Milwaukee Shrinks 12V With New M12 Brushless Subcompact Brushless Drill & Impact Driver

12 Volt power tools have always been known for being compact and much smaller than 18 volt, but with 18V tools shrinking to the point of their subcompact models being as small as 12 volt tools, what can brands do to differentiate 12v tools from like-size 18 volts? Milwaukee’s answer is to fight back and shrink their 12V tools even further with an all new M12 subcompact brushless drill and impact driver. Let’s check them out below.

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Milwaukee M12 subcompact brushless Drill & impact driver

Milwaukee isn’t messing around with these two new 12v releases. Their focus is on size and weight with up to an inch shorter than the competition and up to a 1/2 lb lighter than the competition in the 12 volt segment. Above you can see both side by side and these are tiny!



Milwaukee M12 Subcompact Brushless 3/8″ Drill Driver 3401-20

Drills have been shrinking and if they can keep their length down to the six inch range, they are considered compact or even subcompact. Milwaukee’s latest M12 drill breaks under the 6 inch barrier with this new M12 Subcompact brushless drill measuring in at 5.4 inches in length! Dang that’s tight! It’s also 2.0 lbs with a compact battery pack making it very light as well. Just for a comparison, their M12 Fuel drill and M12 3/8″ brushed drills are about 2.1 lbs without battery. This new model with a battery installed is lighter than the other two without!

So what did they compromise to keep it so compact and light? Let’s see. The chuck is not plastic and is a metal chuck. Many brands skimp out here, even some of the pro brands, but not Milwaukee. Maybe they reduced torque performance? Nope, it has a top performance with 350 in-lbs of torque. Sure their latest M12 Fuel drills have 400 in-lbs but 350 in-lbs is still top notch for the 12V segment. Milwaukee’s 1st and 2nd M12 Fuel drills were also both 350 in-lbs of torque. So Milwaukee isn’t compromising on power.



All other features are there like a two speed transmission and torque select collar. A battery fuel gauge is also seen on top for battery charge status and a trusty belt clip on the side. The only compromise I can see if you want to call it that, is the chuck is 3/8″ instead of 1/2″. However that’s not a big deal in my book. A larger chuck can fit larger shank bits but you’d want more power to drive those anyway so not really a loss.

Milwaukee probably could fit a 1/2″ chuck but that might make it a tad bit longer for not any practical gains and also to keep it as light as possible. We also have to remember that they put the best of the best on their FUEL badged tools and this ain’t a FUEL drill.

I like that Milwaukee listens to my criticisms to better improve their products. For example, I always thought that raising the RPM’s on drills was not only unnecessary but also impact performance negatively. And because of that they’ve kept the max RPM on this at 1,550 RPM which is a nice balance for speed and torque. I’d still prefer if they could go down to around 1,200-1,300 RPM for even stronger torque at high(ish) speed. Either that or a triple or quadriple speed transmission. This option would allow for even higher RPM while still having middle speeds for better torque at high speed. Dewalt and Fein have done it and thus so can Milwaukee.

One thing that’s missing about this drill is that it doesn’t have a hammer drill option, which I thought was weird. But I suppose you can get a hammer drill in their brushed model or their Fuel option.

This new M12 subcompact brushless drill will launch April 2025 and will be priced at $119 as a baretool and $149 as a kit.

Features:

  • 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



Milwaukee M12 Subcompact Brushless 1/4″ Impact Driver 3450-20

Milwaukee M12 subcompact brushless impact driver

The new M12 subcompact brushless impact driver is also ridiculously compact and light at 4.3 inches in length and 1.7 lbs weight with a compact battery installed!

Performance are still pretty good. Torque is rated at 1,100 in-lbs of torque which is still in the upper range for the 12V segment. Still the latest FUEL impact commands with 1,500 in-lbs which humbles this model but 1,100 is still higher than most 12V impacts. Milwaukee’s brushed motor M12 impact is rated at 1,000 in-lbs and neither are as compact as this model.

Milwaukee M12 subcompact brushless impact driver

Again, this model isn’t part of their FUEL range so it doesn’t get all their best features. Such as you won’t find multiple speeds or a LED light ring behind the chuck. This model has the more traditional LED light under the chuck and single speed (variable speed trigger). Milwaukee also doesn’t make any mention of the chuck having single hand bit insertion so it probably requires both hands to insert and remove bits.

Milwaukee M12 subcompact brushless impact driver

It still hard to believe how compact both this impact and their drill are. This no doubt helps them to fit into tighter spaces and their even lighter weight will no doubt help with long work days with less arm fatigue and make them perfect for overhead work.



This new M12 subcompact brushless impact driver will launch April 2025 and will be priced at $119 as a baretool and $149 as a kit.

Milwaukee will also offer a 2-tool combo kit featuring both M12 subcompact brushless tools and is priced at $199.

  • Volts: 12V
  • Torque: 1100 in-lbs.
  • RPM: 0-3000
  • IPM: 0-4100
  • Tool Length: 4.3”
  • Tool Width: 2.0”
  • Tool Weight (With Battery): 1.7 lbs.

Kit Includes: (3450-22) – $149

  • 3450-20 M12™ Subcompact Brushless ¼” Hex Impact Driver
  • (2)  M12™ REDLITHIUM™ CP2.0 Ah Battery Pack
  • M12™ Charger
  • Contractor Bag


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