Technical > Home Improvement > Milwaukee Drills and Stuff

Milwaukee Drills and Stuff

I have the non-hammer version of the same drill. Picked it up about 2 years ago.

No real problems. One minor annoyance is the charger charges the batts then goes blind. Leave a batt in there and it is well discharged a few weeks later. It should periodically check the batts. They do charge quick.

The batteries do not like to be used cold. I have grabbed the drill out of the garage when it is freezing out. Then drilled some holes in steel Batts did not last and one failed soon after.

I keep it in the finished basement so it is not so cold when i need it.

The drill has a lot of torque, enough to hurt your wrist if a bit grabs. The LED light is nice but wish the trigger would turn light on first then speed control .

The weight is from a steel gear train. My Dewalt was about the same weight and after a few years of abuse, the plastic gears jammed.
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Scott Henion

Embedded Systems Consultant,
SHDesigns home - DIY Welder

You say it didn't like to be used in the cold huh? I read some things where they said they do run in the cold. Maybe that is incorrect data? Cold for me is below 40 degrees, as in the winter it ranges from 0F to 35F in some of the places I go. I was hoping for a tool that will work just fine after an hour snowmobile ride to a job site.

I never leave batts on the chargers, as soon as they are done I remove them.
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"Saying something in another language that you don't think the other person understands is just saying that you're a pussy and are too afraid to say it in English." --Harddrive

reply to AMD Phreak
I have a Milwaukee cordless set on my truck (possibly the same one you have pictured). I absolutely hate it. I use them pretty much daily. The impact driver has worked fine. The drill has been a turd. It's been in for repairs several times, never 100% fixed. I will NEVER buy another Milwaukee drill as long as I live.

I have a lot of Milwaukee tools. Most of them are specialty drills which go back to the days when Milwaukee was a quality company (Made in the USA).
Now they suck butt. They are garbage made by Ryobi parent Techtronic tools of Hong Kong.

I've had much better luck with Makita or DeWalt. Do yourself a favor and don't buy cordless tools because of the radio. I'd definitely reconsider before buying the Milwaukee stuff.

Edit: DOH! NM - I see you already bought the farm.
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...because I care.

Radio was just a side purchase I could care less. I'd still by the radio over the Makita radio.

In the past I have used the V-series that my father has, this thing is a tank and very heavy and will easily cause arm or hand damage. I have used it to mix a bucket of mud a few times. The Milwaukee corded drill also is a beast, and is I am sure capable of breaking limbs. Same goes for the Hole Hawgs..... but I am sure you knew that.

Maybe my info from my reading was wrong. If you say it sucks it must suck. What makes the thing that bad?
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"Saying something in another language that you don't think the other person understands is just saying that you're a pussy and are too afraid to say it in English." --Harddrive

I'm curious. You said the DeWalt served a good life. What made you switch?

Well when my 14.4 dewalt croaked I looked around at the latest offerings from them and was seriously not impressed.

If i had the cash I would just buy a Hilti.....

reply to AMD Phreak
I've used Milwaukee for years with no problems (well, all but the radio - haven't been able to use any radio for over 20 years) - even their mini line is pretty good. The lithium batteries do suck in the cold, but most use a cheap manufacturing process, so all of the inexpensive lithiums suck - you would have to go with something not so cheap (like Hilti) to get good performance in the cold. Pretty much everything is made in China these days though, even Milwaukee - hell, they are probably all made in the same factories.

reply to AMD Phreak
Bought a Makita BDF452, with 2 Li-Ion batteries for $160 1.5 years ago. Great tool, good power. The usual hour charge, or less.

I was going to get a DeWalt, but they only had Ni-Cad's for batteries. I'm done with those types for good.

reply to AMD Phreak

reply to AMD Phreak
I've got a 15 year old Makita cordless drill that I'd never give up. Heck even one of my battery packs is original.

reply to AMD Phreak
Don't know about the newer stuff; nor the cordless. I will say the old, AC-plug powered drills, were considered the best in the commercial trades for electricians, dry-wall, and sheet-metal, at least. I have dropped mine off of a 16' ladder onto concrete, picked it up and it still worked flawlessly.

reply to AMD Phreak
The problem with my drill is the plastic gears stripped out almost immediately. Note that I don't use it for anything bigger than a 3/4" auger or 1-1/4" hole saw. When you get into anything heavy (like oak or sappy pine) it stops drilling and making a horrible grinding noise. It's been back to Milwaukee several times. It will work for a few days and then start again.

The other thing is that the batteries have a very short life (they deplete quickly), and freeze up overnight. I thought Li Ion was supposed last longer. I leave my laptop in my truck too, and it never has issues in the morning.

I think Milwaukee's days as a quality tool maker are long gone. I only bought the Milwaukee set because I was in a pinch. I was literally in the middle of a job and my DeWalt died. The supply house had a "trade-in" special - $100 off the Milwaukee set.
I now have a cheap Porter Cable that I got for $50 to use as a backup.

I had a Makita drill that lasted well over 10 years. The only reason I quit using it was the batteries failed and were too expensive to rebuild / replace. I had a stack of batteries a mile high.

Same goes for my DeWalt which lasted about 7 years. I still have several DeWalt's, but the battery expense is becoming an issue. I have 3 good drills sitting on the shelf b/c I can't justify the cost battery replacement / rebuild for an old drill.

The next time this Milwaukee dies, it's going into the trash. I'll get a Makita or DeWalt this time.
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...because I care.

reply to AMD Phreak
I have almost every V28, now M28 battery powered tool Milwaukee makes for home and work.

Radio with tinny speakers , 2 ea ½" drills, wood skil saw, metal skil saw (will cut ¼" mild steel plate like butter) 4" side grinder, 2 work lights, right angle ½" drill, hammer drill, portable bandsaw, ½" impact wrench, and a portable vacuum for the wife..

I've never had a tool or battery failure with any of the V28 tools. Although the batteries are getting old, 5-6 years but still 70% or so. I picked up 2 new M-28 batteries on E-Bay for $116 each not long ago on a Christmas sale.

The batteries are damn expensive so once you start you need at least several like tools to make it pay.
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Jimmy Hoffa’s dad was the last shovel-ready job..
Will Rodgers never met Harry Reid..

Why was I Anti-Obama before it was cool?
Saul Alinsky was also a community organizer & Marxist..

reply to AMD Phreak
i have a hitachi DV18DL 18V LiIon, it is the most fantastic drill i have ever owned...
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Everyone should own a Mac! Go Bucks!

reply to AMD Phreak
it depends on how long you want it to last, and how well it works. for instance, well made products, such as german, dutch, and some other UK area drills are made to much higher quality than you see in the U.S. these days, as much of the products sold in the U.S. are made in Mexico, China, Taiwan or similar, not much is made in USA anymore, consumers want cheaper products because of the economy. if you want something to last, try this. »www.us.hilti.com/holus/page/modu···=-395215

reply to nunya
If there is a Batteries Plus (or equivalent) in your area, they should have a shop that can rebuild those old battery packs. The batteries used inside them are usually standard units, so cutting the packs open, replacing the batteries, and rewelding the pack back together is usually much cheaper than getting new ones.

reply to AMD Phreak
I recently bought the same Milwaukee impact driver as pictured. I had not owned one previously. I now slap myself in the forehead for not having bought an impact driver previously. Great tool.

My only complaint thus far is the black rubber (decorative?) lining that you see between the silver metal and red plastic. One of mine broke at one of the corners and now flaps around. Cosmetic only, but they shouldn't have put such thin crap on the tool. When I get a chance, I'll super-glue it back together.
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nohup rm -fr /&

reply to Red_Menace
Batteries plus is actually more expensive than the NOS I find. The problem is that the NOS has been sitting around so long, it's questionable. It's just not worth dumping that much money into an old tool. I could pay $100 each for rebuilt batteries or go buy a new drill for $250 with 2 new batteries.

Planned obsolescence at it finest.
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...because I care.

oh yeah... the batts are expensive these days.

I plan on pawning the drill when the batts go tango uniform due to price.

i am going to put the drill through its first test tomorrow. i have to drill a bunch of holes in quarter inch thick copper bar tomorrow. we will see if i can make this thing cry mommy.
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"Saying something in another language that you don't think the other person understands is just saying that you're a pussy and are too afraid to say it in English." --Harddrive