This Milwaukee M18 cordless drill/driver chart has been my go-to whenever questions about their different models and tiers come up. So, I thought I’d share it.
This post was originally published on 12/21/2018 and republished on 3/22/2021 with minor updates.
The image above is clickable in case you need a larger version.
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There are 4 tiers of tools. There’s the brushed motor compact drill, which I’d bet is most often purchased as part of a combo kit, a new version of the compact brushless drill, a new higher-powered brushless hammer drill, and the the top-tier M18 Fuel brushless drill and hammer drill. There are also One-Key versions of the Fuel tools.
Following is a quick rundown of all the current models and what sets them apart from each other.
Prices and links are to the 2-battery kits. But, keep in mind that there are usually promos going on. The “standard” kit prices and links were chosen for baseline comparison purposes only.
For example, the M18 Fuel hammer drill kit is regularly $299, but there’s also a holiday season promo where you can get the same drill in a combo kit with an impact driver and Packout tool box, for the same $299.
Milwaukee M18 Compact Drill, 2606
Milwaukee’s “compact” brushed motor drill/driver can be found separately, and is one of the core tools in their non-brushless combo kits. It’s reasonably spec’ed, and has a modern design.
- 1/2″ all-metal ratcheting chuck
- 500 in-lbs max torque
- 0-450/0-1800 RPM
- 7.2″ length
- Weighs 2.9 lbs (tool only)
- Kitted with CP1.5 battery (2606-22CT)
Price: $179
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Buy Now(Kit with 2 batteries via Acme Tools)
Milwaukee M18 Compact Brushless Drill, 2801
Step up to the compact brushless model, and you get the same torque rating, a small bump-up in lower gearbox speed, and a tool that’s smaller and lighter. The brushless motor is more efficient, and so you should see longer runtime. Plus, the drill is kitted with 2.0Ah batteries, giving you an even further boost in runtime.
- 1/2″ all-metal ratcheting chuck
- 500 in-lbs max torque
- 0-500/0-1800 RPM
- 6.5″ length
- Weighs 2.45 lbs (tool only)
- Kitted with CP2.0 battery (2801-22CT)
Price: $199
Buy Now(Kit with 2 batteries via Acme Tools)
The Milwaukee M18 2801 compact brushless drill/driver is seasonally available in a 1-battery promo kit for $99, model 2801-21P.
Milwaukee M18 Brushless Hammer Drill, 2902
If you want more power and the ability to drill into masonry, but don’t want to step up to M18 Fuel, that’s where the new Milwaukee brushless hammer drill comes in.
Its torque rating is nearly 50% higher than the compact brushless drill, but the brushless hammer drill is only a little longer and heavier. It’s also a little faster in the lower speed gear setting.
The kit is bundled with XC batteries, and the “XC effect” should partially contribute to the increased torque over the compact brushless model.
It’s bundled with an auxiliary handle for greater control and safety.
- 1/2″ all-metal ratcheting chuck
- 725 in-lbs max torque
- 0-550/0-1800 RPM
- 28,800 BPM
- 7″ length
- Weighs 3.05 lbs (tool only)
- Kitted with XC4.0 battery (2902-22)
Price: $229
Buy Now(Kit with 2 batteries via Acme Tools)
Milwaukee M18 Fuel Gen 3 Drill, 2803
Stepping up to M18 Fuel, you get greater torque and speed, and a slight reduction in length compared to the brushless hammer drill. The drill/driver is only a tiny bit heavier. It’s also bundled with 5.0Ah batteries.
- 1/2″ all-metal ratcheting chuck
- 1200 in-lbs max torque
- 0-550/0-2000 RPM
- 6.9″ length
- Weighs 3.2 lbs (tool only)
- Kitted with XC5.0 battery (2803-22)
Price: $279
Buy Now(Kit with 2 batteries via Acme Tools)
Milwaukee M18 Fuel Gen 3 Hammer Drill, 2804
I don’t know how, but Milwaukee managed to make the new M18 Fuel Gen 3 brushless hammer drill the same length and weight as the non-hammer drill/driver. Its specs are the same, except for the hammer drilling function, which delivers around 11% more beats per minute than the non-Fuel brushless model.
- 1/2″ all-metal ratcheting chuck
- 1200 in-lbs max torque
- 0-550/0-2000 RPM
- 32,000 BPM
- 6.9″ length
- Weighs 3.2 lbs (tool only)
- Kitted with XC5.0 battery (2804-22)
Price: $299
Buy Now(Kit with 2 batteries via Acme Tools)
Drew
I have been looking for something like this forever. Thank you so much, Milwaukee’s numbering system is hard to decipher. Will there be a follow up for their Impacts? Merry Christmas.
Stuart
Thanks! I’ll try to do the same for impacts – they do have a chart available for those too.
Mattyice
I think the worst is Makita! Especially when they have different model numbers in different countries! A breakdown of those would be immensely helpful!
Stuart
If I do a comparison, Makita’ll be last. They have so many models, and I can hardly understand the differences between some of them. The last time I tried to make sense of things, there was so much redundancy.
https://toolguyd.com/makita-xdt16-brushless-impact-driver/
For instance, when I wrote about the new XDT16 impact, I said:
From Makita USA’s website, there looks to be 9 different impact drivers (or impact driver-like tools) that you can buy right now – XPT02, XDT131, XDT15, XDT14, XDT13, XDT12, XDT11, XDT111, XST01. I’m not counting the XDT11ZW, which looks to be a white version of the XDT11.
Plus the XDT16 makes 10. If I had to include the XDT11ZW, that would be 11.
The last I looked, the drill selection was a similar headache to sort through.
Joshua
Thanks, that’s super handy. Does Dewalt have anything like this? Looking at all their numbers and trying to figure things out makes my head spin.
Stuart
Not that I know of.
I put a post together a few years ago, but things changed so rapidly with new models that I never updated it.
https://toolguyd.com/dewalt-20v-max-cordless-drill-hammer-drill-driver-comparison-guide/
I also built a sortable and rearrangeable table – https://toolguyd.com/cordless-drill-comparison/
But, it’s not at all mobile-friendly, and nobody really much paid attention to it so I never went further than the first 14 entries. Plus, brands are all different about whether they disclose lengths, and weights (when available) are sometimes with batteries, other times without.
In other words, it’s too much of a pain to expand if 50% of readers can’t use it and [most? of] everyone else doesn’t care to.
Nic
Oh man I love the Milwaukee chart and the other drill chart! Please expand or if you email me a copy of it I could help by putting the Milwaukee stuff in it.
Thanks for the awesome articles.
Brian A
Considering the new brushless hammer drill uses the old style handle clamp, its likely a debadged old Fuel version like discussed on GJ. Wish they could of shrunk the Fuel drill more but its still 3/4″ shorter than the Gen2. When I need a small drill I grab my M12 Fuel Gen2.
Stuart
I’m not really convinced of that, unless someone has done a teardown of both and found similar internals.
Adam
I just opened my Gen3 Packout kit. I was absolutely surprised how small the Gen3 drill is. Getting close to what the original M12 Fuel drill was, which is usually what I throw in through truck box. I have jonidea what this handle clamp is, but I would have to imagine very little stayed the same between generations.
Cody Z
I wonder how my 12V Fuel Drill compares.
Oflannabhra
Haha! I just started looking for something like this in spreadsheet form, realized it didn’t exist, tried to start tracking down the numbers myself, until my head started to spin!
Stuart, this is excellent. If you could make a resource like this available publicly, or if we could create a Google Doc that crowd-sourced the information, for all manufacturers, you would have a gem.
Thanks for this post, please, please continue doing these!
TonyT
Bosch has a neat single page brochure showing their lineup, but their lineup is, overall, simple compared to Milwaukee and, especially, Makita.
fred
Not a table – but here’s a link to Milwaukee’s listing for some of their right angle drills.
https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/Power-Tools/Drilling/Right-Angle-Drills
My ex-compatriots in the plumbing company – have adopted the 2709 as their go-to tool for use with bigger selfeed bits:
https://www.acmetools.com/shop/tools/milwaukee-m18-fuel-super-hawg-1-2-inch-right-angle-drill-2709-20
Jim Felt
fred.
I wonder if the old USA made corded HoleHawgs we almost never use but when we do they’re a lifesaver can now be retired (Okay. Donated to Re-Store)?
https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/Power-Tools/Drilling/Right-Angle-Drills/1675-6
fred
We went through several generations of hole hawgs then super hole hawgs – but were not much on donating anything other than cash – because of liability issues. We sometimes were persuaded to loan pieces of mobile equipment or tools for charitable endeavors. When we did so we would take a rider to our insurance to cover our potential liability. Knock on wood – we never had an insurance claim on these occasions.
A W
I have the 2607-20 brushed compact hammer drill. It came in a kit with a impact driver, light and hackzall.
M18™ Compact 1/2″ Hammer Drill/Driver delivers 500 in-lbs of torque and up to 1,800 RPM. 7-3/4″ length, all-metal gear case and 1/2″ metal chuck.
28,800 bpm
Milwaukee says 0-400 rpm in low gear, but the data plate says 0-450.
So very similar specs to the other non-fuel options, just a little longer.
EJ de Waard
Wish DeWalt had such a thing …
Ronnie Lee
I love the miwaukee 12v set I have trying to get me 18v fuel set now
Chris Stephens
Which (if any) of these have the new-style electronic clutch? I can’t find this in the specs ANYWHERE. Milwaukee sent me a M12 Gen2 drill to replace my defective Gen1, and I _hate_ the e-clutch. The torque applied appears to be dependent on drill speed (i.e. same clutch setting applies lower torque at lower speeds). Looking for a replacement and considering the 2801, but not if it’s got the e-clutch.
MarylandUSA
Chris,
This paragraph, from CopTool, should partially answer your question about the clutch; they’re talking about the clutch on the 2803 and 2804 vs. the 2703 and 2704. Not sure whether it applies equally to the 2801 and 2902 vs. the 2701 and 2702:
“Another big change is on the clutch, no longer a 2 ring system where first had drill/drive/hammer and the other had 24 torque settings. For the GEN 3 it’s all in 1 ring, Drill, Hammer, then 1-14 driver settings. Thank goodness, K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid) this works great, less parts to break and 14 options is plenty to set the torque output for driving screws especially since most people carry an impact for driving and these are more often drilling anyway.”
https://www.coptool.com/inside-look-milwaukee-m18-fuel-hammer-drill-2704-22-vs-2804-22/
Chris
Thanks. I bought the 2801 a few weeks back, and I can confirm it is a mechanical clutch, which is what I was hoping for.
John N.
I haven’t looked into the details, but the clutch on the Festool T 18 +3 drill is a total trip. As far as I can tell it’s entirely electronic, no friction parts involved. When it engages, it makes a very odd whine, instead of the mechanical grinding noise we’re all used to.
MPech
I have the original T15+3 from 14 years ago. The electronic clutch have some additional features. They have 25 settings. When screw driving, for settings 1 to 10 they lower the RPM, the lower the clutch setting the lower the RPM to allow more trigger driving precision for lower clutch settings. The nice side effect of the clutch is that it beeps, the motor stops rotating, but it is still engaged as if the shaft was locked. If I want to give the screw quarter to half additional rotation I can rotate the whole tool as a screwdriver. I use it more often than I expected. The other nice thing is that the clutch setting is at the back of the tool.
John N.
Pretty amazing tech. Thanks!
MoogleMan3
I have both the 2801 brushless compact and the 2803 fuel version and reach for the 2801 most of the time. The 2803 is definitely a nicer tool, but the size/weight of the 2801 is perfect for a compact drill; it sits in the under 3.5lbs with a 3.0 battery (HO 21700) category.
John N.
Super work, thank you! A random observation or two:
1. I’m surprised that Milwaukee keeps so many nearly-overlapping tools in the line. Drills might be the best/worst example, but some other tools come close (circular saws, Sawzalls, impacts).
2. The compact brushed M18 really puzzles me. I haven’t compared specs, but I can say that the M12 brushless Fuel drill and HD are amazingly capable in real life. I guess the market for that M18 compact is guys who really, really don’t want to be on more than one battery platform. (?)
3. As a corollary to #1, I have always been a little puzzled that it’s worthwhile to keep both brushless non-Fuel and brushless Fuel tools in the lineup. Seems like way too many SKUs.
Fyrfytr998
Is there something similar for all the other makers as well? This was a great rundown?
Stuart
I did something similar for Dewalt, here, but I didn’t replicate Milwaukee’s chart. Milwaukee’s chart is possible because they have just 5 tiers of M18 drills, some other brands have so many other options a horizontal chart wouldn’t really work.
https://toolguyd.com/best-dewalt-cordless-drills/
Fyrfytr998
Thanks
Scott
Minor addendum. I believe the 2806 is the ONE‑KEY™ version of the 2804. The specs are all identical except for weight (with the 2806 being listed as almost 1.5lbs heavier). I suspect one is weighed with the side handle and one isn’t. The 2806 is also dimensioned with the side handle.
Remi
Scott, the 2806 adds anti-kickback. This would require more electronics, hence the added weight?