We talked about Metabo’s 12V cordless power tools launch back in March, and many of those new cordless and brushless drills and impacts drivers are now shipping.
The new Metabo 12V cordless drills and drivers look quite compact, especially the brushless models. There’s also the “quick chuck” on certain drill/drivers, which I think is a worthwhile feature. And, the brushless tools ship with a compact 4.0Ah battery as standard, which differentiates them from other brands’ kit inclusions of 1.5Ah and 2.0Ah batteries.
Our earlier request for a test sample fell through the cracks, and so we don’t have any first-hand opinions to share, but the new tools are interesting enough that we’re trying again.
Here’s what you can pick up now, and for how much:
Metabo 12V Cordless Power Tools
- Compact Drill Kit BS 12: $170
- Compact Hammer Drill SD 12: $170
- Compact Impact Driver Kit SSD 12: $170
- SB 12 Drill/Driver and SSD 12 Impact Driver Combo Kit: $210
Metabo 12V Brushless Power Tools
- Brushless Drill with “Quick” Chuck BS 12 BL Q: $240
- Brushless Hammer Drill SB 12 BL: $240
- Brushless Impact Driver SSD 12 BL: $240
- SB 12 BL Hammer Drill and SSD 12 BL Combo Kit: $300 – the product image conflicts with the description as to whether the kit comes with 2.0Ah or 4.0Ah batteries
Metabo 12V Batteries
- 2.0Ah Battery: $60
- 4.0Ah Battery: $80
Discussion
Definitely refer back to our original news post if you need some help making sense of what the new tools offer. There are 4 different drills/drivers, 2 hammer drills, and 2 impact drivers. At this time, either Metabo is only bringing some of the offerings to the US market, or they’ll be launched in stages.
Personally, I like the “Q” (Quick) chuck, which I demoed on their 18V drill a while back. My first cordless drill, a Black & Decker 12V Firestorm, had a similar feature. The drill/driver has a 1/4″ chuck onto which a removable 3/8″ drill chuck can be mounted. Thus, it makes the drill part drill, part screwdriver. It’s a convenient accessory that allows for quick swapping between using a drill bit and power bit for driving screws or fasteners, although it does make the tool slightly longer.
If you wanted to give Metabo’s compact cordless or brushless drills and impact drivers a try, now you can.
If you like this form factor, Dewalt also recently launched their 12V Max Xtreme brushless drills and impact drivers. They already launched at some online retailers and are also now available at Amazon as well. There’s also Makita’s CXT line, and Skil’s 12V Max line, which has greatly impressed me so far.
