Our Favorite New Tools Coming from Milwaukee This Year

Milwaukee Pipeline 2022

After a two-year hiatus due to pandemic concerns, Milwaukee Tools hosted its annual Pipeline event live June 28 at its operations center in Menomonee Falls, Wis. The company invited Family Handyman into its Research and Development labs to give our readers a sneak peek at some of the tools and innovations they will be releasing this year.

Since its founding in 1924, Milwaukee Tools has been at the forefront of tool innovation. Their goal from the start was to provide the best tools for people who work in the skilled trades. One of the first was a more portable and lightweight drill called the Hole Shooter that sped up Henry Ford’s automobile assembly lines.

During the housing boom after World War II they introduced the right angle drill for electricians and plumbers and the Sawzall with interchangeable blades to cut different kinds of materials, along with lighter and better versions of other tools. In the early 2000’s, Milwaukee Tools introduced the lithium-ion battery, now the standard across multiple cordless tool platforms.

Milwaukee continues to be a leader in power tool innovation. Here are some of our favorites from the 2022 Pipeline event:

M18 FuelTM 6-1/2-in. Plunge Track Saw

This was easily the most anticipated tool from Milwaukee, and for good reason. Nearly every tool brand has one already, and Milwaukee wanted to get it just right. It didn’t disappoint.

In one of the demos, the product team let us send the track saw through almost two inches of a hardwood live-edge slab. The saw moved through the slab like butter, and left the clean finish you’d expect from a track saw. The plunge action felt great and the track had zero slip to it, even when ripping that two-inch slab with a bevel cut.

The saw offers a variable speed dial, matching the speed of the blade with the material it’s cutting. It comes with a dust collection bag. If you purchase it as a kit, it also includes one M18 RedLithium High Output XC 6.0 battery and a rapid charger, all in a Packout XL tool box. The track saw will be released October 2022 and will put you back $550.

Available accessories include three sizes of tracks, clamps, a replacement splinter strip and several blades to cut a variety of materials.

M12 FuelTM Orbital Detail Sander

Milwaukee understands few people love to sand. But the M12 Fuel Orbital Detail sander makes that monotonous task much easier.

The detail sander features a barrel grip which houses the M12 battery and puts the trigger and the triangular sanding pad in an ideal position to offer some finesse in your sanding. This design gives users the low profile of an oscillating sanding tool but with much better results from the orbital motion, not to mention a lot less vibration.

cAlong with the detail sander, Milwaukee is releasing a lineup of mesh sanding sheets that last up to twice as long and provide more resistance to breaking when sanding along sharp corners. Milwaukee will also offer a softer contour sanding pad for following profiles in trim. The sander and its accessories will be available in August for $150.

M18 Fuel 1/2-in. Drill/Driver

A staple in pro and DIYers tool boxes, the 1/2-in. drill is so ubiquitous I wasn’t going to mention it. What could be new? My guess is that it would be smaller and more powerful.

But Milwaukee also packed in a key safety feature into its fourth generation M18 Fuel 1/2-in. drill/driver: An Autostop feature that cuts power instead of whipping the drill around a stuck bit. This has happened to almost everyone drilling larger holes, or through material that might be embedded with nails.

The Autostop feature halts the drill before twisting the user’s arm into a painful position, keeping your projects going. This drill/driver will be available in August for $310.

M18 FuelTM 1/4-in. Hex Impact Driver

I love my impact driver. I reach for it instead of my drill/driver 95 percent of the time. But for those new to an impact driver, the speed of the bit make it difficult to use.

With the fourth generation of the M18 Fuel 1/4-in. Hex Impact Driver, Milwaukee re-mapped the trigger, giving the user much more control over the tool’s revolutions per minute (rpm). That makes this version more friendly to new users and DIYers.

Even a seasoned impact driver user can grab this tool and drive screws into things you’d normally hand drive like, outlet boxes without worrying about sending the screw right through the box. Like the drill/driver, the impact driver will be available in August and cost $300.

M12 RedLithium High Output Batteries

It wouldn’t be a Milwaukee event without an update to their battery platform. This year, their M12 batteries got one.

The M12 RedLithium High Output batteries provide a boost for the low profile CP 2.5 Ah batteries, keeping similar power output as the previous generation XC batteries but in a smaller package. The larger XC 5.0 Ah batteries make the 125+ tools in this platform even more powerful.

Both high output options provide better protection against common jobsite annoyances like grease, dirt and other grime. And because it runs 25 percent cooler, you shouldn’t need to swap it out as often.

These batteries will be available in August. The CP 2.5 will run $80 and the bigger XC 5.0 will cost you $120.

RedLithium USB Stick Light with Magnet

Stick lights are useful all around the house, which makes the new RedLithium USB Stick Light With Magnet a perfect addition to your junk drawer or garage workbench.

This one comes with a few welcome additions. The back of the optional dock accessory features a magnet that secures it to non-ferrous vertical surfaces, which lets you keep keep horizontal work surfaces clear. The stick light will give you four lighting modes, including my favorite — an inspection light on the tip of the articulating wand, and 2 bar lights that turn on individually and at the same time.

The light also has a strong magnet and a hook on the bottom, letting you position the light where you need it. A USB-C port power supply lets you plug in and charge your mobile devices. The light itself will run just under $100, while the kit with the charging dock is $150. All will be available in September.

We saw many other innovative tools at the Pipeline 2022 event, so watch out for new releases from Milwaukee Tools throughout the year.