Milwaukee M12 Subcompact Brushless Drill Review

In February we learned that Milwaukee was releasing 2 new M12 Subcompact Brushless tools – a drill and impact driver and here’s the review on that new drill driver. Let’s check it out below.

Make sure to also check out my review on the matching M12 Subcompact Brushless impact driver by clicking here.

Boring Legal Stuff. Milwaukee sent me these at no cost to me and are not paying me to write a positive review. These are my thoughts and I will do my best to provide both the good and bad. If you purchase through a link on this site, we may get a share of the sale.

Milwaukee M12 Subcompact Brushless Impact Driver 3450-20 Review

Size & Weight

Manufacturers continue shrinking 18V power tools with the “Subcompact” category and have been making these 18V tools the size of 12 volt tools. Compact size and weight has always been the main reason for 12 volt tools in the first place, so what is a brand like Milwaukee supposed to do with their 12V tools? Well shrink their 12 volt tools even further. And thus they have with their latest M12 subcompact brushless drill and impact driver.

Milwaukee somehow found a way to shrink these 12 volt tools even further, and this little guy is a puny 5.4 inches according to Milwaukee. I measured it and it comes out to 5-5/16″ (front to back length) not including the handle and battery pack that protrudes the back a bit because of the angle it’s in. The tiny size and length will no doubt help it fit into tighter spaces where larger tools could only dream of. That and you can stuff a small tool bag with more 12 volt tools.

The size is amazingly compact! Above we see it compared to the M18 Fuel Gen 3 hammer drill for a size comparison. Now, the M18 Fuel Gen 3 hammer drill isn’t large by any means, but it does stand head and shoulders above the tiny M12, even with a compact battery pack.

Even compared to another crazy compact tool – the M12 Fuel Gen 2 hammer drill (which was unbelievably compact at the time it came out) the new M12 Subcompact brushless is still the new compact drill king.

Size & Weight Continued

Above we see a head to head length comparison against the mighty Gen 3 M18 Fuel hammer drill. Here we can see a massive size difference. And let’s not forget that the M18 Fuel is still considered a compact drill.

And directly compared to another super compact tool, the Gen 2 M12 Fuel hammer drill mentioned earlier, the length difference between the two is still great. Milwaukee hit it out of the park here by shrinking the new M12 Subcompact Brushless drill to a compact size that seemed impossible.

And no matter how small M18 tools shrink, they still can’t touch the lower weight found on 12 volt tools. This little drill weighs in at 2 lbs with a compact battery installed (according to Milwaukee). I weighed it in at 1 lbs and 15.9 ounces meaning Milwaukee’s recorded weight is pretty accurate. The low weight makes it easier to wield, especially for longer periods before fatigue starts to set in. The lower weight also makes it perfect and easier for overhead work. This drill is the go-to if you need a lightweight tool for all day use.

Though it’s very light, it does have some heft to it. The best way I can describe it is that it feels heavier than it looks, in a good surprising way. All while being way lighter and smaller than 18V tools.

Features

Now let’s move on to the features. Starting with the business end, this drill has a premium 3/8″ metal ratcheting chuck. It’s not uncommon for even pro brand drills to use plastic chucks, however one thing I like about Milwaukee is their dedication to Heavy Duty. No, I’m not talking about destroying the bathroom, but their tools are built heavy duty. And this commitment shows in their choosing to supply their drills with a solid metal chuck. Including this tiny drill which is equipped with a solid metal ratcheting chuck. And the ratcheting mechanism is solid with a nice sturdy click to it and plenty of grip. I had no issues and no bit slipping, even with round bits, it held on tight.

Below the chuck we find an LED light with afterglow. This means it stays lit for a few seconds after releasing the trigger. It has average brightness and is good enough. We also see the belt clip in the back and can be placed on both sides. You also find rubber bumpers on both sides to protect delicate surfaces when you set the tool down, but are only useful on the side without the belt clip.

Below the light we find the variable speed trigger. Just behind the trigger is the forward/reverse button with lock function in the center. The lock function is great for when storing in a tool bag so the tool doesn’t activate during transport. And behind the chuck we find the torque and mode select collar.

Features Continued:

It has 13 selectable torque limiting settings that use a mechanical clutch. The torque limiting clutch limits the amount of torque the drill delivers. This is useful for when you need to set screws flush consistently. The lower the number means less torque is provided before the clutch kicks in and prevents from driving any further.

Or you can select the drill mode icon which provides you with the full torque of this drill. Use this for drilling or when driving larger fasteners like lags when you need all the torque this drill offers.

On the top of the drill, we find the 4 bar fuel gauge. Milwaukee M12 batteries don’t have fuel gauges so the fuel gauge must be on the tool itself. This is standard fare for all M12 tools. It’s a two speed drill with speed 1 for high torque and low speed and the speed 2 setting for high speed but with less torque. Speed-1 is 0-450 and speed-2 is 0-1550 no load RPM’s respectively.

Continued

The handle is ergonomic thanks to the slimmed down section at the top of the handle which better fits the web of your hand between the thumb and pointer finger. You find plenty of rubber overmolding around the handle for comfort and grip. Though not as much overmolding as you’d find on their Fuel models.

The rubber overmolding continues to the rear of the tool. I also really like that the back of the tool is flat which makes it easy to rest flat on its back. And the back makes it clear that this is a brushless motor power tool.

Brushless is better than a brushed motor because there are no brushes to replace so less maintenance and longer life. Brushless motors are also more efficient meaning they help tool brands make smaller more powerful tools and while using less battery than similar performing brushed motor tools.

Performance

Now on to the part you’ve all been waiting for – its performance! This drill is crazy tiny but it also packs a punch. Thanks to its brushless motor, it’s rated at 350 in-lbs of torque, Speed-1 at 0-450 RPM and Speed-2 at 0-1,550 RPM.

So how do those paper stats translate to the real world? Let me demonstrate that for you my friend. Please check out the video below which shows what this little guy is capable of.

This drill as a kit comes with compact 2.0ah batteries. That’s what Milwaukee supplied me with and that’s what I tested it out with but as you will see in the video, there were times I used an XC 6.0ah battery to see if I could squeeze more performance out of the tool.

As you can see in the above video, this little guy is capable of quite a bit. Possibly more than its tiny size would suggest.

Driving Performance

This performance test consisted of driving fasteners from 3 inch all purpose screws, to a couple of 5/16″ lags in 2 and 3-1/2″ inch lengths. The 3 inch screws were handled well and the 2 inch lag was handled with confidence and able to complete it in one go. What I mean was that the overload protection didn’t kick in before the lag was fully seated. I also want to mention that none of the fasteners had any pre-drill pilot holes. This was to test this drills raw performance. Pre-drilling not only makes it easier for drills to drive fasteners, but it also prevents wood from splitting at the grain.

Driving the longest 3-1/2 inch lag made this little drill work hard to get it done. Though it was strong enough to get most of the lag seated before the overload protection kicked in. Quality power tools have overload protection. This detects when the motor is being strained and kicks in to stop the motor from getting burned out. Overload protection on different brands and tools differs in strength and some are more intrusive than others.

Many people believe that a larger battery will provide better performance, and while this is true to an extent, the difference is usually minor. So I retried the test with a larger XC 6.0ah battery pack to see if this little drill could do better. It did about the same and the overload protection kicked in before the lag could be fully set. So no, the larger battery didn’t provide a magical boost of performance.

Driving performance is well suited for light duty fasteners. It can handle the occasional light duty lag up to 5/16×2″ even without pilot holes, but best to pre-drill pilot holes if you intend to run light duty lags.

Drilling Performance – Speed 2

For the drilling tests, I used a mixture of Diablo Speed Demon spade bits and Irwin Speedbor Max bits as well as a brad point and twist bits sprinkled in. In the past, I would use Bosch DareDevil spade bits however they weren’t available in store so I went with the Diablo speed demons.

The first drilling test was drilling with a 3/8″ brad point bit followed by a 1/2″ twist bit. I started the drilling tests in the high speed, speed 2 setting. This little drill handled both well and without a hiccup.

The next test was drilling using a 1/2″ Speed Demon spade. It started the attempt with confidence then started to slow and struggle before the hole was done. But before the hole could be finished, the overload protection kicked in to protect the motor. The overload protection kicked in twice more before finally finishing the hole. I was surprised this drill couldn’t finish this 1/2″ hole using this bit at high speed, speed 2.

Other drills rated for 350 in-lbs that I’ve tried before had no problem with this test on speed-2 – even with larger bits on speed-2. So I thought, maybe the smaller compact 2ah battery was the culprit. So I redid the test but with the larger XC 6ah battery and got a similar result with the overload protection kicking in several times before it finished the hole.

Drilling Performance Continued – Speed 1

Of course this drill can still handle that 1/2″ Speed Demon spade bit and larger while on the slower but high torque speed 1 setting. So that’s what we did moving forward. Next was the 5/8″ Speedbor Max, then a 3/4″ Speed Demon, and lastly a 1″ Speed Demon spade.

Drilling with the 5/8″ Speedbor Max and the 3/4″ Speed Demon were just as expected. It handled them with confidence on the slower high torque speed 1 setting.

Things took a turn on the 1″ Speed Demon spade test in 2×4 lumber. It drilled most of the hole ok until it got to the end where the motor stalled several times before the hole could be completed. It did finish the hole but not without the overload protection kicking in several times.

A drill rated at 350 in-lbs of torque should be able to handle this on high torque Speed-1. So I tried the test again with an XC 6ah battery. And achieved a similar result. It was able to complete the hole but again the overload protection kicked in several times. Anytime the overload protection kicks in, it means that the tool has reached its limit. And a 1 inch Speed Demon spade was more than this little drill could handle.

Drilling Performance Speed 1 Continued

My testing didn’t end there, as I brought the Milwaukee M12 Fuel Gen 2 hammer drill out of retirement. The Gen 2 M12 Fuel hammer drill is also rated at 350 in-lbs of torque so it would be interesting to compare the performance between the two. So I ran the same test with the same 1″ Speed Demon spade bit and 6ah battery. The M12 Fuel was able to complete the hole in one go. This drill also has overload protection but it did not interfere with this test.

So even though Milwaukee rates the torque for their latest M12 Subcompact Brushless at 350 in-lbs, it does not match the performance of their far older M12 Fuel Gen 2 hammer drill which is also rated at 350 in-lbs of torque.

Drilling performance is well suited for light duty drilling – slow and steady. It’s capable of drilling up to 3/4″ inch holes.

Price

This drill is available now and is priced at $119 as a baretool, $149 as a 2-battery kit, and $199 as a 2-tool combo kit with the matching subcompact brushless drill.

Conclusion

I can’t think of any other drill of any voltage class that’s more compact than this one. At 5-5/16″ inches in length, I think Milwaukee just outdid everyone else out there. And by a considerable margin. And while the latest 18 volt subcompact tools not only creeping into 12 volt size territory, they were in some ways making 12 volt tools irrelevant. However Milwaukee’s latest M12 subcompact brushless tools not only prove that 12 volt tools are still relevant, but they are the superior option if you need an ultra compact and lower-weight tool with more than enough huevos to get the job done.

Performance is inline with what we can traditionally expect from a Pro brand 12 volt tool, though not as powerful as one rated at 350 in-lbs of torque. It’s perfect at light duty drilling and driving where 18V performance is overkill, and compact size and lower weight are preferred. In fact the performance coming out of this little drill will surprise you. As it performs better than it’s puny size would suggest!

Pros:

Incredibly Compact – Class leading short length (front to back) of 5-5/16″
- fits into tighter spaces than larger tools
Low weight with battery pack at 2 lbs
- for less fatigue
Premium build quality with metal ratcheting chuck

Cons:

Performance doesn’t match what other drills rated at 350-in-lbs of torque are capable of

MNFR Specs:

Volts: 12V
Torque: 350 in-lbs.
RPM: 0-1550
Tool Length: 5.4”
Tool Weight (With Battery): 2.0 lbs.

Kit Includes: (3401-22) – $149

3401-20 M12™ Subcompact Brushless ⅜” Drill Driver
(2) M12™ REDLITHIUM™ CP2.0 Ah Battery Pack
M12™ Charger
Contractor Bag

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Milwaukee M12 Subcompact Brushless Drill 3450-20 Review