Milwaukee has announced two new M18 Fuel cordless die grinders.
The two new die grinders will be replacing the Milwaukee 2784 M18 Fuel die grinder, which first launched nearly 6 years ago.
Milwaukee says that their new brushless die grinders deliver the next advancement in power, performance, and versatility, and feature enhanced safety, precision, and control.
Both tools are said to provide 11A corded performance and are designed to help cut the cord of AC and pneumatic die grinding.
The new die grinders feature a RapidStop brake, which is advertised as stopping most accessories in less than two seconds.
Milwaukee M18 Fuel Die Grinder with Slide Switch (2939)
There will be two new models. Shown just above is the 2939 braking die grinder, with slide switch.
The slide switch die grinder is said to be able to remove up to 12″ of weld bead (1/4″ x 1/2″) per charge with an M18 XC 5Ah battery and carbide burr.
Key Features & Specs
- 1/4″ collet
- 27,000 RPM max
- 2″ max sanding accessory
- 2″ max cutting wheel accessory
- Spindle lock
- 15.5″ long x 3.11″ wide x 3.3″ tall (tool-only)
- Weighs 2.9 lbs (tool-only)
Price: $249 for tool-only (2939-20)
ETA: January 2023
Milwaukee M18 Fuel Die Grinder with Paddle Switch (2984)
Shown here is the 2984 braking die grinder with paddle switch and One-Key connectivity for tracking and tool management.
Milwaukee says that the die grinder can deburr up to 35 pipes (4″ black iron) per charge with an XC 5Ah battery and 3″ flap wheel.
Key Features & Specs
- 1/4″ collet
- 20,000 RPM max
- Variable speed: 8K, 11K, 14K, 17K, 20K RPM
- 3″ max sanding accessory
- 2″ max cutting wheel accessory
- One-Key
- LED light
- Spindle lock
- 16.2″ long x 2.99″ width x 3.3″ tall (tool-only)
- Weighs 3.1 lbs (tool-only)
Price: $299 for tool-only (2984)
ETA: January 2023
Discussion
What’s interesting here is that these two tools are more different than I would have expected. The slide-switch model has a single speed and operates at a faster max RPM; the slide switch model operates at 27K RPM while the paddle switch tool has a variable speed dial with 20K RPM max.
In retail product images, the slide switch model is described as being suited for heavy material removable use, while the paddle switch model is described as being for precision and control work.
The different specs limit the maximum accessory size of the tools, with the slide switch model (27K RPM) being compatible with 2″ sanding and cutting accessories, and the paddle switch model (20K RPM) being compatible with 3″ sanding and 2″ cutting accessories.
Additionally, the paddle switch model alone is One-Key-compatible, for inventory management and tracking purposes.
All of these differences result in the slide switch model being $50 less expensive (tool-only).
To sum it up:
Milwaukee 2984 – Variable speed braking die grinder with paddle switch and One-Key.
Milwaukee 2939 – braking die grinder with slide switch.
We can typically expect for slide switch and paddle switch grinders to be very similar, aside for the power switch. Here, it seems that the two tools were designed with greater focus on tailoring the tools for different users or applications.
I suspect that the differentiation stems from feedback and user requests Milwaukee received since launching their first-generation tool. That first M18 Fuel die grinder (2784) came out nearly 6 years ago, in early 2017, and it featured a 20K RPM speed and slide switch.
At the time of this posting, the new and older slide switch models are both priced at $249 for the tool-only purchasing option.
Milwaukee promises “improved performance” with the new grinders. It’s reasonable to expect motor performance and maybe efficiency advancements over the span of 6 years.
When I first posted about the first-gen model, several readers declared the lack of variable speed or a paddle switch to be a deal-breaker.
I suppose that there is still strong enough interest in a single speed slide switch model.
