Milwaukee m18 brushless vs. m18 fuel

[Bloch98]

I was just wondering if anyone knows what the difference between the Milwaukee m18 brushless and the m18 fuel systems are.

[Bremon]

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.)

[DR99]

Bremon pretty much covered everything Fuel its the top of the line all the bells and whistles tool. Unless your really in the market for a new drill and impact I would wait until the Milwaukee event in June. I think the M18 drill and impact will get a refresh as they are no longer top of the heap spec wise. They are still a great tool, but that new Makita brushless drill and impact is a beast.

[dwain]

i suspect the differences are less than Milwaukee make them out to be. take the impact driver for example. they're both brushless, there's 10Nm torque difference, and 2 sp vs 3sp. i can't see the 'brushless' version having lower build quality or having less 'intelligence; inreality.

 

The cynic in me thinks its a master stroke. Call this other line 'brushless' so that this line seems comparable to the other brand's premium BL tools. That way the FUEL line appears to be a major step up from the competition. I don't buy it really, I reckon they're all great tools.

[Bloch98]

Thanks guys. Also I want to get my grandfather a 12v impact and drill combo and was wondering what some of your recommendations would be. He mostly does just some little DIY projects or hobbies and occasionally some little work around the house. I have mainly looked at the Ridgid and milwaukee sets but I am open to any suggestions on what a good set would be. Thanks

[Bigmikez]

Bloch98 go with the m12 line man I just got into it last year and love it very compact powerful for most at home jobs, runtime is pretty awesome and milwaukee is great on there warranty incase U should have any problems.

[NicholasShetley]

I bought my grandpa the ridgid 12v kit and it has performed great. For $99 it can't be beat.

[overanalyze]

The Ridgid 12v is actually a pretty decent tool. Especially for a home owner. Lifetime warranty on batteries and affordable.

[rfwjr]

I picked up the Ridgid 12v combo and it has worked great.  Like Nicholas said for $99 bucks I figured I could not go wrong.   Although I wish I have gone with the M12 line since I use them a lot and they have a deeper tool ine on the 12v platform.

[Bloch98]

Thanks guys for all your input either way I don't think I could go wrong but for $99 I think I may consider the Ridgid.

[Bremon]

i suspect the differences are less than Milwaukee make them out to be. take the impact driver for example. they're both brushless, there's 10Nm torque difference, and 2 sp vs 3sp. i can't see the 'brushless' version having lower build quality or having less 'intelligence; inreality.

 

The cynic in me thinks its a master stroke. Call this other line 'brushless' so that this line seems comparable to the other brand's premium BL tools. That way the FUEL line appears to be a major step up from the competition. I don't buy it really, I reckon they're all great tools.

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).

[chadlanthier]

It's all about target different groups.

[overanalyze]

I would imagine as brushless tech keeps growing you will see it more and more and it won't be such a distinguishing difference in tools. We will have to go back to specs as more a deciding factor vs brushless vs non-brushed.

[dwain]

The real kicker for me is single speed (from what I saw in the TIA video)

 

i don't believe TIA have reviewed the 2nd Generation brushed impact driver (could be wrong), but oztooltalk did, and posted it on TIA. It definitely has 2 speeds, with a mechanical selector (unlike the FUELs electronic button). its a great tool, as is the Gen2 compact drill.

 

Red Link Plus is just Milwaukee speak for communication between the tool and battery to protect from overheating etc. All brands have it, and talk as if they're the only ones who do:

http://www.kmstools.com/blog/milwaukee-fuel-series-part-2-red-link-intelligence/

 

if there was a significant price difference between the 2sp brushless and the 3spd FUEL, i'd happily put the money elsewhere.

[Bremon]

TIA video of the 2750 uploaded 3 days ago. The 2657 marketing material definitely makes note of the "proprietary 2-way drive control". The brushless 2750 makes no such claim, as far as I can tell the 2750 is single speed. It's certainly possible that is has it, but it is certainly out of character for Milwaukee not to brag about something.

Red Link is their version of control that everyone has, Red Link Plus is only on the Fuel line, I would like to know the difference.

[dwain]

TIA video of the 2750 uploaded 3 days ago. The 2657 marketing material definitely makes note of the "proprietary 2-way drive control". The brushless 2750 makes no such claim, as far as I can tell the 2750 is single speed. It's certainly possible that is has it, but it is certainly out of character for Milwaukee not to brag about something.

Red Link is their version of control that everyone has, Red Link Plus is only on the Fuel line, I would like to know the difference.

 

you're quite right. i just saw that video recently, and have started looking into it. it looks the the brushed model was released in the US with only one speed, while international release (to Australia at least) had 2 speeds. Australian Milwaukee site details:

 

• REDLINK™ Intelligence provides optimised performance and overload protection with 2-Mode DRIVE CONTROL™

that is a very strange decision. so the brushless update in still single speed in US, i wonder what we'll receive...