I have already posted about the 2nd generation Milwaukee M18 Fuel drills, all of their new Fuel impact tools, the new M18 6Ah and 9Ah batteries, and a couple of other things as part of my Milwaukee 2015 New Tool Symposium coverage. I’ve fielded a couple of questions so far, but there’s one that keeps coming up that I want to address with this post: What about M12?
There were (3) new M12 tools that were revealed at the Milwaukee media event, and only two that I can talk about – this M12 right angle impact driver, model 2467, and a spotlight that I’ll talk more about later on.
Milwaukee’s M12 right angle drill was one of the first power tools I have ever reviewed here on ToolGuyd, and that was nearly 6 years ago. Milwaukee has come far in recent years, but it’s good to know that you can use the same battery on the new right angle impact as with that right angle drill.
Right now, I know nothing in the way of on-paper specs for the new right angle impact. Torque? Don’t know. Speed? Don’t know. As soon as I know, I’ll update this post. I also requested a test sample, and so once it’s available I’ll be able to test it out on a variety of fastener sizes and styles.
At the media event, they had two types of fasteners available for testing – short self-drilling screws with hex heads, and long wood screws, presumably self-drilling as well. Sorry, I forgot to check the box. I believe they were simple 3-inch general construction screws.
I opted to test the impact with the long Torx-head construction screws, but photographed the tool with a 2-inch nut driver to help show the size and scale of the tool.
The M12 right angle impact driver is comfortably sized in-hand, and the low-profile head is impressively short.
I drove in a couple of screws, just to get a quick feel for the tool. One of the screws went straight through the board. I should have eased up on the trigger, but wanted to see if I could possibly push the M12 impact driver to its limits. I probably should have figured that a lag would probably be needed, as it handled these screws with great ease.
While probably not as powerful as the M18 right angle 2667 impact driver and 2668 impact wrench, the 2467 right angle driver is probably going to be a handy and compact tool for installers, technicians, and anyone else who needs a very low-profile fastening tool.
Right now there’s no indication that impact wrenches are in the works, but in a pinch you could always use this was a 1/4″ hex to square drive adapter.
I’m sorry that there’s not much else I can tell you about the tool right now, but hopefully it’s enough for you to determine whether it’s going on your shopping list or not. More details are forthcoming.
ETA: October 2015
The new M12 impact driver will be available as part of a (1) battery kit, model 2467-21, and should be available as a bare tool as well, model 2467-20.