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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 54 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
44 of 46 found the following review helpful:
Helpful info about M12 battery failure----- May 31, 2010
By Ron Gerber
All 6 - yes 6! - of my original M12 batteries failed within several months to over a year after purchase and would not charge. I finally took them to the Milwaukee repair center as I knew they were warranted for 2 years. I took my receipts but they didn't even look at them. Popped them in a charger-and sure enough-bad. They replaced them all on the spot with no questions asked! I would recommend Milwaukee to anyone. I am hopeful that the new ones last like my other tools (including Bosch, Makita and DeWalt) and I will post an update if I have more problems-so far, so good-hopefully they have fixed whatever was causing failure. Go get yours replaced if they have failed. If you don't have a receipt, they can use the serial number for warranty. Hope this helps.
25 of 29 found the following review helpful:
 Not a Happy battery May 07, 2010
By Jimboww
Milwaukee fails at quality control on this product, and doesn't seem to care either way.
I've had 2 in 5 batteries fail within a year, and even a third delivered defective. With a 60% probable failure rate, they may want to consider the value of China as a country with very cheap unskilled labor.
Thank you.
Update: Checked on warranty replacement. The closest Service Center is over 30 miles each way, and stated no guarantee of replacement
:( >>Disappointing for the Milwaukee name brand.
12 of 13 found the following review helpful:
Li-ion failure Mar 03, 2011
By johnmturner
I bought several of these tools last year and all but 1 battery would not charge after modest use. What worked for me was to discharge the batteries completely (I used the flashlight) until it is just a dim glow, and then recharge. Several of the batteries that gave me the flashing red/green indication returned to proper operation, charging to green and giving me 4 LED's on the tool. Maybe this is a cell balancing issue. If the battery is right, with a good charge, I can use the screwdriver all day on a battery.
23 of 28 found the following review helpful:
Battery life a big disappointment Dec 22, 2009
By K. Chrisman
I bought a 12v drill with 2 batteries less than a year ago. I used the drill maybe a total of 30 times in the last year and the batteries will not charge any more. I get the red and green flashes on the charger. I have a Ryobi kit that I use multiple times a week that is 2 years old and it still works fine. I also have a Bosch drill that I have had for 6 yrs and the batteries are still fine. I liked the drill but I am really dissapointed in the batteries.
13 of 15 found the following review helpful:
 6 batteries, 5 stars to start with.. Apr 25, 2011
By Nathaniel Allen
Had I read these reviews before buying a small collection of Milwaukee M12 tools, I might have been steered elsewhere. Some of these customer experiences are bordering on the horrific. Thankfully, their warranty support seems solid and I've not only got 4 authorized service locations within 15 miles, but an official Milwaukee Tool service center less than 25 miles.
So I offer this review NOT to contradict those written by other owners that experienced battery problems, but simply to add some data to the mix, and track how well my 6 batteries perform from the outset.
For all intents, all six batteries entered service the week of 4/18/2011. All have charged fine out of the box, no blinking light errors on the charger, all showing fully charged on the built-in tool "fuel gauge," and all appearing to give a normal run time.
I plan to update this review every few months to track the reliability of these batteries.
Five of the batteries are "white labels" (actually black, red & white) on the bottom, including an individually packaged one that I bought from Amazon; the sixth has a "black label" (which came included with the 90° right angle drill/driver kit). I've got an email in to Milwaukee requesting an explanation of the significance in label color, and will update with their answer here if/when I receive it.
All five batteries are labeled with something to the effect of "Cells from Korea; final assembly in China." This causes me wonder if Milwaukee had some problems originally with generic battery cells, and has since changed to a reputable brand? If I receive any clarification from the manufacturer, I'll provide it.
My main tools are a Ryobi 18v group with a mix of NiCad and Li-Ion batteries. These Milwaukee 12v batteries are significantly smaller and lighter weight than the Ryobi 18v Li-Ion equivalents, but run times of the drivers and saw are similarly (and expectedly) reduced. I certainly prefer carrying a bag of these lighter batteries and smaller tools around for smaller / more routine jobs around our remodel project, but continue to depend on my 18v gear for more intensive tasks and for quick cordless recip saw tasks.
Once the remodel is complete, when my 18v gear is remanded to the garage, the small 12v Milwaukee batteries, driver and drill will probably have a permanent home in the kitchen tool drawer.
Here's an email reply I received from Milwaukee customer service on 4/26/11 re: the batteries. It doesn't offer much info:
"We are constantly improving our battery technology to offer the best performance
and durability. We now offer the "red" Lithium Batteries, which offer more run time, more power,
and may be used in temperatures down to zero. Most issues with the M12 battery was due to a
good connection between the battery and charger. We did improve the electronics in the original
battery to add more power, but it was an improvement, not a correction for the previous battery."
(Update 5/24 - 1 month) All good; no battery problems to report! Two batteries lived in the sweltering hot attic for two weeks, one in the right angle drill and one in the driver, doing light duty work for electrical outlet and light installation. They maintained their charge (no topping off) despite the drawn-out usage period and hot hot temps. Two more batteries went on a field trip for some light duty Ikea shelving assembly and installation in the mini drill. A fifth battery spent the day yesterday in the recip saw cutting through 2x blocking and 10 gauge nails. Good run times considering the amount of work this little saw accomplishes.
(Update 7/20 - 3 months) Still no troubles. In addition to tool duties, the batteries have been cycling through my Milwaukee 2590-20 M12 Jobsite Radio and I consistently receive full 8-hour runtimes (generally 8am to about 5 pm), indicating me to all six cells remain at relatively equal capacities (albeit in a low-discharge application). Still continuing to receive great performance in my driver, drill, and mini-recip saw. Next up, I have Milwaukee's M12 PEX expander tool lying in wait.
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