5 Times When It's Better To Use M12 Milwaukee Tools Instead Of M18

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The Milwaukee catalog features a truly massive swath of options. There are hundreds of tools within the mainline M18 tool range, including a great variety of M18 Fuel-badged products, sporting upgraded electronics, brushless motors, and other enhancements. The M18 lineup has a lot to offer, and it's a key part of what many Milwaukee enthusiasts love about the brand. But this is only one sliver of the full slate of Milwaukee tools. The other primary tool lineup from the brand is its M12 portable productivity tools. These units are smaller than their M18 counterparts, making them far easier to maneuver into tight installation spaces or utilize over a lengthy day of home improvement tasks.

M12 tools run on a 12V battery system, as the naming convention suggests. The tools are great for on-the-go toolkits, for tool users who can benefit from lighter equipment, and in countless other scenarios. These five M12 use cases and the tools that help support them are all ideal situations in which a Milwaukee 12V tool will frequently outperform an M18 product. Generally, these tools feature slight power reductions to match their lighter builds, but Milwaukee's M12 system does a great job of limiting power loss and other trade-offs, making these sometimes-niche use cases only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the value smaller options can deliver.

A great starting place is the M12 soldering iron. There isn't an M18 equivalent to compare it to, making it the only Milwaukee option for DIYers tackling this subsection of electrical repair and installation tasks. There are plenty of solid soldering irons to consider for DIY electrical tasks, including this one and a soldering station from Ryobi. However, this model brings portability that many others can't match.

The tool is available at Home Depot for $119, and it's listed at Amazon for $92 (although Amazon isn't always a great source for Milwaukee gear). The tool weighs less than half a pound and achieves a maximum temperature of 750 degrees Fahrenheit. It heats up to operating temperature in 18 seconds and offers a 40-minute runtime when paired with an M12 Compact Battery. The soldering iron's head pivots with three stops, letting you work on pieces from a variety of angles. It utilizes a tool-free tip change and comes with both chisel and pointed tips. For electrical repairs around the house or in support of hobby crafting tasks, this lightweight and ultra-portable option is a great choice for handling everything from household wiring to jewelry making and things like guitar wiring and beyond.

Mechanics, in particular, need a slate of reliable work lights. These provide better visibility under the hood or a lifted car, and in some cases they're a necessity rather than a nice addition. A powerful light matters, but just as much is a tool you can position exactly where you need it, with few limitations. Size is king here, and smaller lights are often the best options.

This is where Milwaukee's M12 lineup can really shine, so to speak. The M12 Underbody Light is available as a kit with a 4.0Ah battery and a charger at Home Depot for $299. It's also offered as a bare tool at Acme Tools for $219 with an additional promotion that includes a free XC5.0 battery (listed at $119 from the outlet). The light features two swivel points and offers a 12-inch magnetic storage tray for loose nuts and bolts. It can run up to 15 hours in low-brightness mode when paired with an XC4.0 battery, with 300 degrees of horizontal rotation and 180 degrees of vertical rotation, plus a magnetic base that can be mounted to project vehicles or other elements. 

Home Depot also carries the M12 Underhood Light ($219), featuring an extendable bar to fit between 47 and 78 inches for use in both slim and wide car models. The tool's hooks offer protection against scratches on your vehicle's finish. It also offers 1,350 lumens of TrueView high-definition output right above your engine compartment.

The standard combi-drill and a wide range of smaller, screwdriver-specific power tools are always going to be valuable additions to your collection for building stuff. This includes delicate assembly tasks, and smaller tools are often best in these situations. The M12 range contains a few drills that can be quality choices for increased access to tight corners and recesses during flat-pack furniture builds, cabinetry installations, and other tasks of this nature. But one tool stands out as the clear frontrunner in this area. The M12 Fuel Installation Drill/Driver ($179 at Home Depot) stands out for its compact size and versatile head attachments. Other brands make comparable tools, and Bosch's 12V option includes compatibility with the brand's Flexiclick system.

But Milwaukee remains one of the best power tool makers for many reasons, and this unit plays right into the brand's strengths. The drill comes with four head attachments, including a standard chuck, a hex collet, and an offset and right-angle attachment. These can all be installed in 16 different positions around the entire 360-degree axis of the headstock (although that won't make a difference for the straight-on driving attachments). It's small, with a length measured at just over 5 inches and a weight of 2 pounds. The tool also delivers 300 in-lbs. of maximum torque, with two speed settings and a variable-speed trigger. It's just what the doctor ordered for challenging builds and installation tasks.

A wide range of support tools benefit significantly from a scaled-down size. This is true for things like laser tapes, work lights, and naturally, laser levels. It's no surprise that Milwaukee offers a range of M12-badged laser levels that deliver the same high-quality performance and precision as larger models while operating with smaller overall dimensions.

The M12 Cross Line and 4-Points Laser Level (Green) is available at Home Depot for $569, shipping with a 3.0Ah battery and a hardshell carrying case to keep the tool safe. The green laser is ideal for working outside, delivering a more visible line thanks to the shorter wavelength. Its small size makes it highly portable and a powerful tool for a wide range of tasks that require long-distance leveling. The tool weighs 2.25 pounds and stands at 5.9 inches tall. Even with its stronger laser (when compared to a red alternative), the tool can run for over nine hours continuously when paired with a 3.0Ah CP battery. It delivers up to 125 feet of visibility with cross lines for horizontal and vertical leveling, plus micro-control pivoting action at the four-point output. It also includes amplified rare-earth magnets in the base, so it sticks to steel studs, and it's self-leveling for fast, reliable results.

Many of the standard tools that are already frequently in users' toolkits can benefit from being doubled up with a smaller tool. If you're in the market for gear to support an on-the-go toolbox or building a secondary bag of equipment to leave in a holiday home, RV, or even the trunk of your car for emergency repair needs, M12 tools offer greater portability without a major drop in productivity.

Plenty of M12 tools fit this bill, but a few highlights include the classic M12 Fuel ½-Inch Hammer Drill/Driver ($159 at Home Depot) and Milwaukee's M12 Fuel ¼-Inch Extended Reach High Speed Ratchet ($249 at Ace Hardware). The ratchet delivers up to 35 ft-lbs. of maximum torque with a 450 RPM top speed. It's capable of being turned by hand without engaging the motor, offering solid versatility in a range of use cases. The tool also features a slim head profile that offers enhanced access to tight spaces alongside a 13.5-inch total length and a 2-pound weight.

The hammer drill is similarly diminutive, measuring 6 inches long and weighing 2.6 pounds. It features much better access to tricky spaces than a full sized alternative while still delivering 400 in-lbs. of maximum torque, 12 clutch positions, and a variable speed trigger with two speed settings that range up to a top end output of 1,550 RPM.