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Pro Tool Review

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Milwaukee M18 FUEL 30˚ Cordless Framing Nailer Kit

In this issue I have the opportunity of reviewing a Milwaukee M18 FUEL 30˚ Cordless Framing Nailer Kit.
Product Number 2745-21
Home Hardware item #:1282-086

Milwaukee took their time getting this product out, but I believe it was worth the wait. The kit comes with a Milwaukee 30˚ nailer, a no-mar tip attachment, an M18 and M12 charger, one XC5.0 18 volt battery and a rugged contractor bag.

My first thought when I picked up the tool is that it feels heavy, and it is. Compared to dragging around air hoses or buying gas cartridges, a little bit of extra weight is okay. The weight is comparable with other nailers in its class, and Milwaukee packs in a lot of features that are easy to use and are well placed.

Some of the features include a metal tool-free drive depth adjustment, dry fire lockout, onboard hex key storage (hex key included), the previously mentioned no-mar tip and a rafter hook and belt clip, both nicely placed. The power button and sequential or contact mode buttons are in an easy to read spot on the rear of the handle. Milwaukee has also thoughtfully placed rubber anti slip areas on either side that would prove useful when nailing on roofs.


Milwaukee claims 3 nails per second in the sequential setting which even the fastest nailer would find more than adequate. This nailer has no ramp up time, just choose your setting and nail away. The nail collation is from 30˚ - 34˚ and from 2” to 3.5” in length. Nail diameters of .113” to .131” are recommended. The unit is only 14-1/4” wide so nailing between studs is no problem.

The M18 Fuel battery is rated at 5 amp hours, which gives you a capacity of 700 nails per charge. The charger charges both M18 and M12 batteries. ​

In testing using framing materials the tool easily delivers on all test nails. Toenailing is simple because of the way the tip is built. It had enough power to nail engineered lumber. I also tested on an old piece of oak and had no problems whatsoever. The drive height feature works flawlessly. The speed of nailing in the bump mode is impressive. The weight is not a problem after using this nailer for a while, and on the whole, this works very well at doing what is supposed to do.

An optional 2-nail clip magazine is available, which basically cuts your loading time in half. Because we all know when you are nailing you always seem to be loading.

Competitively priced and sturdily built, I definitely give the Milwaukee M18 Fuel 30˚ Cordless Framing Nailer Kit (1282-086) my TINTO recommendation (Tools I Need To Own).

Until next time
Rod Pipher, Testing and Safety

Inspiration is always handy

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