Milwaukee M12 Cut Off Tool Review

One of the many reasons people flock to Milwaukee tools is for their highly expansive 12V lineup, dubbed the M12 line. While Milwaukee has plenty of fans on the M18 lineup too, their M12 line is pretty much unbeatable. There is a tool for virtually anyone here, from Drills and Impact Drivers to unique tools like Bandsaws and the like. Today we take a look at one M12 tool that has received a lot of buzz from the big red tool company, a 3-inch cut off tool. Let’s get a good look at this tool in the Milwaukee M12 Cut Off Tool Review.

Milwaukee M12 Cut Off Tool Review Overview

Cut off Tools serve a lot of unique purposes allowing their usefulness to span across a wide range of users. In general multi-purpose tools are a little lost. Sure they can perform a lot of functions, but traditionally people are let down by the performance across their applications. Whether it’s a lack of power or a lack of viable attachments, multipurpose tools are plagued with obstacles. The beauty of this tool is that while I consider it multipurpose, it really isn’t. It is meant to cut things, and the optional wheels give it that multi-factor feature. With different wheels or blades, you can cut everything from metal piping and sheet goods to wood, Hardie Plank, tile and more. So, it may be multi-purpose, but its authentic in its intentions.

I know Dan has used this tool in Automotive applications as he works on rebuilding his vintage jeep, and I know Eric has had a slew of different uses for this tool as well.  I have to say that while I heard great things from the team, even I was surprised at just how many of its uses it had. More importantly, though, how well it does the job.

Milwaukee M12 Cut Off Tool Review Features

This tool operates on Milwaukee’s 12V battery platform and weighs in at only 1.5 pounds. Using a brushless motor Milwaukee packs a large punch in this small tool, providing 20,000 RPMs.

The 12V Cut off Tool operates in both forward and reverse. This Provides ultimate control over the application to the user.

A tool-free accessory guard adjustment allows the user to adjust the guard as needed.

Milwaukee includes three 3-inch blades for use with this tool. A metal cut off wheel, a diamond cut off wheel, and a carbide abrasive wheel allows a variety of cutting in different materials.

The Milwaukee Cut off tool is compatible with any 3-inch wheels with a 3/8 inch arbor, and also includes a 7/16-inch flange allowing extended compatibility including Dremel Saw-Max Wheels.

An additional vacuum adaptor is included for easy connection to a vacuum for dust extraction.

The LED light provides improved visibility of the workpiece.

Milwaukee M12 Cut Off Tool Review Performance

Milwaukee M12 Cut Off Tool Review

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I have to say, this has easily been one of the tools that stood out to me as a tool that surprised me. It was easy based on the name and what I had heard about it to assume I would struggle a bit to come up with uses, but that wasn’t the case at all. So many times I found myself in a slightly tight spot where the small footprint of this mighty tool was exactly what I needed to get a job done.

The forward and reverse change of the wheel was really handy at controlling dust discharge and direction of sparks. This stood out to me as incredibly useful on this little tool, especially in small spaces where you don’t have a lot of area to work with. I liked the dust collection adapter as well.  For materials like tile, wood and Hardie Plank the fine dust can make a mess pretty quickly. The dust adaptor alleviated that and allowed easy cleanup. One thing I genuinely appreciated was the inclusion of the alternate arbor in order to use different brand wheels. That is definitely a tip of the hat to Milwaukee for putting the consumer first.

I tested this little cut off tool on a few different materials. Porcelain tile was a breeze to cut using this tool. While I don’t think I would use this for large jobs for obvious reasons, for the odd cut to fit strange corners or for something like tile backsplash, this tool is a huge asset.

The same goes for the use in Hardie Plank. If you have a strange cut you need to make, say around a hose outlet or some off trim work, this tool allows for more precise cuts and maneuverability in odd-shaped spaces.

I also used the bonded wheel for cutting both ½ inch rebar and 1-inch steel pipe and it did a great job. I also used this to trim a small piece of metal on a Wall Control Panel to fit around an outlet and it was incredible there too.

This is the type of tool you reach for when a larger tool won’t do. You certainly aren’t going to replace large specialty tools, but this is a sort of jack of all trades. You manage a lot of function with this small tool, but you also gain a lot of versatility and flexibility when you need it the most.

Milwaukee M12 Cut Off Tool Review Value

The Milwaukee M12 Cut Off Tool clocks in at $129.00 bare tool at The Home Depot. My personal thought is that this tool is a no brainer. Milwaukee is generally not a value-priced brand, as it is directed towards professionals. For what this tool can do though, I actually think it is killer value. I think back to when I was first amassing a collection of tools and how much easier a host of odd jobs could have been with this, and I can’t say how much I wish I had it years ago! As always, Milwaukee impresses with their 12V lineup, adding this to the ranks many tool users will love!

Milwaukee M12 Cut Off Tool Review Final Thoughts

I love this small addition to the Milwaukee M12 lineup. Without a doubt, this small tool has come in handy more than I imagined. For Professionals, this tool is ideal to stow in your everyday toolbox for when you head to a job site and you aren’t exactly sure what you’re going to find. For Homeowners, this tool can do the job of many and isn’t priced too high that it isn’t attainable. All in all folks, this tool won’t let you down. It is compact, powerful, and versatile. I Bravo to Milwaukee for this small, but mighty Cut Off Tool!