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August 29, 2008

Milwaukee M18 Tools – Making the Switch

 

There have been some discussions going on about the new M18 tools and why Milwaukee is coming out with a second 18 volt lithium ion line and what will happen to the current V18 line. There have also been some frustration that the batteries are not compatible between the two lines of tools. First let’s take a look at the current market for hammer drills including the new tools soon to be on the shelves in October.
 
Milwaukee M18 2611-24 – 1700 RPM – 650 in/lbs – 5.3 lbs - $329
Bosch 18V 17618-01 – 2050 RPM – 650 in/lbs – 5.? lbs - $342
Makita 18V BHP451 – 1700 RPM – 560 in/lbs – 5.1 lbs - $299
Dewalt 18V DEW 927 – 1800 RPM – 500 in/lbs – 5.5 lbs - $349
Milwaukee V18 0824-24 – 1700 RPM – 550 in/lbs – 6.2 lbs - $344

*M18 2611-24 comes with a free impact for all pre-orders from Ohio Power Tool
 
This is a very very rough overview because there are many other factors to consider such as tool size, battery life, etc which have all greatly improved as well with the new M18 tools. Milwaukee has built a reputation for building the best tools on the market and their target customers are professionals. The second generation of lithium ion was necessary for them to stay on top; obviously they need to beat Dewalt in everyway possible.

Why do the batteries not work with the current V18? I did get some technical answers part of which was that the new M series batteries have 5 connection points vs. 3 connections, with the V18, which allows for more power transfer etc needed for higher performance. In reality they probably could have made it work but do they build to work with previous tools or do they try to build the best tools possible? Obviously there is no money in making batteries that would essentially work with decade old NiCd tools. Maybe their problem is they make tools that last to long. They set expectations pretty high when they made the V18 batteries work with the NiCd tools, unfortunately this probably won’t be the norm. If you currently have V18 tools they will probably last you much longer, which is good unless you are like me and need to have the latest and greatest. Either way you will still be able to pick up new V18 tools from Ohio Power Tool for at least another year and batteries for probably the next 10 years.

¼” Hex Impact & Recip Saw comparisons with M18, V18, Makita & Dewalt:

Impacts
Milwaukee M18 2650-21 – 3200 IPM – 1400 in/lbs – 3.3 lbs - $229
Makita 18V BTD140 – 3200 IPM – 1280 in/lbs – 3.3 lbs - $313
Dewalt 18V DC827KL – 2700 IPM – 1330 in/lbs – 3.7 lbs - $359
Milwaukee V18 0881-22 – 3200 IPM – 1400 in/lbs – 5.2 lbs - $325

Reciprocating Saws
Milwaukee Sawzall M18 2620-22 – 3200 strokes/min – 7.9 lbs - $349
Makita 18V BJR181 – 2900 strokes/min – 8.1 lbs - $363
Dewalt 18V DC385K – 3000 strokes/min – 8.2 lbs - $199
Milwaukee Sawzall V18 0819-21 – 2700 strokes/min – 8.6 lbs - $300

*Pricing for Makita and Dewalt are best prices from national Big Box websites.

 

Posted by Jay A. at 12:09 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

July 10, 2008

Milwaukee Sawzall Wins the Showdown Every Time

57 years ago Milwaukee invented the reciprocating saw so it is no surprise they still have the best tool in the game. The Milwaukee Sawzall has been copied by almost every competitor out there and although there are some other good tools, Milwaukee is still numero uno.

Popular Mechanic conducted the comparison below a few months ago which I though did a pretty good job creating real testing subjects with multiple materials. The two tests were named the “Nail Biter” and “PM House Sandwich”

The Nail Biter - Two 2 x 4 pieces hammered together with an entire box of 16d common nails.

PM House Sandwich – Smashed together 1/2-in. drywall, 2 x 6 lumber, 1 x 4 lumber, 1 1/4-in. PVC pipe, steel conduit, two 12-ga. cables, two pieces steel strapping, insulation.

Milwaukee 15 Amp Super Sawzall | $187.50, OhioPowerTool.com
Blade Damage: A /// Smoothness: A- /// Power: A- /// Overall: A-

The Nail Biter: Two pieces of wood and a whole pile of nails were no match for our winner—it took just 6 seconds to slice through the 2 x 4s with a remarkably smooth and straight cut.

PM House Sandwich: The Milwaukee ripped through all 10 layers in just 14 seconds. The almost-pristine blade that emerged impressed our team of testers.

Craftsman Professional 12 Amp Variable Speed | $110, craftsman.com
Blade Damage: A- /// Smoothness: B+ /// Power: B /// Overall: B+

The Nail Biter: In the showdown's biggest surprise, a Craftsman bested a DeWalt saw across the board for the first time in recent PM history. Slicing the wood took just 8 seconds.

PM House Sandwich: Again, the Craftsman proved to be a pleasant surprise, carving through our sandwich in just 16 seconds with hardly more effort than the champion Milwaukee needed.

DeWalt DW311K Heavy-Duty 13 Amp | $170, dewalt.com
Blade Damage: B- /// Smoothness: B /// Power: B /// Overall: B

The Nail Biter: Cutting the lumber took 11 seconds—and required a fair amount of force to push the blade through the boards.

PM House Sandwich: The DeWalt split our sandwich in 23 seconds, and required far more muscle. The blade sustained about three times as much damage as the Milwaukee's.

Black & Decker Firestorm 9.5 Amp | $80, blackanddecker.com
Blade Damage: C- /// Smoothness: D+ /// Power: C- /// Overall: C-

The Nail Biter: Our least expensive tool barely cut it, taking 25 seconds to complete the task—more than twice as long as the second slowest finisher—and requiring an enormous amount of effort.

PM House Sandwich: This saw is simply not powerful enough for most demolition jobs. It finished slicing in 29 seconds, but the rickety feel left our hands sore, and the blade was rendered unusable.

Test Results from Popular Mechanic 


No Surprise that the Milwaukee Super Sawzall took the prize. I wish these tests could be done over and over to see which tool lasts the longest and I’m sure the Milwaukee would stand completely alone on top.

The tools themselves are obviously the most important consideration to overall performance but do not overlook the importance of blades and accessories. See the Ice Hardened Sawzall Blade Comparison Video. These were both done using the same Sawzall, so keep that in mind next time you buy blades.

At Ohio Power Tool the primary focus is professionals that rely on their tools everyday to make a living. In an effort to provide the best deal, on the best tools with the best accessories the Milwaukee 15amp Super Sawzall 6538-21 is on sale for $187.50 (currently lower than any big box or well known internet retailers). In addition to simply providing a great price the deal also includes a free 14 Piece Ice Hardened Blade Kit 49-22-1131 ($29.98) which features six 9” Torch Blades.

   

Posted by Jay A. at 07:28 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 13, 2008

Milwaukee 2301-21 M-Spector vs. Ridgid 25643 Seesnake Micro

Milwaukee recently announced the introduction of their 2 new inspection cameras the 2301-21 and 2300-20. We had a chance recently to get our hands on the M-Spector 2301-21 and compare it with the Ridgid Seesnake Micro. Here are some of my comparisons.

The basic feel of the M-Spector is that’s actually a little larger than I previously though. The handle is thicker than the Seesnake Micro and the vertical design makes it much taller than the Micro. The thumb locations do make it much easier to change light settings and the new digital zoom feature is an advantage over the Micro. The screen sizes are the same but the Milwaukee has better resolution at 320x240 vs. 234x160 with the Micro. The case for the Milwaukee 2301-21 is the typical red hard plastic case Milwaukee makes for each product. The case is also very large because it houses the charger and battery as well. The Ridgid case is a much smaller cloth case with foam lining.

In terms of performance I felt both did a very similar job actually viewing items. I couldn’t see any difference in light strength. One problem I still have with both cameras is there is no way to change orientation of the camera so the image is constantly sideways or upside down. I did see on the Milwaukee M-Spector that it says it only allows a 9’ reach with extensions (which is only 2 extensions). The Ridgid allows up to 9 extensions for a total of 30’. The Milwaukee is digital so in theory it should be able to handle many more than 2 extensions without image loss but there is no way to test it until it comes out. I was also told the 3’ extensions are not interchangeable between Ridgid and Milwaukee. The Ridgid Seesnake, unlike the Milwaukee, does come with 3 attachments (mirror, magnet and hook) which are good for pulling wires, picking up items, etc. The final big advantage for the Milwaukee is that it works with existing 12 volt lithium ion system that includes the 2401-22 Micro Driver and many more tools to come.

Overall I think it’s a pretty even match. The Milwaukee 2301-21 is $20 more than the Seesnake but you can use the battery with your other Milwaukee tools. I think the deciding factor for me would be if I were also going to put a 2401-22 Micro Driver in the tool box than I am going with the Milwaukee. The 2300-20 (M-Spector that comes out in Aug-Sept) works off regular batteries like the Ridgid Micro and in that case I would stick with the Seesnake Micro.  

You can *PRE-ORDER* the Milwaukee 2301-21 M-Spector at Ohio Power Tool for $239.99. The pre-order means you will receive the product when we receive it. There is no promised date (because these are often delayed) but the credit card or paypal will not be fully processed until the product is ready to ship, so the pre-order is similar to a reservation.                     

 

Posted by Jay A. at 12:03 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)