We met with members of Milwaukee’s PR and product team, to discuss their new Shockwave Matrix Carbide screwdriver bits.
We talked about the new Milwaukee Shockwave Matrix Carbide bits in January, and then followed up with a brief discussion as we tried to understand the tech that went into it.
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Recently, we learned more, and I was hoping to have more time to work it into a review of the new accessories as they came to market. There are a lot of fascinating little details that make the Shockwave Matrix Carbide tools interesting to talk about, not to mention potentially game-changing to use.
Earlier today, Milwaukee sent over a brief clarification about the intended use for the new accessories. It seemed to be that if reviewers could benefit from a quick clarification, it was worth a quick post.
Milwaukee’s Shockwave Matrix Carbide screwdriver bits and accessories can be summed up in 3 words:
Extreme wear resistance.
If you’re wearing out screwdriver bits, these might provide you with great longevity benefits. If you’re breaking bits, you’re probably just going to break these too. It’s possible that the higher hardness might make them a little more brittle, but I have not experienced this at all so far.
The much higher hardness of these impact-rated bits make them better suited for applications where you’re running through many hundreds and even thousands of screws. They’re going to wear down slower than traditional impact-rated bits.
If you’re working with drywall screws, decking screws, or doing steel stud framing, that’s where these bits could provide you with wear resistance and longevity benefits.
But if you mainly drive screws into thicker metals or hard plastic materials, or in other applications where you break bits before you wear them down, Matrix Carbide might not be the best choice.
Consider drill bits, for a moment. You’re not going to have a good experience using a brad point drill bit on stainless steel, not matter how good the bits are.
Milwaukee designed their Shockwave Matrix Carbide accessories for specific applications. Just like certain fasteners are appropriate for specific applications, Matrix Carbide is specifically designed for applications where bit wear is the common failure mode.
The same is also true for the Matrix Carbide bit holder. Using it with other accessories, such as a 1/2″ nut driver bit, is not advised.
Make no mistake, this isn’t a “one bit fits all” type of product line. For that, look to Shockwave 3.0, the next generation of Shockwave screwdriver bits and accessories.
Frankly, I love the idea and tech behind Milwaukee Matrix Carbide screwdriver bits and accessories, and almost can’t believe how far they went to create what looks to be the hardest and most wear-resistant impact-rated accessories on the market. From what I can tell, the bits are everything that Milwaukee says they are. Still, I’m very eager to see what the public opinion will be after a few months.
The bits are set to reach stores in a few weeks.
Buy Now(via Acme Tools)
So far, Milwaukee product pages and listings seem to accurately portray the Matrix Carbide features and benefits, but they’re going to have to contend with user expectations. Users are accustomed to screwdriver bits being one-style-fits-all.
I had assumed that the premium price might be the challenge. But, if these bits deliver on the promises, the math would work out in users’ favor.
Honestly, an education campaign is the easier task. After all, these bits do have a lifetime tip warranty. Still, you won’t want to have to break a bit or three to learn what Milwaukee Matrix Carbide bits should and shouldn’t be used for.
If looking only at Milwaukee’s Shockwave screwdriver bits, you could consider Matrix Carbide as the premium choice for extreme wear resistance and Shockwave (3.0 is the upcoming generation of bits) for pretty much everything else. You’ll still get improved wear resistance with the latest Shockwave bits too.
Thoughts?
Sam says
May 2, 2019 at 5:02 pmImo, bit wear is almost all user error. I’ve had the same double ended Makita Gold Phillips/S2 bit since November of 2018. And I use it 5-6 days a week making and installing cabinets
Corey Moore says
May 2, 2019 at 5:27 pmI agree. Impatience or inattention is responsible for at least 90% of camming. Nothing drives me nuts more than lending someone a bit, or recip blade, for a “quick” task, and then seeing or hearing them immediately destroy it by driving at top speed with no pressure, or freehanding a cut without the shoe. I’ve made myself angry just recalling and typing this.
MichaelHammer says
May 2, 2019 at 6:19 pmWhat a wonderful world you guys live in. One day on one of my job sites would eat you alive.
Palmer says
May 2, 2019 at 10:09 pmWhy would you assume that your job is so much harder than every other carpenter?
James says
May 2, 2019 at 10:14 pmMichael, well put. It’d be a dream to sink every screw at waist height while both objects are clamped together in a climate controlled shop! Realistically though, standing on a 5 gallon bucket, at maximum reach, after already putting a hundred or so screws in… “user error” tends to kick in, no matter who you are.
Lee says
May 3, 2019 at 12:49 pmStop standing on 5 gal buckets. That’s a hack move for non professional Carpenters . I’d send you home for stuff like that on my site. Right size ladder for the job will help 100% the time.
matty67 says
May 5, 2019 at 2:18 amI find the problem isn’t always user error, bad QC is the biggest problem I find.
Electrical devices are pretty terrible for this. Heads sheering off, screws stripping because why not, screws having improper seating arrangements, improper taps, etc. Robertson seems to be better than Philips, but the majority of my exposure to Philips is from offshore fixtures. I’m fairly certain some of those screws are painted wood. Looking at them or tightening them causes them to strip.
Corey Moore says
May 3, 2019 at 5:50 pmBecause people who borrow stuff and destroy it annoys me? That’s a lofty assumption lol As an industrial construction and electrical contractor, I’d bet any day on your site would be a welcome vacation from my mines and heavy equipment amongst several hundred contractors and a dozen companies while we all race the clock and fight for mobile equipment and the space to use them. This is casual Friday at the mines lol
Gordon says
May 2, 2019 at 8:15 pmIt can also be bad QC on the screws. I had my first #2 PH/SQ drive SPAX screw with too much galv in the head. The bit couldn’t seat fully so it stripped out with the first impact. In the past, I’ve broken bits under similar circumstances.
I’ve been really impressed with the Makita Gold bits. They’re way nicer than the Dewalt bits. I love the double ended feature. I just wish they sold better assortments. But no one seems to do that these days. They all sell an 80 piece set that has 40 #2 PH. If you need that many #2PH just buy in bulk.
Lyle says
May 3, 2019 at 3:18 am@Sam I had to re-read your comment a few times. It sounded like you were trying to say that you’ve used some bits for a really long time and not had them wear out. I was thinking that maybe you typed the year wrong or something, otherwise you’ve had those bits for a little over 6 months making cabinets? No offense, but it’s not like you’re using thousands of screws per week, like say someone hanging drywall or something.
bobad says
May 6, 2019 at 2:23 pmHigh quality, wear resistant bits aren’t made to compensate for ignorance and low skill. They’re made for everyone, including experts that work in tough conditions and occasionally slip.
I’m happy to pay a little more for bits that are made from superior metal that is precision heat treated.
Chris says
May 14, 2019 at 1:14 amSorry but you aren’t going through 5k #10s in a week. I wish I had the time on the jobsite to perfectly and leisurely sink screws but I can’t so they go hard and quick and if I mess up a tip I reach into my pouch and grab one of the 30 I keep on me at all times
Altan says
May 2, 2019 at 5:42 pmThat is a very good explanation of these bits and I would say screwdriver bits in general. You should not abuse the tool and tool accessory and then complain why this and that happened. Everything has a specific strength and you have to be aware of that when using that tool or accessory. In general I don’t like impact drivers and their bits, impact bits always break, not always, but half of the ones I used I broke before they were worn out, but the normal bits with snappy quick change chuck on a drill driver I have broken maybe 2 or 3 screwdriver bits in 10 years.
MichaelHammer says
May 2, 2019 at 6:34 pmYou’re right about the brittleness of impact rated bits. I’ve been saying for years that they’re a gimmick. No one listens. People like their gimmicks. I’ve been using impact drivers since before anyone knew about them with good old fashioned bits without issue. One day “impact rated” stuff is everywhere, so I bought some. Thought I might be missing out. I wasn’t. The stuff is junk. I’m back to the same bits I’ve been using for 30 years. Last way longer.
Very informative article and much appreciated, but let’s put things into perspective. The old fashioned bits that wear out and are thus, disposable, cost pennies. These matrix bits are $2.50 each. For what? Life time guarantee? We all know guarantees have lots of stupid hoops. How many hoops are you willing to jump through for $2.50? Zero is the right answer. Standard bits are cheap and hassle free. If you’re itching to spend your money, buy the cheap bits and send me $2. Problem solved😁
Altan says
May 2, 2019 at 7:03 pmI have used impact drivers also for a while and I do sometimes very rarely, one of the reasons I don’t like the impact drivers is that they are too noisy, and another reason is that they break the bits a lot, but impact drivers are very useful when it comes to unscrew rusty oxidised screws, that is the only thing I would use them for, Some brands like Wera and Athlet make very good quality impact bits though. You can try them if you want. They make normal E6.3 1/4″ hex shank bits as well. Athlet bits prices are very reasonable as a quality German made product. Cheaper than Czech made Wera bits.
Athlet bits are made in Germany:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ATHLET-Black-Impact-Bit-Gr-ROB-1-2-3-L30mm-L50mm-fur-Robertson-Vierkant/302467013579?hash=item466c705bcb:m:m-dyDK9wZwvbK290Piyv0OQ
Life time guarantee for tool accessories are good for countries where they pay 10 USD per day, not for US or UK that they pay 10 USD per hour, it is not worth it, no one would waste the time to do that, so time is the point, but if you go for cheap standard bits you would have other problems, if you want to buy cheap standard bits you would have to buy them as a pack of 10 or 25 as you know you will have replace all the time, and if you need to have two many different sizes and profiles of the screwdriver bits you can not have a pack of 10 of each size/profile, that would be tones of bits, and if you have just one pieces of each size/profile and if that breaks in the middle of a job you will have to spend a lot of time to go and buy a new one, so at the end I have come to the conclusion that good quality bits while they are expensive ends up cheaper.
MichaelHammer says
May 2, 2019 at 7:38 pmYou are correct. #2 Philips bits are bought in bulk, as well as flat head and square. That’s 3 small round packages maybe 5, no biggy. The bulk of the screws we use are GRK’s which come with bits that do not need replacing unless lost, in which case I have 8 from the last eight buckets I bought.
Stuart says
May 2, 2019 at 8:04 pmImpact-rated screwdriver bits have advanced quite a bit in a few short years, and have become quite good.
For power tool use, I’ll only use impact-rated bits now, but I do invest in better non-impact bits for hand tool use.
With impact-rated bits, or at least modern ones, you can carry one sets of bits to use on different tools, rather than juggle impact and standard bits.
The problem is that impact-rated bits have to be tougher, which makes them less wear resistant. Harder bits are more brittle. With these Matrix Carbide bits, Milwaukee found a way to increase hardness while strictly controlling the microstructure so as to avoid embrittlement.
Altan says
May 2, 2019 at 9:14 pmI do agree, they are becoming better, but a bit better 🙂 I would say. After ten years maybe I would accept the use of Impact rated bits but not fully approved yet! it needs some time to be in acceptable position for me, as I have said before impact rated bits with an impact driver are useful to unscrew rusty screws which is mostly impossible with a drill driver.
I use mostly non impact bits with a snappy quick change chuck on a drill driver, but the problem is that snappy quick change can become loose in the drill chuck sometimes and that annoys me, that is why I ask DeWALT to make a drill driver with E6.3 1/4″ collet similar to impact driver ones, they have a screwdriver but it is 12V, I need a 20V version of that, which can be powerful enough to use with hex shank drill bits as well. I use these bits with a drill driver if they are big sizes like hex3mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, PZ2, PZ3, PH2, PH3, smaller sizes like Hex1mm, 1.5mm, 2mm, 2.5mm, PH00, PH0, PH1, PZ0 and PZ1 for hand tool use.
Nature knows how to balance itself, anything hard and tough is more brittle and if it is not brittle is not hard then, the issue is our hunger for speed I believe which makes more waste just.
Altan says
May 2, 2019 at 10:38 pmYou can see a lot of German made quality screwdriver bits from Athlet and Wekador in these links for a very good price. What is the need for these bits then? if I can find German made bits for almost the same prices.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Athlet-Wiha-Wekador-50mm-Schlitz-SL-Phillips-PH00-4-Pozidriv-PZ0-4-Torx-T5-T55/153012001679?var=452817459583
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Athlet-Innensechskant-Bits-SW-1-5-10-0mm-1-16-3-8-Zoll-25-50mm-Lange/153008219683?var=452812829030
Stuart says
May 3, 2019 at 9:50 amTry them out and see which you like best?
Altan says
May 3, 2019 at 11:12 amI have tried them and I would say Wekador is really good, but about Impact rated bits Athlet is better.
Kent says
May 4, 2019 at 3:28 pmBecause I can go into my local tool boutique and walk out with them instead of buying on the internet. Buying on the internet is good for some stuff but when it comes to my tools I’ll pay the premium so Brady at the front desk and Darryl in shipping can keep their jobs.
Oleg K says
May 5, 2019 at 11:00 amWhy do they have to be German, if you don’t mind me asking? Such origin used to matter because, back in the day, Germany was the first country to adapt using their equivalent of M42, M35 and M4 steel for driver and impact bits but that was a long tone ago, Germany isn’t the only country whose tools are a by-product for precision and quality, not anymore. China, for instance, buys tons of CPM steel and has brand new facilities that can rival any German ones, the same can be said for the US and many other countries that are often overlooked because of a common misconception that “Germany” automatically equals “quality”. Festool is a glaring example of the point in trying to make: their tools are great, no doubt about that but, even though the majority of their tools are amazing, at the same time, they are needlessly overengineered and way overpriced, besides, in a real world, they are not much better than the Milwaukee, Makita or even Dewalt, moreover, in many cases, such as with their cordless drills, impacts, reciprocating/circular/track saws and multitools, one would have to be either extremely wealthy or mentally ill to pay triple of what Milwaukee, Makita, Dewalt or even Hilti are asking for the same tools.
I love German tools, I love Germany, I love their cars and I simply adore their high, stringent quality assurance standards, however, the year is 2019, not 1992 and, when prioritizing quality, limiting oneself to German tools because of some antiquated beliefs is plain wrong! There are plenty of other companies that deliver same or better results for a lot less money, thanks to modern technology, new materials and corporate espionage 🙂
Altan says
May 5, 2019 at 8:55 pmHave you heard the China 2025? The country that is helping China to reach that goal is Germany, basically the aim is that China by 2025 will produce German quality goods in almost all sectors, this is a rough description of course, but we already see the progress that Chinese goods started to have better quality if we want to pay more of course, they still do make some cheap things as well, but good quality products also you can find with Chinese origin, I do buy a lot of Chinese made tool accessories also as some are only available from China, but anything that I can find “Made in Germany” I would go for it first. I do buy US made tool accessories also, but rarely as they are not available in Europe and shipping cost from US is high, plus I have to pay import tax also on top of that, but shipping cost from Germany to UK is much lower and there is no import tax but after full Brexit it can change also. I do buy a lot for a few of my friends also and I have made them addicted to E6.3 1/4″ hex shank tool accessories, if you switch fully to this type for a while you will become a lazy bum bum and won’t want to switch back to the round shank tool accessories again. They are a bit expensive comparably but there are a lot of benefits using them which is worth it. Sometimes when I can not find some bits with E6.3 hex shank I go for C6.3 hex shank bits and send them to a company which does have CNC machines and ask them to make a groove on the hex shank to turn the bits to E6.3 hex shank bits.
In general I can say the gap between Chinese quality and German quality is becoming less, but there is a gap definitely, in drill bits I can say the gap is almost closed but not in screwdriver bits.
This decreasing in gap between quality of Chinese products and Western (US and German) products is not just because Chinese goods are increasing their quality, it is also because US and German qualities have been dropped down. We don’t see the old American quality anymore. But as I said before there is still a gap.
There is a German brand called ASW (sister brand of Wekador) which produces some of their 50mm long screwdriver bits in Taiwan, the quality is amazing, as the CNC machines they use are sent by ASW Germany, but when it comes to 150mm long screwdriver bits the story changes as the bits after grinding process are sent back to Germany for the final finish, they do some sort of heat straightening process or something like that (I forgot what it was exactly) so as you see the finish needs a German touch.
And don’t forget that Germans don’t produce just goods, more importantly they produce factories, German labour force is 1% of the world total labour force but the production is 10% of the world total production in a rough comparison. Chinese would not be able to produce appliances with the quality of German Gaggenau. I believe.
Festool tools are limited in wood working tools mostly and are for fine/extra fine wood work. You don’t need to buy a Festool SDS drill or hammer drill if you are going to work in rough conditions drilling on concrete always, DeWALT Flexvolt SDS drills are amazing and number one I think in this category better than Hilti even, but when it comes to Planer, Plunge saw, Jigsaw and Oscillating Machine Festool has a lot to talk, or Fein cordless Oscillating Machine and cordless Magnetic Drill. You may not need that precised tool but some need, but I do agree with you that the prices are extreme. DeWALT multi tool has some issues in my point of view, the tool itself is good, has a good design and a good grip, but no variable speed option, as almost all other brands have, which I hope with the Atomic version they would consider that, also the blades are not all quality, some are very good quality and some are not, it varies. And the dust collecting system is very basic which I think for next generations they should work on it.
Also if someone pays three times more for Festool tools, in most cases they are paid at least twice more for their job, I have seen how crazy and perfectionist some clients are that they just don’t care about money and what they care is just to get the quality they want.
Altan says
May 5, 2019 at 7:21 pmI have another policy for buying tool accessories, I don’t buy them when I need, I buy them earlier, after being in a sector we would know what we need so why not buying them in advance?! Another thing is some German brands are quite well known, but some like Wekador and Athlet are not, there are a lot of reasons for that, If Wiha is well known in the US that is because they are kind of separated from Wiha Germany and Wiha US does special orders from Wiha Germany just for US market and you can not get them from Wiha Germany, even though the bits are made in Germany, like Security Torx T45, T50, T55 and their Imperial sized hex bits in 50mm or 70mm, I had to purchase these things from US websites, To buy the tools you want can take up to one week if you know what exactly you want including delivery time, but to get the tool accessories you want can take ages, they are not easily available everywhere, not even online, I do find them from US or Canadian websites sometimes but they don’t always ship to UK, sometimes I find some just from Japanese amazon, for example SDS+ drill bits dia 3mm, 3.5mm, 4.5mm, 7.5mm, 8.5mm, 9.5mm, 10.5mm, 11.5mm and… from Bosch made in Germany in 160mm length you can only purchase them from Japanese market, I did speak with Bosch Germany on the phone and they don’t even see these sizes in their system which was too funny I think. Also you can not find every size/profile of screwdriver bits from well known quality brands, some even are not available from unknown brands, for example you can not find triangle screwdriver bits in 50mm length from a quality brand or you can not find hex (tip) screwdriver bit dia 7.5mm or 8.5mm in 50mm at all, I am looking for these for three years now as for me Allen key set is out of discussion. I can give you hundreds of examples, I have called Athlet tools and some other tool accessory brands and asked for exclusive distribution from them and no success till now, Athlet have told me they have a major customer in the UK and they don’t want to upset them by selling to another one in UK, even though there is no exclusive distribution issue related to them. And for some reasons (which I can guess but do not want to mention here) this major customer does not sell their products at all! There is no website or actual shop you can get their products, the only way to get their products (which they have a huge range of tool accessories and all made in Germany) is German sellers or websites. Athlet provides for some other brands also like Rotec (Dutch) or KWB (German), Wekador provides for some other companies like Elora (German). Specifically Elora does not produce any screwdriver bit and they order them from Wekador, and if you compare the prices of course Elora bits are more expensive even though they are the same quality. You can notice this just by comparing their bits and you will see a lot of similarities among them, their laser engraving quality is the same, their hex shank sizes are the same, their steel colour and quality is the same. You can see this similarities between Wera and Hilti screwdriver bits as they both have the same origin even, Czech Rep. and everything is almost the same, just the Hilti sells them for a bit higher prices. A lot of DeWALT’s old screwdriver bits were made by Wiha Germany (not Vietnam) which rarely you can find the old stock ones still. I have done a huge research on tool accessories for the last 4 years and it is an ocean I would say.
TxRick123 says
May 2, 2019 at 11:11 pmWell I have used this in my M12 Screwdriver and I have not been impressed by these. I love my Milwaukee Tools and Products but I have had three of these breaking off just simply put in new plugs and switches.
Brian M says
May 3, 2019 at 12:20 amOne of my dislikes to the shockwave gen 1 and 2 were their fitments in PH2 heads, they just don’t fit as well as the European bits do. Hopefully, at a similar price point to the European bits they’re fitting better. PB Swiss has the best fit in Phillips, Wiha, and Felo are also very good. Felo bits have a lifetime warranty also. PB Swiss fit soo tightly sometimes I have to fight to separate the screw from the tip, pretty crazy the first time that happens coming from USA and Asian made bits.
The downside to these will be how bad they will strip screws if they don’t fit very well, which will lead to camming out.
Altan says
May 3, 2019 at 6:00 amI like Pozi screws the most for any job which will be covered later with something, the Pozi screwdriver bit mostly will just slip on the screw’s head if something is wrong instead of breaking the screwdriver bit or chewing the screw, but if the screw is gonna be visible I would use other type of screws.
The What? says
May 4, 2019 at 7:01 pmCamout and head stripping would be non-existent if fasteners were made correctly. What I mean by that is the depth of the head and the depth of the drive. The problem is that there’s too many brands that don’t know how to make a fastening bit. They’re either too hard or too brittle. And generally the best ones are the ones that come with the box of screws. Torx drive screws are far more superior to any other type of screw as far as camout and stripping are concerned. Slotted screws are the absolute worst. Philips and square drives are a little better but they have a tendency to strip easily as well depending on the brand of bit you use. If I have to buy screws for a project, I always get deck screws unless it’s for drywall or if certain materials come with their own hardware. Anyways, I remember when these came out and I had some questions about the validity of the claims that Milwaukee made about these bits. They were very good questions to see if Milwaukee was claiming true about the bits and I don’t remember them providing any proof to what they were saying was in the pudding. They made some pretty big claims about how many more screws they can drive without wearing the bits out, but they can’t prove it. And I don’t see how carbide would help being that screws aren’t harder than the bits that drive them. Camout and stripping are caused by the bit chewing into the drive of the screw head, not the other way around. So why would you make something harder to make it easier to chew up the fastening drive? Very seldom have I ever seen a screw so hard that it breaks the teeth on a bit. The only ones that I’ve ever seen do that are hedlok bolts with the spider drive bits. Those are some hard screws and they’re expensive, but they are worth it.
Paul says
May 3, 2019 at 6:40 amDon’t assume that just because something is harder makes it more brittle. That’s generally false. See this chart for different grades of bolts.
http://rtstools.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Grade5vs8plasticrange.jpg
First off notice that at first ALL 4 lines are on top of one another. The modulus of elasticity of the steel and alloys has not changed at all. Second point is where the curve begins to “roll out”. This is the yield point, the point where the bolt permanently stretches. Third point is the top of the curve, the ultimate yield point where the bolt actually breaks. The concept of “brittleness” in common terminology comes from how much elongation we get before ultimately breaking, not the value we get on a torque wrench (or on a tensile test machine). The grade 8 curve for instance is much “tighter” than the grade 5 curve so it would be more “brittle”. However in comparing for instance grade 5 and grade 8 bolts, both the yield point and the ultimate tensile strength are much higher overall but the increase in stress from the yield point to the ultimate tensile strength is about the same for all 4 grades. Contrary to popular belief grade 8 bolts are not “more brittle”. It is a mistake to believe that stretching translates into more force required to break. They simply stretch a lot more when they fail.
I don’t have a good chart for this but two more points. Hardness and wear strength don’t necessarily go hand in hand. Under the right circumstances, low durometer rubbers are far more wear resistant than steel which is why rubber is often used to line grinding mills, pumps, and pipelines in mining.
Second point, alloys that can be hardened have a significantly smaller “hook” where the amount of elongation they have before failure is significantly lowered regardless of their other properties. This may increase abrasive wear strength and might increase the yield and ultimate strength properties, BUT it does not follow that it is more brittle. It simply doesn’t stretch as much before failure. See these bolt examples.
https://docs.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=http://rtstools.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Mech_Inch.pdf&hl=en_US
Stuart says
May 3, 2019 at 10:58 amIt is not generally false.
For tool steel, there is generally an inverse relationship between hardness and toughness. What you’re mixing in, with Grade 2 and 5 hardware, is strength.
If comparing a bit designed for hand or drill use, and one designed for impact use, the non-impact bit will often be harder, and the impact-rated one will often be tougher but also with lower hardness. The impact-rated bit will often resist fracture under the same stress that would cause the non-impact bit to break.
Heat treatment to harden a tool steel will often make it more brittle.
The same is true with knife steels. A blade alloy that’s treated to higher hardness will be more wear resistant, and hold its edge sharpness for longer, but will be more prone to chipping than an alloy that is tougher but lower in hardness.
With Matrix Carbide, it’s a different beast because of significant differences in how it’s made and hardened.
Many of your points are valid, but we’re talking about generalizations about steel and tool steels in particular. Rubber and other amorphous materials can’t be characterized in the same way and as such they don’t fall under the same generalizations.
Altan says
May 3, 2019 at 7:17 pmI have a habit that when I trust a person and his/her knowledge I don’t argue too much, I know Stuart has good knowledge about metallurgy and different alloys, I do read about them a lot also but I can clearly see in most of the cases I should just shut up, this is a good habit that I can advise others to adopt also. My wife has master degree in biology and when she tells me to buy some certain fruits organic again I know I have to shut up. The only thing I can say is that nature knows how to balance itself, we try to make stronger drill bits using HSS cobalt so we can drill more to reduce the cost, but then we can not resharpen them as the cobalt dust is toxic, also while we drill we make a bit of cobalt dust (as we know the drill bits wear out) which somehow would have some sort of contact with our body. We reduce the cost sometimes and we add on some other costs accordingly.
Dave says
May 3, 2019 at 10:12 amIf they come up with a T-10 torx that lasts I’m in .
PETE says
May 3, 2019 at 10:41 amI have a couple guys that will turn them into nothing but useless pointy bits in a hour. Which is why they aren’t allowed to touch a power tool lol.
But I am excited for these bits!
Perry says
May 3, 2019 at 11:07 amI haven’t been impressed with Milwaukee bits so far, I had to throw away a couple of driver sleeves (holders?) Because the Milwaukee bits wouldn’t come back out again. I had no problem using makita or dewalt bits in them before though.
I’ll stick with the makita golds, they’ve been fantastic in and out of the shop, even after slipping a few times from using at awkward angles.
DiamondDave says
May 3, 2019 at 11:39 amGreat comments all! Obviously lots of money is made with accessories and their markup. I have not been a fan of the Milwaukee shockwave bits from the initial offering but haven’t tried the newer ones. Also some great comments regarding other manufacturers that I may try. I do love my 12v and 18v impacts that now have 2-3 speed settings and find on the 3 speed version I rarely use the “high” speed as it’s RPMs are just too fast IMO for control and I usually end up camming out the screw heads!
One thing no one had mentioned is the material and hardness that the screws are made of. We have all purchased a product that has “screws enclosed” and 90% of the time the screws are soft and cam out easily. Most of the time when I purchased some fixture to install I use my own screws because of this.
Additionally who uses a impact to install drywall screws????
Matt J says
May 3, 2019 at 12:32 pmThese are neat if you’re committed to the warranty process and actually using it. Probably a good choice for companies who have some control over it. Personally, they just seem like overpriced bits and it would be easier for me to go to a store and spend $10 on a set of 50 or so bits from Amazon or Lowes or whatever that I can pick up in 2 minutes and will degrade over time rather than constantly fill out warranty claim forms and wait for return shipping from Milwaukee.
I do not find myself camming my standard bits very often on my Surge (I don’t have a standard impact), as that’s in large part the point of impacts and hydraulic impacts, to avoid bit slippage.
Lance says
May 3, 2019 at 1:53 pmThis article reads like damage control. Look at Milwaukee’s claims and then tell me, with a straight face, that these bits are intended to be everything to everyone as well as the best thing since sliced bread.
That’s what I thought.
Lance says
May 3, 2019 at 7:38 pmEDIT: that should have read: “these bits are NOT intended to be”.
Milwaukee makes some great stuff, for sure, but their biggest strength is marketing and has been for some time.
Oleg K says
May 4, 2019 at 5:36 pmUsed them today during a door hanging project and they broke FOUR hardened stainless screws and like ten zinc ones that normally stay intact or get stripped. These bits are extremely hardcore, maybe a bit too hardcore…
Corey Moore says
May 4, 2019 at 8:41 pmYour impact/driver might need to be set to a less hardcore setting lol