Milwaukee Tool is soon launching next-generation Shockwave impact-rated screwdriver bits, which they say provides “the ultimate fit for a superior driving experience.”
Impact-rated screwdriver bits have come a long way, and have become the standard for use with both cordless drills and impact drivers.
I’ve lost track of how many iterations of improvements Milwaukee has made to their Shockwave line of screwdriver bits and accessories.
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With the latest improvements, Milwaukee says the new bits will feature a brand new, customized tip geometry that leads to less stripping of screws on the jobsite.
This, plus what they said about “ultimate fit” implies that the goal was improved fastener engagement.
The new bits will also feature a long lasting Wear Guard Tip, providing increased wear resistance, protecting the fit over the life of the bit.
Also, the optimized Shockzone shanks are customized per tip type to absorb peak torque and prevent breaking.
Product images in the press package suggests that Milwaukee is updating both 1″ insert-style screwdriver bits and 2″ and longer power drive-style screwdriver bits.
Milwaukee also announced new Shockwave 4″ and 6″ impact-rated screw-holding bit holders, designed to securely hold screws for easy one-handed fastening.
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The bit holders have a ring magnet on the front of a sliding sleeve. Both have a Shockzone shank for absorbing peak torque to prevent breaking.
All of the new products are expected to launch in Q2, 2025. Milwaukee has not issued any statements about pricing.
Generally, the way a generational change like this happens, products are updated and replaced over time. I assume that model numbers won’t be changing.
I’d say that we’ll probably see sets featuring the new Shockwave impact bits hit stores in time for Father’s Day sales.
Philip+Proctor
New marketing on driver bits every year.
Stuart
Every brand introduces rolling improvements every couple of years. And look how far impact-rated bits have come because of it. Iteration and improvements are a good thing.
The question is whether there are meaningful improvements or not. New tip geometries sound good to me. I buy Shockwave bits because they’re convenient and economical, but they don’t have the best engagement fit. It sounds like the latest improvements are intended to improve the fit.
David R
If someone could invent a bit, especially actual drill bits that made it simple to read thr size after they’ve been used in the field for a few months, they’d corner the market. A well used t-25 looks a lot like a t-20 for instance and the black dewalt drill bits might as well be labeled with a pencil. I use the milwaukee bits a ton, probably have at least 8 cases of them and my #1 complaint is how hard it can be to get some of the bits out of the case.
Stuart
Some use paint markers or similar for filling in impact socket sizes, but I haven’t seen any guaranteed way to improve size readability on drill bits.
As for cases, Milwaukee’s Packout-compatible accessories cases, which replaced their previous style, have much better bit slots.
Bdub
If I have 2 or 3 bits I’m switching back and forth with I just put different color shrink tube on them. Works well for hex, torx, and square bits when you have a couple different fasteners in play.
Skylar
GRK bits are color-coded from T10-T40. Once you get used to the colors it becomes second nature to grab the right size.
I’ve been impressed enough with their longevity and the time savings from not having to search for the right size more than makes up for the cost.
Joel
I have GRK T-25 (green) bits that are literally more than 20 years old. I used ’em hard then they sat around for a while, so they really only have……call it………..maybe 5 years of hard use. I’m also careful and know how to use my tools, but these bits are amazing compared to all others I’ve used.
Dave G
You are so right, especially drill bits. Trying to remove a drill bit is a cut hazard, the flutes have sharp edges.
Bonnie
The problem, to my eyes, is simply that Torx requires too many minute different bit sizes. I’d hazard most T-25 screws would perform just fine with a T-20 recess.
Scott F
Can’t use my M18 fuel impact driver on level 3 with T25s, I stripped several bits learning that (but not screw heads). Haven’t tried again in several years, my driver just lives permanently on mode 2.
Hopefully this iteration solves that.
Rog
Maybe I’m naive and/or skeptical but, how many different ways can this simple item be “continually improved”?
John E
For as long as you have money to spend.
Adam
Every time they seem to have improved “geometry.” I get perhaps maybe finding a better Philips make out of R&D, or wishful thinking they start to add laser etching (unlikely on disposable bits), but has a T25 changed that I’m unaware of?
Which bits really got the improved treatment, aside from the better material or torsion zone?
Andrew
Ever since buying a Wera Advent calendar that came with a bunch of bits, I’m a firm believer that bits can be improved.
High quality buits are a great first line of defense against stripped screws.
Jared
I wonder how much interplay there is between bit and driver development.
I.e. Does one Milwaukee division just concentrate on making the fastest, most-powerful impact driver they can – then another works on making bits that can survive it? Or does impact driver development take into consideration what it will do to the bits?
I’m wondering because, it terms of torque transfer obviously thicker and shorter bits would translate the forces better – but I realize they don’t do that on purpose because it would risk snapping the bit ends or stripping screw heads. You don’t WANT all the force to transfer. Instead we have “torsion zones” intended to absorb those impacts – but its still robbing some of the force.
I’m not saying it could be better. For one, Milwaukee doesn’t know you’ll use Milwaukee-branded bits in your Milwaukee impact driver. Just curious if say, you could design an impact driver to work better with solid 1/4″ hex bits that didn’t taper.
Champs
As a Milwaukee user jealous of various DeWalt quality-of-life features like the impact collet and OMT lever, I’d be in the market for that holder. That said…
“I assume that model numbers won’t be changing.”
Now and then, I would buy a specific Milwaukee SKU for a drill index that had been updated to three-flat bits and a Packout-compatible case. Almost two years later, even the big orange store showed updates of that update but was still selling the old product.
Maybe I’ll see these in 2028.
Stuart
Torsion zones absorb excess torque that would otherwise lead to bit tip or fastener damage.
Such impact-rated screwdriver bits have only been around for 12-15 years, aligning with the increased popularity of impact drivers.
Can you design an impact driver that works with thicket 1/4″ hex bits with less risk of breakage? Hydraulic impact drivers have a flatter impulse curve.
For this generation, it seems that tip fitment was the primary improvement.
It could be fair to say that breakage is far less of a concern today than it used to be.
There have also been improvements in case designs and retail packaging where you can now grab the size you need at a glance.
One thing we’ve learned over the years is that users want a do-it-all it. They want to use the same screwdriver bit in their impact driver, drill, hand tools, and they want to use the same bit for most applications.
Milwaukee’s Matrix Carbide bits were designed to deliver high wear resistance in applications where wear was a mode of failure. Users were using them in hard joint applications, which was beyond the scope of their design, and the bits were breaking.
https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/milwaukee-shockwave-matrix-carbide-impact-screwdriver-bits/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
These are consumables, and the type that most tool users don’t want to have to think about.
The goal, in my opinion, hasn’t been to make the best bits possible in a technical sense, but to make for the most forgettable and frustration-free user experience, and at impulse-buy pricing.
Jared
That makes sense. I certainly don’t match my bits to my impact drivers either.
I’m not advocating that it be done differently, just observing that it leads to bit designs that have to absorb some of the energy rather than maximize it.
It just makes me wonder if it could have gone the other way – your example of a hydraulic impact driver is a good one. Maybe we’d see other approaches, perhaps more frequent but lighter impacts for example, if the emphasis was in making sure the tool worked well with the bits instead of designing bits to compensate for the tool.
A W
A decade ago, I needed to drive some 4″ screws and I had some DeWalt bits that kept snapping, usually on the face of the bit. I’ve never had a Milwaukee bit fail on me, but they do sometimes strip, so improving the fit sounds good.
JR Ramos
Let’s see how they fare – for now it sounds like primarily marketing-speak but hopefully they got some more durable metal that doesn’t deform so easily *and* that also doesn’t break randomly….i.e. “tough.”
“Wear Guard” tip…? What is this, a coating? Or are they referring to some tempering. If the former, give me a darn break…BS.
My all time favorites have been the US made ACR ribbed phillips bits…available under a number of brand names for many years but are now scarce in retail. Bosch used to be reliable and I snapped up a lot of Vermont American ones when they started shifting/disappearing, but I’ve used up most of those now. The Makita silver bits have been great, as well as Wera (generally…not all of them).
Couple weeks ago I decided to go ahead and order some Zephyr ACR bits…..Zoro has them in smaller quantities and if you hunt around the pricing is fair…the durability and fit/grip is unsurpassed, though, so they’re worth a little more and worth using. If you’re not familiar with their bits then you need to get familiar by browsing their offerings before ordering, especially if you want impact rated. The 5-packs of #2 phillips I got were about $6 before the 20% discount and these have that great round reduced shaft instead of hex all the way. Back in the day Milwaukee packaged these bits for sale but those days are long gone.
Not sure I’ll even bother to give Milwaukee screw bits another chance, honestly. Here’s a great idea for them….start making those in the US again or rebadge the Zephyr bits again.
Al
Are there common OEMs for these style bits? The logo has moved to a heat-shrink label in the recess for Bosch, Makita, Milwaukee, Hercules (HFT) . Smarter design than etching.
I think Dewalt and Ryobi are using a color band for identity.
fred
How bits fit, hold and wear can be important. I suppose if the bit is too hard it night shatter or tear up the fastener. Too soft – it will wear and perhaps leave detritus behind. n our production environment we selected bits fit specific applications. Sometimes SS bits – so that any microscopic flakes left behind would not result in rust. We sometimes tried diamond-coated bits – but I’m not sure that we reached any hard and fast conclusions. Instead, we often bought Apex bits in bulk and scrapped each bit after so many drive cycles. In some cases, we’d scrap a bit after each fastener was seated. In some environments – bits were cheap compared to a rejected assembly due to observed fastener wear.
I’d chuckle when I’d compare that experience across our other businesses. Over the years of visiting job siters, I’d find that our carpenters were somewhat fussy – but would try to extend bit life. Some of our plumbers, however, would cuss and swear at bits long after they should have scrapped them.
I have noticed that it’s not only bits but fasteners too that change over time. Subtle or not-so-subtle changes in screw drive recess geometry – and perhaps materials, plating or heat treatment may also suggest changes in bits. OMG Inc.’s Fasten Master screws come to mind – with their introduction of Torx Ttap.
KokoTheTalkingApe
So interesting. I assume you are talking just about Phillips bits. Have square or Torx bits lasted longer in your experience?
fred
Yes – although my last sentence is talking about a Torx style (Ttap) that is meant to provide better engagement. There are also Torx-Plus and Torx-Align styles meant to be improvements.
Over the years and clients, we had to deal with many different drive styles – cross points or otherwise. Some (like Frearson) have mostly disappeared from use. Others like B.N.A.E. – will still be seen on aircraft assemblies made in places like Toulouse. The original Phillips design was supposedly meant to have its driver cam-out to prevent over-torquing. If that isn’t just an urban legend – then it should be no surprise that bits pop out of screw heads
Regarding square (Robertson) and Torx drives – I suspect that they were designed to improve on the shortcomings of slotted and cross-point drive styles. I have no statistics – but I suspect that many of the square-drive screws and bits that our carpenters scrapped were because of inattention (misalignment or poor engagement) when driving with impact drivers. We certainly replaced Ph2 bits at a rate that far exceeded anything else.
Andrew
The Philips ‘designed for cam out’ is a tenacious urban myth.
The original Philips screw patent emphasises firm engagement of the screw to the driver as a key design feature, with no mention of cam out
The diminishing number of people who have turned a traditional slotted screw, versus a Philips, will know the pain of the screwdriver slipping out and marring the workpiece. And the extra time in finding the initial alignment between the driver and screw, again with extra risk of damage.
Imagine those effects on an early mass production line, like Ford.
Finally, many modern automated assembly lines use Torx, specifically because control of the fastener and lower wear are attractive. ‘Cam out’ is lack of control.
I wonder where the phrase, and story, originated.
fred
Thanks.y
I always wondered if it was myth or had even a modicum of truth. Maybe it started from someone noticing a propensity for cam-out and then attributing the issue to a design feature. Sort of like some early PC software when the developer/marketer would claim that a bug was actually a “feature” – but then quietly eliminate that feature in version 1.01.
It is also interesting that when I just Google’d it – I got this citation:
“Are Phillips heads designed to cam-out?
As already mentioned, Phillips head screws prevent camming out – but if too much torque is applied, it will slip out, and it’s designed to do that. The reason: this prevents a power tool from twisting off the screw head. Keep in mind that removing a stripped Phillips head screw is incredibly difficult.Nov 15, 2023”
fred
I should have also mentioned that I have built my fair share of reproduction furniture to emulate pieces created by master cabinet makers if the 18th and 19th centuries. I may cheat by way of using modern power tools – but for visible features like brasses I stay consistent with old-style slotted head brass screws. I may drill tapered pilot holes, and or use a same-size steel Philips screw to prepare the hole – and beeswax to lubricate the final drive – but stick with slotted brass to be consistent with the illusion. Of course, at my skill level (or lack thereof) no one would confuse anything I’ve built over the years with a Duncan Phyfe.
Stuart
@Andrew After digging into a couple of patents, it seems you are 100% correct.
https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/truth-about-phillips-screws/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
@Fred, there’s no mention of slip-out. The original patents discuss that the positive engagement is intended to help reduce cam-out and the marring associated with it. There are numerous references to power drivers, with “wedged engagement” an intentional feature and benefit.
@Andrew, there’s a lot of commentary and opinions out there, but the original patents are the only primary sources I could find. They’re very clear about the inventor’s intent.
Andrew
Feb 12, 2025
https://obportland.org/the-cursed-phillips-screw/
A good history. Be interested in the primary sources.
Note that Ford tried to get the Robertson drive first…. Not famed for ‘Camming Out’.
Strange that ‘it’s easier to positively locate the driver quickly in the screw’ seems to have lost to ‘cams out ‘
Also…. Were slots on screws ever standardised? I doubt it. Philips was.
Fred, good work on the brass screws and furniture building. Watch for that screwdriver slipping out 😉
fred
@Andrew
Slotted-head brass screws are not only prone to damage from drivers slipping in the slot – but also breakage from over torquing. Driving them into pine is fairly easy – but hardwood like oak requires hole preparation. Having a good variety of screwdrivers (even gunsmith screwdrivers) and bits to choose from helps in getting a good fit between screw slot and driver. Driving brass screws is not an application for impact drivers – and while I sometimes use my M12 2401 to run in batches of longer screws – both starting and final tightening is always by hand.
Andrew
Yes indeed @Fred. If they’re traditional cut (as opposed to rolled) threads, they should ideally be piloted, counterbored, and countersunk.
MM
@Andrew
Regarding your statement Strange that ‘it’s easier to positively locate the driver quickly in the screw’ seems to have lost to ‘cams out ‘
I think this is easily explained. The average person doesn’t work on an assembly line and thus the speed at which you can locate a driver in the recess doesn’t really cross their mind. It’s just not a concern they have reason to think about. On the other hand, everybody who has used Phillips bits has probably encountered cam-out. That cam-out may be unintentional but it still happens. Combine that with the fact that some other screw recess designs are less prone to camout than Phillips and it’s easy to develop the mistaken idea that Phillips is intended to cam out.
eddiesky
I never use an impact on screw fasteners unless they are lags (or rated as such) or bolts. So many drywall screw heads I see snapped…wrong driver! And that magnetic bit holder in the image? Used one in an impact-rated driver…magnet broke out.
All this depends on use and metallurgy. If you have to use an impact driver on a screw, understand you might never get that screw out. The stress on the head and neck are real.
Now, how can Milwaukee improve on bits like Shockwave? Did they make cuts in the tip like Wiha has to “hold” fasteners? Tip Geometry? I still scratch my head on some bits just fit great and others have “bit” of play, or others are so strong they are like a drill to the cheap fastener metal (is it really metal? shred like plastic!)…
David R
I never use phillips bits in an impact. They just don’t engage enough for the speed of an impact. Outside of drywall screws, I try to avoid phillips in general. Torx is great though the constant swapping between t-15,20, and 25 gets old. For me, there is nothing quite as satisfying as a good combo head. The phillips/Robison combo screws just drive flawlessly when using the correct bit.
Stuart
If you’re deforming screws so that they’re impossible to remove, source better fasteners or change up your process.
For wood fastening applications, I’ve had great results with Spax and GRK. I’ve had to take a couple of project builds apart, and the screws remove just fine.
Wayne R.
I use the little impacts on some machine screws simply for speed.
Kyle
I’m rather dubious of the return on investment that TTI would achieve from a marketing campaing like this. Bits are wear items. It’s unfathomable to me that they could convince people to “upgrade and discard” their old bits. Surely the overwhelming majority of buyers are either replacing worn out/broken bits or are first time buyers.
A less cynical take; perhaps this isn’t so much a marketing campaign as it is a way to inform their users that they aren’t pulling a Makita by falling behind.
Stuart
“Marketing campaign?”
They had 2 paragraphs in a press alert, one about the bits, one about the new bit holder. They previously mentioned new Shockwave bits were on the way.
Nobody is trying to convince anyone to “upgrade and discard” their screwdriver bits. Every brand has updated their impact bits over the years, and not a single one suggested that users should toss their older bits in the trash.
You’re going to see the new Shockwave bits, and they’re going to look different. This post discusses how and why before you ask those questions. I feel my approach was as neutral as possible, is it not?
Josh R
In my experience, the first gen shockwave bits were pretty bad. The most recent generation (as of last Christmas) has been pretty good so far, so I’m hopeful these keep moving in the right direction
S
Hopefully these are just a rebrand of the marketing disaster from a few years ago of ‘the indestructible bits’.
They didn’t live up to the marketing back then, and many YouTube videos made highlights of it. But I was very happy with the performance of them.
At least until they pulled them from shelves…
Matt
The best bits I’ve used are industrial grade brands like Vega and Apex. Vega is more affordable and same quality as Apex. Apex sold out and now focused on retail with their Lowe’s Crescent line. Wera is good too, but also pricey. Vega is less known but quality is great.
CharlesinRichmond
hopefully they are actually improved. I’m a Milwaukee power tool fan boy, but the bits are just awful.
The hand tools, sadly, are often disappointing, but the bits are known for being the worst.
ElectroAtletico
Memo to self: remember the lesson you got in HS vo-tech classes – hand tools are better for removing screws
HJP
Just like golf clubs it seems. There are actual limits – is anything “truly” superior?. For those that want to quibble – sure – some of the big limits on clubs are design-imposed rather than a physics based limit – like 0.83 for the coefficient of restitution on drivers. But there are practical reasons for those limits.
Anyhow, it doesn’t mean that some are just “nicer” to use.
And for a couple bucks – I’ll gladly give a try – because – it’s fun. And that’s possibly what they are banking on. Nothing wrong with fun.
OccidentallyGood
The Milwaukee shockwave bits I bought rusted in one day. There was a light mist while installing a storm door, I shut the case when I felt water has my bits were a day old. I finished the install and went to put the bit back and every bit rusted except the one in my drill. The case they came in is great holds a spade bit, 6 inch extension, plenty tight and durable. It as well came with a good variety of uncommon bits with multiples of commons.