UPDATED : 10/04/2016
Well —- it appears that the Milwaukee source who confirmed this story — was either misinformed/lying. It turns out that since we first wrote about this, no further expansion has been announced & for all intensive purposes — the M28 line is dead/dying.
If you want a line of tools to compete with the new 36v lines from Makita, Hilti, Bosch, Metabo, etc — keep looking.
We just got confirmation of the first in a new lineup of M28 FUEL tools coming from Milwaukee! These should provide much longer runtimes & improved power levels — specifically designed to compete with the 36v lineups from Makita, Bosch, Hilti, & Metabo.
Using the same batteries from the current M28 lineup — one that was previously thought to be “on the way out” — Milwaukee is releasing new tools that have brushless motors & appear to be spin-offs and/or upgrades from the current FUEL lineup. The initial release will be very similar to the M18 counterpart, with improvements in power — but having added weight due to larger batteries.
First up is the M28 FUEL 1-1/8″ SDS-Plus Rotary Hammer. This is similar to the M18 FUEL version (2715). Judging from the fact that they share the same hammervac, and are listed with the same specs (with the only thing being different is impact energy & weight — M28 = 3.5lbs impact energy & M18 = 3.3lbs impact energy).
Looking at them side-by-side, you can see exactly what we mean. This is pretty much the same rotary hammer — except for the battery. It is possible that there actually is a difference in power output due to the higher-voltage batteries, but whether it will be noticeable remains to be seen. A side-by-side comparison drilling into the same material would be needed to feel a difference (if any).
Here are the specs on the M28 FUEL (0757-20)
28vBrushless Motor1-1/8″ Capacity (solid bits)3″ Capacity (core bits)0 – 1,350 RPM0 – 5,000 BPMSDS Plus9.7 lbs5yr Warranty (tool) / 3yr Warranty (Batteries)3-Mode : Rotary Hammer, Hammer Only, Rotation Only0757-20 – Bare tool0757-22 – Tool, 2 Batteries (3.0ah), Charger, Tool Case0757-22DE – Tool, 2 Batteries (3.0ah), Charger, Tool Case, 2715-DE Dust Extractor
Earlier this year at the World of Concrete, a major theme across all the brands was “dust extraction“. Luckily since this new M28 FUEL unit is backwards-compatible with the existing M18 Hammervac (2715-DE), coupling cordless convenience & dust-free drilling wont be hard. Simply slip the Hammervac on the front of the unit & you are ready to drill — it is powered off of the same battery as the tool.
Some of the other M28 tools that we expect them to roll-out next month at NPS16 will be :
M28 FUEL 1/2″ DrillM28 FUEL 1/2″ Hammer DrillM28 FUEL 1/2″ Impact WrenchM28 FUEL 3/4″ Impact WrenchM28 FUEL 7/16″ HEX Impact WrenchM28 FUEL SDS MAX Rotary HammerM28 FUEL PortabandM28 FUEL 6″ GrinderM28 FUEL 10″ Sliding Miter SawM28 FUEL 10″ Table SawM28 FUEL Framing NailerM28 FUEL Roofing NailerM28 FUEL Flooring StaplerM28 FUEL 1/2″ Right Angle DrillM28 FUEL Hole Hawg DrillM28 FUEL Super Hawg DrillM28 FUEL 7-1/4″ Circular SawM28 FUEL 6-7/8″ Metal Cutting SawM28 FUEL Reciprocating SawM28 FUEL Hybrid VacuumM28 LED LightingM28 4.0ah, 5.0ah, & 6.0ah BatteriesM28 Rapid ChargerM18/M28 Dual Voltage Charger
One thing is certain — Milwaukee loves to have DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION. You cant be disruptive with one or two tools — you need to dominate. If they want people to jump on board with M28 FUEL, they have no choice — expect to see a lot of new tools in this lineup!
Stay tuned for more info as we find out about upcoming releases!