Milwaukee vs Old Yeller

[Ron Bontz]

Long story short..I had the boss with me one day at the big borg and made a negative comment about the price of new 14.4v batteries as well as not being able to find a 14.4v recip. saw reasonably priced if at all. Hence I received a new 18volt recip. / hammer drill for x-mas. So now I am selling my two drill/ drivers (14.4v) So here is the deal. I have been considering switching my cordless tools to Milwaukee. They were always a solid company with good saws, drills,etc. And with the B&D issues.... well you get the idea.
So does any one have experience with their 18 volt drill/drivers and recip. saws. Milwaukee does not seem to have a dominate internet presence these days. Thanks for your time.

[Bill White]

Find out what company owns the Milwaukee brand.
Bill

[Ron Bontz]

Well, that was depressing. Maybe not after all.

[Gary Breckenridge]

Techtronics Industries of Hong Kong bought Milwaukee Tools in Jan. 2005.

[glenn bradley]

And they haven't messed them up yet so I say that's great. There are plenty of "buy American or not at all" hardliners that still love their Mil's.

[Ken Milhinch]

There are plenty of "buy American or not at all" hardliners .........

Presumably they will never read this, because they can't possibly own a computer

[Ron Bontz]

I have several electric tools made by Milwaukee that have been superb. Circular saw, drill, right angle drill, etc. The only reason I don't have their sawzall is because 25 years ago my spouse bought me a 2 speed Craftsman identical to the B&D at the time. Sold for about $200.00 Heavy duty,takes a beating and keeps on going. I'll just have to look at the specs. on the Milwaukee again.

[Shawn Buonarosa]

I love my Milwaukee tools, by far my favorite manufacturer of cordless tools.
I just bought the new 12v lineup of tools...all of them, including a tubing cutter which is awesome for my job. Milwaukee seems to be putting out a lot of innovative stuff from new hole saws and bits to a 12v Hackzall (mini sawzall), so I think the new owners are doing a great job, and the quality seems to be the same if not a little better.
Dewalt is ok, but they need to do something new. I mean c'mon, they have had that same awkward sawzall for how many years now? At least change the look of it, add an led, or a battery life indicator or something on it. If tool companys don't adapt and attempt to improve thier products, consistently stepping up thier game, they will get left behind. The only new product they have come out with in a long time is the Tracksaw, and we all know that isn't thier brainchild.

[Lawrence Smith]

A few years ago I bought at Home Depot a new 14.4 volt Dewalt driver-drill. The clutch on it was so bad [it would not adjust to prevent a screw from burying itself] that I took it back for a refund and bought a Milwaukee 14.4 unit. It has performed flawlessly. The next power handtool that I buy will have the Milwaukee label on it.

[Jim Kountz]

I have several Mil tools and Dewalt and it would be hard for me to say really. When it comes to corded drills I personally feel Milwaukee is the best. Their Hole Hawg is an awesome tool and I have a right angle and a straight. I also have their Sawzall, actually three of them and the oldest one has go to be going on 20 now I would say. I think Dewalt makes a good saw and their bicuit cutter is a good tool, mine is about 15 years old now and going strong. Based on my experience with their drills though I would take a Milwaukee if given the choice.

[John Sanford]

Okay, I have three Milwaukee corded tools (all US made), one DeWalt corded, and one DeWalt cordless (well, sort of have it, it's been missing for a while). Of the three, I can't say anything bad about any of them, except for the blasted dust "collection" fitting on the DeWalt DW705 12" CMS. Idiot thing takes a proprietary adapter to hook it to a standard shop-vac hose, an adapter that DeWalt seems to have forgotten about! grrrrr....

One key point to consider when going cordless is ergonomics. How's it fit in your hand? How's the balance for you? Switch locations? Clutch feel? etc... I wouldn't buy a DeWalt cordless drill today, simply because their good ones have gotten too long in the snout. Having done a lot of work inside cabinets, a shorter tool makes for a happier me. Obviously, if close quarters work isn't a consideration for ya, then the bumblebee brand may work for you.

I can't speak to any of the other cordless tools (circular saw, recip, etc) in either line, as I've either never used them, or used them very little. I did make my living for a while using a DeWalt 12v cordless drill, and was happy enough with it 99% of the time. The other 1%, simply the limitations of a 12v, i.e. either didna have enough power, or was too big.

[Clint Winterhalter]

I've got the 4pc 18 volt set. Works like a champ. The cordless recip-saw is fantastic. My corded PC recip hardly every sees the light of day.. Make sure you check the Milwaukee website. They run a promo for a free tool / battery if you buy a set from time to time. Your purchase may qualify you for a freebie..

Enjoy..
Clint