Milwaukee M18 FUEL Drill 2904 · problems & reliability report

Milwaukee M18 FUEL Drill 2904 problems: what real owners report

9% of 56 verified Milwaukee M18 FUEL Drill 2904owners don't recommend it — based on real owner comments from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.

For balance: 54% recommend it. This page collects the complaints so you know what you're signing up for — read the full owner report for both sides. How we score

In owners' own words

So much so that my rotary hammer drill will only work every 2/3 depressions. Very frustrating.
thatsmejp on Reddit
The M18 are very nice but battery issues keep me from buying Milwaukee products
Beautiful-Yam6850 on Reddit
Now I’m convinced their quality has gone downhill and won’t buy more Milwaukee.
Crom1171 on Reddit
I still wish I'd gotten the m12 instead of the m18 drill
xj98jeep on Reddit
DeWalt for the win, the Milwaukee gives up
Mundane_Storm_2257 on Reddit

Setup quirks & things to watch for

Not complaints — practical notes from owners that didn't affect the score.

I bought the m12 kit impact and drill ($200) First day using I returned the kit Bought the m12 impact ($100) separately and bought the m18 hammer drill for $100 on fb marketplace
Ready2LearnNico on Reddit
Milwaukee tools usually are the most powerful, Makita tools are usually more thought through and tend to be a little more reliable or comfortable to use. DeWalt is somewhere in the middle. They're all good choices.
ABINORYS on Reddit
I have the m12 and m18 brushed kits. Ironically the m12 drill died the last day of the warranty. There's no difference between those 2 besides battery life. I've heard the m18 fuel impact is significantly more powerful than the m12 fuel though
False_Mushroom_8962 on Reddit
Hole saws is what you need the M18 drill for, so if you have a hole hawg you don’t need it.
f_crick on Reddit
I like DeWalt, but I only have the basic yellow versions.
DayManFOTNightMan on Reddit
My reasoning for returning the M12 was that since this deal made the M18 close to the same price, I got the more powerful tool to cover anything I might encounter. That way I'm also able to stick with one battery system - I already have a couple other M18 tools and could use the extra batteries from this kit.
Wildstar47 on Reddit
General carpenter, my only M18s are the cordless big nailers. The M12 driver is sufficient for just about anything; the drill however, is rather slow. To the point where is consistently annoying. Much prefer my old Dewalt 20v to it. I'd like to try an M18 drill, but haven't yet. The M12 Impact has plenty of oomph.
onedef1 on Reddit
Weighing it up? The full report has the other side — what 54% of owners like about it, who it's for, and every sourced quote. Full Milwaukee M18 FUEL Drill 2904 owner report →