New Milwaukee M18 Fuel SURGE Hydraulic Impact Driver 2760-20 UPDATE

Just over a month ago, new Milwaukee M18 Fuel impact driver was spotted on the Home Depot website and it features newer Hydraulic technology which is said to reduce the noise level by 50% while also achieving 3X less vibrations and it’s paired with a brushless motor.

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  • Designed with FLUID-DRIVE Hydraulic Powertrain, which reduces metal-on-metal contact inside tool
  • Increased durability and longer life over standard impact
  • 50% quieter than standard impacts
  • 3X less vibration – smoother performance provides more control and less fatigue
  • Longer sustained torque
  • Available: November 2016

With up to 3X less vibration, the smoother performance of SURGE™ provides more control and creates less fatigue and strain on the user. The exclusive FLUID-DRIVE™ Hydraulic Powertrain design essentially replaces the traditional hammer and anvil mechanism found in standard impacts with a hydraulic mechanism that generates the power necessary to create torque. Because there’s no metal-on-metal contact, the net result is smoother performance, with a decrease in noise and vibration, as well as longer sustained torque.

Milwaukee M18 Fuel Surge

Named the Milwaukee M18 Fuel SURGE Hydraulic Impact Driver 2760-20 with FLUID-DRIVE Hydraulic Powertrain, it offers what seems to be a similar type of hydraulic technology as other oil impulse drivers such as the ones developed by Makita, Hitachi, Ridgid, and now Ryobi.

FLUID-DRIVE hydraulic powertrain reduces metal on metal contact within the tool, delivering quieter operation, smoother performance, and increased durability over a standard impact

 

The new SURGE™ operates 50% quieter than standard impacts, which not only makes it an excellent option for quieter work environments such as maintenance in an occupied building, it also provides inherent hearing benefits. The new tool can be used for an 8 hour day in most common applications while remaining below the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirement for hearing protection.

Overall shape and design looks very familiar to the current Milwaukee M18 Fuel Impact Drivers although a tad bit thicker but of similar length. (UPDATE) Length stats have been provided and it comes in at only 5 inches in length! This is Milwaukee’s most compact impact driver to date, beating out even their ever compact M18 Fuel One Key Impact Driver 2757-20 that comes in at 5.25 inches in length.

Milwaukee M18 Fuel Surge top

Back then the Home Depot page listed the torque stats of the M18 Fuel SURGE at only 450 in-lbs torque. I found this hard to believe as those figures are a bit disappointing but I’ve found out that the Home Depot doesn’t always have correct stats, especially when it comes to new tool releases. (UPDATE) The Home Depot did in fact list the correct torque stats. Milwaukee has informed me that the correct torque for the M18 Surge is in fact 450 in-lbs max torque.

Although 450 in-lbs max torque sounds very disappointing, especially for an 18V impact driver, hydraulic impact drivers produce power differently than traditional impact drivers with emphasis on lower noise. Milwaukee also claims that the 450 in-lbs is sustained torque and they go on to say that “standard impact drivers reach peak torque very quickly but only holds it for a brief period of time.” The difference here with the M18 Fuel Surge is that 450 is sustained torque and according to Milwaukee M18 Fuel Surge “drives small to medium diameter fasteners equal to or faster than a standard impact driver.” This means that we can expect screwdriving speeds to be similar or slightly better than traditional impact drivers.

With faster driving speeds than standard impacts in certain applications, and 450 in/lbs of sustained torque, the new tool delivers unmatched performance.

 

In our testing, users were blown away when we told them this tool had 450 in/lbs of torque because it is common for ¼” impact drivers to have up to 1800 in/lbs,” said Cole Conrad. “The difference is peak torque vs sustained torque. In a standard impact, the tool reaches peak torque very quickly but only holds it for a brief period of time. With the longer sustained torque delivered in SURGE™, peak torque is reached faster and maintained for a longer period of time, allowing it to do the same amount of work at a lower torque rating (see graph below). The result is a superior fastening solution designed specifically for small to medium diameter fasters, which make up the vast majority of applications performed by MEP trades.

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Many features carry over from the latest Milwaukee M18 Fuel impact driver such as the 4 mode drive control which is really 3 selectable speeds (low,medium,high) plus the additional self tapping screw mode. The self tapping screw mode is optimized for driving self tapping screws into metal and makes it easier for the user to install them by increasing initial RPM while the screw is “drilling” then the RPM slows down as the screw is driven to prevent over fastening. It takes out all the guess work of knowing when to go fast and when to slow down.

(UPDATE) When the Milwaukee M18 Fuel SURGE Hydraulic Impact Driver 2760-20 was spotted, it was seen as a baretool only with a retail price of $149. This price is correct and the M18 Fuel Surge will also be available in two kits. A kit with two XC 5.0 batteries charger and case 2760-22 priced at $329 and also with two compact 2.0 batteries, charge, and case 2760-22CT priced at $249. It can also be bought in a 2 tool combo kit with the M18 FUEL™ Hammer Drill 2899-22 and the 2 tool combo kit with the M18 Fuel Drywall Screw Gun 2896-22. The Milwaukee M18 Fuel Surge will be available November 2016.

Specifications:

  • Volts: 18V
  • Chuck: ¼ in. hex
  • Brushless motor
  • 5″ length
  • 4 mode drive control
  • Torque: 450 in-lbs
  • Max Speed: 0-3,000 RPM
  • Max Impacts Per Minute: 0-4000 IPM
  • Weight: 2.3 lb baretool / 3.1 lbs with XC battery


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