Milwaukee M18 Surge: The best slow speed impact driver ever!

The hydraulic impact actuation of the Milwaukee M18 Surge is amazing. I use it all the time for small, gentle jobs even though it could probably yank off lug nuts. The ability of the Surge to provide a nearly imperceptible impact action on fasteners makes the Surge the perfect power tool for fragile jobs.

[dragonrider]

I have seen a lot of impact driver demos on the tubes, but with out a doubt, that was the best. It was like watching in slow motion the hammer action. Great video Doc !
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[cobuck]

I recently did some drywall with the Surge and was amazed at how easy it was to precisely set the drywall screws.

[octofrostvapes]

sound reduction is an understatement. when I started using mine, I didnt realise it was impacting till the fastener was already sunk in. my new go to.

[haic]

Just got the surge, I'm excited to use it. As a novice, the control is exactly what I need. Controlled power and I'm really excited to see how you were able to precisely use it. Thank you for all the info and great video

[JimLBon]

I just picked up the M12 Surge. I’ll be using it on my first project today, assembling a new kitchen cabinet. It’s a nice tool. Definitely ideal for most of the work I do with an impact.

[meshark]

Have the fuel impact and the surge, the surge is almost always my go to. Love that thing, great video.

[andrewhurstcars]

Best comparison explanation I’ve seen so far - surge has the smoothness of a drill & electric screwdriver to start, then quieter than a hex driver when it impacts. Best of both worlds. I decided to skip the hex entirely and just get the surge.

[joegio]

Great review! Better than great. I finally see the value in owning a Surge. Thanks, Doc!

[jris]

Great explanation instead of keying in on the volume difference that most reviews tend to hone in on. Sinking a fastener through sheet metal to wood or metal to metal is a pain in the behind. I can see this being very helpful.

[Tony_Seed]

My surge is my most used and loved tool

[gqborges]

You have to get the m12 surge! I used to carry both the m12 fuel standard impact and the m12 brushed screw driver. The impact was for most jobs but i always found myself when doing door knobs or electrical work i would have the screwdriver to be more delicate. But then I had to do a job at a massage parlor where noise would be an issue, so I figured It was the perfect excuse to buy a new drill, so I got the 12 surge. It has become my goto for everything. Even had to get my dad one. I cannot believe more people don’t discuss how smooth it is, they only seem to talk about the noise level. I can count the number of screws I have stripped on one hand since I’ve got it

[zerogravityindicator]

The M12 Surge is a go-to for a lot of HVAC techs. This surge technology really shines in sheet metal or plastic mini split plastics were you don't want to over drive and strip threads out. I almost never take my M12 off setting 1 and 2. Self tap mode is also great. Only twice have I ran into something past its limits; large lag screws with no pilot hole and 3/4" rusted bolts on a rooftop condenser stand. For space sake I use either the CP3.0 or HO2.5. I keep my XC6.0/HO5.0 in my Rover light but that kinda serves as an emergency battery if i forget to charge the impact battery. Anyway, great tool for certain trades and situations.

[J.Wick.]

I think folks get so caught up on specs that it's easy to overlook the potential of one of these. I recently picked up an M12 Surge to try it out and WOW!! This demo of yours shows exactly what I've found hard to describe about it. It's more than just quiet. The amount of control it affords for screws, bolts, whatever is just crazy. I work on flight simulators, the big ones and the little ones. There are many, many machine screws of varying qualities. I took my personal Surge into work, and we now have 2 in the shop. As well as 2 coworkers bought one. It has that factor to it of 'getting it' I think. And once you "get it" I don't think anyone could deny how useful, and simply amazing of a tool it really is. So much more than just another impact driver. Thanks!

[Mantis]

Love my surge, my m18 had some weird issue where it would fall asleep during jobs if I didn't use it for a few minutes. I brought it back to Home Depot and traded it for an m12 surge and its doing great.

[JKL]

Nice review. Surge not only reduce noise but also has the slow motion.

[pilkjaer]

Thank you for the video. I use to have Ryobi screw driver but it lacked power. I got myself a Makita but it's a beast and hard to control on low speeds. It seems that Surge will be perfect for delicate work.

[felixf]

I understand what you mean by the control of a less powerful tool. I bought a 12V Bosch impact about 12 years ago. One of their first models. It's slow, and it's great for the applications mentioned in the video. There are times when my Makita impact is too powerful. That's where the older Bosch comes in, too.

[Keith_]

ive been using the surge for maybe 5 years ? and its amazing, by far the best drill ive evere used

[xBirdManDriZZyx]

As a carpenter, i was sceptical of the numbers. I've used it to build many decks, installed 8 in lags in without issue. Great for cabinetry and everything inbetween. Surprisingly good. Just has that tti trigger issue where sometimes it doesn't do anything the first couple pulls

[TranTek]

I stumbled across this from Rob and Sarah mentioned this channels
best place to learn about tools 👍