This Milwaukee M18 Fuel 7pc cordless power tool combo kit is essentially a premium starter kit.
Each of the tools – except the flashlight of course – features a brushless motor, and is taken from Milwaukee’s regular product line.
Often, starter combo kits are value-focused, with cheaper tools dialing back some features or otherwise compromising on construction or capabilities.
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Here, you get a bunch of Milwaukee M18 Fuel tools in one convenient package.
The 7pc combo kit (3697-27), comes with:
- M18 Fuel Hammer Drill (2904-20)
- M18 Fuel 1/4″ Hex Impact Driver (2953-20)
- M18 Fuel Sawzall Reciprocating Saw (2821-20)
- M18 Fuel 6-1/2″ Circular Saw (2730-20)
- M18 Fuel 4-1/2″ / 5″ Braking Grinder (2880-20)
- M18 Fuel 1/2″ Mid-Torque Impact Wrench (2962-20)
- M18 Work Light (2735-20)
- (2) XC 5Ah Battery Pack (48-11-1850)
- M18 & M12 Multi-Voltage Charger (48-59-1812)
- (2) Tool Bags
Price: $1149
Milwaukee also has an M18 Fuel 5-tool cordless power tool combo kit. With this kit, you lose the brushless angle grinder and impact wrench.
The 5pc combo kit (3697-25) comes with:
- M18 Fuel Hammer Drill (2904-20)
- M18 Fuel 1/4″ Hex Impact Driver (2953-20)
- M18 Fuel Sawzall Reciprocating Saw (2821-20)
- M18 Fuel 6-1/2″ Circular Saw (2730-20)
- M18 Work Light (2735-20)
- (2) XC 5Ah Battery Pack (48-11-1850)
- M18 & M12 Multi-Voltage Charger (48-59-1812)
- (1) Tool Bag
At the time of this posting, there’s a promo where you buy this kit and get a free gift with purchase, with the choices being an M18 Fuel brushless D-handle jig saw and an M18 Rocket dual power LED tower light.
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The free bonus promo effectively makes this a 6-tool combo kit.
Price: $849
Are these combo kits good values?
I occasionally receive requests for “the best cordless combo kit” and similar. Well, these are it, for Milwaukee at least. I was looking for something else when the 7pc tool kit popped up on my screen, and it seemed to provide an appropriate answer to these occasional requests.
At the least, these combo kits provide a model number shopping list for prospective Milwaukee M18 Fuel users who aren’t sure what to look for separately.
These are – in my opinion – Milwaukee’s 2 best M18 Fuel cordless combo kits for starting out with. But are they good values?
The answer really depends on the time of year and types of active sales and promotions that are ongoing.
Home Depot had a deal of the day yesterday, where an M18 Fuel reciprocating saw and angle grinder bundle was on sale for $279. Right now, the same bundle is $349.
The M18 Fuel hammer drill and impact driver kit is regularly $399. Home Depot has a promo right now where you get a free bonus XC 8Ah battery. Other retailers, such as Acme Tools, don’t seem to be participating in that same offer.
So, right now, I can put together a 4pc M18 Fuel cordless power tool kit with hammer drill, impact driver, reciprocating saw, and angle grinder, plus 2x 5Ah batteries, charger, and bonus battery, for $748. The price would have been $678 one day ago.
Adding on a circular saw would bump up the price by $239 for the 6-1/2″ model, or $249 for the 7-1/4″ model.
Milwaukee’s 5pc combo kit is a good buy as part of the current promo. The 7pc combo kit is a good buy if you need or want everything it comes with.
I think it’s usually a good idea for individual buyers to shop around for the best value kit that serves their direct needs.
But, a lot of people want a quick one-and-done solution, where they don’t have to build up a kit piecemeal.
Putting together a set of comparable offerings might take a bit more time, legwork, and shopping at different retailers, and deals shoppers might have to choose from slightly different options if cost and value are high priorities.
What would you do if you were starting out and needed a bunch of cordless power tools? What about if you’re shopping for professional use, such as an apprentice electrician, or pro outfitting a new work van?
MKY
Stuart –
Often, starter combo kits are value-focused, with cheaper tools dialing back some features *** on*** otherwise compromising on construction or capabilities.
At the time of this posting, there’s a promo where you buy this kit and get a free gift with purchase, with the choices being an M18 Fuel brushless D-handle jig saw and an M18 ***Rocker*** dual power LED tower light.
Stuart
Thank you! *fixed*
A W
I’ve already got most of my kit assembled, but really wish Milwaukee would offer the Fuel Surge impact driver in place of the regular Fuel one. That’s my favorite M18 tool, and I would love to have an upgraded kit with that option.
Adam
They do, but they kit never goes on promo. At least not like the traditional impact & hammer drill. Model 3699-22
You are farther ahead getting a deal on the traditional combo kit, sell the impact, buy a surge impact on a deal.
A W
Yeah, but I’ve never seen it as the basis of I’ve of the larger (5 or 7 piece) kits.
TomD
Even the Fuel combo kits are kind of a dumping ground to get rid of older tools I feel.
The real best premium tools stay stand-alone for awhile until they start building kits around then after exhausting the market willing to pay a premium.
TomD
The real value with these kits (in my opinion) is finding an open box on clearance; that’s how my M18 collection started.
Otherwise, there’s too many tools so the chance that everything is something you actually NEED is pretty low; the smaller kits are more likely to hit that sweet spot.
mattd
I don’t know about the “too many tools” statement. that 7 piece kit easily touches all the tools I regularly use. The only other tools on that list that I regularly use are the cordless leaf blower, cordless stick vacuum, cordless 5″ sander, and cordless 7-1/4″ miter saw. and i am not a professional, these are all used around the house for random projects.
Blocky
Anyone looking to start over or upgrade from a lesser or outdated system could use this.
Anyone looking to kit out for a second team or jobsite.
My business partner had his work van cleared out by thieves a couple years ago. He bought back into m18 piecemeal, but probably would have bought this 7 piece if it were available at the time.
Ron Conner
Just by Ryobi
Stuart
Ryobi tools are not designed or built for demanding professional use.
Lawson
I believe the kits are lacking by not having an oscillating tool. Just my .02’s worth. I often wonder why I went so long without one, I easily use it 15 to 1 over the reciprocating.
eddie sky
Why not a LED and Impact/driver kit out? How many youtubers I watch, that are rebuilding a car/truck, dozer, and they have the magnetic worklights, and use ratchet, impact and driver tools.
Come on Milwaukee… you have YouTuber influencers that could build a packout and promote it!
(I should get into marketing. Come on Milwaukee..heck, I’ll sell my home and go on the road for you all!)
JR Ramos
I wish they’d all get on board with some a’ la carte kit deals where people can choose tools they want and work a package deal that way. DeWalt and Makita both did this a couple times back in the day and our customers loved it. Back then I think DeWalt was the first and only for awhile with a 4-tool kit but the a’ la carte was such a great idea and if memory serves I think our sales increased a bit over the norm at the time.
Most often (now, anyway) these kits aren’t worth it for me. When I’m shopping I always math out these deals and often they aren’t that much of a deal…or if you can be patient and score the really good deals over time, you may be able to get a lot more value in terms of pricing or free batteries. I think I’ve done really well with onesies and probably come out ahead financially vs. buying one of these larger kits, and I don’t have any tools I don’t use/need (and the same on batteries save for a few of the small M12 that mostly sit in storage).
Their M18 Fuel 7-1/4″ circ saw is one that I held out for quite awhile before buying. That one never seems to make it in to kits – if it did I would have done one of those a long time ago but that patience paid off for me and I got it for I think $229 with two 6Ah batteries.
If you happen to have a good distributor/supply in your area sometimes they will work with you on package deals where that will never happen at HD and such.