Accessories

dont buy the case
i love this tool. it never leaves my tool bag or my pocket so i have no need for the case which is just as sturdy as any milwaukee tool case but there is very little space for extra bits or screws or whatever. you can buy the same tool without the case and spend that $$on an extra battery or two.

Tough little twister
While most quality tools of this type are priced similarly, Milwaukee's version comes with bonuses. The charger is a fast high-current type which, when combined with the second battery, will never leave you without power. The keyed 3-jaw chuck accessory will give you lots of ideas for additional applications in addition to drilling small holes. The geared slow speed allows this tiny tool to easily drive #8 screws into virgin wood.

Awesome tool to have around the house!
This is a super tool at a good price. Extra battery pack is great and the little extra attachments come in handy!

Sorry, I Have to Dissent on This One, Based Upon 25 Years With This Tool
I bought two of these screwdrivers when this model was produced by its original manufacturer, AEG Telefunken, in 1982. That company was known for good, reliable conservatively-designed equipment. "Fine German Engineering". But the company went under about 1990. It appears to me that Milwaukee obtained the design, because little is changed, except the color - from the original black to red. After 20 years, I had to replace the AEGs. I chose the Milwaukee, because I was quite satisfied with the the AEG tool. Unfortunately, while the driver and charger are the equivalent of the AEGs, the batteries are not. The AEG batteries lasted me 10-15 years. The Milwaukee batteries all lasted just past their warranty, a year. After replacing four batteries in a row, I have decided I can no longer afford this tool. These batteries were all purchased at various times and therefore must have been from different manufacturing batches, so a bad production run cannot explain my experience. I tested the charger and it is working correctly. The tool has no defect that can explain the poor battery life. In four years, I have paid more in replacement batteries than the tool originally cost. I no longer have a functioning battery, but rather than replace the it, I am going to replace the tool with one of the new lithium-battery screwdrivers, either the Hitachi DB3L or the Bosch PS20-2.

Sometimes "Old School" is good school: A review far, far too long..

You're in the bigs now-
This will be a step up for many folks from the typical household rechargeable "stick" drivers that typically must plug into the wall to recharge, typically taking overnight to do so, only to typically die after just a few 3" x 3/16ths wood screws into an untapped piece of typical southern pine [don't even think poplar]. Milwaukee, for most in the trade, has been and continues to be considered as a manufacturer of first class but no frills tradeline tools.

Sometimes hot ain't so hot-
Previous versions of this model had problems overheating the batteries and as you are probably aware, heat and batteries isn't a good combo and one that you'll sometimes get with "frys"; some units reportedly caught on fire and suffered a complete meltdown. However, this was a rare occasion and most cases of overheating just led to a very expensive and curiously short-lived battery[streetprices around $40-$50 per batt].

None-the-less-
Milwaukee redesigned the charging units [old Vs new = cooling vents on side Vs cooling vents on top respectively]. Another distinction between the old spontaneous combustion chargers and their safer successors is the handy little built-in bit compartment on the original charger has been removed.

Twice removed-
Sadly, Milwaukee as have many other manufacturers, moved the production of this model offshore, Japan specifically, but has not suffered in build quality as have many other tools making this journey.

What goes around-
Japan is now considered to be the Asian counterpart to "German engineering" and thier factory workers are paid premium wages, often in short supply leading Japan to respond by allowing more immigrants across their borders to fill the gap left behind as the majority of the Japan's workers moved into the technical valley from the industrial park, "uninterested in doing those kinds of jobs". Sound familiar?

Build it and they will come-
There are some relatively new kids on the block that directly compete with this stick driver, most notably Panasonic's facsimile [a worthy adversary] and newest of all managing a more innovative form factor is Bosch's Ion stick driver, both of which cost a tad more than Milwaukee's version, but arguably have some advantages over this "classic".

Two speeds better than one?
Hellsya! Especially when that speed is doubled. As with all powered drivers, the inverse rule of higher speed=lower torque ability applies. Hence, the greatest power differential is between lowest speed+highest torque setting["6" on the somewhat obscured scale]which can easily strip out sheetmetal and wood screws, Vs highest speed+lowest torque setting which can let you just snug that switchplate screw without hearing that soft but very unpleasant and all too familiar "crrraccck".

But have no fear-
Unlike many lesser competitors, especially "household" stick drivers, Milwaukee's torque settings offer a wide and *precise* range of torque settings for most applications [6x2], any even better, the very tactile ring and positive torque detents which are handily[but not so visibly]located on the ring just at the business end of this driver. Furthermore, the detents on this very tactile ring aren't limited to just six positions as the numbers would suggest, but many intermediate positions for that "just right" setting that can snug your fastener perfectly into place. For heavier applications, a little bee's wax or soap on the threads goes a long way and also helps to keep things from going squeak in the night.

Faster baby, faster-
The addition of the higher speed [400rpm] lacking on Milwaukee's less expensive model actually makes this stick driver capable of being a stick drill[a goal to which many stick drivers secretly aspire], but only for those with either a great deal of patience and time yet perfect for that decorative solid brass hinge on that music box you've been promising your ______ since _______.

"I'm giving her all she's got, Captain"-
Ok, four-hundred revolutions per minute is less than half that of the slowest speed of cheapest cordless drill but still good in a pinch and great when you have many many many screws.

It's a matter of perspective-
One warning: some may look at the pictures above and erroneously surmise this stick is capable of bending into a perfect right angle. It does not. More like 70deg or 120deg, it's a matter of perspective.

What's this thingy for-
While not a rubik's cube, this stick driver offers some very nifty controls. As mentioned previously, the torque setting is located on the black ring surrounding the bit holder: a perfect place and a perfect feel. Just below and very close without being in the way is the speed switch, not variable, just two clicks, forward=low, backward=fast.
Just below is a curious little sliding "safety" switch that moves side-to-side, unlike the speed control. Slide to the left and you can't engage the motor unless you are really really determined. I'm not convinced this is really necessary or even desirable [try getting that one little screw tightened that you can just about reach and. . .$#^$! You get the idea. Oh, now you can look for that screw that just fell off and bounced over. . .er. . .$)@#$!

Oh, here it is-
Just below the questionable safety switch is a "momentary" switch[read "must keep pressing"] allowing your thumb to easily toggle the power in either direction. And if you aren't already aware, "reverse" can be a very good thing and just like that time you got your car stuck in the mud, being able to toggle between forward and reverse quickly can be real handy. However, unlike that particular fond memory, you won't hear any gears grinding.

The bottomline-
So how does this all translate in the real world? Wonderfully. . .if your criteria are precision over brute force and versatility over speed. This model has survived many years with little modification. All the controls are placed where they should be placed, feel how they should feel, even after many years of use, and even after enough time has passed that most of the fine print etched onto the plastic housing has become unrecognizable. The heft is enough to let you know you don't have a toy in your hand [approx. 14.2oz w/batt], but light enough for either gender and even for those challenged by limited range or motion that would restrict the use of a "manual" screwdriver, and balance is good [about 55/45 w/batt].

Does it come in colors?
This is one of those crossover tools that is as appropriate to find in the bottom left kitchen drawer of a designer kitchen as it would be to carry in a battle-worn not-so-pretty toolbox. The bits supplied are good quality standard 1/4inch hex feed that firmly snap into place without fearing an "accidental discharge" or feeling wobbly. The durablity, size, weight, power, precision, versatility, and feel means autotechs love these for interior work, A/C mechanics love these for control panels and tight spaces, woodworkers love these for attaching hardware to their projects, and I hear tell trade carpenters in California use these to frappe their eight dollar Starbuck's mocha lattes'.
Sorry, no chartruese but you do get a very nice, heavy, polished drill chuck attachment to show off to your friends or take down the neighbor's plastic, faded pink flamingo with the missing leg at about forty paces, gratis! Apparently, their engineers have been locked away for the last decade and someone needs to get word to them that hex-end drill bits are no longer just a distant dream.

It's all that and a bag of chips-
So why the four stars?!?!?! Well, as stated, this model has been around for a long time. I mean a *very* long time. Long enough to design an improved case layout to allow for an unshifting collection of bits and a special place for the very shiny, but not-so-cheap and decidedly overwieght close-quarter angle attachment with that odd thumb? brace that usually manages to fall off before you reach whatever it is you're trying to reach. Battery life is fair, not great[you will need the two batteries], and the charger could be faster. These issues may appear nitpicking to some, but for the hundred bucks Milwaukee has been collecting for each of these and for the three decades they've been collecting, are these things really too much to ask for in return?

AX~