Customer Reviews

Milwaukee 2401-22 12-Volt Li-Ion Compact Driver Kit

5 star:		(127)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I bought this Driver about one month ago. My experience with it is good. Long run time, good power, excellent chuck and a good feel. I also own the Bosch and like it a lot also...but I think the Milwaukee is a little better.

There is nothing to dislike about this tool. I read another review that was written by someone who does not own this tool and is repeating something he heard about reliability. How would you know if you do not own and use one?

The handle is not too big in my hand (5'10" 165 lbs) and the tool has a quality feel when you use it.

I'll update this after more usage, but in the first month, I am satisfied totally.

Update 8/28/2008
Further use of the Milwaukee driver has proven my original review. I still think this is just a little more tool than the Bosch. The chuck is a little more sophisticated and the power feels a little stronger. I like that Milwaukee is using this platform for new tools (M-Spector) and I hope to see more in the future. The battery gauge is a plus and this driver is a pleasure to use. Makita has just introduced a similar tool with even more torque and two speeds. Time will tell how the Makita stacks up against the competition, but you will not be sorry if you purchase this Milwaukee. I'd buy it again.

As a door and window contractor I use battery powered tools every day. When I went looking for something smaller and lighter to complement the big tools. I came across the Bosch 10.8 as the perfect solution and picked one up last year. It was nice, but not the great power it claims. The big problem came, though, when it got below freezing here and I found the tool just wouldn't run, period, until it warmed up again. This was more than just a bit aggravating when you want to get the job done and you're putting the tool in your coat to warm the poor thing up. I found I had to take the thing back and forth to the house every night so I could use it on the job without delay. I realize this won't matter to a lot of people in the toasty states, but I thouhgt it might be helpful info for those others that live in cold climates and don't want to coddle their tools keeping them warm at night.
I did try another Bocsh 10.8 in case this was just a single tool problem, but the exact same thing happened. It won't function in the cold.
So I picked up the Milwaukee 12V when it came out and have had none of the problems. I like it better and it's very comforttable in the hand, it has more power than the Bosch, and runs longer. The one hand chuck is great.

I bought, used hard, and loved this little machine. It did all I asked of it in medium framing and finishing tasks. Until, that is, the trigger mechanism went on the blink. Then, it would sometimes start and somtimes wouldn't start, and there was never any way of telling which event would occur.
The helpful technician at Milwaukee agreed with me that the trigger mechanism was the problem and I took it to the authorized dealer in Birmingham, sixty miles away. It has been there for nearly two months and today (30 January 09) I learnt that the ordered part was not expected until the end of March. That is too long to do without a tool for the purposes that I bought this one for, and I will now look for a Bosch tool to replace it.
Milwaukee has a good design and it is well executed. I love the "stay open" chuck as well as the power and handiness of the tool. If it were built to Milwaukee's usual standard of reliability, I should recommend it without hesitation. As it is, I can say only that it is useful for light and non-critical uses but cannot be counted upon for serious duty.

This is a fine product. More power over the Bosch. This driver went all day without a charge with installing bathroom fixtures. It will drive two and half inch screws all day. I stopped counting over 60. Though it has enough gentle torque to put together the smallest screws with fixtures. Real good at starting a screw or drilling a hole.

The charger is fast even on a hot battery.

The case is real nice cordura and can store more bits.

I would recommend this product to anyone who will do a lot of detail and finish work. Its so light to carry and has plenty of longevity in the battery.

The first reviewer must have real small hands. I think that review was poor and did not comment on the power or features of the unit.

I got my hands on one of these today at a tool demo day. I own the Bosch 10.8 volt driver already, but this one has a much nicer fit and finish and it drives much quicker. It also has an onboard battery meeter and a nice quick release chuck. I wish that I had held out for the Milwaukee. I highly recommend it.

I am a professional automotive and light truck mechanic. I specialize in electrical, electronic and driveability concerns. This puts me frequently in the driver's compartment removing dashes, consoles, door panels and more. Doing a heater core replacement on one of today's vehicles will involve usually between 4 to 12 hours of interior work. To this date on the first battery charge, I have performed 3 heater core replacements (two of which were 9 hour jobs), 4 door panel (regulator replacement) jobs, and countless other small jobs. My previous Makita was too big for the job and would have easily killed off its first battery pack in the middle of the first heater core job. This battery pack is still going.

The LED illumination has come in handy along with a love affair that has grown looking at the battery life indicator. It is now showing the last segment (of which has been on for the last week).

I have very large hands and yet I find that this "Sub-Compact" fits nicely.

The sliding direction control is at times in the wrong place and other times in the perfect place for tight quarters control. As of this time, I would not change a thing.

The power is very nice. I do not know if we can ever have enough power, but for the large number of automotive screws that I purchased this for, it is more than adequate. The variable speed control is also great. But once the screw is started, set the clutch and let it rip.

This little guy has made a mundane part of my job almost fun as I can now remove a large pile of screws in no time then turn around and run out of screws almost as fast as I can pick them up.

One side note is that with the power, one is tempted to try to break some fasteners loose that the body just will not take. I have felt the plastic body halves move a little too much in my hands when using the thing as a 12" breaker bar with a 10mm socket attached. Don't do this. The tool just wasn't designed for that...

I own the Milwaukee 2401 driver and have been using it daily. I have also used the Hitachi, Makita and Bosch 10.8 volt drivers. The Milwaukee is my overall favorite sub-compact driver, but the Makita and Hitachi have some enticing features that I wish were incorporated into the Milwaukee.

Hitachi's 10.8 Volt driver uses a light ring as the clutch face which allows the entire work area around the bit to be illuminated as opposed to simply having a LED above the trigger (below the clutch) which only illuminates the lower work area below the bit. The Hitachi also free stands upright on the base of its battery like many of the larger cordless power drills & impact drivers. Standing upright is nice and convenient, but it wasn't a deal breaker for me.

Makita's 10.8 Volt driver has a 2 speed gear box which allows speeds of 0-350 RPM and 0-1,300 RPM. When set to the low speed (0-350), the Makita produces 200 inch pounds of torque and it definitely out drives the Milwaukee (100 inch pounds of torque) in terms of power based on my own testing from driving 1/4 x 3.5" hex head screws. The Milwaukee would drive the hex head screws so the base of the head was flush with the wood, while the Makita (in low speed) would continue driving the head into and well below the surface. When the Makita was in High Speed, it would sometimes drive the screw ~70% to ~90% of the way at best, but it sure is nice to have that 2 speed gear box because it really does add versatility to this driver. And the other thing I really like about the Makita driver is that it leaves the LED illuminated for several seconds after removing your finger from the trigger.

One thing missing from these compact drivers is an extra bit holder. The other day I had to remove a couple dozen project boxes from a support rail, take them apart, remove the connected wiring, install strain reliefs, tighten the ground screws and put them back together while on a ladder. I had to switch between phillips, square drive and two different sizes of slotted bits for each project box. A spare bit holder would have been very convenient for this and other jobs I do where I have to frequently switch bits. My magnetic tray comes in handy for holding bits, screws, etc, but Milwaukee could have added a simple low profile spare bit holder into the top moulding for very little money and it surely would have been useful to many people besides myself. Even now, they could probably make a small 'optional' bracket to hold an extra bit or two that's simply secured by the two upper screws on top of the body just behind the clutch.

I still prefer the Milwaukee 2401 driver over the other models because of ergonomics (fits mys hand very well), the quick bit loading chuck, the battery fuel gauge, the smooth progressive trigger, the tool selection using this same battery, the 5 year tool warranty, its ease of use, etc. But this could be a better product if it incorporated the following features:

1) 'Light Ring' for better illumination all the way around the bit / work piece
2) Keep the LED's illuminated for several seconds after letting off the trigger
3) 2 speed gear box to improve torque for driving and a higher speed for drilling
4) Add a bit holder of some sort so we can keep different bits readily available on the tool.
5) Consider allowing future versions to stand upright if enough people think it's important to them. I'm happy with its current form factor.

I work in the handy-man and home repair field and also have my own home wood working shop. In my business, I need to have a large assortment of tools on board the vehicle, so size, functionality and reliability are key. I was a little concerned that a drill-driver with only 100 in-lbs of torque would be able to handle enough of my jobs. Anyway, given the good reviews and my own positive experience with Milwaukee tools, I decided to take a chance. Boy am I glad I did. This has turned out to be my favorite cordless tool. It handles 90% of the jobs where I need a drill/driver, while being easy to handle and always ready to go (the Li-ion batteries really hold a charge). It will drive a 3.5" deck screw in pine and is small enough to get into tight spaces. One of the features that does not get enough attention is the carry case. It is a padded canvas case so it is flexible enough to accommodate a lot of the accessories you need, as opposed to a hard case that limits what you can fit inside. I can include a bag of assorted tools like hinge bits and nut drivers, a hard case of hex drill bits, a hard case of screw bits and drivers, assorted spade bits, and a 3/8" hex bit chuck for when I need to use some of my non-hex drill bits. All this in a case about 8.5"x12.5"x3.5" (I think the product dimensions given above must be the size of the box it comes in). I've had this for 3 months now so I can't rate the longevity, but it sure seems to live up to the professional grade reputation of Milwaukee tools. I highly recommend this to both people in my line of work and the general consumer looking for a quality drill/driver.

Review Update 12/29/08: Still using this great tool on a nearly daily basis and it is still running strong. One of my employees liked it so much he got one as well, along with the inspection camera. I have since added the Hackzall, flashlight, and impact driver. These are all working well but want more time with them before adding a review.

This is a great tool. Light enough for overhead work but powerful enough to get the job done. I don't understand the reviews about the handle being too big as I have used it for a day and didn't get tired after driving the first screw (as another reviewer claimed). As for the forward/reverse switch - it is about the same place as the Bosch and Ridgid compact drivers I looked at before I purchased it and I didn't hit it once while using it. The bit changing system is just about perfect for me. I am renovating a 100 year old house and I also do small household repairs/renovation/handyman work for people. This works just about perfectly for its intended purposes. Light repetitive work such as installing blinds, cabinet hinges, door locksets or working overhead such as installing light fixtures and smoke detectors. I do many other things with it but these are just examples of what it excels at. It can drive a 3 inch screw - I tested it. I may use it in a pinch for that. It can drill small holes. But I'm not about to throw away my 18v hammer drill or impact driver. Its light, powerful enough and easily carried. Just what I needed.

I was skeptical about something so small being useful and concerned it would never get used. But after 6 months of ownership, I keep it in my toolbag (as opposed to my heavy 18v ni-cad drill) and frequently find myself reaching for it instead of walking across the room and getting the 18v. This thing is pretty amazing. I probably do more with it than its designed. The battery will last 2-3 days without running out. Recommended.
(From a home improvement contractor)

UPDATE (two + years later)-
Spend your money wisely....and SKIP this unit...BUT there are other M12 drills (see below).
Although it has been pretty useful, it has proven to not be very durable. In Feb 2010, i was screwing in some cabinet screws and the thing suddenly started to make a pretty bad racket. After taking it apart, i saw lunched gears.
I have to be aware of how much i was asking of this tool considering it is for light duty only. And i will not give up on the M12 line.
I have since bought the 2410 model - a real chuck (not the 1/4 hex on this one), 250 in lbs of torque (comp to this ones 100), 2 speeds - 400 and 1500 (comp to 0-400).
A full set (2 batteries and charger) is only $32 more than the 2401.
I am waiting to review the 2410's durability at a later date. But it is just such a better built, more capable unit. More like a real drill.