Milwaukee has officially announced their new M12 cable stapler, model 2448.
Described as the industry’s most compact battery-powered cable stapler, the new M12 cordless power tool is designed for fastening NM-B cable (e.g. 10-14 AWG Romex) to wood stick-framed structures.
The Milwaukee cable stapler was designed to help electricians achieve faster rough-in installations. It’s compact, lightweight, and sized for fitting inside stud bays and for use overhead.
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The stapler works with 1″ insulated staples and can hold different sizes of single and double-stacked cables.
MNM1-600 Staple Cable Capacity and Compatibility
- Single NM-B cable: 14/2, 14/3, 12/2, 12/3, 10/2, 10/3
- Double-stacked NM-B cable: 14/2, 14/3, 12/2, 12/3, 10/2
- Low voltage cables such as CAT3, CAT5, and Coax
- 3/4″ crown width
- 1″ length
Each collation consists of 20 staples, and the staples are sold in 600-count boxes.
When equipped with an M12 CP 2.0Ah battery, the stapler can drive up to 1,200 staples per charge.
Features and Specs
- Compatible with MNM1-600 staples
- LED work light
- Reversible belt clip
- On-board battery fuel gauge
- Staple viewing window
- Movable cable guides
- Dry fire lockout
- Weighs 4.6 lbs without battery
Pricing and Availability
- Tool-Only (2448-20): $229
- Kit (2448-21): $299
- Staples (MNM1-600): $16.99 per box
The 2448-21 kit comes with the stapler, M12 charger, CP 2.0Ah battery, and a contractor bag.
ETA: June-July 2022
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Jared
That’s a pretty sweet tool. I can see that being really useful for electricians.
Tom
“ETA: June-July 2021”
Uh…
Adam
closer to 2023 with they way they announce & release some things.
Stuart
Supply chain complications have hit everyone hard.
Rob
It already went through it’s delay. Coming in June/July with 90% certainty.
Stuart
Oops, *fixed*, thank you!
IJK
Since the Dewalt version has been out for awhile, I wonder how they compare. especially since it appears they both use their own proprietary staples.
Tj
I have the Dewalt and got to test the Milwaukee at a neca trade show.. the Milwaukee did a much better job to me.. I will be selling the Dewalt as soon as I getvmy hands on the Milwaukee
fred
The Dewalt one has been out for some time. I almost bought a Dewalt kit to give as a gift – but decided to hold off waiting on this one – as the recipient is mostly on the M18 and M12 platforms – with no Dewalt.
https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DCN701D1-Cordless-Cable-Stapler/dp/B07M7SZ8L6
I also have read some less complimentary reviews about the Dewalt struggling to adequately sink staples. This will be a Christmas gift – so, I’ll probably wait to see if reviews for the Milwaukee are any better.
I also see that Milwaukee is set to release a $599 cordless fence stapler (9ga. – 3/4 crown) that should compete with the Stockade (Paslode New Zealand) ST400I which sells for about $1800
https://www.toolnut.com/milwaukee-2843-20-m18-fuel-utility-fencing-stapler.html
Franck B.
The Dewalt sinks staples just fine unless you limp-wrist it. I think people don’t like that the staples aren’t holding the cable tight… which IT SHOULD NOT. I get chills reading how people (seasoned electricians even) drive their nails tight and use that to pull the NM tight to the next staple.
Shudder.
Franck B.
* drive their staples tight
rob
Yeah, definitely a lot of non union and or “I know a guy” “electricians” writing reviews on Amazon and the like. Boo hoo, it a.) follows code and b.) doesn’t damage the romex.
Franck B.
Yeah, it only takes a few seconds to see in the NEC that the NM should not be held by the fastener. If it’s sagging, it’s because they probably shouldn’t be installing Romex. 🙁
Chris
With the way Milwaukee’s nail guns outclass Dewalt’s nail guns, I expect this to be a step above the Dewalt stapler. We’ve had 4 on the job site and they hold up pretty well and the staples aren’t outrageous, but they only work in between 16″ on center studs and hardly anything smaller. They also don’t work at anything above the slightest angle, which can be limiting.
This Milwaukee looks smaller, which is promising…but the staples look proprietary, which I hate.
Proprietary consumables only hurt the customer.
Franck B.
The Dewalt staples are also proprietary right? And slightly cheaper.
We don’t bother stapling in narrow stud bays, just screw in two CJs. And if there’s more than two cables in a wide bay, same thing.
mike
CJ?
Franck B.
Colorado Jim, Caddy CJ6. They have different ones for different types of framing, but in general can carry 6x 14/2 or 12/2, up to 4x 6/2. There’s also ones to carry AC/MC/BX up to 4x 10/4.
https://www.elliottelectric.com/Media/CJ6-CAD
In a narrow bay they can save a few minutes, which for us easily offsets their price!
Saulac
The battery placement is rather unusual. Not sure how much the larger pot batteries will get in the way of the handle.
JoeM
Okay… I feel like an idiot… I thought they already had one of these… didn’t they? Is this a new version, or have they never done this before?
At some point, someone is going to have to sit me down, and explain the model numbering system for Milwaukee, so I don’t look like an idiot on here all the time… I respect the company now, sure I am unwilling to add another battery system to my home power tools, but y’know what? It feels like I’m disrespecting a company I do respect when I don’t know if a model has been released or not.
For some reason, even though I don’t actually obsess over DeWALT as much as a serious “Fanboy” of the brand… I find it easier to keep track of tools they’ve released, versus tools they haven’t yet. I have a lot of problems in that regard following Milwaukee tool releases. And I don’t think it’s Milwaukee’s fault, I think there’s something wrong with my end of this, somehow.
Stuart
Dewalt has one. https://toolguyd.com/dewalt-cordless-electrical-cable-stapler-dcn701/
This is Milwaukee’s first.
Franck B.
Stuart wrote:
• 1/4″ crown width
• 1″ length
That’s not possible, you can’t fit 10/3 or 12/3 under a 1/4″ crown. DeWalt’s is 3/4″ and is UL-listed for any combination of two of the stackable wires (the same list as the Milwaukee, but it expressly calls out combinations as being OK). I found it handy to keep the staple box with the UL-listing because some inspectors aren’t familiar with staples that can stack double 10/2 or a 10/2 and 14/2 together.
Hopefully the Milwaukee staples will clearly label it on the packaging, although I might have to skip this since it is M12 and I’m not into that yet.
Stuart
I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened there. 3/4″ width, 1″ depth.
John
Could this be used for securing hardware cloth to 2x construction for outdoor animal (cat) enclosures? I’ve been looking for a stapler for this purpose and so far have only come across fencing staplers that cost twice (or more) as this one.
fred
Wouldn’t one of the narrow-crown cordless staplers (Dewalt, Makita, Metabo HPT, Milwaukee or Ryobi) be just as well suited for your purpose?
I’m not usure if there are galvanized staples for any of these – but the staples for this Milwaukee don’t seem to be galvanized either.
Franck B.
I use a narrow crown stapler (used to be pneumatic, but I recently got a Craftsman V20) for wood fencing. I use stainless steel and galvanized staples for them, the stainless for PT because I couldn’t find triple-galvanized. The 1/4″ crown might be too narrow for good retention of the cloth, but using a plastic cap before driving the staple might help.
Dewalt also have a pneumatic plastic cap stapler that might be suitable, but it’s quite the supplies aren’t cheap, either (you have to load the cap and staples separately). But if it saves time on a repetitive job, it might be worth it.
fred
For something like fence wire or thick gauge hardware cloth – retention might have more to do with the staple wire gauge, leg length and leg style (e.g. smooth or barbed). For stapling things like house wrap, rosin paper, roofing felt or burlap – you might try lots of staples – or more likely go with 3/4 or 1 inch crown to prevent ripping. Better yet might be to back up the staple with a cap (round plastic/tin disc) that helps avoid ripping. When these more fragile materials are being used as an underlayment – the problem sort of goes away once the covering layer (flooring, siding, roofing etc.) is added. But wind can blow off roofing felt as fast as you staple it down if the wind is strong enough and the staple cuts through the paper.
Ray
Hold it, you threw out the standard excuse for everything, “Supply chain complications have hit everyone hard”.
Stuart
It’s what’s happening across the industry and other industries.
Some brands have adjusted their announcement schedules to help reduce the waiting period.
Everything goes according to plan, announcements are made, and then a brand receives notice of significant production delays or parts sourcing.
Munklepunk
Supply chains suck right now, nothing we can do. I waited over a month for a part for my Milwaukee nailer and have been waiting nearly a month for a part for my Makita saw.
rob
When we caught wind of this sometime late last summer,the electrician we use said he was totally going to buy this, day one, even though code around here means he’s doing romex .00001% of the time. 🤪
If you do residential romex, this or the Dewalt are a no brainier. I really wish someone would make a T59 style gun for cat5. Sooner than later.
Franck B.
Do you mean to use generic T59 staples? That would be awesome, I’d be onboard. It would be nice to use cheaper staples than the Dewalt even though it’s nice to only have one kind of staple
We could put a bug in Ryobi’s ear to modify their T50 stapler to drive them, it might need more power although it doesn’t need to sink the staple.
Then again, maybe T59s are only available from Arrow and Klein…
fred
We had some pneumatic staple guns for PEX. A cordless replacement for them would also be nice.
https://www.amazon.com/Peter-Mangone-RB-6-Pneumatic-Clip/dp/B003QSEKTK
Franck B.
Is that the percussive type? Like a palm nailer? I guess you need PEX to be tight when doing radiant heating, so a percussive type would make sense. This would probably be in Ridgid’s wheelhouse, although I think Milwaukee M12 is the only major manufacturer cordless palm nailer.
I have the secret solution for making a marketable and useful cordless palm nailer, if any manufacturers want to contact me about how to do it, I’m waiting. 😀
fred
We also used a Taylor pneumatic mallet to push PEX tubing into radiant heat channels to insure good contact:
https://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Pneumatic-Automatic-Hammer-90PSI/dp/B000KL4V7M
Collin
Don’t forget the Skil Autohammer
JR Ramos
I don’t have much use for this one but it got my attention when they introduced it because of that extra short stack height. I’ve been hoping that they would release a small brad nailer in M12 but thought maybe it wouldn’t have the oomph on 12-volt. I guess this proves otherwise, mostly. That pin nailer is great but I’d much rather have an 18ga even if limited to 1″. (Also hope that they’ll someday bring out an M12 trim router…)
I can see this romex stapler being very popular as long as the staples are a) readily available, and b) maybe a bit cheaper in bulk.
fred
I own the little Bosch 12V trim router. I like it a lot for inlay work – but find it to be too wimpy even for light-pass edge trimming.
https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-Brushless-Palm-Router-GKF12V-25N/dp/B07B8YLWCC
Ken
I’ve done a lot of electrical work at my home and used a hand-operated Gardner Bender MSG-501 for both romex and ethernet. It works great for new/soft SPF lumber, but for SYP lumber it barely makes a dent.
I’ve been pining for a cordless tool, and I’m on the M12 platform , but I don’t think I can justify over $200 for homeowner use.
Regarding proprietary staples: what else would they use? To my knowledge there is no standard/cheap UL-listed staples for romex. The Milwaukee staples are significantly cheaper than the Gardner Bender staples.
fred
I’ve had carpenters, electricians and plumbers all curse lots of the old (some dating from the original 1890’s building) lumber when I was having the summer home that I bought remodeled.
Franck B.
Hmm, I believe the G-B and Arrow T72 staples are pretty much the same? That seems to be the closest to non-proprietary, although as you point out the G-B are not cheap. The Arrow staples can be found at a slightly better price.
But the reason Milwaukee and Dewalt may have not gone with T72 is because the crown is too narrow, so they wanted something with a wide application. And if you order enough staples from Acme, they’ll give you a good price.
I don’t believe NM supports have to be UL-listed, just used in accordance with the manufacturer instructions. It’s great when Dewalt and Milwaukee get UL certification, I don’t think the Arrow staples are listed but are indicated. It seems Dewalt now indicates their staples for AC/MC installation as well.
Julian Tracy
I bought the Dewalt and sold it off pretty much after using it for a big basement job, Darn thing was large and heavy and more importantly – didn’t sink the staples tight enough to hold down even a 12ga romex. You’d have a 8’ run and the wire is just sagging in between staples.
Nothing to do with a limp wrist – a limp ass stapler with no adjustment. And no one’s trying to staple so tight the wire gets damaged, but certainly it should hold the wire in place. Hard to do a clean install with the tool.
Dominick
Would that work on 12/2, 12/3 BX wire
Stuart
No, only NM/Romex-style so far.
Franck B.
If you’re platform agnostic, the Dewalt is now UL-listed for metal clad cables. But generallly I prefer 1-hole straps to hold the AC/MC tight.
Also the paperwork that has that UL-listing doesn’t seem to be available from Dewalt although they state it should be referenced. The staple boxes that I have may be older and do not reference any BX type cables yet.
Norm
YES!
I almost recently bought the Klein version of this and was eyeing the Dewalt one, even though I don’t have that battery system. I said, maybe Milwaukee will come out with one.
The thing is, I usually use the Gardner-Bender brand of electrical staples (it has two nails and a plastic hold down). I prefer them over the U nails (or wire staples).
For years, I’ve used the Craftsman 12V Nextec Auto-Hammer. Out of all those tools, that was my favorite.
This past holiday, gifted the whole set I had, plus the heated jacket, to my Dad [plus other things, he wanted just a drill]. Because the one tool I still used, the Auto Hammer, I just recently got the Milwaukee version.
I really hadn’t had time to check it out. Between the side residential jobs I do. I just knew it was a bit bulkier being a palm one.
What I did find out, was the cavity for the the nail to the “hammer head” is deeper than the Craftsmen. That is a problem I found out this past weekend. It’s too deep for the Gardner-Bender wire staples. ARGH!
I was thinking, I may see if my dad even has used the hammer, and get one back (had the flip head and stationary one), and try to convert it to use the Milwaukee battery. The wiring wouldn’t be an issue I don’t think, it would be a battery holder. Ideally I would like it to lock in place where the old one did… maybe even with some kind of adapter. Maybe even something 3D printed.
eddie sky
I want to see this tested on old wood. When new framing is up, the pine is soft. But when doing renovation, you have studs from 50 more more years ago.
If it can put staples in old stud framing, I’m in!
Joe keefner
How does this stapler work on tgi framing.