GIMMICK??? Milwaukee ONE KEY -- What do you think?

It has been over a year since Milwaukee announced the ONE KEY system --- has it changed your life?

Touted as the biggest life changing event in power tool history, in many people's minds it has fell short & the recurring word that we hear over & over is GIMMICK!!

On the flip side, other people love them. Being able to program a tool with custom settings, keep track of inventory, find a lost/stolen tool, & having realtime tool reporting is a big selling point --- even with the added cost of the ONE KEY units (vs the normal models).

What are your thoughts? (Leave a comment below!)

Thanks for watching!

[mjtrv]

I work in a shop where we assemble farm equipment. We drill a various type of material including steel, aluminum and plastic.I have the One Key drill/driver and the 1/2" compact Impact. The one key version of the drill is amazing. Being able to program the drill for the type of drill bit and material to be drill works very well.With holes ranging from 1/16" all the way up to 2". Having the most popular hole sizes ready to select can be very helpful. Bit life and ease of use has been great.

Now the one key enabled impact gun in our field is a different story. We primarily use bolts with nylocks, the torque limit on the gun seems to be based on impact time. When the nylon portion of the nut comes in contact with the bolt, the tool begins to impact. With varying amounts of bolt sticking through the nut, it is almost impossible to setup the gun for a particular diameter of bolt. I usually just leave the gun programmed at maximum and tighten to what I "feel" is enough, much like you would with a standard impact gun. Now if you were to fasten many bolts using a standard nut and lock washer or into a threaded hole, I believe the one key would be more useful.

MJ

[raptor_]

I would never buy this. I am how ever happy it came it lowered the price of the regular one.

[DoresoomReviews]

I think one of the biggest downsides I've found for the One-Key system is that leaving the battery connected to a One-Key tool will eventually drain the battery even if the tool is off. I haven't had this issue with ANY of my other M18 tools.

[mikezupancic]

I have three one key tools and like them all. The one that gets the least use if the 1/2" drill driver. Still, when in use the one key is functional for things such as speed selection. Say you need to cut 2" holes with a hole saw and the mfg says max speed of x rpms. You can program the drill to have that max speed, saving yourself the expense of drilling too fast and ruining a potentially expensive bit or hole saw. The compact impact I have has different setting on there so that I can tighten the lugnuts on my Hyundai and my GMC to near the correct torque settings without needing an actual torque wrench in the field. So a nut that requires no more than 80 pounds isn't going to get torqued to 50, or 130. Something like this does take trial and error and using a torque wrench to verify readings, but once you get the tool dialed in, it is very, very handy. The one key app is also great, and everyone should use it even if they don't have one key tools. It is a very useful database where you can keep track of all your tools and even take a picture of the tool with serial number, or what I do, take a photo fo the receipt and link it to the tool.

[isaacduran]

Im an apprentice plumber for 1 year and 6 months..
Theft is huge in the trades. There is a feature where you can lock the tool and no matter what the theif does like remove the battery or mess with the switch he/she cant use it until i unluck it again from my phone so it will be useless to sell and use at all.

[jayfillet]

I've had a good experience with one key thus far. Don't have to carry my phone at all times either. set my impact driver similar to the settings that come with a regular fuel and never touch the app again. Having the insurance of tool tracking is well worth it when your tools start adding up.

[JayOhEnEnWhyEx]

I had the one key and liked it at first, but eventually had problems with the tools but being able to lock/disable from the app the way they're supposed to. I have a co-worker who is always using my tools without asking and I was hoping I could just lock a tool when I'm not using it, but it didn't work. I eventually returned the set that I bought less than two weeks after purchasing when I was drilling a hole through a stud with an auger bit, and the chuck broke.

[evanielcharlie]

it's been great for me. especially in metal framed buildings where every hole I drill requires either a hole saw or carbide drill bits. having the ability to set the rpm for the size of holes I use daily to get the most of these expensive bits is more than worth it. You only set the app once for the 4 settings and you're good to go, you don't have to mess with the app or your phone every time you use the tool.

[mkvmyfast]

I can see this one key feature working out well for people that work in shops with many others such as a dealership. This would definitely clear up any confusion on who's tools are who's and if you work on a certain type of vehicle all the time you can adjust the tools power to your liking such as when you tighten a certain fastener to a certain torque spec, just set that torque spec to a number on the tool and you'll save yourself some time

[daviddpal]

was going to sit this one out. but honestly, now fully understanding, the power setting on one Key, thru phone. convinced, on sheet metal, and delicate wood work, u can truly customize it to be saw this with a buddy example and explaining, i use the 2753, , ,if fully understood, may have gone with one key on 1/4" impact., ,, but only 1/4"

[pflau]

Got the ONE KEY Impact Wrench. I love to be able to dial in the exact speed, the spin up time, and the torque for a particular job, and dial down the power for the other settings that I don't use. No gimmick at all.

[VCGConstruction]

Wow great video, we use a mix of Milwaukee m18 and m12 almost exclusively for our cordless tool needs and weren't even aware the one key feature was available. Maybe that's due to the fact that these tools and batteries have a long lifespan and we haven't had to purchase replacements recently! We would definitely purchase the upgraded one key tools even if they carried a higher price!

[tvorkilgore]

I love the one key For using my metal hole cutter I can slowly ramp up the speed for my pilot bit on high. When I switch to low I can set the cutting speed to the optimal speed of the cutter I am using. Also setting the torque to prevent damage to the cutter and myself.

[angeloloura]

I don't own any one key Milwaukee's but I think it's cool for the radius lights were you can hang them up high and use your app to control them since they won't be easily accessible

[ZunarZulfiqar]

it's nice that Milwaukee gives us both options. some people might want to be able to customize their tool and buy the one key. While others just don't care and will buy the regular set. At least, if you do buy the one key set, you can still use it like a regular drill without the one key feature.

[mikehunt]

I want to get the xwt08xvz half inch gun by Makita as I already have the lxt 18 volt system, but was wondering about being able to adjust the settings manually for setting torque accurately on lug nuts. Would I be missing out on this one key stuff enough to purchase a whole new system or should I go Makita and keep it simple?

[Zachariahfml]

I have the gen 2 impact and hammer drill driver and the high torque 1/2" impact. I worked at a company where I had to drive my personal car to and from work, moving my tools from my company vehicle to my personal vehicle on the daily. Long story short, I left my bucket with my impact in it at work on accident, all I had to do was lock the tool, report it as missing and as soon as I drove back and pulled in the parking lot I got emailed and notified from the one key app instantly. They also sell the Milwaukee ticks for a reasonable price and I think its absolutely worth it to protect your investment you've made in your tools. That's not even with the factor of versatility you get when modifying the driver controls.

[oddtech]

I wanted the one key system when I bought into the m18 system but the tool truck I bought them off of did not offer the one key tools in the kits.

[kundetjenesten]

A few years since this came out, and me having used it a bit, it is not only helpful but absolutely necessary for me on the impact wrench, on my impact driver I would be fine with a regular.

The reason for why I really need it on my wrench is for tightening wheel nuts on my truck. Factory setting 2 would be way too low and 3 would risk stripping the threads or damaging the rim. Now I got it roughly where I need it to be (around 650-700Nm, give or take).

[scottcavanaugh]

I have the drill driver and both impact driver and wrench. I really like the drill and impact driver, especially when they did any app update in September. I was able to drill a 6" hole. Were my gen 2 hammer drill could not. The impact wrench hasn't been impressive, but hope will be coming out for it. I would buy it again.