Milwaukee M18 FUEL 5-Tool Combo Kit vs M12 FUEL 12-Volt Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless Hammer Drill and Impact Driver Combo Kit w/2 Batteries and Bag (2-Tool)

The M18 FUEL 5-tool kit is the better buy for anyone doing real carpentry, remodeling or demolition: you get a hammer drill, impact driver, Sawzall, 6-1/2 in. circular saw and worklight on one 18V battery platform with 250+ tools. The M12 FUEL 2-tool kit is the better buy for cabinet installs, electrical, HVAC and finish work where the drill and driver must fit into tight spaces, and it has a far larger body of owner ratings behind it. On build, both use brushless POWERSTATE motors and REDLINK PLUS electronics; the M18 tools are heavier and more powerful, the M12 tools are the most compact in their class. Owners of both lines praise the power-to-size ratio; the common complaint on the M18 kit is the weight of the bag and the 5.0 batteries, and on the M12 kit it is the smaller battery capacity on sustained heavy work.

• Choose the Milwaukee M18 FUEL 5-tool kit if you cut, drill and fasten across a full jobsite and want one battery platform to cover a circular saw and a reciprocating saw as well as drilling.
• Choose the M12 FUEL 2-tool kit if your work is drilling and driving in tight spaces and you want the smallest, lightest hammer drill and impact driver Milwaukee makes.