Two months ago, a reader asked about when Milwaukee would be coming out with cordless nailers. We didn’t think that they’d be out so quickly, but Milwaukee Tool’s President left a comment saying that they were on the way in early 2016.
Well, they’re here – Milwaukee has announced their new line of M18 Fuel brushless cordless nailers!
This is pretty big news, especially since these new Milwaukee Fuel nailers look to be far more compact than any other cordless nailer currently on the market.
This launch includes 4 different nailer sizes and styles:
- M18 Fuel Brad Nailer (2740)
- M18 Fuel 16 Ga Straight Finish Nailer (2741)
- M18 Fuel 16 Ga Angled Finish Nailer (2742)
- M18 Fuel 15 Ga Angled Finish Nailer (2743)
All 4 of the new Milwaukee M18 Fuel cordless nailers are finish nailers. We asked Milwaukee about whether additional nailers would be coming down the pipeline, such as a pin nailer, framing nailer, or crown stapler, but they were unable to share their plans with us.
We’ve got lots of questions about these nailers that will hopefully be answered in coming weeks. How do these nailers work, and what makes them more faster and more powerful than current offerings?
All of the nailers will be available as compact kits (274X-21CT) and bare tools (274X-20). The kits come with the nailer, soft carrying case, charger, and 2.0Ah Li-ion battery pack.
Pricing: ~$399 for the kits, ~$349 for the bare tools
ETA: May 2016
What’s so Special About These Nailers?
Milwaukee is calling their new M18 Fuel brushless nailer breakthrough products, and saying that:
The new M18 FUEL Finish Nailers are the first cordless solutions on the market with the power to consistently seat nails sub-flush to hardwood surfaces with no ramp-up time and no gas cartridges.
Milwaukee says that the new nailers offer best-in-class power, and that the nailers also offer a balanced and ergonomic design featuring reduced size and tool length, which should contribute to a better user experience.
They even go so far to say that the user will also experience a better balance, feel and overall performance than competitive tools on the market today.
In other words, Milwaukee is saying that their new M18 Fuel brushless cordless nailers are better than any other cordless nailers currently on the market.
Judging by the looks of their sizing, it’s hard to argue with any better balance and ergonomics claims Milwaukee is making.
To sum it up, the new nailers offer more power, no ramp-up time, better balance and feel? They also require lower maintenance compared to gas cartridge nailers.
Milwaukee 2740 M18 Fuel Brad Nailer
- 18 gauge brad nailer
- 5/8″ – 2-1/8″ nail sizes
- 110 nails magazine capacity
- Can drive 1200 nails per 2.0Ah battery charge
- Sequential and contact actuation modes
- Dry-fire lockout
- LED worklight
- Adjustable belt hook
- 2740-21CT kit w/ 2.0Ah battery
- 2740-20 bare tool
Milwaukee 2741 M18 Fuel Straight Finish Nailer
- 16 gauge straight finish nailer
- 3/4″ – 2-1/2″ nail sizes
- 110 nails magazine capacity
- Can drive 800 nails per 2.0Ah battery charge
- Sequential and contact actuation modes
- Dry-Fire lockout
- LED worklight
- Adjustable belt hook
- 2741-21CT kit w/ 2.0Ah battery
- 2741-20 bare tool
Milwaukee 2742 M18 Fuel 16 Ga Angled Finish Nailer
- 16 gauge angled finish nailer
- 1-1/4″ – 2-1/2″ nail sizes
- 110 nails magazine capacity
- Can drive 800 nails per 2.0Ah battery charge
- Sequential and contact actuation modes
- Dry-Fire lockout
- LED worklight
- Adjustable belt hook
- 2742-21CT kit w/ 2.0Ah battery
- 2742-20 bare tool
Milwaukee 2743 M18 Fuel 15 Ga Angled Finish Nailer
- 15 gauge angled finish nailer
- 1-1/4″ – 2-1/2″ nail sizes
- 110 nails magazine capacity
- Can drive 700 nails per 2.0Ah battery charge
- Sequential and contact actuation modes
- Dry-Fire lockout
- LED worklight
- Adjustable belt hook
- 2743-21CT kit w/ 2.0Ah battery
- 2743-20 bare tool
First Thoughts
But how do these nailers compare to air-powered nailers? This is exactly what we asked Milwaukee, and are waiting to hear back. Or we’ll be able to answer it ourselves once the new nailers hit the market and we’re able to get our hands on test samples.
Are they as fast as pneumatic nailers?
How much do they weigh?
As I wrote in my preview of the new Porter Cable cordless nailers, those nailers weigh over 5 lbs without a battery pack, and likely over 6 lbs with a battery. Air nailers weigh half as much.
Milwaukee’s focus seems to be on balance and power, but mention of there not being any ramp up suggests speedy application times.
It’ll be interesting to see how Milwaukee’s new M18 Fuel cordless nailers compare to other cordless nailers on the market, pneumatic nailers, and even gas cartridge nailers.
It sounds like they compare very favorably against existing cordless solutions. All 4 options are quite pricey, at around $349 for the bare tools, and $399 for the kits, but it looks like Milwaukee poured a lot of time and effort into getting the nailers just right.
Here’s what Dewalt’s 20V Max brushless finish nailer looks like:
And Ridgid’s 18V Air-Like Hyperdrive brushless finish nailer:
And Ryobi’s 18V One+ Airstrike angled finish nailer:
And Porter Cable’s new 20V Max brad nailer (they don’t have a finish nailer out yet):
And so that you don’t have to scroll up too far, here’s another look at the new Milwaukee M18 Fuel 15 gauge angled finish nailer:
The mass and weight distribution is significantly different. But does mean better? Some head to head comparisons will definitely be in order.
We know a lot of readers have been very eagerly waiting for Milwaukee to come out with cordless nailers. Now that these nailers are here, what do you think – are they everything you have been hoping for?
Will you be buying any of the new Milwaukee M18 Fuel brushless nailers once they come out?