewalt, Bosch etc compacts), do the 12Vs need to be smaller? perhaps people are happy to have a larger 12V since they are on the platform. just seems to me the main reason (apart from cost) to use 12V is a smaller size.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisK Posted December 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2013 I see where your going with that Dwain and really have a good point. I liken my M12 Fuel to a beefed up 12v drill. The power to weight ratio is extremely high so going into the M12 Fuel you are essentially getting the 18v power in a somewhat compact platform while being still bigger than a 12v standard tool. Honestly, the size is really the winner for me,, I have an 18v brushless hammer (Hitachi) and it is substantially larger than my Milwaukee. If I wanted a subcompact I would go with Bosch' line as I feel they are really the smaller tools that are high end quality but for a compact powerhouse I think the Fuel is the way to go. The Dewalt grip (both 20v and 12v) is small and comfortable and I won't go on about my opinion. But again, I wanted a compact tool with A LOT of power and was willing to sacrifice for a slightly bigger tool that clips right to my pocket, is brushless (but I'm a weekend warrior not a pro so brushless for me is more power and battery life) and doesn't bump into stuff as I move around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Javier Posted December 17, 2013 Report Share Posted December 17, 2013 I think I get your point. I too own both brands and enjoy both. You asked about the size justifying the power, I think the power along with its extra features justify its size. It really is a smaller more compact and lighter tool than the dewalt 18v. I think length might be the concern when it comes to power ratio but in that sense 12v impacts are way longer than their 18v bigger brothers and have much less power. Although much longer they are still a much smaller tool over all. I think I get your point about the fuel drills being big for 12v's but for what they are I think they are as small as could be. That's what I like about Milwaukee is that sure they could make the tool shorter but they included a mode selector switch, they could have made it lighter but they gave it a metal chuck instead of plastic, they could have made it smaller but decided to pack in a bit more power. Milwaukee also has smaller 12v brushed drills which fit right in line in the 12v class. Their new updated brushed drills are a bit more compact over all lighter and shorter in length than the previous brushed drills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwain Posted December 17, 2013 Report Share Posted December 17, 2013 good points here. i suppose if it has the power equivalent to a compact 18v then the size is justified. I've still never used the screw driving/clutch feature on my drill drivers, so to me the mode selector isn't important. but 1/2" metal chuck! That's awesome. That's what i love about my 790, so i can appreciate why you'd love it on the M12 FUEL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conductor562 Posted December 18, 2013 Report Share Posted December 18, 2013 Is anybody using a Drill/Driver to drive screws anymore? I don't see the capability as a necessity anymore which renders the 3rd speed useless as well. But, maybe that's just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Javier Posted December 18, 2013 Report Share Posted December 18, 2013 I still use a drill for when brute force isn't necessary and I need a clutch. Not much use for a drill these days though. One thing I noticed though is that a heavy duty drill will punish long screw's much quicker than an impact Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwain Posted December 18, 2013 Report Share Posted December 18, 2013 Not many I don't think. I'd rather the the clutch settings on drills dropped in favour of compact sizes, power or other features. On the other hand I'd think several speed settings on the impact drivers should become standard (or other 'control' features) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conductor562 Posted December 18, 2013 Report Share Posted December 18, 2013 Not many I don't think. I'd rather the the clutch settings on drills dropped in favour of compact sizes, power or other features. On the other hand I'd think several speed settings on the impact drivers should become standard (or other 'control' features)I believe they will. I think we'll see speed control on impacts as a standard feature going forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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