Milwaukee Tool Reviews with Hands-on Testing

Milwaukee 10" Torpedo Level 48-22-5009 Preview

June 19, 2012 0

Milwaukee 10-inch Torpedo Level 48-22-5009 Preview

Milwaukee’s new 10″ Electrician’s Level will retail for $30 and has a neat function whereby you can “hang” it on a double-gang wall switch and level them out by allowing the switches to protrude through the level itself. So in addition to a four vial level with rare earth magnets to hold it to steel studs, conduit or duct work, the 10″ Electrician’s Torpedo Level is a specialized tool for making sure your switches are perfect – before you fasten the plates. But not only switches… flip the torpedo level around and you can also position it onto a double-gang outlet to line those up as well.

Milwaukee 10" Reaming Torpedo Level 48-22-5109 Preview

June 19, 2012 0

Milwaukee 10-inch Reaming Torpedo Level 48-22-5109 Preview

by Clint DeBoer

Milwaukee has a couple of new torpedo levels. We already looked at their 10″ Electrician’s Level ($30 retail) and now we’re taking a good hard look at their 10″ Reaming Level. This new torpedo level has two ways in which it can be used to ream or de-burr PVC. The first is used for reaming the inside of PVC pipe from 1/2″ up to 1″. But it can also ream pipe by placing the level flat against the end of a pipe and using the grooves on the torpedo to clear off 1.5″, 2″, 2.5″, 3″, 3.5″, 4″, 5″ and 6″ PVC pipe. That is extremely versatile and should make for a pretty innovative tool that can save tons of time in the field. Anytime you can grab one less tool or shave off minutes from a repetitive job, you’re going to save money. At $24, the Milwaukee 10″ Reaming Torpedo Level should pay itself off in a few days.

Milwaukee M12 and M18 Black, High Visibility Heated Jackets

June 12, 2012 0

Milwaukee Black High Visibility Heated Jackets

by Clint DeBoer

At the Milwaukee New Tool event, Cole Conrad, tasked with growing the company’s heated jacket business, demoed the newest product. We reviewed the original M12 Heated Jacket remember requesting a black version two years ago, and Milwaukee came through – and then some. The new models include a black jacket and the new High Visibility model. New features include woven fleece into the lining of the jacket to make them naturally warmer – even before adding the M12-generated heat source. The front icon has also been changed to include a hand icon that provides separately zoned heat to the pockets. This is independent from the core heating zones. In this way, the pockets and core can be independently set to high or low heat.

May 31, 2012 0

Dra-gun Cordless 3D Meter Mix Gun Preview

by Tim Johnson

Kickstarter has been a favorite for some, allowing entrepreneurs to delve into advanced concepts and projects that would otherwise remain on the drawing board. This week we caught one by William Mace (no not the actor, that’s William H. Macy), who is aiming to simplify the way you might mix epoxys, resins and/or other liquids. Now, if your imagination isn’t already moving, this could be useful for a number of applications, including spraying insulation, Polyurethane foam, Poly Urea, mold making and casting materials. The idea came to Mace while living aboard a small boat. He went through his share of frustrations attempting to cast and mold custom parts.

March 26, 2012 0

Milwaukee Diagonal Pliers 48-22-4106 Review

by Ben Parker

As an electrician, diagonal pliers are definitely a tool I use a lot in the field. This is especially true with commercial work where you have to cut a lot of cable and wire. Milwaukee’s Diagonal Pliers (48-22-4106) made a clean cut every single time I went to use them. This week we’re working on a remodel job on a commercial building built in the 1930â€™s. While some walls have been torn down and rebuilt, there are still some that are the original concrete block. On these I have had to put conduit and electrical boxes. Normally, this would be easy, but the wall was literally riddled with nails and screws. I found that these pliers were able to cut through the nails and screws with little to no difficulty. It sort of became my go-to tool for getting through the nitty gritty of clearing my area.

Milwaukee 12'' Tongue & Groove Pliers 48-22-3212 Review

March 26, 2012 0

Milwaukee 12-inch Tongue & Groove Pliers Review

by Ben Parker

Tongue and groove pliers are one of the many tools that are used by commercial electricians, especially when working with conduit. One of the main reasons is because of the compression couplings that are used to put conduit together, but also, they just plain come in handy. I would definitely recommend buying two of these if you work on putting up conduit. You will get your money’s worth if you find yourself frequently using compression couplings. I really like that Milwaukee angled the head of the tool at 45 degrees and not 80-90 degrees. It makes it easier to tighten the couplings in hard to reach places. Plus, the smooth transition grips are especially nice because it feels like the tool is a part of your hand. The grips also don’t feel as if they’re likely to slip, even when you’re applying significant pressure to the tool.

March 23, 2012 0

Milwaukee 6 IN 1 Long Nose Pliers 48-22-3068 Review

by Ben Parker

Having just taken a look at Milwaukee’s 6 IN 1 Combination Pliers, we weren’t too thrown off guard by the 6 IN 1 Long Nose Pliers, which are a different tool, but similar in many ways. If anything, the 6 IN 1 Long Nose Pliers feel like they are meant for things that are a bit more heavy duty. These pliers are 1/4″ thicker than the combination pliers, which is good since they can be used to pull nails. We found that the design – particularly, the head of the tool which is squared off – does a pretty decent job at pulling nails out of wood. This really is a good tool if you are an electrician and need something heavy duty in the field. I really enjoy having it in my tool pouch at work and have recommended to other electricians to go buy one as well.

March 16, 2012 0

Milwaukee 2429-21XC M12 Cordless Band Saw

by Clint DeBoer

Can a cordless Band Saw be “cute”? Gosh, we hope not. But Milwaukee Electric Tool tempted fate by bringing a […]

February 10, 2012 0

Milwaukee 5317-21 1-9/16 SDS Max Rotary Hammer Preview

by Clint DeBoer

Continuing their expansion of their rotary hammer line, Milwaukee has introduced a new 1-9/16″ SDS Max Rotary Hammer. This new rotary hammer delivers the durability users have come to expect from Milwaukee, with a 10.5-amp motor and 5.5 ft-lbs of impact energy. We’ve picked up and used several of Milwaukee’s rotary hammers and they are a force to be reckoned with. The new hammer is an improvement in that it offers new features to increase efficiency and lower the amount of work (effort) you have to expend in order to achieve the results you need.

February 10, 2012 0

Milwaukee 5316-21 1-9/16 Spline Rotary Hammer Preview

by Clint DeBoer

Continuing their expansion of their rotary hammer line, Milwaukee has introduced a new 1-9/16″ Spline Rotary Hammer. This new rotary hammer delivers the durability users have come to expect from Milwaukee, with a 10.5-amp motor and 5.5 ft-lbs of impact energy. We’ve picked up and used several of Milwaukee’s rotary hammers and they are a force to be reckoned with. The new hammer is an improvement in that it offers new features to increase efficiency and lower the amount of work (effort) you have to expend in order to achieve the results you need.

Manufacturer: Milwaukee