Milwaukee announced “user-driven innovation with new taps and dies program” today, bringing innovation to a tool category that “has seen little to no improvement in decades.”
Milwaukee Director of Product Marketing, Brad Urban, says that the new Milwaukee taps and dies deliver on the brand’s “promise to disrupt the market.”
The new taps and dies feature innovations that stem from “countless hours of field research,” with a focus on understanding users’ pain points, needs, and applications.
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Milwaukee new thread-cutting tools are described as having three premium features:
- Black oxide coating to fight against corrosion
- Clearest markings for quick and easy size identification
- Precision machined threads for precise threading
There will be tap and die sets with different part counts, as well as separate accessories such as tap and die handles and thread pitch gauges.
It is notable that individual taps and dies will be available.
Milwaukee will be launching straight flute plug taps in SAE sizes from #4 through 3/4″, and metric sizes from M3 through M14, and in coarse and fine sizes for both.
They will also be launching tapered pipe taps from 1/8″ NPT through 3/4″ NPT, as well as 1/8″-28 BSPP.
2-piece tap and drill bit sets will be available for select fastener sizes.
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Dies will be available in SAE sizes from #4 through 3/4″, and metric from M3 through M14, also in both coarse and fine sizes, plus pipe taps to match the taps.
The higher part count tap and die sets will be packaged in clear-lid low-profile Packout tool boxes, for convenient storage and portability.
Milwaukee Packout organizers are great tool cases, even if you don’t use them as part of a larger system.
If you don’t plan on transporting the sets around very much, the included removable insert is drawer-friendly. This allows for convenient low-profile placement in a tool cabinet, chest, cart, or other fixed or mobile storage system.
There are two types of tap and die handles – standard handles that are included in some sets, and a Hex-Lok 2-in-1 handle that’s included by itself and in other sets.
The new Milwaukee Hex-Lok handle is said to provide maximum leverage and control. It has an ergonomic grip and all-metal design (which I suppose can be said about all tap and die handles), and is optimized for smooth operation.
It can be used with 1-inch hex-shaped dies, and taps up to 1/2″ when paired with the Milwaukee tap collet.
Milwaukee says that, “with this innovative [Hex-Lok] 2-in-1 handle design, users can easily swap between internal or external threading providing the most versatile threading solution. Ultimately, reducing the number of total components carried on the job.”
Milwaukee Tap and Die Set Pricing and Availability
- 17pc SAE tap and die set (49-57-5600) – $45
- 17pc Metric tap and die set (49-22-5601) – $45
- 15pc SAE tap and die set w/ Hex-Lok (49-22-5602) – $80
- 38pc SAE tap and die set with Hex-Lok (49-22-5603) – $200
- 38pc metric tap and die set with Hex-Lok (49-22-5604) – $200
The new tap and die sets and accessories will be launching in August 2023.
Discussion
The new Milwaukee Hex-Lok handle is advertised as delivering the “most controlled” and “smoothest threading” and “ultimate user comfort.”
I haven’t had the best experience with 2-in-1 tap and die handles, mainly because the one I have has a rather useless ratcheting function. This new one looks interesting. Improved user comfort sounds good.
The Packout organizer looks to be a great inclusion with the larger sets, especially the similar 2-in-1 storage option as provided with Milwaukee’s Packout-equipped socket sets. You can carry everything around together, or place the insert into a tool drawer.
This is a surprising product category for Milwaukee to enter, and I think the Packout organizer will be one of the more meaningful features for the higher part count sets.
In my opinion, this has the potential to win Milwaukee a piece of market share over time, and perhaps enough to where the existing competition is forced to pay attention and shake things up themselves.
surfjungle
Delighted to see Milwaukee enter this area of hand tools. In Europe, it’s hard to find good taps and dies that don’t cost an arm and a leg. Milwaukee hand tools look pretty good and I haven’t heard anything terrible about them to date. Perhaps they can push the competition to do advance this area too.
Dude
These milwaukees aren’t gunna be any better than a medium level brand like irwin
Chris Brown
Agreed. There is nothing innovative here but marketing hype. The packout is great for sure. Carbon steel is generic, black oxide is generic. Made in China is generic. I feel bad for Irwin and Hanson because they loose in-store shelf space to make room for power tool brands, but that what emotional buyers look for because workers get emotional over their power tool brands. So we see those companies moving into other fields of tools because it looks better in the store.
Jeff
Why would Irwin and Hanson lose shelf space to Milwaukee? Irwin hasn’t been sold in Home Depot for a while and Hanson doesn’t make tap and die sets.
Besides, Irwin is owned by Black & Decker, a “power tool brand”.
Keith Hudson
Glad. I’ve got some lal made in England 🏴 hss taps and died had them for more than 40 good tools
Steve
I saw these on Acme Tool earlier along with some long nose pliers that look interesting. These are high carbon steel and made in China. I’m sure they will be good tools. Looks like they have an SAE and Metric set – they need one of the full sized Packouts with both SAE and Metric. I’m not sure why they don’t have that…
TomD
Give them time, I’m surprised they started right with packout; with the sockets they released in blow molded and only packed-out a year or so later.
Bill
Unless I missed it in the article, did Milwaukee list the type steel these are made of? Carbon steel or the much preferred HSS?
MM
That’s what I’m wondering. That bit of information is more important than all the rest of it combined.
Jared
Curious too – thought maybe I missed it, but I see I’m not alone.
Milwaukee’s tools have been decent, albeit a bit expensive at times. I would probably be willing to try these in hopes they’re a middle ground between the cheap and expensive stuff.
Stuart
It’s safe to assume high carbon steel. Press materials didn’t specify.
If it were HSS, they’d say so.
Jared
Any idea what “high carbon steel” means with respect to taps? Is that a particular recipe in this context?
I’m no metallurgist, but I was just thinking that if someone said a knife was “high carbon steel” that wouldn’t tell me much. There’s lots of steels that could be described that way.
Stuart
High carbon steel is common for maintenance and repair set taps. High speed steel is generally the minimum for fabrication work. Special alloys and coatings are used in production work.
MM
“Carbon steel” is the lowest grade of tap material. It’s the cheap stuff, and what you most commonly find in assorted sets. The term is a bit vague, but the important takeway is that they’re not High Speed Steel (HSS).
Peter Fox
I believe have seen reference to W-1 tool steel being used for making high carbon steel taps. However I don’t remember where I saw it.
For most hand tapping applications you probably don’t need the high temperature resistance (red hardness) that HSS provides. The additional toughness and hear resistance are nice however.
I think the bigger difference between lower cost DIY and mechanic grade (high carbon steel) taps and dies and production grade (HSS) tooling is how the thread form is produced. Most (all?) high carbon steel taps and dies are cut threads verses HSS taps and dies are ground thread. The difference in accuracy, surface finish and sharpness are quite noticeable. In my opinion this is as important at the material they are made out of.
Its pretty obvious to me that these Milwaukee tap and dies sets are intended for DIY and repair use not for regular frequent use or production. If you use taps and dies more than occasionally there are much better options.
JR Ramos
Yeah, just the cheapest serviceable steel for light work (i.e. rethreading and light thread cutting in softer/softish materials with proper hole sizing and technique). They don’t get quite as sharp as HSS (any flavor) and can’t hold that sharpness very well by comparison.
Sometimes you’ll see the china brands advertise it as “bearing steel”….which is another use for that type of steel.
HSS is certainly worth the cost if you do more than rethreading or if you use them a lot. The quality of manufacture is just as important, however, and a poor grind can make good HSS perform like crap.
Usually the hex design is a giveaway that it’s plain carbon/high carbon steel but you can find hex in HSS now too….price certainly reflected even in the china brands.
If you cut new threads with high carbon rethreaders they most often aren’t as clean, sometimes root and crest aren’t proper dimensions, etc., but with most hardware as sloppy as it is (intentionally) it will still work fine. Risk of breakage does go up compared to HSS cutters, however, and that’s bad when it happens.
JR Ramos
It does say in the Acme product info that they are high carbon steel. Both die stocks appear to be cast zinc (not sure about the handles on the black one)
Joe E.
I’ve been searching for a quality tap and die set and I’m excited to see this! Milwaukee has been introducing some great tools lately.
Chris
Don’t spend your money on this junk and buy good taps and dies
Tim
They’ll win me over on the packout organization.
They’ll probably lose me soon if they come pre-dulled like their drill bits and blades.
John
I see no “ user-driven innovation”. Non of my taps are rusted, probably because they get coated in cutting oils. Black oxide can still rust. I would hope most any tap and die has good markings and precise cut threads. So seriously what innovations?
Harrison
Branding, and the Packout container.
If these are anything like Milwaukee drill bits, they are basically disposable garbage.
Stuart
I really like the idea of Packout integration.
The Hex-Lok handle seems to be a major focus, in how with just the handle and tap collet it can be used with any size tap or die up to 1/2”.
Clearer markings sounds good.
The Packout case is the biggest pro for me. If the handle is as comfortable as advertised, that’s another pro.
I don’t care one way or the other about the black oxide coating.
TomD
Packout is really nice EXCEPT when you realize that you don’t take these anywhere and instead just leave it on the shelf – it can be EASIER to slide a standard blow-mold case out of a pile of cases than unstack the packout.
Still, even if you repack you have a case.
Collin
I purchased a large Irwin tap and die set and the blow molded case was garbage. I broke the latch first use.
Dropped it once recently and everything came flying out. The duct tape failed. I’ll never find every tap and die again.
I do welcome a Packout case. Those don’t pop open when dropped. They’re also pretty sturdy. Packouts keep me organized and most importantly keep me from buying the same tool twice because I lost it the first time.
Robert
Agree totally. Why wouldn’t a self respecting manufacturer have corrosion resistance, clear markings, and precise thread already as a minimum entry point? Those 3 points are pretty much marketing empty words.
skfarmer
milwaukee guys will eat it up because it says milwaukee and comes in a packout case.
other than the milwaukee-ized handles i see no innovation.
the only rusty taps and dies that i see are mistreated ones so i don’t see the big deal with the coating. it helps how? about as much as the “titanium” coating on most other items. it looks nice but in reaity doesn’t do much.
JR Ramos
Not sure about the phosphate Milwaukee has chosen here but generally black/steam finished tooling holds onto cutting lube better, which can be helpful sometimes (especially for lazy users). It does, however, tend to allow aluminum to cling to it and it’s a pain to remove. Provides on a slight increase in surface finish and hardness.
Good grey phosphate doesn’t rust easily either but so much over the last many years has been kinda junky. Quality TiN or TiCN coatings do help with lubricity and hardness but it’s not such a big advantage in hand tapping as it is with machine tapping. That said, many of the cheap china ti coatings are pretty bad and do nearly nothing even when they should…but the real stuff is good and noticeable (nice in woodworking tools also).
Nathan
I was going to say innovation not found. packaging is ok – and without knowing exactly what’s in it I sort of like the idea of their metic set and in case. I could see that being rather handy on a modern car.
depending on the composition and I assume for 45 dollars and with the milwaukee name they are cheaper grade steel – they might not last when used on modern body steels or CGI blocks. Then again repair work vs manufacturing work – should be fine and if oyu can get a new tap individually – at least the set packaging is nice.
The handle looks interesting but I note it’s smaller than their standard handles shown in the other kits. curious how that works out.
I like competition though and again it’s an interesting addition.
JR Ramos
This looks like a decent rethread kit but wow the price. Marketing department must really not be familiar with this niche of tools because that lack of innovation has been covered two or three times in the relatively recent past.
Honestly for carbon rethreads this price is insane. I would at least hope to see steel die stocks for that price and perhaps a legit TiN or TiCN coating rather than phosphate (but hopefully the finish is good enough to do the anti-rust job over time). It is a nice looking kit, however, and the tray is well done. Tap handle (not the socket for the 2-in-1) looks like typical crap but hopefully serviceable and better than some that have been on the market for the last couple decades.
If that 2-in-1 die stock is available separately and I can look at it in person before buying, I might pick one up. Cast zinc is a hard pass sometimes but that one looks like it might be comfortable and stout enough for 1″ dies and smaller taps. I’d like to see their NPT dies as well….quality and pricing, but I suspect that those will be far overpriced (and will they have a die stock for them or expect people to use pipe wrenches, etc?).
If these are available open stock IN STORES it will be nice to have a source of decent cutters in a range. The DeWalt ones are pretty blah and the retail Irwin quality isn’t what it used to be, plus spotty availability (the Century brand at Harbor Freight is pretty decent if you have one of those around).
Unless the storage arrangement is a big factor for someone, I’d say buy a cheaper normally priced decent set and upgrade the handles if desired…come out for less money with probably the same quality. If nothing else you could have a supplier order a Norseman set for you for less money….good blow mold case, all the standard stuff (like the old Vermont American sets but with slightly better tooling in there). Maybe these will be better than the GearWrench/Husky sets that were decent but suffered from rushed grinding/finishing…for almost double the price, one would hope they are.
The performance series dies that came out under the Hanson label awhile back were really neat – that was some good innovation and resulting benefit but it didn’t catch on and seems to have disappeared. Actually Irwin seems like they may be nerfing the Hanson brand now – recently revamped their terrible website (it’s still bad, or worse) and there is zero mention of Hanson or any good details in the product listing for taps/dies/extractors now.
The ratcheting die stock in the GearWrench/Husky sets is pretty neat, I think…not my go-to but it has helped me a couple times and it’s certainly more comfortable to use when you don’t need the rigidity or frequent back-offs.
Might be interesting to see the 2-in-1 tap holder insert, too. Compare it to the ones that Irwin/Hanson has had on the market for many years, and which are excellent.
Maybe Milwaukee will introduce a range of tap sockets? That would be great, probably a great selling item, too.
fred
I like the notion that they are selling the pieces individually as “open stock” – albeit the individual prices do look a bit steep for made in China taps and dies. The set prices look competitive if they prove to be of serviceable quality. Let’s hope that the prices reflect better quality than some of the junk sold on eBay – as some made in China tapas and dies do seem to be of decent quality. They’re selling the die stock as part # 49-57-5002 for $25 and they describe it as being made of “metal” which gives one some pause for thought:
https://www.acmetools.com/milwaukee-hex-lok-2-in-1-tap-and-die-threading-handle-49-57-5002/045242779864.html
and you can buy it with the tap wrench as a set ot but the tap wrench separately.
Stuart
That’s just the handle, you also need the tap collet.
fred
I think that I said they sell it separately or as a set:
https://www.acmetools.com/milwaukee-hex-lok-2-in-1-tap-and-die-threading-handle-tap-collet-49-57-5003/045242793303.html
They don’t lis a price for the tap wrench:
https://www.acmetools.com/milwaukee-tap-collet-for-taps-up-to-1-2-t-handle-bar-49-57-5001/045242779581.html
Stuart
Yes, but the link was to just the handle; I wanted it to be clear that just the handle wouldn’t be enough for working with taps.
JR Ramos
So I got to lay eyes and hands on sets of these at one of our semi-industrial suppliers today. They’re ok…..they aren’t stellar and I don’t think they’re a good price (across the board, from what I’ve seen on individual item listings thus far…) for what they are, but they’re a slight notch up from the mid-grade China sets and the lower grade US made stuff (both on par with the substandard items lately from Taiwan in the Husky/Gearwrench products).
I like the die stock – it will hold any die and the ball detents grip fairly snugly (I guess if they ever get weak the springs and balls are replaceable easily enough). They didn’t have any stock for sale yet and haven’t decided whether or not they’ll do that, so I preordered one online just now.
The tap holder – so-so, hard pass for me and I’ll just pop my Irwin/Hanson model in there instead but I usually prefer the 8 or 9 handles I already have. lol. I need another holder like I need a hole in my head.
It’s a zinc casting, pretty decently plated it seems, and I like the lack of rubber overlays. The black finish on the cutters…I do not like it. Seems like decent quality that will likely spot and/or rust over time, but unless you’re in pretty well lit surroundings those larger clear markings still aren’t great…same with the markings in the case itself.
Part of me hopes that this line of products does end up in-store in HD or wherever. It would be great to have easily available open stock.
JR Ramos
Followup that nobody will probably ever see. Received the die stock and it’s really a nice piece of kit – pleasantly impressed with it. I’ve got 1″ hex dies from four or five brands and all of them snapped in to the detents nicely – just snug enough to retain but not hard to insert. Rethreading is a breeze and the hefty weight of the handle is nice when spinning (it weighs maybe twice as much as most die stocks of similar size, even the older steel body types). I could stand a couple of extra inches of length but it’s a fairly standard length as is (just enough to fit larger hands). The Irwin/Hanson tap holder sockets fit perfectly (I like those better than the holder Milwaukee has introduced with the dual-size jaws). I don’t think I’ll use this handle for tapping smaller sizes…that extra heft removes some feel when a tap may start to twist up a bit. Well finished – looks like it should remain rust free. I’d say it’s worth the $25 and it’s a nice piece in a sea of mediocre handles these days if you don’t want Starrett or old stock from days of yore on Ebay. It’s nicer than the Husky/Gearwrench ratcheting handle (a tad shorter…will not fit in the blow mold case’s slot for that handle). I won’t buy the taps or dies from them but this handle is a winner.
Stuart
Thanks, I appreciate your follow-up!
Readers and new visitors still read older posts and comments. This is a new product that is just launching. It’ll be seen.
Nate
My kingdom for taps with a hex, rather than square, shank. That’s a custom that should’ve died with inch-based measurements.
Hex would let me chuck it into any random 3-jaw chuck, whereas the square is used for….. nothing but taps! And tap sockets suck, a single-purpose tool for interfacing with another single-purpose tool, they introduce wobble in the stack, and they’re expensive.
JR Ramos
Tap sockets are a lifesaver at times!!! And they’re infinitely cheaper than purchasing extended length tap wrenches. Depends on your needs and experience I guess.
Square shank has a crap ton of advantages over small hex shanks…like a lot. It’s also used on several flavors of reamers, extractors, and a few other things. The ones you’re talking about have pretty severe limits and most aren’t very great quality (I have and have had several…the best being from Norseman but the Milwaukee and Klein are ok…and old Greenlee but not the new Greenlee). They’re really meant for thin plate and quick dirty simple work like ground screws, etc. Most people use them incorrectly and/or buy the low quality ones. They’re handy to have around, though. There’s no way they can or should be used for work that needs some torque, though.
Peter Fox
I agree with your sentient to a degree for small common sizes While you can chuck small taps in drills on the round part of the shank they can slip if you do not really tighten them.
The best solution I have found are 1/4″ hex shank collet type adapters that are made by Snappy Tools
https://www.snappytools.com/product-category/drill-bit-adapters
https://www.mcmaster.com/3185A51/
They have just enough grip range and selection of sizes to cover all of the small taps and associated drills from 4-40 to 1/4-20 and M2 to M6
I have several sets of taps, matching drills, clearance drills and good countersinks set up with these holders. You can pick any tap or drill bit based on your preference. In my case I usually use short length (screw machine) drill bits and HSS spiral point taps. With these I can mix an match extensions and right angle adapters to get into tight and difficult locations that would otherwise be impossible. More than a few time I have had drills and taps on 2 feet worth of extension to reach deep inside of something.
The only downside is they are a bit expensive. all totaled I have several hundred dollars of them in my drill kits. At least they are reusable and have held up well. I consider them worth it for the convenience.
I also have several sets of tap sockets and do find them useful sometimes. definitely a good in between option for getting taps into odd places.
Nate
In my experience, the tap will just spin in these, just like it’ll spin in a normal chuck.
I either want to grind flats on the side of the tap shank, or find a way to adapt tap-square to 1/4-hex that doesn’t introduce the wobble of a tap socket. If the socket just had a longer nose to surround the shank of the tap better, and if it had the 1/4-square-to-1/4-hex adapter built in… I could weld that part though, since it’ll never change.
I suppose I could just throw some heatshrink over the tap once it’s assembled in the socket. There’s not a lot of force trying to make it wobble, just enough to start the thread at a bad angle no matter how straight I hold the drill, and I think some shrink might snug it up enough to cope with.
Ugh.
Steve L
This Gearwrench SAE/Metric 77 piece set was featured here when it was on sale in 2022. List is $130, can buy today for $103 from Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HBDW48
Milwaukee wants $200 for the SAE 38 piece kit in Packout and another $200 for the Metric 38 piece kit in Packout.
$103 versus $400.
How much will folks pay to get two Packout organizers that sell for about $60 each.
fred
Gearwrench also offers a ratcheting die stock (about $5 at Zoro):
https://www.amazon.com/GEARWRENCH-Pass-Thru-Medium-Ratcheting-T-Wrench/dp/B000HBC74O
Saulac
“The new taps and dies feature innovations that stem from “countless hours of field research,” with a focus on understanding users’ pain points, needs, and applications.”
Not sure if Milwaukee really understands shop vs field usages, especially the later. For shop use, there is nothing special about these. For field use, these are the wrong type. These day field usage means power or basic hand tools (read standard ratchets). Tap and die with power tool is controversial, but is a really in the field and is a real paint point/need.
Jim
Are there any pictures of the ends of the “tap collet”? I know that one end grips the tap but is there any chance that the opposite end is 3/8” or even 1/2” square drive?
I agree that tap sockets are a lifesaver at times.
Anyone that’s done much under hood work would probably agree.
However for the occasional user the ability to drive the tap wrench or collet with a (maybe long) 3/8” extension could be really handy.
A Craftsman tap set I bought in the 70’s had such a wrench and I still have it.
Nice organization but I’m more interested in the quality of the cutting tools
Stuart
Not that I’ve seen. I’d expect it to have opposing V-shaped grooves, similar to others on the market, for clamping onto square-shank taps.
From marketing graphics, it has stepped jaws – a recessed jaw for use with taps up to 1/4″, and front jaws for use with 1/4″ to 1/2″ taps.
Ct451
Small size taps don’t fair well in big handles. One size fits all is not an innovation. It is a marketing idea that will help you break all the small sizes on the first use.
Ed G
For those of us that already have a large tap and die set, how about selling just the Packout inserts (like they do for their SAE and metric sockets)?
Stuart
They aren’t guaranteed to fit 3rd party accessories.
Ed G
Agreed, but like the socket inserts, I was able to make mine work with Craftsman sockets (instead of the square-end Milwaukee ones). Instead of the wide assortment of cases I have right now (plus loose parts floating in drawers), getting some sense of organization with the Packout cases has been a big help. I’ve made my own inserts for hole saws, and purchases aftermarket ones for wrenches. Not seen anything good yet for taps/dies. Even if I need to purchase the Milwaukee tap handle separately, it would be an improvement over what I currently have.
Jonathan
I’ve been looking for a set to buy and keep going pack to the gearwrench. Only thing I’m not cray about is no lifetime warranty on the taps. Although I’ve talked with a dealer who has replaced tons of them under their warranty somehow. When you look it up it’s pretty clear that they aren’t covered though so who knows. I also don’t need packout cases and $200 for each set is too much for probably not any better tools than other brands.
JR Ramos
The GW are ok…not great, not the worst. Made in Taiwan (same source as the Husky that Home Depot does/did sell. So the steel is possibly a tad better or at least more consistent in makeup and tempering, but the grind quality is really hit and miss. Most of them are fine but you’re likely to find a few or a bunch that were poorly ground and/or poorly finished (sometimes just flakes or burrs that will disappear upon first use). And they rust quite easily so keep them oiled up in the case, maybe consider a thin layer of foam sprayed with lube (it may or may not come with that foam). That 77pc kit for $82 on prime day deals is a decent bargain if you want the whole shooting match to be prepared (I actually own that exact same kit under the Husky label from several years ago…it’s a good general cheaper kit although you may still want to buy some standard traditional handles and add starting or bottoming taps as needed (almost no extra storage in the case, though)). I think I got it at HD for around $95 but now some years later it’d probably be $120…so $82 is a steal, all things considered.
Travers has an excellent deal for another day on their import HSS taps….18pc imperial with the most usual sizes, matching bright finish bits and an index for $49. Their house brand HSS taps and dies are excellent quality (I’ve bought probably 25 or so from them in various flavors, lots of bottom taps, and only had two that were questionable, which they took care of super fast and free on their dime). Unless you are cutting new threads on properly sized rod stock, plain old carbon hex dies are fine for most rethreading and light new threads on softer materials and you could add a set of those for cheap. You wouldn’t have the 1/8″ pipe sizes and handles like you get in the more complete kits, though, but you can buy those cheap or semi-cheap. Just a thought.
Code “ONEDAY” and it supposedly goes until 11:59pm on June 12th.
http://www.travers.com/product/ttc-99s-machine-tap-drill-set-01-800-100
Jesse
I have had every single piece of this Milwaukee tap and die set in my kit for years. Go ahead and buy these taps and dies from Milwaukee. You’ll be thrilled when the release the tap extractor kit to get that cheap broken tap out of the blind hole in your expensive part.
My cordless power tools are all red and there are a lot of them. But this set screams low quality to me. I’ve spent years on mills and lathes and won’t touch cheap taps and dies.
Stuart
How? These tools are first launching next month.
Let’s say there’s a piece of machinery and an access panel is secured with machine screws. A worker cross-threaded two of the holes and stripped them out.
How are you going to repair the the threads or enlarge the holes and cut new ones on stationary equipment with a mill or lathe?
A facility maintenance or repair tech isn’t going to put together a repair kit piecemeal, they’re going to get something like this to have on hand.
If you’re going to knock it, recommend an alternative. “Mills and lathes” aren’t the solution for something like this – not everyone has a complete tool room or machine shop at their disposal.
Jesse
My pieces may not say Milwaukee on them, but there is nothing innovative or new here, thus I’ve had all these pieces in my kit for years.
I have high quality taps and dies for the common sizes and buy additional for production jobs in the sizes I need.
But I have a kit almost identical for this I use for maintenance and repair.
If your suggesting this Milwaukee kit is good for sheet metal repair on access panels, I’d agree, it will be fine. But ultimately somebody will use it to tap steel blocks and will be disappointed.
Chris
Ok the marketing wank is heavy on this junk. Seriously why would anyone buy this kit when good stuff already exists from Irwin and others. Poor Milwaukee
Franco
I am not a Milwaukee lover or hater, but like what they are doing here…like Stuart stated, the PO organizer is nice.
My fear is that many of the comments, speaking about drill bits and other stuff being garbage; Milwaukee only gets so many chances to show they have good ideas and make good products. If these are cheap or not very good, especially for the prices they charge, and do this with other products, lack of faith in what they make will slowly lose customers.
That would be too bad, as they are sort of doing what they are saying by driving innovation. Innovating “crap” for the lack of a better term, will not help their sales and market share.
Chris
Milwaukee always throws around the innovation word but really doesn’t innovate
Emilio+Gonzalez
They look cheap and inferior. I prefer my Starrett and Koken tools tap and die tools. USA and Japan. Excellent.