Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Power Tools). This thread is read-only.
So… Brushless vs not brushless? is it worth the extra $ ? I am just a regular guy who uses my tools a little more than average. These are the 2 i am considering… I know the big dif’s are the brushless and fuel. I am not talking dif in batteries or any of that, just is it worth it
Milwaukee M18 Fuel Brushless Driver:
link: https://brandworks.milwaukeetool.com/power-tools/combo-kits/2897-22
Milwaukee M18 “regular” Driver:
link: https://www.milwaukeetool.com/power-tools/combo-kits/2691-22
The different between those kits is pretty big, they actually have a brushless non-fuel kit that bridges the gap. If you can swing it, go fuel the drill is about the best cordless drill on the market at this time and the impact is no slouch either.
Jimbo
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I have the brushed drill and impact plus the M12 brushed and fuel. They all do the job. The fuel is stronger, but I haven’t ran into a single job that the brushed couldn’t handle.
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Dano123 wrote:
I have the brushed drill and impact plus the M12 brushed and fuel. They all do the job. The fuel is stronger, but I haven’t ran into a single job that the brushed couldn’t handle.Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Yea you won’t use the max stats on the fuel that much but when you need it it’s nice to have it. If you got the ability and cash to get it I would but it’s not life or death
it would be nice to have brushless power but man its hard to justify for me atm, I mean 400 bucks for drills wow could get the ridgid table saw. I haven’t ran into anything that I would need it for but would be sweet to have the extra run time.
it depends if your in the construction trades or something similar yeah go brushless, if you’re a DIY guy who doesnt use their stuff as much it wont matter what you get,the batteries are the same regardless.
james mims wrote:
35 minutes ago, james mims said:it would be nice to have brushless power but man its hard to justify for me atm, I mean 400 bucks for drills wow could get the ridgid table saw. I haven’t ran into anything that I would need it for but would be sweet to have the extra run time.
James, are you talking diy or more woodworking? What kind of projects are you planning on?
ive been in the professional construction trades for the last 30 years or so, so i make a living with my tools, i just recently got into the milwaukee cordless tool line, the m12,’s all of the them are the fuel line, and it wasnt the brushed vs brushless question, it had to do more with the build quality of the fuel line compared to the brushed line. if i wasnt making money with my tools i would not hesitate to buy into the brushed line. all of my 18/20 volts are dewalt, with 80% being the 18v lithium ion, my favorite is the dcd970 hammer drill, i have used the new brushless models, ( not mine), there is a difference, but its not black and white, its more like black and grey. if run time is a problem, then down the road you pick up a few extra batteries. run time or performance difference has never been a problem with me on the brushed models. dont feel like you have to spend money you cant, like dano said, i have never run into a job that the brushed couldnt handle
ChrisK wrote:
1 hour ago, ChrisK said:James, are you talking diy or more woodworking? What kind of projects are you planning on?
just In general I make living with my tools but just hard to spend that money. I do kitchens and recently been doin decks with my dad between the two of us we can stay pretty busy doin those, we will do pretty much anything but that’s what we enjoy doing. so brushless for me would just be nice but def no needed like Mohawk said just buy more batteries so work doesn’t stop. guess would just be less trips to the charger with brushless lol
Ahhhh….if pro I’d probably go brushless. The battery run time is the big draw. The brushless non fuel set looks decent but doesn’t have all the bells and whistles li,e mutli speed but if your not used to having it it ain’t really a sacrifice
james mims wrote:
2 hours ago, james mims said:just In general I make living with my tools but just hard to spend that money. I do kitchens and recently been doin decks with my dad between the two of us we can stay pretty busy doin those, we will do pretty much anything but that’s what we enjoy doing. so brushless for me would just be nice but def no needed like Mohawk said just buy more batteries so work doesn’t stop. guess would just be less trips to the charger with brushless lol
i see your more professional than diy, so chriss and protoolnut would be more inline than what i said earlier. you would probably be more happy buying in the brushless line, than not, especially in the torque’e tools like saws and your bigger drills, this is where the brushless really shines
mohawkdec wrote:
1 minute ago, mohawkdec said:i see your more professional than diy, so chriss and protoolnut would be more inline than what i said earlier. you would probably be more happy buying in the brushless line, than not, especially in the torque’e tools like saws and your bigger drills, this is where the brushless really shines
would be nice but not for that $ I never have a issue tho my pc runs strong all day.. maybe when they come out with there brushless tools ill grab those I did see they have been talking about it. and I think they will be closer to what I can feel comfortable paying u know.. I do see the benefit and would be awesome but ouch lol
I guess I should note my wife cant work she has narcolepsy so that’s a huge purchase for me
james mims wrote:
14 minutes ago, james mims said:I guess I should note my wife cant work she has narcolepsy so that’s a huge purchase for me
sorry to hear about your wife, the batteries are all the same in one brand line james, you can always upgrade and buy “bare” tools later down the road. i have both brushed and brushless, i work on alot of jobsites where there are several trades working at the same time, alot of them have multi brands, and all of them have both brushless and brushed. there is nothing wrong with what you have now. i dont have any pc cordless, but i do own some of there corded tools, mostly sanders. good luck james, you sound like a great guy.
ty much. one day soon that is the plan. but was just sayin they are awesome but not a must have.. ya when I do go brushless I will just have more tools because u can never have enough lol
wow this is my first time on this forum and WOW. tons of great advice and input. I paid $169 for the regular Milwaukee driver and drill. And after you just mentioned that they have it in Brushless and then fuel i checked. I could return this one and get the brushless (non-Fuel) version for $200, $30 more to go to brushless. is it worth it or just be happy with the one i have and use it?
mohawkdec wrote:
5 hours ago, mohawkdec said:ive been in the professional construction trades for the last 30 years or so, so i make a living with my tools, i just recently got into the milwaukee cordless tool line, the m12,’s all of the them are the fuel line, and it wasnt the brushed vs brushless question, it had to do more with the build quality of the fuel line compared to the brushed line. if i wasnt making money with my tools i would not hesitate to buy into the brushed line. all of my 18/20 volts are dewalt, with 80% being the 18v lithium ion, my favorite is the dcd970 hammer drill, i have used the new brushless models, ( not mine), there is a difference, but its not black and white, its more like black and grey. if run time is a problem, then down the road you pick up a few extra batteries. run time or performance difference has never been a problem with me on the brushed models. dont feel like you have to spend money you cant, like dano said, i have never run into a job that the brushed couldnt handle
Am i going to notice a dif in brushed vs brushless? for example use mine then use a non fuel brushless one? also is the big dif in the battery’s?
Please see below… I will not be using to make a living, but i also use a lot more then a normal DIY home owner. For example work on my cars, will be drywalling my 3 car garage soon, fixing riding mower etc. just not sure if i will regret no getting one in 5 months or not…?
This is the kit i have for: $170 – Link: https://tinyurl.com/han4ne2
[External image (www.homedepot.com), not copied]
This is the same kit but Brushless (non-Fuel) for: $220 to $250 – Link: https://tinyurl.com/jgvjmqo
[External image (encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com), not copied]
I can maybe see spending another $50 to $70 to get brushless, but my issues is do I spend another $200 to $230 (plus tax) to get fuel? I hate getting stuck with something in a year from now, but again do i need the best… no
I would either stick with what you get or go brushless non fuel… Use what else you would have spent to get the fuel on another shiny red tool!
Jimbo
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if u are already happy then grab a diff tool could maybe get bare tools since u have batteries, Milwaukee has sweet tool selection. I’m sure u would notice a diff but could get somethin pretty cool for 230 bucks lol. like grinder and circ saw lol
mohawkdec wrote:
10 hours ago, mohawkdec said:ive been in the professional construction trades for the last 30 years or so, so i make a living with my tools, i just recently got into the milwaukee cordless tool line, the m12,’s all of the them are the fuel line, and it wasnt the brushed vs brushless question, it had to do more with the build quality of the fuel line compared to the brushed line. if i wasnt making money with my tools i would not hesitate to buy into the brushed line. all of my 18/20 volts are dewalt, with 80% being the 18v lithium ion, my favorite is the dcd970 hammer drill, i have used the new brushless models, ( not mine), there is a difference, but its not black and white, its more like black and grey. if run time is a problem, then down the road you pick up a few extra batteries. run time or performance difference has never been a problem with me on the brushed models. dont feel like you have to spend money you cant, like dano said, i have never run into a job that the brushed couldnt handle
I used the same DCD970, it was a good drill, but it started falling apart, the plastic came loose around the battery, and it would drop out unexpectedly. But, it would still work great as long as you watched the battery ha.
Tim C wrote:
4 hours ago, Tim C said:wow this is my first time on this forum and WOW. tons of great advice and input. I paid $169 for the regular Milwaukee driver and drill. And after you just mentioned that they have it in Brushless and then fuel i checked. I could return this one and get the brushless (non-Fuel) version for $200, $30 more to go to brushless. is it worth it or just be happy with the one i have and use it?
Yeah, that’s why we’re all here, total tool junkies, any excuse to talk about tools will do LOL…
If I had the drill and driver you do and were worried about spending more money just to get the next step up, I would say stick with what you have until it no longer does its job, which hopefully will have LONG paid for itself by then.
I got a great deal on the gen 1 fuel drill and impact, so that’s how I have a set. Then for work I have the gen 2 fuel drill/impact. I use those day in and day out, they don’t get much rest, I’m glad I upgraded from brushless drills that I had been using, I do a lot of hole saws in wood and would not like having any less power, but if I were in your shoes, I would be perfectly happy having the brushed version.
the regular brushed kit is such good value. my FUEL drill hardly gets touched because the compact brushed drill is much lighter and has all the power needed for 99% of jobs. the impact is a good tool as well.
unless you plan on drilling holes over an inch big all day long, be happy with the great tools you have and don’t regret them one bit!
Another point I would like to bring up is what line do you currently use? I know my M18 brushed impact was so much stronger than my old B&D that it took some time to get used to it. I would check HD for M18 brushed sets on clearance to start out with and as someone mentioned, you can add on bare tools as needed. I guarantee you won’t run into a job building decks that the brushed drill or impact can’t handle. The run time on my batteries out lasts the charge time by far so I could run the tools all day without any issue.
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Tim C wrote:
Please see below… I will not be using to make a living, but i also use a lot more then a normal DIY home owner. For example work on my cars, will be drywalling my 3 car garage soon, fixing riding mower etc. just not sure if i will regret no getting one in 5 months or not…?
This is the kit i have for: $170 – Link: https://tinyurl.com/han4ne2
[External image (www.homedepot.com), not copied]
This is the same kit but Brushless (non-Fuel) for: $220 to $250 – Link: https://tinyurl.com/jgvjmqo
[External image (encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com), not copied]
I can maybe see spending another $50 to $70 to get brushless, but my issues is do I spend another $200 to $230 (plus tax) to get fuel? I hate getting stuck with something in a year from now, but again do i need the best… no
It looks like you also upgrade to a hammer drill and a XC battery so it is a much better deal for the extra $50 to 70.
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does anyone really ever use the hammer function on a compact drill? I don’t usually recommend much hammer use for one ….
dwain wrote:
8 minutes ago, dwain said:does anyone really ever use the hammer function on a compact drill? I don’t usually recommend much hammer use for one ….
I went out and bought one and have used hammering action 1 time lol so not really.. guess it is nice to have when I do have cement to drill into tho. I should have got a bare tool instead I could have went without the hammer drill that 1 time lol.. reg drill driver would do most of it just not as fast
dwain wrote:
does anyone really ever use the hammer function on a compact drill? I don’t usually recommend much hammer use for one ….
Its funny you mentioned that because I have stopped using the hammer function once I started using my rotary hammer, no comparison, so no I do not
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KnarlyCarl wrote:
2 minutes ago, KnarlyCarl said:Its funny you mentioned that because I have stopped using the hammer function once I started using my rotary hammer, no comparison, so no I do not
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rotary hammer would be sweet to have.. I would find reasons to use that!
dwain wrote:
does anyone really ever use the hammer function on a compact drill? I don’t usually recommend much hammer use for one ….
It’s useless I think they put it just to say it can and get a few extra bucks, using it on the m12 fuel is painful to watch lol.
yeah they are obviously not as good as a rotary (or full size hammer drill), but also, they are a great drill at a great price. I can’t imagine prolonged hammer drilling being good for them. I want it to stay a pristine drill driver…
I use mine for tapcons, I haven’t drilled the 1/2″ holes for my post brackets yet. I plan to do a brushed M18 vs M12 Fuel vs HF corded just to see how each does. If your going to do a lot of concrete work get a rotary hammer, if your just running a few tapcons here and there the cordless hammerdrill is perfect.
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So i was just a Home depot. The kit i got is 200 and the brushless kit is $250… not sure if i just keep the brushed kit or return the one i have now and pay an extra $50 to get the Brushless kit.
Put the 50 bucks toward another tool or battery
The prob is that the battery that the brushless kit comes with is $100 bucks. its gonna cost me more then $50 to get a battery
Thats true, didn’t think about that… right there its worth the 50 dollar difference
here is the link to the one i was talking about. its the same as the one i have, just brushless and a bigger battery. I just am not sure if i honestly need brushless or not. and it not, wether the battery is only 50 more or not, its a waste of $50…
What batteries do you have now and what does the brushless kit come with? Are you going to use these daily, weekly or occasionally? My advice is go for the bigger battery if it’s a jump from a 1.5 pack to a 3.0 or higher. That’s double the capacity and well worth the $50. If you have a 2.0 and it’s only going up to a 3.0 it may not be worth it.
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