High-End Milwaukee Tools That Are Worth The Investment

Among the rankings of the best power tool brands, Milwaukee is a go-to choice for many. It is a 100-year-old tool manufacturer that has received many reviews praising them for creating durable power tools for woodworkers and professionals who need more than the basics. If you already have affordable Milwaukee tools needed to do DIY jobs around the house, you might be ready to move forward with some higher-end options. Perhaps you would like some Milwaukee tools that use the same battery structure as the models you already own but that can give you the capability to tackle advanced projects.

Milwaukee makes power tools that you would use inside the home, in a workshop, or at the job site, as well as outdoor power equipment to take care of your lawn or acreage. Milwaukee rolling tool boxes are also available when you need to store all your tools and hardware items while being able to easily transport the boxes to remote job sites. Rather than discussing storage options, though, we'll focus on five Milwaukee standard and outdoor power tools that you will want to have on hand when budget is not a major consideration.

Although battery-powered chainsaws aren't suitable for all the jobs that a gas-powered chainsaw could handle, especially when taking down larger trees, battery chainsaws are easier to handle and maintain than those that run from gas or a fuel mixture. The Milwaukee M18 16-Inch Chainsaw for $329 at Home Depot (for the tool only) may surprise you with how much power it offers. It delivers the same power level as a 40 cc gas chainsaw. With a 16-inch bar, it's larger than many precision chainsaws and is a good size for a homeowner who uses it occasionally for cutting small trees and creating firewood.

The M18 battery on the Milwaukee 16-inch chainsaw is able to drive the chain's speed to full throttle in less than a second, allowing you to make cuts quickly. Because it uses a brushless motor, it can maintain the chain speed when cutting thick wood. If you don't have any Milwaukee M18 batteries or a charger, you can purchase the Chainsaw Kit for $499 at Home Depot. Home Depot reviewers give this chainsaw a 4.7-star rating out of 5, and 92% of customers would recommend purchasing this outdoor power tool to others. One Home Depot reviewer was surprised by the chainsaw's level of power for such a lightweight unit. Another reviewer appreciated the run time on a single battery charge.

When your normal Milwaukee cordless drill will not fit into a tight space for drilling, the Milwaukee Super Hawg M18 Cordless ½-Inch Right Angle Drill, available at Home Depot for $ 449 (for the tool only), gives you more flexibility for drilling holes. Rather than drilling straight outward from the nose like a traditional drill, this right angle drill operates at a 90-degree angle to the nose. The drill includes an all-metal handle on the side of the nose, allowing you to put extra downward pressure on the drill bit to simplify the job. The Super Hawg drill also has an LED light to illuminate the work area. Milwaukee claims it runs as powerfully as a corded drill.

If you use the M18 battery with your other Milwaukee tools, you can use it with the Super Hawg drill, too. Otherwise, you can purchase the charger an battery kit separately for $199 at Home Depot. Customer reviewers at Home Depot give this right angle drill 4.7 stars, and 96% of them would recommend purchasing it. One Home Depot reviewer was especially impressed with the power this drill offered along with outstanding battery life.

The location of a DIY project doesn't always correspond with where you have lighting available. If you could use some extra illumination, the Milwaukee M18 Rover Triple-Panel Flood and Area Light, available at Home Depot for $179, offers 4,500 lumens of light in an extremely compact battery-powered device. You can operate the light from an included power cord or from an M18 battery that you can borrow from other Milwaukee tools or purchase separately.

You can aim the three panels in any direction. The tool can sit on the ground, or you can hang it almost anywhere without needing extra hardware, thanks to its two mounting keyholes, a rafter hanging hook, and a magnetic base. It's made for rough treatment, as it can handle a 9-foot drop and carries an IP54 rating for water splashes and dust exposure. Home Depot customer reviewers give it a 5.0-star rating. One reviewer was impressed that the light panels maintain maximum brightness until the battery power runs out, rather than dimming slowly, which makes it more useful. Another Home Depot reviewer appreciates the stability of the light panels whether they're sitting on the ground or hanging.

The Milwaukee M18 3-by-18-Inch Belt Sander for $279 at Ace Hardware (for the tool only), is a portable power sander that lets you work anywhere you want. It includes a barrel grip, so you can guide the sander precisely. It includes a dust collection bag that grabs over 80% of the sanding dust, or you can hook a vacuum hose to it to collect dust even more efficiently.

It includes LED lights, so you can clearly see the surface as you're sanding. It includes a brushless motor that allows it to run at a belt speed of up to 1,350 surface feet per minute (SPM) without bogging down or overheating. If you want to run at a slower speed, you can select among five speed settings. The Milwaukee belt sander uses the same M18 battery that you use with other Milwaukee cordless tools. Customer reviewers at Ace Hardware give this product a 4.6-star rating, and 94% of reviewers recommend it to other buyers. One Ace Hardware reviewer especially liked being able to run the sander without having to use a power cord at a remote job site. Another reviewer said the adjustable-position handle made it easy to gain the leverage needed for the sanding work.

The Milwaukee M18 Fuel 8-¼-Inch Table Saw, available for the tool only at Home Depot for $449, lets you bring a large, powerful saw anywhere you need to work. It offers the same power as a corded saw even though it uses the M18 battery system from Milwaukee that many of the company's other power tools use. You can cut up to 600 linear feet on a single charge.

Milwaukee made this table saw with tough job sites in mind, as it has an all-metal frame to withstand bumps and jostling. You can rip 4-by-8-foot sheets of plywood or oriented strand board (OSB) with this saw. The product includes a guard, push stick, fence, and miter gauge, all of which are movable and adjustable for allowing different types of cuts. Customer reviewers at Home Depot give this table saw a 4.6-star rating, and 86% of people would recommend the product to other buyers. One reviewer from Home Depot appreciated the ease for adjusting the settings for the position of the saw's blade to make extremely accurate cuts. Another reviewer said the build quality of the saw was outstanding, and the reviewer expects to "not have to buy another saw again."