Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Milwaukee). This thread is read-only.
I picked up a M12 Fuel Drill kit (2403-22) from Home Depot Canada yesterday. When I opened it at home I was surprise to find that it comes with the older batteries (i.e. the 1A and 3A version).
At first I thought maybe someone swapped them at the store, but I notice the description on the box actually mentions that those are the ones suppose to be in the box. Unlike the Fuel M12 impact driver I got, there is no mention of the new 2A and 4A batteries anyway on this box.
Both the Home Depot and Milwaukee web sites state that that model supposes to include the newer batteries.
Can anyone who has the same drill comment about it?
I have the Hammer drill version of that kit and it had the new 2.0 and 4.0 ah batteries. You might be able to get Milwaukee to send you the correct batteries, or just return it and wait awhile while they restock. Was the kit cheaper than the normal retail price? I was wondering if they were trying to get rid of the old batteries. Were any of the batteries in plastic bags, and was there any wear of the batteries? It could be some one swapped out batteries. The packaging thing is interesting. I had something similar happen when I bought a clamp meter off cpo and it had a non redlithium battery in the kit when it was supposed to be in it they send out a red lithium battery to correct the problem and didn’t ask for the old battery back The other thing is just it was a straight up factory error. I really love the drill and hope they can fix the issues that your having the thing is so powerful for it’s size you really question the need for 18 volt tools for a lot of uses.
Thanks DR99.
The batteries “looks” new to me. The small battery was in a plastic bag but the plastic bag is open on one side. I can’t tell whether it was supposed to be sealed or not.
The kit was sold at the regular price (CAD$189) so it is the same price as most other places in Canada. That’s why it doesn’t make sense that they would come with the older batteries.
The part that puzzles me is the description on the package. It never mention explicity the model number of the batteries. But the description matches the ones that Milwaukee uses for the old batteries (40% more run-time, 20% more power, etc). I have the Fuel version of the impact and the description on the box is different (2X more run-time, etc).
Anyway I am going to drop by another location and see what their stocks look like.
I just looked at the cardboard box mine came with it lists 10x motor life, 2xpowe,r 4xrutime, on it and contains on the bottom a list on whats included 1 4.0xc and 1 2.0 battery what does the bottom of your box say or if you have the chance to possible take a picture of it. The M12 fuel impact you bought has the new batteries? One other thing I though of was maybe there was some kind of government testing/certification they haven’t completed. But that sounds strange if the impact has the new batteries and the drill didn’t I’m really stumped on this one. I would take a picture of my box but my phone is out getting repaired it died this previous Sunday I was so pissed.
What you have is a tool kit that was released before the higher capacity packs. You simply got a kit that’s being sold to make room for the new kits as the new packs are phased into them. This is really common around product changes and at lower volume retailers kits like that can linger in the stock for a long time. You can take the packs back and ask to have them swapped, but they really have no obligation to do so. The other option is to watch for the updated kits to hit the shelves and return your current one.
That’s what I though conductor, but the only thing that confused me was I though all the new M12 fuel drills were being released with the new packs. I know that can happen more often with milwaukee tools because they don’t put a new model number out like say dewalt when a higher capacity pack comes out. I know that could happen with the M18 fuel products very easy they were released a year before the new ah battery packs came out. I just thought from what I read the m12 fuel tools were getting the new ah packs right away with no overlap.
They do at the factory, his is likely one that left the factory before the new packs were released. I ran into this when I bought my inspection cam in 2011. Red Lithium had been out for a couple months, but my kit came with the original version of the M12 packs yet the jig saw I ordered the same week came with the Red Lithium packs. This is because the jig saw wasn’t released until after the Reds came out, so every kit came with the current packs. Meanwhile, the inspection cam came out with the original packs so retailers were obviously selling the remainder of the pre-red kits before ordering the updated kits from Milwaukee. You don’t go to Kroger and find the newest milk in the front. Same principle applies.
I should add that retailers aren’t doing this on purpose. If you’re HD and order 5,000 M12 kits in March to be sold in your stores, then in April a new battery is released, you aren’t going to eat the 1,000 remaining kits to put the updated kits on the shelf. You’re going to order the updated kits and stock them as the older ones are gone.
Conductor562 wrote:
They do at the factory, his is likely one that left the factory before the new packs were released. I ran into this when I bought my inspection cam in 2011. Red Lithium had been out for a couple months, but my kit came with the original version of the M12 packs yet the jig saw I ordered the same week came with the Red Lithium packs. This is because the jig saw wasn’t released until after the Reds came out, so every kit came with the current packs. Meanwhile, the inspection cam came out with the original packs so retailers were obviously selling the remainder of the pre-red kits before ordering the updated kits from Milwaukee. You don’t go to Kroger and find the newest milk in the front. Same principle applies.
Yea I’m just surprised that’s what happened I assumed all the M12 Fuel tools were being released at the same time as the new battery packs were being released. He must have a really early tool then.
It may have to do with you living in Canada. Again, I run a Hardware department for HD in the United States, the kits that we have gotten come with the 2.0 amp batteries.
I dropped by another HD yesterday, and I think you guys are right.
I noticed that on the shelf they have two versions of the M12 fuel impact driver, but the model numbers are exactly the same. Some come with the 2.0 batteries, some come with the older ones. Unforunately all the drills come with the older batteries.
So I will wait a bit and see if they have some newer stocks. Otherwise I am going to return it and buy it somewhere else instead.
If I don’t have the impact driver already, I probably won’t realize the batteries from the drill are different. I would be pissed if I find out after using them a couple months.
Thanks guys.
Well I dont understand why its stated by Home Depot & Milwaukee that it includes it but its not there. I visited a website and it states:
Milwaukee 2403-22 Includes:
- (1) M12 FUEL™ 1/2″ Drill/Driver (2403-20)
- (1) M12 REDLITHIUM™ 2.0 Compact Battery Pack (48-11-2420)
- (1) M12™ REDLITHIUM™ XC 4.0 Extended Capacity Battery Pack (48-11-2440)
- (1) Belt Clip
- (1) Carrying Case
So I would suggesst to return it and buy it from http://www.toolorbit.com/Milwaukee/Milwaukee-2403-22.html
My guy at HD would hook me up, but maybe I’m just special 😆 Not really, I don’t actually have many friends. Work and 4 kids leaves little time for hanging out with buddies
Jason Oconner wrote:
Well I dont understand why its stated by Home Depot & Milwaukee that it includes it but its not there. I visited a website and it states:
Part of the problem is that Milwaukee uses the same model number for the two different versions. I am not sure what the correct term is, but there is another “product number” on the box. This number is different between the version that come with the original and the 2.0 battery.
It surely would be a lot less confusing if Milwaukee uses a different model number, like they normally would when the product comes with different combination of batteries.
Home Depot probably asks Milwaukee to keep it that way stores don’t want to carry so many different model numbers and have too many different places to slot where the tool goes in the display.
Boy you finally decide to buy a new Milwaukee Fuel and you get the older batteries. Man, Not fair!
My fuel came with the 3.0’s………………….
I recently had the opposite happen to me. I just picked up the m18 fuel drill which was supposed to come with the 3.0ah xc batteries. When the drill arrived to my surprise it had 2 4.0ah in the case, plus the free 4.0 from the promotion. It seems that Milwaukee would rather just quietly update their kits rather than make a New SKU.
PedroHizzo wrote:
I recently had the opposite happen to me. I just picked up the m18 fuel drill which was supposed to come with the 3.0ah xc batteries. When the drill arrived to my surprise it had 2 4.0ah in the case, plus the free 4.0 from the promotion. It seems that Milwaukee would rather just quietly update their kits rather than make a New SKU.
Did you order it from a large company or from someone on ebay?
Milwaukee did not change their SKU at HD, it is the same as the 1.5 and 3.0. This true for both the M12 and 18. I just got the M18 Fuel Hammer and Impact combo with 4.0 batteries………………..$399.00
Yea was just browsing my local HD to see if they had any good clearance tool deals I saw that they have put in a Makita endcap display it hasn’t been set up yet though. The M12 display looks pathetic seriously there were so many open spots it makes you think they are discontinuing the M12 line of tools. We all know that’s not true, but someone that doesn’t know better would think it.
The same thing happened to me at Home Depot but with Dewalt. I bought a Dewalt compact drill a couple weeks back and when I took it back to a job site, I noticed it had the older batteries that didn’t have the fuel gauge. I took it back later and talked with the guy. The guy told me the same thing Conductor stated above. My Home Depot must not move a lot of Dewalts because that Dewalt battery with the fuel gauge has been out a while.
Eric J wrote:
The same thing happened to me at Home Depot but with Dewalt. I bought a Dewalt compact drill a couple weeks back and when I took it back to a job site, I noticed it had the older batteries that didn’t have the fuel gauge. I took it back later and talked with the guy. The guy told me the same thing Conductor stated above. My Home Depot must not move a lot of Dewalts because that Dewalt battery with the fuel gauge has been out a while.
Eric, What are you doing buying DeWalt stuff haha?
One thing I did notice is the Dewalt 4.0 ah stuff has different model numbers which is nice. I still don’t know why Dewalt didn’t release the 20v tools with a fuel gauge at the beginning. That’s one of the small downsides of the M12 line I wish they had the fuel gauge on the battery. You have to think the back stock the store has what they have in the warehouses of home depot and even dewalt it’s hard to get from the stores the most current model of some tool my local HD just started to stock some of the M12 fuel tools.
I agree, That would be great if the M12 batteries had fuel gauges. But If they did they would probably cost more.
Eric J wrote:
The same thing happened to me at Home Depot but with Dewalt. I bought a Dewalt compact drill a couple weeks back and when I took it back to a job site, I noticed it had the older batteries that didn’t have the fuel gauge. I took it back later and talked with the guy. The guy told me the same thing Conductor stated above. My Home Depot must not move a lot of Dewalts because that Dewalt battery with the fuel gauge has been out a while.
It may be that your HD doesn’t move a lot of the Dewalts. It may also be that Dewalt cut them a deal on the outdated kits. HD knows that 8 or 9 out of 10 customers don’t realize their kit is obsolete anyway.
Harold Wray wrote:
I agree, That would be great if the M12 batteries had fuel gauges. But If they did they would probably cost more.
I bet Milwaukee will be the first to have them on the batteries.
ChaseRogers wrote:
Did you order it from a large company or from someone on ebay?
I ordered it from tool barn
I’ve used Tool Barn a couple of times. When I ordered my Inspection cam, they had a deal where I got an extra 6′ of cable, extra battery, and an M12 screw gun free. Best deal I ever got in a retail setting.
Conductor562 wrote:
I’ve used Tool Barn a couple of times. When I ordered my Inspection cam, they had a deal where I got an extra 6′ of cable, extra battery, and an M12 screw gun free. Best deal I ever got in a retail setting.
Talk about a deal!!
ChaseRogers wrote:
Eric, What are you doing buying DeWalt stuff haha?
I needed something compact for a small job and it was the only compact tool they had. I have to say it was very nice and impressed me
Compact tools can come in so handy sometimes. Small jobs, quick jobs, many different jobs.
Nice deal