Milwaukee Woodshop Tool Review

Milwaukee’s Impact Driver & Brad Nailer 

Links to buy:

Brad Nailer: https://homedepot.sjv.io/AXLj7

Impact Wrench: https://homedepot.sjv.io/9avE3

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by The Home Depot. I am excited to announce that I have partnered with The Home Depot Prosepctive tool review program. I received all these tools for free, and I am paid for these posts, but these opinions are my own. 

Two power tools always on my bench: an impact driver and a brad nailer. I can’t think of a woodworking project I’ve done without using both of tools. I’m pretty sure there isn’t one. Often for me these tools are used in set up operations. Slapping together a quick jig or drill guide. Putting together an epoxy or concrete form. Building quick frames and cabinet sections. Home Depot sent me this Milwaukee 12V Impact Driver & Milwaukee 18V Brad Nailer, and they instantly became my favorite impact driver and brad nailer. Why would I review a 12V tool and an 18V tool in the same blog? Mainly because I think both platforms have their merits and uses. I’m not saying you should run out and buy a bunch of 12V tools along with a bunch of 18V tools. What I’m saying is as you expand your arsenal of workshop tools consider both platforms. 

For me 18V tools are the tried, true, and reliable cordless tools. You know you’re going to get the power needed to get the job done, and the run time needed to finish it. The 12V tools shine when it comes to compact and tight to reach applications. Lets dive in:

Milwaukee Fuel 12 volt Surge 1/4” Hex Impact Driver

I can’t fully describe how cool this little tool is! Why you ask? It’s hydraulic…an industry first 12 volt fluid drive hydraulic powertrain in a cordless electric impact driver. Sounds crazy, but it’s amazing. This impact driver is quiet. I mean its not “run it in the nursery while the baby is sleeping quiet”, but compared to my other impact drivers the Milwaukee Fuel 12V 1/4 hex impact driver is up to 2 times quieter. It’s noticeable too. I’m pretty good when it comes to wearing my safety equipment. You can find me in the shop for most big operations wearing my eyes, ears, and mask. It’s those quick jobs where I get a bit lackadaisical. Most often I’m not going to put on hearing protection to drive a few deck screws in. Over the course of the day or throughout a weekend that exposure to loud noises adds up, and can be detrimental to your hearing. With this Milwaukee impact driver I don’t feel the need to grab my hearing protection, and with as quiet as it is I say you don’t have to either. 

Would you like to know one of my least favorite tasks? Installing drawer slides inside a cabinet. Besides the issues I have sometimes with fitment and getting level I feel like a contortionist trying to fit my 6 foot 1 inch frame inside an 18 inch wide cabinet to accurately drive in drawer slide screws. The compact frame of the 12V Milwaukee Fuel impact driver make it the go to tool for this application. Its shorter, lighter, and just as powerful as my 18 volt impacts with a longer sustained torque. 

I love that this tool comes with a contractor bag to store this driver, batteries, charger, and accessories. The Milwaukee 12V Fuel impact driver also includes said battery and charger as well as a belt clip.

Milwaukee Fuel 18 gauge Brad Nailer

I have one of those pancake compressors. You know the ones that take 10 minutes to charge up and kick on after .3 seconds of work. Its loud, cumbersome, and I hate getting it out. Long ago I purchased a cordless battery powered brad nailer so I wouldn’t have to. I don’t want to throw the brand of this particular tool under the bus, but this brad nailer is not great. It got the job done sometimes, but all too often I was fighting with misfires, and brad nails that weren’t fully seated. Even with this frustration I preferred it to getting out my air compressor and dealing with the noise and running an air hose. I just thought battery powered brad nailers came with their limitations. Enter the Milwaukee 18V 18 gauge brad nailer and I see this is not true at all. I get pneumatic performance without the noise and compressor with the cordless convenience of running off of a 12 volt battery. 

Gone are the days of misfires and half driven brad nails. This machine fillet seats the 18 gauge bread nails every single time! The Milwaukee 18V brad nailer has an enclosed nitrogen air spring mechanism. This provides the power of an air tool, but without the compressor or cartridges that have to changed out. I’ve had no troubles shooting nails into soft woods and hard woods. For quicker operations I’ll change the settings from trigger fired to what I like to call “tough and go” or contact actuation firing. Basically you pops this nailer down on your workpiece and it fires automatically. This makes for driving a bunch of nails quickly a breeze. Not to mention it just sort of looks cool! 

This brad nailer features a brushless motor with Milwaukee’s smart REDLITHIUM battery system. All of this in a compact, lightweight package that’s reminiscent of my pneumatic nailer. This is the type of tool you’ll find in a professional cabinet or trim carpenter shop, but with the ease of use for the hobby and weekend warrior shop.