Milwaukee has announced new M18 compact brushless drills – a drill/driver (3601) and a hammer drill (3602).
The new Milwaukee cordless drills are said to be designed for the needs and applications of the service trades, as well as the residential electrician, plumber, remodeler, and HVAC technician.
In other words, they’re compact cordless drills for pros and demanding users.
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Milwaukee says that their newest generation of compact brushless drills deliver more capability and faster applications while measuring more than 3/4″ shorter compared to previous generations to improve access in tight applications and reduce fatigue.
Translation: they’re smaller and more powerful.
The new Milwaukee M18 compact brushless drill features a 1/2″ chuck and delivers up to 550 in-lbs max torque.
The 3601 drill measures 5.7″ long, and the 3602 hammer drill 5.8 inches.
Both drills will be available as bare tools and in 2-battery kits. Milwaukee’s product images also show both models in single battery promotional kits, and with other battery sizes (such as the hammer drill with an XC 4Ah battery).
Features & Specs
- 1/2″ keyless chuck
- All-metal chuck and gearcase
- 550 in-lbs max torque
- 0-550/0-1700 RPM
- Length: 5.7″ (drill), 5.8″ (hammer drill
- Weighs 2.3 lbs (tool-only)
- Weighs 3.2 lbs with 2Ah battery
Pricing and Availability
Drill/Driver
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- 3601-20 bare tool – $139
- 3601-21P 1-battery kit – $169
- 3601-22CT – 2-battery kit (2Ah) – $199
Hammer Drill
- 3602-20 bare tool – $149
- 3602-22CT – 2-battery kit (2Ah) – $219
Combo Kit
- 3692-22CT – 2-battery kit (2Ah) with 3601 drill and 3650 impact driver – $239
ETA: August 2023
How do They Compare?
The outgoing compact brushless drill/driver, model 2801, delivers 500 in-lbs max torque and has 0-500 and 0-1800 speed ranges. The new models are slightly faster in the low end (550 vs 500 RPM), and slightly slower in the high end (1700 vs 1800 RPM).
This does have the potential for higher application speeds where higher torque is needed, but also slightly slower low torque high-speed applications. The differences are small enough that we can’t get the full picture from on-paper technical specs.
The compact drill length has been shrunk from 6.5″ to 5.7″, a reduction of about 12.3%. That’s a substantial difference.
It’s also slightly lighter, at 2.3 lbs compared to 2.45 lbs, for new and older tool-only cordless drills, respectively.
We also have for the first time an M18 compact brushless hammer drill. There is a brushless hammer drill (2902) that’s a step down from the M18 Fuel model, but it’s not anywhere as compact as this model. That brushless model delivers 725 in-lbs max torque, measures 7″ long, and weighs 3.05 lbs without battery.
Compared to the 2902, the new 3602 compact brushless hammer drill is not as powerful but is considerably smaller and lighter.
The new model Milwaukee M18 brushless drills also have a new mechanical clutch, for “wider range of torque settings and improved fastening performance.” They also sport a new chuck design for “improved bit retention and increased durability.”
Overall, they look to be quite the upgrade over the outgoing model.
I’m a bit surprised that Milwaukee didn’t follow the trend and call this a subcompact cordless power tool, but its specs seem to do enough talking.
Discussion
To sum things up, Milwaukee is updating their M18 compact brushless drill and launching an all-new compact brushless hammer drill.
The drills deliver a bump-up in max torque, and a faster max low speed and slower max high speed compared to the outgoing model. I feel that the slightly lower max high speed spec is a reasonable tradeoff considering the significant reduction in tool length.
The next-generation M18 cordless drills are looking competitive and compelling. Let’s hope that the singly battery promo kits (3601-21P and potentially 3602-21P) are as attractively priced as the 2801-21P, which typically had a holiday season “special buy” price of $99.
It has been around 5 years since Milwaukee updated their M18 compact brushless drill, and it looks like the wait was worth it.
There are also new impact drivers – we’ll have more on them soon.
Bleo
No mention of any type of electronic wrist protection? That is a feature I’ve been waiting for, seems like many other manufacturers have had this for a while?
Jim Felt
I wonder if Milwaukee’s legal team is more involved with the answer you’ve posed then their obviously talented engineers and marketers?
Stuart
The newest M18 Fuel has anti-kickback.
Is it needed with lower torque cordless drills? I don’t think any brand has anti-kickback protection for their compact/subcompact drills.
Richard
How does the feature work? Does it need an accelerometer or something else that would take up space?
Basically im curious if the answer is “profit margins” or due to some other trade off like not wanting a bigger tool body.
Stuart
Milwaukee didn’t clarify, but it’s sensor based. I haven’t looked too deeply into it yet, but it’s motion based – at least.
Anti-kickback doesn’t require much space given the advancements in accelerometers and gyroscopes in recent years thanks to the smartphone market.
The problem is that if it’s not carefully executed, false positives can infuriate users and less sensitive sensors or settings can still result in injury.
With a lighter duty drill, there might be greater risk of user frustrations due to false positives than injury.
My personal opinion is that if a drill can deliver so much torque it requires an auxiliary handle, there should be an antikickback model option.
To give you an idea as to size, here’s a new Bosch sensor – https://www.bosch-sensortec.com/products/motion-sensors/imus/bmi323/ . It’s a 6-axis IMU that to my understanding measures lateral movement and rotation in x, y, and z directions, plus temperature. It measures 2.5 x 3.0 x 0.83 mm. That’s 6.225 mm^3 or 0.000380 cubic inches.
If it helps you visualize, it’s smaller than a 1/8″ x 1/8″ square that’s 1/32″ thick.
The Bosch BMI323 has a retail cost under $6 for (1) and under $2.50 for (1000).
The compact brushless drill and impact driver have been heavily promoted at aggressive price points during holiday shopping seasons.
It’s easy to point to cost considerations as to why there’s no anti-kickback mechanism, but I really think it’s more of a “does it really need it?” type of consideration.
Richard
Thinking aloud on the cost front
$2.50 per unit plus the electrical engineering work and programming work to incorporate the feature assuming it can fit on a current board and doesn’t need additional wires or a custom PCB.
I worked at GE and if I could have shaved $2.50 off a thousand dollar fridge unit cost that would have been a pretty big deal (though over ten years ago so no clue what inflation reverse adjusted would have meant).
I guess I’m saying that $2.50 might not sound like a lot for a $100+ retail product to a consumer but it seems like a lot from a manufacturers perspective. Though bosch is probably not the cheapest supplier of this part.
I have m12 fuel tools and have never felt they need an anti kickback and I’ve got an m18 sds and I’m really happy it’s got it. So you’ve got a point there too.
Mark M.
I skipped the current gen because the 2704 was such a massive disappointment. In fact that’s the only M18 purchase I’ve ever been completely disappointed with…that thing runs hot, shuts down all the time, just a dog. The hammer drill looks like the upgrade I’ve been waiting for.
Koko The Talking Ape
Stuart: “Compared to the 2902, the new *3603* compact brushless hammer drill is not as powerful…”
Maybe you mean the 3602?
Stuart
Sorry – yes. Thank you – *fixed*.
First came the 2701, then the 2801, now the 3601 and 3602.
Daniel V
Typo: “and delivers up to 550 Ibs max torque.”
Stuart
Thanks! *fixed*
Oops. On the bright side, I don’t think I’ve made that kind of units error before.
OldDominionDIYer
These are going to be winners, lightweight, compact and plenty of power for 95% of jobs. This is cordless drill refinement. I have the big powerful hammer drills and they’re great but I rarely need that kind of power everyday and I prefer not to wield it around all day.
Eric
I’m glad to see Milwaukee seems to be totally ditching the electronic clutch until they figure it out. Hopefully everyone else follows suit.
Collin
New chuck design?
They should just drop their generic no name chuck and go with a Jacobs at the very least.
Matt
This is such a needed update as the Fuel line has creeped up in price. This is perfect for trades that need something compact or a homeowner that doesn’t need a Fuel but also doesn’t want to slum it with Ryobi.
Stuart
I would disagree, about the M18 Fuel drill and impact driver combo creeping up in price.
It seems like the M18 Fuel drill and impact driver combo kit has been on promo non-stop since last fall.
There are no notably freebie promos at the moment, but Home Depot has it for $349 right now, whereas its regular price is $399.
Or at least its regular price is supposed to be $399; I’ve mainly seen it at $349 or $399 with a bonus/freebie offer.
Did the M18 Fuel drill kits themselves creep up in price? I couldn’t tell you; the 2pc combo kit is generally a far better value to where I rarely check the price of the drill-only M18 Fuel kit.
A-A-Ron
I bought the current-gen M18 Fuel drill/impact combo with a Fuel Jigsaw for $349 with a Home Depot promo months ago. Couldn’t pass up the value.
Tom
I like my Fuel hammer drill, but it is awfully heavy and overkill for most jobs. Would have probably gone with this one if it was available when I was in the market… works for 95% of tasks and I should probably grab the SDS for the other 5%. Ergonomics and ability to get in tight spaces looks incredible.
TomD
I love my M12 Fuel; thing does dang near everything I throw it at; rarely do I need to bring out any of the big boys anymore.
NoahG
How do these compare in size to the Makita subcompact set? Cause even thought I’m firmly team red those have always looked attractive.
Rog
I use the Makita subcompact set and love it. They’re light, super comfortable and have always had enough power for everything I’ve thrown at them.
Bobcat
The hammer function is going suck ass the size difference 0.1 how’s there going to be any hammer function every drill driver vs hammer drill of the same kind is usually a 1/2 inch longer
Stuart
Not anymore.
At least a few premium brands have had same or similar size drill and hammer drill/drivers for a couple of years now.
blocky
It seems like quite a feat to me. How is it selected? I checked all 10-12 images on Acme and didn’t gain any insights. I think the hammer icon may have been photo-shopped onto the standard drill.
Stuart
I haven’t seen these in person yet and can’t see it in the images either.
Usually, the hammer mode can be selected via the clutch dial. Cordless drills usually have adjustable torque settings and a drill mode that delivers full power. Many if not most cordless hammer drills have the hammer drill selection as another option on the dial, so you just turn it an extra notch.
Hammer drills that have a separate function selector switch tend to be larger/longer than their cordless drill siblings.