Milwaukee has come out with a new M18 Fuel brushless die grinder, model 2784-20/22.
Milwaukee says that the new M18 Fuel 1/4″ die grinder delivers corded performance, and can actually remove material faster than a corded grinder. Runtime is up to 20 minutes on a single M18 XC 5.0Ah battery charge.
They say that it can remove up to 2x more weld than any cordless die grinder on the market.
Features & Specs
- 20,000 RPM
- Lock-on slide switch
- Overload protection
- Electronic clutch
- Soft start motor
- 18″ length
- Weighs 4.7 lbs
- 5 year warranty
Die grinders are used for metal fabrication and in other related metalworking-involved industries, for material removal where other grinders won’t work as quickly, easily, or effectively.
I suppose this was a logical progression. Milwaukee already offers M18 Fuel brushless angle grinders, which are quite good by the way, and also a non-fast-braking design. Grinders, oscillating tools, sanders, and other continuous-use tools benefit from the boost in runtime and power, but at a cost.
Price: $399 for the kit (2784-22), $199 for the bare tool (2784-20)
The kit, 2784-22, comes with (2) 5.0Ah battery packs, an M12/M18 multi-voltage charger, 1/4″ collet, wrenches, an extra dust cover, and case.
Buy Now(Kit via Home Depot)
Buy Now(Bar Tool via Home Depot)
ETA: Feb 2017
First Thoughts
$199 seems reasonable for the bare tool, but you’d probably really want to stick to using 5.0Ah battery packs, given the “up to” 20 minute runtime specs. That’s not too bad, actually. I remember once using a cordless cutoff tool for less than 5 minutes when the battery gave up.
If you use a die grinder frequently, or even on occasion, would this be a welcome addition to your toolbox?
Die grinders aren’t really a “grab and go” kind of tool. My own [infrequent] use has been more or less for workshop-based applications. I’d expect that someone using a die grinder regularly would prefer an AC electric or pneumatic-powered tool.
20 minutes is a lot if you’re just deburring a pipe or cleaning a small weld or two (right?), or doing any number of small minor tasks.
But what’s your use like? Long stretches of grinding, or shorter sprints?
Oh, and they say that the PowerState brushless motor improves the motor life by up to 10X, compared to the competition.
There’s one more quick fact that’s buried in the press release. The new brushless die grinder features the same metal housing and gearing system responsible for delivering the legendary performance and durability found in Milwaukee’s high performance corded die grinders.
What this means is that it’s built as solidly as their corded tool, and should deliver comparable performance.
It’s good to see Milwaukee continuing to push forward, and I like this trend of corded-adapted brushless tool development. I think they started doing this with their M18 Fuel brushless deep-cutting band saw.
Hmm, so this is how you sell cordless tools to shop-based corded tool users. But is it convincing enough?