I have a number of Rotary tools almost all of them are Dremel’s with the exception of a Craftsman battery operated one. However I do use that Craftsman fairly often for small cut offs of bolts and screws and dusting off screw a nail points in case they go through. So even though it’s not the best tool in the world it still works relatively well for the small things that I use it for. That’s why I thought having this Rotary tool from Milwaukee would be a good idea.

This rotary tool is based on the M12 platform and so the battery is interchangeable with quite a few other tools that I have also. In case you hadn’t noticed I have pivoted from corded tools toward battery tools and focused on Milwaukee because of the reliability and the fact that most of their kits come with an extra battery or two.

So let’s get to unboxing this.

Tool Kit with Battery and Charger

First of all I bought this tool because it came with a pair of CP2 batteries and a charger. Effectively I bought the tool and for $20 more I got 2 batteries and a charger. I really couldn’t ask for a better deal. This is why I like Milwaukee and why I started using their tools. Because batteries are expensive. Even the CP2s are expensive little things. A pair of CP2 batteries and charger at a big box store is running about $130.00.

Packaging

Milwaukee has actually taken the tack of minimalist packaging. Other than the exterior box there’s very little extra packing inside which I truly appreciate. It’s like buying something from the 1990s when you didn’t have all that extra foam and plastic and cardboard. I really like that. Thanks Milwaukee.

The limited packaging inside makes it way easier to get these in and out of the box. I don’t have to worry about throwing extra material away and it’s also much better for the environment.

Batteries and Charger

In this kit Milwaukee provided two CP2 batteries for the M12 platform along with an M12 charger capable of charging one battery at a time. This particular tool is not really a power hog so only having one charging port is not a big deal.

The Tool

As mentioned, I have Dremel rotary tools. Actually, I have several and they’re all corded. I’m accustomed to a lot of features and capability and I expect that from my Milwaukee tools. The first thing I noted was that the Milwaukee with the battery installed is about twice the weight of my Dremel. That said it’s not quite as awkward to use in some cases because it doesn’t have a cord. The Dremel cord is fairly stiff because it has a cheap vinyl coating on it. Actually more like it’s a vinyl cover.

Looking closer at the tool, it has the standard M12 platform Battery charge LED indicators. The four LED’s tell you approximately how much power you have left in your battery. Milwaukee put them in an easy to read location and they turned on every time you flick the switch.

This tool also runs between 3000 RPM to 37,000 RPM. It has a variable speed roller that runs from one to six. It seems to be in a decent place to prevent accidental activation. In other words I don’t see making the mistake of accidentally hitting the wheel and spooling the speed up or down inadvertently.

Milwaukee has used the standard chuck method for interchangeable collates. It also features a spindle lock button to make Changing tools easy. I’m a little disappointed that the tool doesn’t have an integrated work light. Though I understand because adding the LED would both drain the battery faster and would add cost.

Accessories

The kit came along with several accessories including a standard wrench, an eighth inch collet, spindle and 5 or 6 cut off wheels. Just enough to get you started doing what you want to do. I happen to have several cases of various tools for my Dremel so this works for me perfectly. You will probably have to buy some more stuff.

One thing to note is that the standard Dremel parts fit the Milwaukee Rotary tool. To me this is a huge deal. Especially because I have so many Dremel accessories. Once again thank you Milwaukee.

Overall this package is really good I think I’m going to be using it fairly frequently because it has the power, and the convenience as well as the fact that it’s M12 platform and I already had the batteries. We’ll come back in 12 or 14 months and I’ll let you know how the tool actually performing.