The 3/8″ and 1/2″ models boast 250 foot-pounds of nut-busting torque. The 1/4″ model drops down to 100 foot-pounds to protect the smaller drive size.
Friday, November 02, 2018
Milwaukee M12 Fuel Stubby Impact Wrench Review
The 3/8″ and 1/2″ models boast 250 foot-pounds of nut-busting torque. The 1/4″ model drops down to 100 foot-pounds to protect the smaller drive size.
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In the last few years, Milwaukee has really stepped up their game when it comes to their power tools. In 2012, Milwaukee introduced their new product lines, the M12 and M18 Fuel systems. This took the Milwaukee power tools we were used to and took them to the next level. Milwaukee began to innovate more than any other company. They made their tools lighter, smaller and more ergonomic, while making them powerful, well made, and nice to use. From there, Milwaukee began to release new and innovative tools, helping a lot of industries like electrical and plumbing which hadn't gotten too much attention in the consumer market. The M12 Stubby Impact Wrench is just another tool Milwaukee has come up with. At only 12 volts and only around 5 inches wide, this tool can really pack a punch. Milwaukee is always up to new innovative things and I can't wait to see more from them.
Milwaukee seems to be pioneering the way for compact impact drivers. This new model is interesting because of how small it is but yet seems to live up to its 250-foot-pounds of torque. I have always been a fan of impact drivers because I live off the principle that if there is a faster, more efficient way to do something, you may as well do it. I do acknowledge, however, that most impact drivers are not used to their full potential. In the case of this new Milwaukee, even the article states that it is probably the most useful in the automotive industry which makes the most sense. In a theatrical space, I see very few uses for such a strong impact driver unless you are working with some pretty heavy steel set pieces that require a lot of nuts and bolts to fasten the entire set together.
Milwaukee has really taken the lead when it comes to cordless tools. The impact drivers that they make are not only reliable but also extremely quiet and efficient. This helps especially in our space because traditional impact drivers are just too noisy during tech and load-in. The school of drama has recently purchased some of the hydraulic impact drives that Milwaukee has on the market, and they are easily my new favorite tool in the shop. It took a lot of convincing to get our shop supervisor to purchase these tools, but I think the shop community as a whole is a lot happier when we use the right tools for the job.
I’m not so sure that we would need an impact driver that only works as a wrench given that a standard impact driver can perform these applications. Some things to note that I like about this product, in particular, is the four-speed control and the compact nature of the product.
You know this is one of those things where I ask myself why couldn’t the tool just be smaller altogether. Presumably, the answer is you are losing out on a significant portion of the power by buying the smaller tool. 98% of the time the smaller option will be completely fine for the job, but the other 2% of the time you need that extra torque you will not have it. I was working on a job site last week that was looking to drive 18” lag bolts into the ground. Without a big-time impact wrench, I am confident that the bolts would have never made it into the ground.
Another interesting observation about this tool is how similar it is to an impact driver. If you can get the same amount of torque from an impact driver what is the need for an impact wrench that has less capability. I am a large proponent of having tools that can serve many purposes if the quality/ability of the tool is somewhat comparable to the real tool. Im sorry but I don’t see the point in the stubby impact, and I would recommend buying the hydraulic impact driver from Milwaukee with a socket converter bit.
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