Milwaukee M12 FUEL Brushless Cordless 4-in-1 Installation 3/8 in. Drill Driver 2505-22
Quick Takes
4 interchangeable heads
Inline grip for maximum control
300 in-lbs. of torque
Magnetic bit holder on front of tool
Bright LED to illuminate work area
Flat top of tool allows even tighter access
Right-angle attachment
Belt-clip included
Real Talk
The Milwaukee M12 FUEL 12-Volt Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 4-in-1 Installation 3/8 in. Drill Driver (2505-22) is a compact and ultra-lightweight drill driver. It is purpose built to allow the user access into tighter spots than a standard drill, with it’s slim profile and interchangeable heads you can choose from any of 16 positions to attach a head or combine multiple heads to get into the trickiest of places.
This drill driver has 300 in.-lbs. of torque which will provide plenty of power to drive 4-inch screws into studs, cut holes in cabinets with spade (paddle) bits, and in a pinch even use certain hole saws.
When you first get ahold of the drill driver one of the things that stands out is just how light this tool is. With the included 2.0 Ah battery, this drill driver weighs in at exactly 2 pounds, allowing you to comfortably and easily hold it in those awkward overhead or laying down positions.
There are some noteworthy differences between this drill driver and most standard drills or impact drivers. First, this drill driver has an inline grip, comparable to your standard drywall screw-gun, and not the typical T-handle grip which locates your hand below the chuck/collet rather than directly behind. What is accomplished by positioning the users’ hand inline with the chuck/collet is added precision and extra control transferred to the workpiece. Rather than holding the drill driver as you would a standard drill or impact driver and using your index finger to depress the trigger, I highly recommend you shift your hand upward, put the butt of the drill driver into the depth of your thumb “pocket” (does anyone actually call it that? look at the pictures and you’ll understand what I’m struggling to describe) then use your middle finger to depress the trigger.
This grip will also allow you to more easily deal with the second difference with this tool: the location of the direction control. This feature has been the topic of several debates online, some people can overlook it and for others it’s a deal breaker. Rather than designing this tool with a physical switch to change direction as most drills and impact drivers have, Milwaukee decided to put an electronic direction control on the top of the drill driver. While it takes some getting used to, it’s honestly not terrible. If you can get comfortable holding the drill driver as if it were a drywall screw-gun and depressing the trigger with your middle finger rather than index finger, then you will positioned in such a way to easily tap the direction control with your thumb, and avoid any significant slow-downs.
The four interchangeable heads, a 3/8” Chuck, Offset Driver, ¼” Hex, and Right Angle, included with this tool deserve mention as well. The ability to use multiple heads simultaneously provides a great number of combinations and angles to accomplish almost unlimited access. Additionally, one small thing I really like is that the permanent chuck on the drill driver body is magnetic, which allows you to quickly throw a 1/4” hex driver into it and it will stay in place for you to drive your fastener home. For example, there have been situations where I have a drill bit in the 3/8” Chuck to pre-drill for a screw, pop the 3/8” Chuck off, and without needing to attach another head I can throw in my driver and drive the screw in. Making it even easier to work through the above situation is the magnetic bit holder on the front of the drill driver, which keeps your drivers (or fasteners) close at hand and readily accessible regardless of where you are working.
Additional Features
Battery life indicator on side of tool
In-line grip for increased control and precision
Pricing
As of writing this, you can pick up the bare tool for $179.99, or as a kit with a charger and (2) 2.0 Ah batteries included for $229.99.
What’s Missing
Stability. The most glaring issue with this drill driver, at least in my opinion, is the stability of the tool when it’s set down upright, the tool will tip over left-to-right much more easily than your standard drill or impact driver it will even tip over more easily than other manufacturers’ designs of this same style installation driver. Picture this: you are a cabinet installer, you’re working in a nearly finished home or perhaps in a remodel, the floors are installed and you’re working with painted or stained cabinets. You wouldn’t want to lay your drill driver down on it’s side and risk the drill bit or driver scratching the paint or floors, so you stand it upright (also making it easier to pick back up) but the first nudge of your hand, or elbow or anything else, will tip this little guy right over and then you’ve probably made a bigger scratch than you would’ve initially. I know what you’re thinking- “Well, I’ll just use the 4.0 or 6.0 XC Extended Capacity batteries with the drill because they have a wider base and then it’ll be more stable!” While you’re right about the battery base providing additional left-to-right stability, you’ve now lost all frontward stability because the tool is shorter than the battery is. A simple fix that I hope Milwaukee will include on a newer version of the tool would be to either, A) widen the base of the tool in each direction to allow better stability with the included 2.0 Ah compact batteries, or B) extend the height of the tool to accommodate the larger XC batteries. Third party (3D printing) companies have already come up with a solution for this, but it feels like something that Milwaukee should’ve accounted for and perhaps designed a simple slide in/out stand that friction grips within the Magnetic Bit Holder recess.
Final Takeaways
The Milwaukee M12 FUEL 12-Volt Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 4-in-1 Installation 3/8 in. Drill Driver (2505-22) is an excellent tool for anyone who anticipates working in awkward positions or tight spaces. It won’t replace your standard cordless drill for larger applications (i.e-3” hole saws) however it will certainly provide you quick and easy installation of pre-finished products or access to spots that you would otherwise need specialty drivers and bits for. You can be the judge as to whether or not this style of tool will be a useful addition to your arsenal, however for me it has been a wonderful purchase!
