On paper, Milwaukee’s newest M12 Fuel brushless drills are every bit as fast and powerful as the first generation models.
They’re all very capable drills, with 1/2″ chucks, 350 in-lbs max torque, and 0-450/0-1700 RPM speed settings. The differences are in the drills’ sizes and in some of their components.
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I recently received a new M12 Fuel brushless hammer drill (thank you Milwaukee!), and pulled out an M12 Fuel drill/driver while sorting through older tool samples that will be donated this week.
With the batteries lined up, you can see that the new Milwaukee M12 Fuel brushless hammer drill has been completely redesigned. It’s shorter, a little in the back, and a lot in the front.
Even the new belt hook is different. Instead of capturing your belt between the hook and the tool as in the first model, the hook on the new one will hug your belt from both sides.
With the tools flat on a table, you can see that there’s a big difference in size.
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The original M12 Fuel drills are great models. But you won’t see anyone complaining about this new one being quite a bit shorter.
The difference is 6.6″, compared to 7.75″, and so Milwaukee engineers managed to shave more than 1 inch off the length.
Shown here is the new hammer drill and older drill/driver/ The difference in height between new and previous hammer drills should be slightly less more pronounced. Hammer drills are often a little bit longer than drill/drivers.
I plan on seeing if drill/driver test samples will be available for review, but this 1st-gen model will likely be donated by then.
Going back to this image, I wanted to show you the adjustable clutch and application selector feature. The original Milwaukee M12 Fuel drill, on the left, has independent “drill or screwdriving” selector setting. On the original M12 Fuel hammer drill, there’s a third hammer drill mode option.
On the new M12 Fuel hammer drill, you rotate the chuck until you get the drill setting. Turn it one more click to get to the hammer mode setting.
The application selector switch, on the 1st generation tools, allows you to quickly go from adjustable torque to full-power model for switching between drilling and driving modes. As the user manual (PDF) says, the number selected on the torque selector collar has no effect on operation of the drill in drilling mode.
With the new M12 Fuel drill and hammer drill, switching from adjustable torque screwdriving mode to full-power drilling or hammer drill mode requires a turn of the clutch dial.
There are other minor differences, such as vent placement and the exact shape and feel of the speed selector.
Pricing: $129 for the bare tool, $179 for the kit, $229 for the compact kit with impact driver. The new drill/driver, 2503, is $10 less, except for the combo kit.
Buy Now(Bare Tool via Acme Tool)
Buy Now(Kit via Acme Tool)
Buy Now(Combo Kit via Acme Tool)
Drill/Driver Pricing: $119 bare tool, $169 for the kit, $229 for the combo.
Buy Now(Drill/Driver via Acme Tool)
Buy Now(Drill/Driver Kit via Acme Tool)
Buy Now(Drill & Impact Combo Kit via Acme Tool)
Additional Thoughts
Which to buy? Home Depot and Acme Tool had crazy-good pricing on “Special Buy” M12 Fuel kits during the holiday season. Home Depot seems to have sold out, but Acme Tool is still listing the special combos as in-stock.
If the original M12 Fuel drills and impact driver are not discontinued, I would expect to see them in similar promo setups next year, and maybe even around Father’s Day too.
The new and previous tools all seem to have the same power and speed, at least on paper. I expect to do some quick testing soon.
So the difference is in the size and in how they’re used. If you want an independent adjustable torque clutch and drill/driving mode selector switch, and you don’t need a smaller tool, you might actually be better served by the first generation model, especially if or when it’s available at “special buy” pricing.
In this case, the latest and greatest might not be an automatic upgrade, depending on your preferences.
But if you want or need the smaller tool, it might be worth considering stepping up to the updated model. New cordless power tools typically also feature little changes in internal designs.
Just be sure that the change in application selector switch design, from being independent to being integrated into the torque adjustment dial, isn’t a compromise for you. If it is, the first-gen drills are still available.
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Tim
It’s interesting that the impact/drill combo kits are coming in bags now rather than hard cases like the 1st gen combos. The plain tool kits are still in the hard cases.
Also of note is they’re still bundling the 2Ah and 4Ah batteries with the kits according to Acme’s description, I was hoping to see the kits start coming with 3Ah and 6Ah, but I guess those batteries are still too new and expensive to include in the kits.
I’m trying to figure out if the extra speed settings on the gen 2 impact are worth it (on top of the shorter length, which would be nice). I use my gen 1 impact on the full power setting probably 100% of the time, so not sure how useful the mid speed setting and self drilling screw settings are. Anybody have any insights into using like the 4-mode M18 impacts, if the two extra modes are useful for you and maybe what applications you use them for?
Dan M
The speed settings are great for small fasteners. I have the m18 surge and it will send a small screw all the way to China if you leave it on 3 (full power) and mash on the trigger. I like to not have to finesse the trigger so by changing the settings, you can give it full trigger and then just let off when you’re done. It may take an extra 1 second to drive but for me, it’s worth the extra control in my wrist for keeping the driver square to the screw.
Mario
I’m also kind of disappointed in that they don’t come in the hard case anymore. But I bought the impact driver, hammer drill set with the 4.0 and 2.0 battery. It was $229 @ Home Depot. But ended up spending $279 since it came with the stubby 3/8th inch impact wrench with 250 ft/lbs of torque. Not sure if this is a permanent deal or just a sale item. Usually the stubby 3/8th inch impact wrench is $179 for the bare tool. The 3/8th inch impact wrench is currently $299 with a 2.0 and 4.0 battery and $229 for just 1 2.0 battery so getting a hammer drill and impact driver and 2 batteries with the 3/8in impact wrench for $307 after taxes was a no brainer. The extra setting are useful for me since I use this set to work on cars due to their compact size. Using the slower and lower torque settings allows me to fasten nuts and bolts 90% of the way and then use a torque wrench to torque the fasteners to spec.
Jesse
While in my local HD the other day I noticed they still had a couple of the 1st gen kits available for the $99 price.
I’m guessing this more of an abnormally considering how good of a deal they are but it wouldn’t hurt to check if you were wanting to get one of these kits
ACC
How does weight compare?
ACC
Actually, I wonder how this stacks up compared to the Bosch 12v hammer drill in size and weight.
Kaz
Do you mean the Bosch GSB 120-LI? I’m wondering the same thing. Also wonder why Bosch doesn’t have a Brushless version of this hammer drill.
Dcl
Nice to sew they improved these. I have a lot of m12 stuff, but chose to go with bosch for my drill and impact. The 1st gen m12’s were powerful for sure, but it was also bigger than some compact 18v stuff. Never understood the point of those unless you we going with 12v tools only.
Brian A
I am also disappointed the combo kit does not come with 3.0/6.0 batteries, makes no sense.
While the new smaller slick design is cool, no need to replace my Fuel Gen1s yet. The extra speeds on the hex are nice except have 3 M18 4 speed drivers.
Changing from cases to bags is good as many hate the cases.
fred
The blow-molded cases offer no extra storage space and take up more room than needed – but they do offer some protection. Nylon bags offer less protection – but they can be stuffed with accessories. Old-style steel cases offered both protection and extra some extra storage space – but added to the cost of the package. Something like a Packout box or L-Boxx would be neat – but they too would add to the cost – and might not be everyone’s cup of tea. I can see them selling kits with no case or bag at all to be able to set the price a bit lower.
Koko The Talking Ape
One nice thing about the hard cases is that they can be secured with a cable or small padlock. On my one Milwaukee bag at least, there is no way to lock the zipper closed, and anyway, a utility knife could slice it open.
OBDave
I just scored an old-gen Fuel impact in one of the half-size Packout cases for $99 from HD a couple weeks ago – not sure if they’re still doing the deal, but I’m actually really impressed with both the driver and the case (repurposed for some less-used plumbing tools), though I was hoping for a more significant weight reduction from the 18v version and I’m still not sure I love the “Hey look I have expensive tools, smash my Jeep window and take them please!” bright red plastic cases for the Packout system…
OBDave
Looks like they’re still doing the deal for the old stuff…
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-M12-FUEL-12-Volt-Cordless-Brushless-1-2-in-Hammer-Drill-Kit-With-Free-PACKOUT-Case-2404-21P/301999123
Adam
I’m in for a set of these. Hand my Gen1s to my brother, and I get the upgrade.
Why so few entries for this great giveaway? ;D
RC WARD
The big question is how do they compare in power to the 18 volt, as in why would someone get a 12 volt over an 18 volt, are you losing performance and power?
Adam
Depends on what 18v model you are comparing too. This will beet a lot of 18v’s. Any black & Decker lol, any drill still running nicads, and most low end offerings from all the tool companies. If you are looking just based off it being a hammer drill, it doesn’t have enough torque to require a 2ndary handle, so lower in that reguard.
The question is what are you using it for? If you are constantly throwing larger diameter bits in, I’d go 18v.
jec6613
Just because it’s NiCad doesn’t mean it’s weak – the DeWalt 18V products are just about as powerful as their current 20V lineup. In fact, NiCad is theoretically capable of delivering *MORE* watts than a Li-Ion – it’s just a matter of weight and runtime where Li-Ion pulls ahead.
Nate
Your wrong there, li-ion can deliver more power, it’s just a matter of the discharge rate of the cells.
James M. Davis
I think one could do about 85 percent of pro work and most DIY with a drill like this. For super large diameter masonry or tasks requiring upwards of 2,000 RPM, it may be advisable to step up to 18 volt class.
michaelhammer
For me it was weight and size. I’m on the m18 platform, but most of the time I don’t need to lug around all that power so, the m12 gets a lot of use. I realize that other brands have subcompacts on their 18v platform that mirror the m12 for size and weight, in which case it would make a lot of sense for someone to not even dabble in the 10.8v platform. For economy and efficiency it makes more sense for me to have a single brand. Very often I have one outlet available to me on a job site, plus it takes up less space in my trailer. Worth noting, I tend to use screws like GRK and Timberlock which drive faster with a regular driver rather than an impact. I don’t even own an m18 impact driver, which is the smallest, lightest 18v driver. My ears and especially the children of my clients are better off for the lack of impact drivers. Those things scare the hell out of the little ones.
James M. Davis
Thanks to Stuart, I have purchased one each of the 2404 Hammer Drills and the Gen 1 Fuel impacts from the Holliday Bundles at Home Depot. I love em’. The separate control ring for the drill functions, for me, outweighs the shave of some length. She’s a little on the large size, with MUCH power. These tools, put simply, are robust machines.
Bryan
I’ll prob finally bite the bullet and get into the m12 lineup. Wish it came with a hard case though.
Adam
They probably will fit in the old case fine.
Brian A
Unlikely, I have not found any models that fit in another model case, with exception of latest M18 Fuel model and corresponding One Key. Example M18 Fuel Gen1 & Gen2 dont fit in each others case. M18 Sawzalls 2620, 2621, and 2720 dont fit in each others case.
Tecnica
Marketing strategy. No hard cases = more Packout sales
I’m not bothered by it much, I actually like the soft cases because I use them for other things. But I can see where you miss the hard case
dcustar
You might be able to pick up a blow mold hard case on eBay or craigslist.
Noah
I’m very tempted to get the drill. I also keep hoping for a M12 Surge.
Brian A
M12 Surge is on my wishlist too. M18 Surge is phenomeninal, it beats M18 Fuel Gen on high with Surge only on medium.
James C
I’ll second that!
Justin V.
A mini angle grinder would be nice on 12v
glenn
Agreed, been commenting about this for years. I think a 4 inch grinder would be feasible considering how good the M12 circular saw is, particularly with the 6ah battery.
I have around 15 M12 tools and have just bought into Makita’s CXT 12v line as I think they are the ones that are expanding their line the fastest at the moment and I feel they will continue to do so . Who knows, they may even beat Milwaukee to a grinder?
Not to mention they are generally a fair bit cheaper where I live.
Jeremy
I did an experiment on the original (gen1) m12 impact vs a replacement set I just bought(still gen 1). The first set has hundreds and hundreds of hours of runtime I bought it on a big sale when they were first released, I used them for years, then they went into the general shop tools. My drill was stolen but someone left the impact on a job so I still had that. Interestingly there was absolutely no difference in speed on a 3″ #14 screw into hard wood(after three rounds the screw sheared off) however there was a noticeable difference depending on what battery pack you were running. A 1.5Ah VS a 6Ah was approx 25% faster at full charge.
So for those with old tools, even getting a pair of the new batteries will breathe new life into the old tools as well.
John S
Isn’t the new Milwaukee M12 Fuel Brushless Hammer Drill also an electronics clutch now instead of traditional mechanical clutch of the first gen? This is one of the reasons likely they could shave off the length plus no more grinding sound when reaching the clutch setting.
Chance
The new electronic clutches do not work well, and I would even go so far as to say they don’t work at all. I would gladly take a slightly longer drill with a mechanical clutch over a shorter drill with an electronic clutch.
John S
I would disagree at least with my experience using the Makita ones. I find they’re more consistent and the immediate drill stop feature they have is a life sent especially on small electronics work where I use them. Admittedly I haven’t tried them out much on wood, but in electronics assembly the lower end torque settings seem to be spot on.
Chance
I could see where in very low torque applications like small electronics with very short screws it might be nice. But when you have longer screws, say like in door hinges or long screws used to assemble carcass work the drill gets going to fast and instead of the clutch slipping like in a traditional clutch the drill can’t stop fast enough and time after time, in fact every time, the bit will come out of the head of the fastener and mar either the work or the hardware, or strip the threads. I have documented this many times with videos and real world testing and every time the electronic clutch either overtightens or slips out, and the mechanical clutch does what it’s supposed to do, slips at the preset torque.
JMG
I have yet to buy into the M12 lineup. There are some interesting items in it, but actual needs outpace the wants. I really have trouble investing in a new tool if it means that I am also going to have to invest in a new battery platform along with it. Too many on hand as it is…
Chris
I think unless you need the shorter drill you might as well go with the older version.
Andrew
Could have used this today while trying to reach a fastener in my basement. Last-Gen M12 Fuel was about an inch too long. Fortunately, the snow made for some hazardous roads or I likely would have driven to the store to buy it.
Dan
I’ve always thought the M12 were just pointless. The first Gen’s are huge and heavy, far from compact.
These look great! Nice work.
I’ve owned Bosch 12V but sold them off to buy into Makita 18V. I now own the 18V subcompact drill which looks to have the same power as this new Gen 2. It’s playing up so I may finally have a reason to buy into Milwaukee.
If a Gen 2 1/4 inch hex driver is released (non-impact, basically the drill with a 1/4 inch hex chuck) I will likely buy it. I mostly use my Makita subcompact for driving so it would be great to have something small just for driving screws (I have a few other drills to use for drilling).
That new drill looks like it will have the same slightly annoying thing that the Makita subcompact has: the clutch ring will be tricky to turn because the section of the body with the LED will get in the way.
Diplomatic Immunity
Surprised no one has made an impact driver that has a selector switch for the impacts being on or off so it can work as just a hex driver. I guess all the manufacturers just figure “screw you… buy two tools”. Lol.
Adam
great idea, makes a ton of sense
Chris
Festool does.
FuelFanatic
At Festools price you can usually just buy two of another tool
Jeremiah
I Wish! I think it’s mechanically do-able since Rockwell made a drill that does that. I think there is a lot of demand. I use my m12 screwdriver everyday at work because most of what i do is light duty and I would break a lot more stuff or take longer switching to a manual screwdriver to finish if I only used my impact. About 5-10% of the time an impact would be nice. When I know a project will require an impact i grab my m18 surge from the shop along with whatever supplies i need.
With a combo driver it would get even less use, but be one less thing to think about.
Stuart
I’d guess it’s because the resultant tool might be too unmarketable.
James C
Curious, why do you think that? Assuming there’s no significant sacrifices in power, size, etc – simply a switch to turn off the impacts… Would it confuse people from a marketing perspective? I for one would absolutely love that feature. I think “quiet” impacts (Surge, etc) are going to continue to gain ground due to various benefits of less noise.
Diplomatic Immunity
Glad to see companies making their 12V lines more compact. I mean that is the point of 12V lineups anyhow. Gee no kit in a packout case?
Diplomatic Immunity
Well these would go great in the new black packout case. Damn, Milwaukee keeps hitting home runs and I’m not even a fanboi of them.
Tim
I have the first gen m12 fuel drill. It’s more powerful than I expected from a 12V setup, but its also huge. It’s almost as large, and is actually a bit longer than my full size 18V Makita drill.
I bought the drill because it came in a kit over the holidays with a 3/8ths M12 ratchet for barely more than the ractchet ny itself.
Chris
I’ll do the upgrade . For me short overall length is a big issue , plus the sheetmetal mode in the impact is a big bonus .
Chris
XTsallaD
Recently bought the gen1 kit for a stapler that came with it for free at a local Home Depot. I also needed a small hammer drill to fly with. The gen 1 is actually larger than most 18v drivers but without the slide pack battery style it packs better for travel. I like the tools but for drivers and impacts I still use my bosch 18 and 21v most. I would be interested in the updated versions for the size.
XTsallaD
*12v
Just waiting for in-store availability and I’ll buy. I’ve grown to dislike the size fo the gen 1 as I own and prefer my Bosch 12v tools.
ACC
Apparently Bosch has made an 18V switchable impact for years. Who knew?
https://www.boschtools.com/us/en/boschtools-ocs/cordless-drills-26618-01-34705-p/
Nate
So does Makita, type in hybrid.
I bought one back in March 2007 from Amazon.
4 functions, 2 speed drill, driver, impact, hammer; altho it does none of them very good.
Phil
You said:
The difference in height between new and previous hammer drills should be slightly less pronounced. Hammer drills are often a little bit shorter than drill/drivers.
Aren’t hammer drills typically longer than those without the hammer mechanism?
Stuart
Ooooooooooh.
Yep. =) Thanks, fixed it!
The part where I say hammer drills are shorter was a simple mistake/reversal. The other part was a brain glitch. It took a moment for things to sink in. I think that having the older tool on the left and the newer one on the right made things worse. I kept visualizing the smaller tool growing a little and shortening the size difference. But in actuality, the longer tool will get longer when switching to a hammer drill version.
XTsallaD
Normally this is true but Milwaukee gives the exact same length and weight specs on their website for the hammer and non-hammer versions. Same with gen 1, 12v drills and hammer drills. Going off of images on the Milwaukee website, the hammer and non hammer versions look like they are the same length for gen 1 and gen 2 , m12 fuel, and the same external components with the exception of the hammer icon, being either stamped or not. As big of a deal as they’re making about the compact size, I’m inclined to believe the Milwaukee Tool published specs….maybe. Lol.
Alick
Size and shape of the handle is an issue with these cordless drills that take a battery pack that puts cells inside the grip. I wear a medium-large glove and find the M12 a little big.
18v systems that put all the cells in a slide pack usually have skinnier grips than the 12v and for me they’re more comfortable.
The Bosch 10.8 / 12v is built the same way as M12 but the 3 cells in the grip are positioned 1 at the back, 2 at the front. M12 are 1 front 2 back.
I think Bosch’s design is more comfortable for smaller hands and is what I grab for screwdriving jobs, but my old brushed M12 has good power and hasn’t bitched when I’ve run down three 4ah packs without a break using it for power sanding.