Milwaukee introduced a ton of tools and accessories at NPS17, enough to keep us busy here at ToolGuyd for months. Last week, Stuart posted his top 5 new tools from Milwaukee NPS17. In a few paragraphs, I’m going to tell you about several more of the top new tools we saw and tried out at the show.
But first, I wanted to give you a general overview of the product symposium. This year they broke the day into 5 different sessions:
Advertisement
- Concrete Solutions, Carbide-Toothed Cutting Accessories, and Empire Levels
- Hand Tools, Storage, and Gear
- M12 and M18 Cordless Systems
- One-Key and Lighting
- Ergonomics, Plumbing, and Power Utility
Each session was in a different large tent structure outside Milwaukee Tool’s headquarters. You can see that Milwaukee focused on quite a few different areas. What I’m going to do here is talk about which one new product really stood out to me from each of the broad categories.
Session 1: More Carbide Teeth
To go off topic for a second, Milwaukee really came out swinging in the silica dust removal area, and it’s no wonder why – new regulations are coming soon, and they will require contractors to mitigate the amount of airborne silica dust that is released at jobsites.
I’m not comfortable enough in this area to compare the new Milwaukee masonry dust collection tools and accessories to what has already been introduced to the market. That’s part of why those tools aren’t being discussed here.
Plus, I really think adding carbide teeth to the Torch Sawzall blades and the Hole Dozer and Big Hawg hole saws made for a more impressive display.
Advertisement
The Torch series of Sawzall blades are optimized for cutting metal, and the Torch with carbide teeth increases the range of metals you can cut effectively, such as cast iron, stainless steel, and other high strength alloys.
They had demonstrations of the new Torch blade, cutting 4″ cast iron pipe and then a boron-reinforced B-pillar from a car. The new carbide-toothed Torch blades sped through those applications much faster, compared to other blades and cutting solutions.
The Big Hawg’s deep gullets and wide teeth make it fast and easy to drill holes in wood, and to remove the plug quickly. With carbide teeth the Big Hawg cuts faster into more materials, lasts longer, and will cut through nail after nail without losing performance. They even had a demonstration with lag bolts embedded in 2x6s, and the Big Hawg with carbide teeth powered right through them.
Adding carbide teeth to the Hole Dozer increases the life of the hole saw and increases cut speed in a variety of materials. They showed the Hole Dozer with carbide teeth cutting though wood, metal, and even cement board with no problem.
Torch with Carbide Teeth: Sep. 2017
Big Hawg with Carbide Teeth: Nov. 2017
Hole Dozer with Carbide Teeth: Nov. 2017
Session 2: VDV Tools — Ethernet Cable Stripper
There’s no question that the Packout modular tool storage system was the big news in the hand tool and storage session. But Stuart already posted so much coverage of this system, that it wouldn’t add anything to devote more space.
Milwaukee introduced a bunch of new and revised tools into this session, and I don’t think there was any clear winner. So I’m just going to pick my favorite: the Ethernet cable stripper.
I didn’t even notice it the first day. They spent most of the time at the VDV (voice, data, video) station touting the new punch-down tool and 4-in-1 multi-pick tool, so I missed this slick little stripper the first go-round. I picked it up the second day, wondering how I missed it. It is really satisfying to use once you get it dialed in for the cable you are stripping.
The stripper is made for removing the outer jacket of CAT 3 though CAT 6 cable without damaging the insulation of the wires inside. It seemed like it was all metal so it has a nice hefty feel. The blade has a large diameter adjustment range and rides on a finely threaded screw. This allows you to precisely dial in the thickness of the cable jacket.
Stuart’s Note: The look and feel give me the impression that it’s a prototype, but I’m not certain.
In addition to the cable stripper, there is a new punchdown tool, multi-tool with hook, spudger, and screwdriver bits, a termination crimper tool, and scissors. All of the VDV tools are due out in November 2017.
Session 3: M18 Fuel Brushless 7-1/4″ Miter Saw
I think this category had some of the best new tools. Stuart already talked a little about the revamped M12 impact driver and drill, the new M12 Fuel ratchets, and the M12 stapler. I’m also excited about the M18 heat gun and M12 soldering iron, but I think the M18 Fuel 7-1/4″ dual-bevel sliding miter saw was the most interesting tool in the cordless session.
I’ve been using the M18 Fuel 10″ miter saw since it was released, and found there to be situations where it just seems 18V can’t provide enough power for a 10″ blade. My other big problem with the saw is that it shoots sawdust everywhere, including back at the user. The dust collection just doesn’t cut it for use in finished spaces.
I’m hopeful the new 7-1/4″ saw solves those problems. Obviously it won’t have the cutting capacity of a 10″ saw, but 18V should be plenty of power for a 7-1/4″ blade. And after trying out this saw for myself, it seems to have much better dust collection — I wasn’t covered in sawdust after I used it and most of the dust was directed at the bag.
This saw is also light. At 28 lbs, it’s easy to carry one-handed and comfortably, either by the top or side handles.
Stuart’s Note: My first inspection shows a much better blade change system than a certain competitor’s 7-1/4″ cordless miter saw. This saw also looked right on home on top of Milwaukee’s new compact miter saw stand. The behind-the-blade dust collection funnel worked okay to throw some dust into the included bag, and we’re eager to see how efficient dust collection is with a vacuum attached.
Available September 2017
Session 4: New M18 Rover LED Worklight
The session started out with a talk about One-Key. This year there were only a few new One-Key products — the M18 high-torque impact wrench, and an M18 Radius site light. In the same session they also talked about improving tool tracking and simplifying One-Key functions.
Milwaukee came out strong again this year in the lighting category, introducing several new personal and site lighting solutions. I think the new M18 Rover magnetic flood light is the best new LED lighting product. It builds upon the strengths of the M12 version, and addresses its weaknesses.
While the M12 Rover is a bright little light with great runtime, I’ve found it is difficult to aim it anywhere you want. The new M18 Rover takes care of that problem with it’s rotating and folding light panel.
It has a 2″ spring loaded clamp for gripping a wide variety of materials, or you can hang it by it’s powerful magnets that can hold up to 25 lbs. As one reviewer put it, “now I have a place to hang my cinder blocks.” The light is impact rated; the product manager threw one down onto the floor from a lift and it maybe scratched the plastic a little.
Available October 2017.
Session 5: Air Snake
The M12 Air Snake was definitely the most broadly interesting tool introduced in this session, and potentially the most likely to be misused too. Several different reviewers noted how this would be a great way to drum up business for restoration contractors after somebody blows apart the pipes inside of the wall. Still, when used properly, it definitely has potential to be a powerful tool in the plumber’s arsenal.
The idea is to use compressed air rather than an in-pipe cable and auger to clear grease clogs, slow drains, and other types of clogs. The tool can direct a blast of air from 0 to 50 PSI directly to the drain without having to disassemble traps. It can reach clogs up to 35 feet down the line, even past the air vent.
Here you can see some of the accessories for the tool, like a 90 degree head and heads for other drain types.
Available November 2017.
fred
The Air Snake looks like it might be a possibility. We had many tools from General (General Wire Spring) – mostly snakes, closet augers, “speedrooter” machines etc. These included what they call a Kinetic Ram. We had other various options for drain cleaning – from lowly force cups (plungers) – up to and including a trailer-mounted hot water blaster (a major help for industrial-sized grease clogs). The Kinetic ram was not our first choice for everything – but for shower and tub drains it was the choice of some of the crews. The “Achilles Heel” of the kinetic ram was its O-rings and soft parts that could fail. A repair kit was about $50 and the repair itself was a bit tedious.
https://www.amazon.com/General-Wire-Spring-KR-D-WC-Kinetic/dp/B00ET7VFR2
glenn
That mitre saw is the one they should have released first, rather than the 216mm one we got in Australia a couple of years back (link below). Had they done so I would certainly have bought it straight away back then.
https://www.milwaukeetools.com.au/power-tools/cordless/m18sms216-0
glenn
Those carbide saw blades look the business, is there any indication on pricing yet please?
Joseph
I’m surprised that a cable stripper made the list, which leads me to believe Milwaukee is reaching to the DIY audience. As a guy who installs telecom systems for a living, I might have 5% of the guys that actually use a cable stripper on UTP; the other 95% use snips, because when we’re dealing with CAT cable, we already have snips in hand.
Benjamen
That’s just my taste, I could have picked any of the hand tools. It was something that stood out to me because I’ve stripped and made up a lot of Ethernet cables. I guess maybe a better way of putting it is if I saw all these tools on a shelf for sale, it’s the one I probably would have purchased.
They also showed products we’ve already previewed, like the pick set. I didn’t want to include something they’ve already announced. And I could have choosen the Packout system, but Stuart’s pretty much exhausted that one.
So many of the hand tools seemed like either a me too type product or marginal improvement over what they already have. Don’t get me wrong, Most of them were quality tools and we’ll cover them all — the new screwdrivers, wrenches, snips, pvc cutter, concrete level, pry bars, and knifes.
Bill
I’ve recently had the good fortune to have Gigabit fiber available in my area and have just completed the install in my home. Because I wanted the reliability and enhanced data transfer rates, I replaced my 15 year old CAT5 network with CAT6. With the spline separator in the the CAT6 cable I find them more difficult to terminate with RJ45 connectors than the older CAT5 cable without the spline. Any advise on how you make this job easier?
I have tried the RJ45s with and without the load bars.
fred
I’ve no competence on this – but watched an installer:
He seemed to:
pull out a pair of shears
cut and pull back the outer sheath
cut the spline and what looked like an inner cord back
roll the conductors between his fingers
then cut them at what looked like an angle
feed them into the connector
do some more cutting then crimping
Joseph
A: I hate you and your FTP.
B: A lot of stuff going on here, and it’s hard to just skim through it. Based on the difficulty, I’m going to assume that we are talking plugs and not jacks. First off, try to find CAT6 plugs, as most of the CAT6 is 23AWG conductors instead of the CAT5e 24AWG. (That said, we use the AllenTel AT8x8RCSC-24 plugs on everything.) Cut the separator out as close as possible to the where the jacket is stripped; I usually just pull it to the side and snip it. Also make sure your plugs are designed for round cord, because I find a lot of people using connectors for flat cord, and it makes life much more difficult. The cable end of the plug should be open like [) not [].
All that said, best practice is still using jacks on both ends and making the final connections with patch cables. Patch cables use stranded conductors allowing for far more physical flexibility.
Lastly, CAT5e is more than capable of carrying 1000baseT signal the full 100meters. We use it almost exclusively and are running Gig speeds with PoE. CAT6 becomes a necessary spec at 10G speeds, which I have never personally seen implemented on copper.
Bill
Joseph, thanks for the reply but please don’t hate the geek in me.
And yes, I am referring to the plugs. You are certainly right about terminating each CAT6 run to a wall jack, I love the ones that angle down, and then just purchasing the needed patch cables of appropriate length. Because I didn’t have all my wall jacks at the time I had to terminate some with a plug and it proved to be a challenge.
Again, thanks for the advice.
Chris H
Do you have experience with the Ridgid cordless miter saw? If so, is the Milwaukee just about the same as it or does the Milwaukee have any advantages?
I picked up the Ridgid at a good price recently and love it for what it is….90% of the time Im doing trim work, I dont really need the big honkin 12″ Bosch that I have in my basement.
But it would be nice to go back to “Milwaukee only” batteries!
Stuart
I won’t be able to answer that until I have a sample of the Milwaukee saw to compare the Rigid to.
Milwaukee and Ridgid tools are completely independently designed, and so any similarities would be coincidental.
thom
I would like to see the punch down tool… my old Ideal is on its last legs
fred
What would Milwaukee add over and above what the Ideal Tool does – other than being made in Asia ?
thom
I don’t know, that’s why I would like to see it lol
Stuart
If you absolutely can’t wait for the preview post, I can send you an image or two via email.
Nathan
mildly surprised that drain blowout tool isn’t’ a M18 tool. maybe the picture is deceiving in it’s size but it looks like it would be the width of an M18 battery.
but the carbide saws have my attention. I’m all over that for my next set of whatever I have to buy
taras
Cost and design parameters. M12 provides enough power, is less expensive, lighter, charges faster, and doesn’t require the power or runtime of an M18 battery.
JC
Quick miter saw rant:
I bought the 10″ and agree with Benjamen, the dust collection absolutely sucks. My uncle’s Harbor Freight collects more sawdust and it was 75% less money. I bought the Milwaukee 10″ to cut flooring and trim in an older house, so the use was to be 90% interior, but with the abysmal dust collection I may have to rethink my plan. I also have to agree that 18V just doesnt cut it (pun intended) for some cuts as I have found out while building my daughters playhouse (should have kept my 15 amp 12″ craftsman pro around for the bevel cuts).
The 7-1/4″ is what they should have released last year instead of or in addition to the 10″. I would have gone 7-1/4″ or bought the ridgid when it was $199, kept my corded 12″, and waited for a flexvolt type hybrid 12″ when Milwaukee had figured out how to power a 12″ blade on a single battery (since they refuse to use 2 batteries in a tool). Instead im stuck in limbo with the 10″ which makes me happy at times and highly annoyed at others.
Anyway 7-1/4″ looks good, wonder what price will be if Ridgid 7-1/4″ is $399 and the Milwaukee 10″ is $599 w/ 2 9.0 batteries. Doesn’t leave a lot of pricing flexibility for Milwaukee in my view.
jtr165
I have to agree. I have little experience with the Milwaukee 10″ M18, but personally…i simply dislike 10″ miters in general…They’re overly big for most trim work, yet still not big enough for ‘big’ cuts. A lot of that will depend on rails, but in general it’s a saw size I just never considered for personal use.
I bought the dewalt 7 1/4″ as soon as it was available, with a fixed 10″ craftsman given to me by family probably 15 years ago (and probably why I overall dislike that size). The thing was heavier than most modern 12″ slide saws, so wasn’t something I wanted to move around, and when we started remodeling most of our home, I needed something light and easy for very typical trim and dimensional lumber work. I still plan on a full sized saw whenever i get a more traditional shop space. Couldn’t be happier with it, though. I agree the blade change stuff sucks, at least with the included hardware (the right bit in a driver makes it pretty painless, though)…but dust collection is at least acceptable (just empty the bag often; seems like it’s upside down haha) compared to that Milwaukee hidden rail thing. Power and run time are exactly what’s needed for the blade size. I’ve cross cut 2.5 x 8″ maple for a dining room table top with it (as it has more capacity than that old fixed 10″) and it did surprisingly well. Made those cuts…on said dining room floor with some posts as risers for the extended ends, and dust clean up after took seconds. Isn’t the point of cordless to take the tool to the work whenever possible?
When I purchased that saw, I was barely invested in Dewalt’s battery line, and was very much considering other platforms for ‘bigger’ tools. If Milwaukee had first released a 7 1/4″ option, without ‘protecting the delicate rails’ at the cost of laughable dust collection…I’d probably own one. I would’ve preferred a brushless motor and dual bevel options. But trying to bridge the gap between a small portable miter and a ‘real’ one was unfortunate, and it seems that most feedback points to that.
Chris
Crazy thing is the Ridgid was down to 169 at one point (I actually got one at that price…last new in box at my local store)
The DeWalt was/is on clearance too, down to 230 at one point. Same store I bought my Ridgid at had the DeWalt right next to it, but I went with the Ridgid because:
1. Bevelled both directions
2. Brushless (I dont think its a huge deal, but it was nice to see)
3. LLSA (again, not a huge deal but nice to see)
Im 90% Milwaukee cordless so it pained me to have yet-another-battery format, but Milwaukees offering just doesnt make me happy. Between the price and weight Im not a fan. I can carry the Ridgid with my bad wrist without a problem.
JC
Almost bit on an M12 rover deal over at acme last week, glad I waited the M18 version looks to be more useful, have more output, and I have 3 M18 batteries to every 1 M12 battery. Patience paid for M18 rover new HT impact wrench.
John Sullivan
Seems like the weld line on the Hole Dozer is incomplete. Maybe it doesn’t matter but it sure seems like that one will be the first tooth to break off. That the weld in the cylinder barrel is imperfect (just above and to the left of the H in Hole) in a prototype that the press will view/photograph also seems unusual. Thoughts?
Stuart
It could be a pre-production sample that’s not perfectly optimized yet.
A lot of the tools at NPS17 were production models, but a lot were also pre-production builds. Some seemed to be working prototypes.
Blythe M
I’m not clear on which applications you would use the big hawg for versus using the hole dozer, since they both have carbide.
Is the big hawg style wood applications only?
fred
I think that the Big-Hawg – (Like the Lenox One-Tooth style) may be better suited to rough wood and timbers. Fewer teeth may result in less binding and lower torque requirements (perhaps lower torque reaction too). When Milwaukee introduced the Big-Hawg design (prior to these carbide tooth ones) – they claimed improved cutting speed (10X compared to conventional hole saws). When Lenox introduced their One-Tooth they also claimed that the saw was better suited for cutting angled holes.
Before I saw either of these designs hit the market – we had tried out a brand called ProFit from a company called Boorwerk BV in the Netherlands. They sported a quick change arbor, 3 carbide teeth and lots of (as expected) metric sizes. We found them particularly good for work with composites – but they claimed to work with brick, ceramics and other abrasive materials.
Stuart
Yes, the Big Hawg is optimized for wood and some other non-metallic materials. They have gigantic teeth and can handle wood-embedded wood, but it’s not ideal for a lot of things you might use a traditional hole saw for.
It was pitted against a self-feeding drill bit in one of the demos.
taras
As someone who uses regular hole saws and Big Hawg cup daily, I can tell you that the Big Hawg cuts FAST! You can cut a 4 inch hole through 2X in about 4-5 seconds if the bit is sharp. More teeth = more contact points = more friction = slower cut speeds. The Big Hawg doesn’t leave clean holes. There is a lot of tear out on the back end, but if you’re doing rough in work then it doesn’t matter. Regular hole saws are good when you need clean holes.
pete
My ryobi 7-1/4″ cordless 18v saw is more than capable with a 4.0ah battery to cut we 2×4. With a good blade of course… I can’t wait for the sliding ryobi to come out.
Scott
I may have overlooked this, but when are all of these new Milwaukee tools supposed to be available?
Stuart
An ETA for each can be found in the post. For the other tools, release dates span July through December 2017.
PhilnTX
Has Milwaukee given up on corded tools? I see no mention of anything but cordless power tools.
taras
There isn’t too much room left to improve tools that run on 115V AC. Most tools that need max power are already running at 15 amps. You can’t draw any more power without popping breakers. Any improvements to tools are going to be incremental. The cordless world provides more versatility, and you can draw more peak power from a battery than a wall plug if it’s designed right. Cordless tools are where improvements can still make significant differences from one generation to another.
John
Corded tools could have their motors upgraded to more efficient brushless models, which would let them generate more power from that 15a as well as last longer and potentially be lighter/smaller.
glenn
It would be interesting to know the revenue figures from cordless tools vs main powered tools.
If I had to hazard a guess, I would say that income and profit from cordless tools would far outweigh that of corded tools and I guess that would reflect in the lack of R&D and release of many new mains powered tools.
fred
It might indeed be illuminating. Corded tools have become commodity items and hardly wear out or do so slowly. A reader asked Stuart about why he couldn’t seem to find a cordless reciprocating saw and battery that would last all day in demanding demolition work. In part of my response I opined: “but I also suspect selling batteries that do wear out and cordless tools that do get obsoleted – or at least become less desirable with age – is also more profitable for the manufactures. Hence their constant advertising – perhaps even hyping of ever increasing claims for their new cordless tools and larger capacity batteries. “
Jaytkif
Very interested in checking out the 7 1/4″ miter saw. I have a corded 12″ slider, so I would still keep that, and can wait a bit on anew purchase. I was looking at the 10″ fuel as a potential all purpose option but was advised against it.
A few contractors I know were not thrilled with the 10″ due to dust collection issues creating lots of cleanup work in finished spaces, and the saw being a bit underpowered for framing. I live in Canada so a messy saw means working outside, and that’s brutal in the winter.
But a lightweight saw with good dust collection will fit my needs for trim projects. So I’ll be on the lookout for a review, and pricing.