The other day, when we posted about the new Ryobi Quiet Strike cordless pulse driver, Noah asked in a comment: So when does the Milwaukee version come out?
Just because Ridgid came out with a Stealth Force quiet pulse driver, and then Ryobi, it doesn’t mean Milwaukee will too. Right?
But over at Home Depot, a search for hydraulic impact driver, which someone mentioned as being around for a long time before Makita and Ridgid models came along, turned up something interesting – the Milwaukee M18 Fuel SURGE hydraulic impact driver, model 2760-20.
Yep, Milwaukee is also coming out with an oil pulse driver. And it’s brushless. And more compact than the other models on the market, except for maybe the Makita. And it’s got 4 power and speed modes.
It’s not too expensive either – $149 for the bare tool.
Shoot, I want one, like now.
Milwaukee SURGE Features
- Fluid-drive hydraulic power train
- Powerstate brushless motor “outperforms all leading competitors”
- 4-mode drive control
- Self-tapping screw mode for reduced walking and reduced overdriving
- 0-3,000 RPM
- 450 in-lbs max torque
- LED worklight
Milwaukee says that their new fluid-drive hydraulic powertrain, aka oil pulse driver, results in up to 50% quieter operation, 3x less vibration for smoother operation, and faster driving speeds compared to standard impact drivers.
This is all because you have less metal-on-metal impact contact within the tool, and a faster gearbox ratio.
Here’s the trade-off: the max torque spec is 450 in-lbs.
Price: $149
Buy Now(via Home Depot, in stock… soon?)
First Thoughts
So why not just use a drill? Well, for one, an oil pulse driver, while not as reactionless as a traditional impact driver, twists far less than a drill/driver when a drill or bit jams up. And there’s the quick-change chuck, not to mention the shorter length of the tool, allowing it to fit in tighter spaces.
Compared to a standard impact driver, you should experience quieter operation, and faster application speeds, at least when working with low to medium torque fasteners. This isn’t the tool to sink giant lag bolts.
I think that a LOT of users can benefit from a tool like this, especially in residential and commercial work. Impact drivers are loud, and can be very disruptive. Drills are longer and slower.
We don’t really see cordless screwdrivers as much these days, at least not in 18V product families. 12V-class cordless screwdrivers are still reasonably popular, although far less so than drills or impacts.
This Milwaukee M18 Fuel Surge driver, and other oil pulse drivers, are in a weird gray area, but I think they’ll catch on really quickly.
As mentioned earlier in the post, I want one, like RIGHT NOW.
There are tradeoffs with tools like this, but I can live with 450 in-lbs of max torque, which is still quite a bit. The faster application speeds isn’t a big deal for me, but it will be for pros tasked with driving in dozens or hundreds of fasteners. It’s the quieter operation and small (impact driver-like) size that I am most after.
How many of you will be buying a Milwaukee SURGE once it’s released?