5 Milwaukee Tools That Will Come In Handy For New Homeowners
Being a new homeowner, there are bound to be a few projects to turn your house into a home. For example, you may need to do some landscaping to clean up the outside or drill some screws into the walls to hang up those family pictures. To quickly and easily accomplish your to-do list, though, you'll need some tools.
Owned by Techtronic Industries, Milwaukee is a well-known and respected tool brand that can be found at Home Depot. However, if you're looking to save some money after buying a house and are interested in refurbished Milwaukee tools, there are some places online that sell them.
Here are five Milwaukee tools that will come in handy for any new homeowner, as attested by reviews from customers who have used the products in their own homes, as well as some professional reviews from a reputable publication. The methodology we used to select these tools will be explained in more detail at the bottom of the article.
M18 18V Brushless Cordless 1/2-Inch Compact Drill-Driver
No matter if you need to assemble furniture, hang decor, install fixtures, or repair damages, a drill is a necessity for a new homeowner that will pay for itself. Milwaukee's M18 18V Brushless Cordless 1/2-Inch Compact Drill-Driver is a great option because of its smaller design. It's only 5.7 inches in length, without the battery attached, so it will fit seamlessly inside one of Milwaukee's Packout accessories. However, don't let the compact size fool you. This brushless drill holds up in power and can deliver up to 550 lb-in of torque and between 500-1700 rpm, depending on the speed control setting.
This drill comes with a 4.7 out of a 5-star rating from over 600 buyers at Home Depot. Many love the smooth operation that the drill provides giving you more control of the tool. However, some did state that this drill felt weaker compared to other Milwaukee tools. If you need a more powerful drill for specific projects, you may want to consider adding a Milwaukee hammer drill to your collection. But in terms of the standard homeowner chores, this compact drill should help you get the job done with no problem. You can purchase this drill at Home Depot for $139 for the tool only. However, if you need a battery and battery charger as well, you can find the whole kit at Ace Hardware for only $169.
M18 FUEL 18V Cordless Brushless String Grass Trimmer
Milwaukee's Quik-Lok attachment system is a game changer for yard maintenance tools. You only need to purchase one power head and then whichever attachments that will be useful for your yard, such as an edger, hedge trimmer, or pole saw. One of the more common starter kits is the M18 FUEL 18V Cordless Brushless String Grass Trimmer, which costs $199 from Home Depot. The brushless motor from the power head can deliver up to 6,200 rpm with up to a 16-inch cutting swath. Additionally, it can reach full throttle in under one second.
This trimmer comes with a 4.6 out of a 5-star rating from over 6,500 users. Many of the reviews regarding the string trimmer are positive — though some do wish that the tool had a longer run time, even with a 12.0Ah battery. If you have a bigger yard with more than 20 minutes of weed eating, you may want to have multiple batteries on hand. However, reviewers were impressed by the versatility of the Quik-Lok system and how sturdy the attachments were once they were locked in.
M12 12V Cordless Oscillating Multi-Tool
Many of Milwaukee's power tools have exceptional reviews with at least a 4 out of 5-star rating across the board. On our list of the highest-rated Milwaukee cordless power tools is the M12 12V Cordless Oscillating Multi-Tool. It comes with a 4.3 out of a 5-star rating at Home Depot from over 1,4000 users and costs $99. An oscillating tool is a must-have for new homeowners because of how many types of uses you can get out of it — it's like the Swiss Army knife for power tools.
The tool comes with a wood cutting blade, which works great if you need to trim down baseboards or other wood pieces, and a sanding pad with five assorted sanding sheets for a quick-and-efficient sanding job. Additionally, this tool has a wider range of opm (oscillations per minute) from 5,000 to 20,000 compared to its M18 Oscillating Multi-Tool counterpart, which has an opm that ranges from 11,000 to 18,000. It also comes with 12 settings to allow you to set it to the speed of your choice, depending on the job at hand.
FASTBACK Compact Folding Utility Knife
Sometimes you don't need a powerful electric tool — one of Milwaukee's basic tools can get the job done instead. Costing $11.99 at Ace Hardware and $8.97 at Home Depot, the FASTBACK Compact Folding Utility Knife can come in handy in many situations around the home, and it's small enough to carry around without weighing you down. This hand tool comes with a limited lifetime warranty and a 4.7 out of 5-star rating from over 1,600 Home Depot buyers. Many of the customers loved how lightweight and functional it was. However, some did have some trouble with the button to release the blade for a replacement.
This utility knife allows the blade to fold into itself, so it can help not only keep the edge sharp but also protect you from accidentally cutting yourself. Because of this compact style and the wire belt clip built into it, you can easily place it inside or hang it from your pocket without any worries of ripping a hole.
This tool is also able to fit different styles of blades which have different jobs. For example, if you need to cut drywall to fix a hole, Milwaukee makes Drywall Utility Blades which are up to 2x sharper for cleaner and fewer repeated cuts.
M18 FUEL Brushless Cordless 21-Inch Self-Propelled Lawn Mower
Being a new homeowner, there's one chore that will require a new tool and that is mowing the lawn, especially if you previously lived in an apartment and never needed a lawn mower. However, if you're investing in Milwaukee's M18 battery line, why not add the M18 FUEL Brushless Cordless 21-Inch Self-Propelled Lawn Mower to your list of Milwaukee power tools?
This lawn mower does require the use of two batteries, and unless you already own two 12.0Ah batteries, you'll want to consider purchasing the lawn mower and battery set. This can run you a bit of money, though — the price at Home Depot is $1,129. However, when writing this article, Ace Hardware is advertising this mower for $1,099. It's still a bit of money to put out for a grass cutter, but Pro Tool Reviews gives it a 9.7 out of 10 rating while having many great things to say about the tool.
You may be wondering what the run time is for an electric lawn mower. Can it truly cut a whole yard on just two batteries? According to Pro Tool Reviews, cutting one inch of grass, mulching, and running at three mph, you'll be able to get up to one hour of time, or approximately a ¾ acre yard. If you run the tool in high-lift mode, the run time drops to around 40 minutes. The review also raves about the self-propelled feature, which is stable and easy to adjust. Overall, this lawnmower is a good choice, even if the price is a bit steep.
How we chose these Milwaukee tools for new homeowners
The Milwaukee tools listed in this article were selected based on the typical projects that new homeowners may find themselves involved with. These projects can be everything from replacing drywall and landscaping to upgrading lighting and changing out hardware. Additionally, these tools were also selected based on high customer ratings, with at least a 4.3 out of 5-star rating, as well as professional reviews from Pro Tool Reviews, a reputable tool review website. Furthermore, many of the prices for these tools are reasonable — although, keep in mind that the prices stated in this article are subject to change due to seasonal needs, sales, and inflation.
Many of these tools come in both Milwaukee's M12 and M18 battery lines. We do recommend that you take a look at all the power tools and accessories within each line before purchasing anything so you'll be well prepared for the future. Keep in mind that the M18 battery line comes with over 250 tools within its system — however, the M12 cordless tools do tend to run a bit cheaper compared to their counterparts.