Why Buyers Didn't Like These 5 Lowest-Rated Milwaukee Power Tools At Home Depot

With great power tools come great responsibility, and construction professionals and hobbyists alike know that better than anyone. Milwaukee claims its goal is to provide "disruptive innovation" cultivated through firsthand witnessing the ins and outs of how its power tools are actually used. The company's two main tool lines are the M12 and M18 products, and according to its website, these tools are made with input from real users in mind. However, as the reviews of some of these tools suggest, these users may not always be happy — which is what we gathered from some of the ratings on Home Depot.

Milwaukee Tool has had a lot of time to get things right. The company has been around since 1924, though the Milwaukee Tool brand was purchased by Techtronic Industries in 2005. It prides itself on delivering high-quality products for amateur builders and construction professionals alike.

Not every product can be equally outstanding, though. What do the people buying these tools actually think, and are they as high-quality as they seem? In this article, we'll take a leisurely scroll through the lowest-rated Milwaukee Tool items on the Home Depot website and take a look at why exactly they found themselves on the bottom of the list.

For starters, Milwaukee makes a Lithium-Ion Brushless Cord Right Angle Impact Wrench two-tool set that isn't up everyone's alley. The specs declare that it is good for up to 200 ft. lbs of "nut-busting torque" and allows you more access in tight spaces, but when it comes to reviews, power doesn't always impress.

One mechanic notes that it wouldn't loosen bolts or nuts at 45 lbs, and they were forced to use a different wrench. Only after that did the Milwaukee impact wrench actually do its job. Another proclaimed auto repair professional said that it's "downright unusable" due to being underpowered. They even offered a helpful suggestion: that the engineers at Milwaukee take this one back to the drawing board! They also recommended that anyone needing to blast lug nuts check out a Milwaukee product they prefer more: the stubby impact.

Other low-rated complaints about this impact wrench set include it having a battery that falls out and gets in the way of the trigger, and that it will cut in and out when under a load. Yet another reviewer suggested that Milwaukee should have used the M18 batteries, and that if they'd do so, it might have come close to having the power necessary.

Milwaukee Tool advertises this cordless impact wrench as being capable of delivering 1200 in. lbs of torque, while still remaining lightweight. For the most part, reviewers agree, but a number of people still have complaints to lodge. The most consistent issue according to verified purchasers of the impact wrench is that it doesn't live up to the promised weight.

One user calls the impact wrench "pretty weak." Another says that it isn't powerful enough to remove a rusted nut from the battery holder. Similarly, another reviewer says that they'd be surprised if it even generated 10 ft-lbs of torque. They do give it credit for the fact that after having owned it for a while it still works like new, but then attribute that to the fact that it's not often used. As such, it's hard to tell just how durable the tool is if it's not being made use of often.

Milwaukee says that you can eliminate any need for a pneumatic tool when you're removing rusted bolts if you turn to its Lithium-Ion brushless and cordless high-torque impact wrench with a grease gun kit. It's referred to as the "industry's most compact cordless high torque impact wrench." The grease gun is also useful for a number of things beyond simple repair, such as storing classic cars.

Those are some big words from Milwaukee, but does the tool live up to the hype? Not according to some verified reviewers leaving it just two and three stars. Valid low reviews have a few different nitpicks on the product. While one user complains that the price is just too high for what this tool kit can provide, another reviewer thinks that it works fine when you have heavy equipment and can handle rusted bolts. However, they also find that the body of the grease gun is too large for narrow spaces.

This cordless impact wrench with friction ring and two 8.0 Ah batteries is one of the pricier items on the list, but Milwaukee attempts to offer a lot of bang for your buck. One of the major benefits is that this set from its M18 line is seven pounds lighter than corded alternatives. It also has Redlink Plus intelligence that should theoretically keep it from overheating or overloading. There are four modes for speed and power and it's compatible with One-Key, which lets you customize and track your tools.

But all of this means nothing if the impact wrench can't loosen some lugnuts, which is exactly the complaint that one verified buyer had. His lugnuts may have been on a semi and 850 torque ft. lbs, which may sound like a lot — but according to the Milwaukee product details, the tool should have been able to handle them. GTA Rail & Road Services had a similar issue in that its field mechanic was using them, but was only able to get one lug nut off of a tire that needed to be changed.

Another user also needed to remove a semi-wheel and found that the battery died before all ten lug nuts could be removed. The nice thing, however, is that this tool comes with two batteries, but the seemingly poor battery life could have a pretty bad impact if the tool dies at the wrong time.

This Lithium-Ion brushless, cordless impact wrench with extended reach handle kit and two 12.0 Ah batteries takes the crown for the most expensive Milwaukee product on the list, and just like the impact wrench with friction ring, this means it's being held to a higher standard.

Milwaukee touts that this kit is the first of its kind — a cordless one-inch D-handle high torque impact wrench. This comes with a massive promise that it can handle up to 2,000 ft. lbs of nut-busting torque and 1,900 ft. of fastening torque. Does this product actually deliver on those promises?  Not according to a handful of low-star ratings on the Home Depot website. 

Several verified purchasers left reviews refuting the torque claims and saying that the impact wrench failed to live up to the torque it advertised itself capable of. Other people had issues with the battery. One user didn't get their second battery as advertised, while another said that the battery life only lasted long enough to remove ten lug nuts, which is, interestingly, the same battery span as a different user claimed the impact wrench using two 8.0 Ah batteries did.