Milwaukee M12 Surge Review. Today we are reviewing the Milwaukee M12 Surge, this is how it did. 

I don’t know why he expected it to be like the other impact driver. It’s not supposed to be. It’s for finish work with small fasteners and meant to be quiet with a smoother force. It’s not supposed to be the most powerful tool. When you need a lot of power you reach for an impact wrench.

The surge isn’t meant for power. It puts out 450 inch pounds of torque. If you want more power, while still being compact, the normal m12 fuel impact driver does 1300 inch pounds. The surge is made to be quiet and have less vibration. It is made for lighter applications in tight spaces or to operate in hospitals, offices, retail spaces, etc. A better test would be a side by side comparison to demonstrate the decibel/ driving speed difference per application. It does have its limitations, but that’s not what it’s made for. Also, there isn’t an auto mode. That 4th mode is designed specifically for self tapping screws. It starts off on high rpm and then once you make it through the material, it slows down to prevent stripping. I appreciate you showing the upper limits and I love the channel, but I just think you did the tool a disservice by not highlighting what it’s made for or what it actually does well.

Just got an M12 Fuel Surge and used it today. Wow. Noticeably quieter and smoother operation than he M12 Fuel Impact driver. The slightly higher weight isn’t noticeable unless you’re holding both at the same time. Truly a different experience vs any impact driver I’ve used.

As an HVAC technician, I find this tool perfect for sheetmetal screws and small wood screws. I use it on the job all day with one small 2.0 battery.

Hi TRZ, I have both milwaukee surge m12 & m18. I have to say i like the m12 model when working inside the house, condos or apartment units when installing cabinets or just working with screws. The m18 surge i will also use with the same applications because it less noisy. When installing larger bolts, deck screws or heavy work i just use the m18 gen 3 impact. I mean just use the right tool for the job. Not to say the smaller tool can't do the job. It's nice to know it can do it in a rare situation. Remember not one tool can do it all, LOL.... Just my thoughts

I’d be more interested in a comparison between this unit and the regular Fuel M12 impact.

ive had a m12 fuel for half a year now. In practice its eliminated 90% of my.. need a screw gun, gota go to the tuck trips, it just lives in my tool belt/bag with a few bits and uses the tiny 2.0ah battery. If im doing any intense work id go get my 18v but this has saved me a huge amount of time.

Yeah, if I’m driving bigass screws like that I’m pulling out my M18 unit. M12 is meant to be compact, lightweight, and quiet.

This is my new favorite M12 tool

I'm a licensed electrical contractor and the M12 Surge is my favorite tool on the truck. I'm definitely NOT building decks. I mostly use it to drive 2 1/2" corrosion resistant screws for exterior light blocks and receptacle boxes. I also use it to patch holes in sheetrock and even for switch and receptacle devices.

I have both I love both like the surge for power but the fuel is a monster I’m undecided as my everyday impact

The Milwaukee M12 surge has four functions in order to prevent from overtorquing or stripping, right? So would it make sense to buy just the Milwaukee M12 surge as opposed to this electronic screwdriver for DIY at home to future proof?

Love my m12 surge. when I need a step-up I breakout my m12 stubby. I could split logs with that little beast

Oil based impacts are not meant for power. They are meant for low noise and finesse.

No major limitations at all. It is a light/medium duty tool. You use it for that purpose and that purpose alone. Need more, use more. Has served me well.

With all due respect, I believe this is mainly an issue of torque differences between the M18 and M12 and not power. The M18 is clearly able to exert more torque, therefore it's able to drive those fasteners deeper and faster.

I love the Milwaukee M18 it looks so much stronger like it won't give up on you thank you so much for sharing I really enjoy your videos

I gotta say I feel like you missed it on this video. It’s good that you showed the limitations of the tool but that’s not at all what this tool is about. Like you said it’s about small, quiet ergonomics. Would have liked to see maybe some sound comparisons or something. Just driving lags that the 18 even struggled with seemed like a waste personally

Was that M18 you compared it to also a surge or a regular impact driver?

I think if you used the 4ah or 6ah red lithium batteries you'd notice quite a difference. The drill almost flies out of my hands with one of those apposed to the 2ah. The batteries make a huge difference with this 12volt line.

If you use a short socket will go farther faster the deep socket girth is causing you to loose power on the bolt

Nice review. I know it's not made for this stuff but I would definitely like it for in house use. I like that you gave it the Salt n peppa treatment. 👍

I have the m12 fuel impact but not the surge its a beast. Love the self tapping feature

What boot cover will fit this m12 surge?

I had the m12 surge for about 4 months and I prefer the surge over my 12v makita impact driver. Wish makita would come out with something quiet like the m12

Are you using just regular sockets? Try using 6 point impact sockets or bolt biter sockets.

I just got one and I don't think it's made to drive in the kind of screws your driving with it. I don't think it's made to drive 1/2' lag bolts into treated lumber it's only a 12-volt tool, I think it's made to drive smaller screws hence the smaller size, if you need to drive large screws and lage bolts that what the M18 Surge and Impact Guns are made for.

Those 12” screws are for flat roofs with multiple layers of foam insulation, not to be driven into wood

Well I don't think anybody noticed that's the Gen 3 m18 and the surge m12 to totally different models comparing a Ferrari to a Volkswagen bug

I really like the review. Very nice tool for the size. And on light projects id love to use this but i can't see using it on the bigger jobs. Around the house or assembly work or perhaps driving deck screws this would be great for.

I don't understand why anyone would be using this or any M12 tool to drive 12" lag bolts on a construction site. This impact is designed for lighter applications. Showcase the tool for what it's made to do. Driving lag bolts is what you do with the larger drivers or hammer drills.

I’m trying to decide to get this one or the M12 Fuel impact driver. I’m a mechanic and would mostly use it in place of my M18 Fuel 3/8 impact, as well as handling screws/bolts. I’ll use around the house as well. Been wanting to up my (nonexistent) handyman game :)

Tool is only made for small to medium size fasteners a 6.0 will give you more power

What is the slot above the trigger for?

Good vid as always , I just got done using one of these to replace 4 very very old doors. This is a great little drill , speed one was awesome for removing those old stubborn straight head screws that had about 1000 coat's of paint on them....you have a shit ton of control with this little guy. Now with that being said I think this little gem is best suited for punch out work or similar task.....if u stay within reasonable parameters this drill will not disappoint you. It's much better than any other drill in it's class...that's just my opinion.

What's that bit holder?

M12 Surge vs M18 Surge vs M12 Fuel Gen 2 vs M18 Fuel Gen 3. That’s what I wanna see!!!

Nice video bro 👊

I wonder how this would be setting drywall screws that didn't counter sink all the way. Ya know when you ding a screw head with your drywall knife?

Good review. I bought 2 of the m18 kits last week. Was looking at the m12 also because I realy like the m12 tools for most things. After seeing this I will be adding m12 surge to my collection. (also known as my grandsons inheritance).

I know that you do tool reviews I just had to send you this deal you got to get this posted it's the Bosch freak gen 1 with 2 batteries at Lowe's for $64.75 regularly $299 better get them out now and get your order in cuz it won't last

I like it!

Kind of confused why you didn't use the m12 6.0? I get more hp and capacity with my m12 tools

You should try driving those lags with stubby and hex adapter

Don't think I'll want to go backwards,can't see the point of this one Clint!👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

Alot of people are under welmed with the m12 surge alot of people like the power of the m18 surge way more then the m12 alot of people thing the m1w surge is weak compared to its m12 fuel 2553 driver

I really don't understand the reasoning behind the surge. I have the M12 Fuel and it's perfectly fine. Guess I need to look at the bigger picture, I reckon the slightly lower noise output is really desirable to some people. Edit: 3-3-2020 I am back here after seeing the big picture as I have an M12 Surge on order. LoL I finally got to try an M18 Surge on a jobsite and fell in love with how much quieter it was. I use my Gen 2 M12 Fuel daily, so I am moving over to the Surge.

Auto-mode used in the incorrect use case. I swear thats for self tapping sheet metal screws.

Great video putting it to the test. I have 20v line of another brand.......I started on 4v Milwaukee Screwdriver as my only Milwaukee tool. Then on M12 line with the 3/8 extended ratchet. I just bought 6 tools now from M12 line ONLY because of their SIZE and quality. Im an electrician and these tools are perfect for us. I use the 20v line only when needed. Also, many times im working in occupied homes so noise is another big factor i chose over the M12 Fuel original impact. The Surge has good prolonged impact at a lower decible. The other is shorter impact duration at higher decible. Thats why I chose Surge.

You sed it was mode 3 and it’s lighting on mode 2

would it be better to use a hammer drill instead?

What do you think about the M12 Milwaukee I have the 18 but I was thinking about purchasing some of the M12 should I

That's not auto mode, it's for self-tapping and zip screws.

Can you review the Dewalt dcf801

I think you got Abad tester

retest with 6.0 battery

The M18 is not a surge model that’s why there’s performance differences

I think auto is for self tapping

That’s not auto mode. It’s for self tapping screws.

I would of Def compared it to the M18 surge not the reg m18

I'd buy it if a protective rubber boot was available but its not.

Light duty

From what I heard the m12 surge is weak compared to the 2553 I have also been told the m18 surge I's a ton better then the m12

As a female HVAC tech I love this gun! It also gets in small areas the bigger guns can't reach!

I feel sorry for the label

M12 with a 3.0 battery. Nah it’s not gonna push anything bigger than 5 inches

Your using the surge which is the least powerful impact in Milwaukee’s line up right now. That impact was not designed to drive the screws your putting in.

My comment is too long to type

Seems rather anemic. Made strictly for lighter jobs, ppl may say. "Nothing but Heavy Duty" is supposed to mean something, right? Thanks, Clint, and God bless!😁👍

On the 1st screw you never put it on mode 3 you were on mode 2

M12 surge isnt much quieter then the 2553 m12 impact driver it's only 10 decibels

1:05 M3???? Hwat?

dumb review, you don't test any of the things the driver was designed for. Instead you're testing lag bolts

Not for nothing, but the High output batteries produce a much more considerable amount of power than a standard 3ah battery. These m12 tools basically perform as good as your battery is

I think you got Abad tester