Accessories

Good Powerful Drill
I bought this drill in 2004 after a consumer grade cordless drill I bought burned out quickly. I am a homeowner, not a contractor, I use this drill for house maintenance and repair, work on my garage workbench, and also for drilling chassis and drilling out rivets in my electronics workshop. Strong torque in low speed mode for driving lag screws and deck screws such as when I rebuilt my screened patio. Also the chuck holds small drills better than my previous drill, a big advantage when using it for a wide variety of jobs. Batteries seem to last a long time without constant recharging. Motor brushes are replaceable from the outside if necessary.

Only negative is weight, its rather heavy but you soon get used to it.

In 2007 Milwaukee had a recall on the batteries for a safety reason. They replaced both of mine free, including prepaid Fed-Ex shipping both ways. Can't complain about that.

Bang for the buck
This is the second Milwaukee Lok-Tor drill we have purchased. With the first purchase, we were impressed with the torque, battery life, and the chuck quality of the drill. The overall quality was outstanding, but those three aspects really stand out. We use this drill in an industrial / manufacturing setting. This is a great product for drilling through various metals (which we do mostly) or driving 3" deck screws all day (which we have done). We have yet to find a task that this drill is not up to. One of my employees went out and purchased the hammer-drill version of this unit for his personal use, and has nothing but good things to say about it.

In short, if you are unsure about buying this drill.. don't be. It's well worth it, and you'll soon find yourself wondering how you got along without it before.

Weak battery and difficulty taking battery off
I do not recommend this drill. The battery failed within a year and the new 18 volt NiCad is failing again after about another year. I use it only occasionally so the comment regarding battery failure in this tool for DIY resonates.

Also, I don't think the tool lives up to its torque claims. Finally, the battery from day one has been difficult to remove. The side squeeze mechanism never worked properly.

Milwaukee batteries are Ni-Cd
I don't own this drill, but I do know why so many folks have had battery problems. The 18V batteries that Milwaukee includes with this drill are nickel cadmium. Nicads are known for having "memory" problems caused by recharging batteries before they are fully discharged. And here is a gem of a quote from the wikipedia - "NiCd batteries, when not used regularly, tend to develop dendrites (thin, conductive crystals), causing internal short circuits and premature battery failure, long before the 800-1000 charge/discharge cycles claimed by most vendors." Bam!

This means that if you are an occasional user (weekend warrior), you'd be better off with a different brand that uses Nickel metal-hydride batteries. They are less prone to the problems described above. The 18V drills made by Makita, Panasonic, and Bosch all use NiMh batteries. Dewalt 18V drills come with NiCd.

Quality Tool
This Tool is incredible, I upgraded from the Makita 18 volt. It was like moving from a Model T to a Mercedes. The balance is correct and I am sure to find a situation that will utilize the reversing battery mount.
The chuck really locks the bit in place. The clutch seems to be calibrated the same as the Makita and I have yet to break a screw.
It seems slightly heavier than the Makita but the comfortable grip makes up for it
I can recommend this product to any serious wood worker or to anyone that uses a Battery powered drill frequently