VIDEO: TOOLING UP: Best New M12/M18 Tools Features: Safety, Batteries, and More

JEFF MORMAN: It starts with the user. So we start by developing, these problems that need to be solved, by partnering with people really pulling the triggers in the field, whether that be partnering with groups like our front end innovation team, our research and development arms of the company. Developing these really blue sky perfect world development opportunities and then making them real, you know, taking things from our industrial design group, and then getting prototypes into the field to say, did we hit the mark? Do we need to change things up? And how do we make sure that we achieve that end goal of adding more safety or productivity?

Narrator: This video is brought to you by Milwaukee Tool. Relentless safety solutions built for productivity. If you're looking for real world insights, tips from leading industry experts, the latest trends in products and technology, you've come to the right place. From MSC Industrial Supply, this is Tooling Up.

TONI NEARY: Hello and welcome to Tooling Up. I'm your host, Tony Neary, and I'm so glad that you're here with us today. We have a great show for you. But before we get to the main event, let's do a little pre-gaming. Go ahead and click those like and subscribe buttons so you never miss a single episode of Tooling Up.

All right, everybody subscribed? Today I'm so excited to be talking about power tool safety with not one but two great guests. We have Dan Blythe and Jeff Morman, both are senior product managers at Milwaukee Tool. Dan and Jeff, thanks so much for joining us here on Tooling Up.

DAN BLYTHE: Hey, thanks for having us.

JEFF MORMAN: Yeah, thanks.

TONI NEARY: Jeff, tell us a little bit about some of your favorite things about Milwaukee and being on the team there.

JEFF MORMAN: Yeah. So, you know, the thing that really gets me fired up about working with Milwaukee is that it all begins with the user, you know, making sure that we can solve complex problems, partner with different groups across core trades to make sure that we can really set the bar for what innovation, productivity and safety can be across any category of power tools.

TONI NEARY: Fantastic. And I think now we want to dive into the newest technology. And this is really exciting. I think everybody knows I tend to get a little bit nerdy about all of this, but when we say we're, you know, Tooling Up, let's talk about how you can actually tool up and make power tools more safe and more ergonomic for end users as well.

Tell me a little bit about the newest, latest and greatest technology from Milwaukee Tool.

DAN BLYTHE: Yeah. So one of the new technologies that we're really focused on within my space, within the metalworking camp and grinders in particular, is Rapid Stop breaking. So Rapid Stop breaking is a technology that helps stop the accessory, when the user wants, when they let go of the paddle or when they turn off that slide switch.

Something simple when you kind of think about it, but it really makes a huge difference in the day of somebody working in the fab shop or working on a jobsite, to not have to worry about that accessory spinning down slowly over time, might be jamming it into a workpiece, jamming it into the ground, perhaps breaking an accessory. It's something that you can find across our M18 Fuel angle grinders as well as a variety of other products, including cut off saws and other heavy-duty cutting products.

TONI NEARY: Now, I would have to imagine it's called Rapid Stop because of how rapidly it's stopping. I know, trust me, I don't even have a degree on this. But 1 to 3 seconds for a controlled stop?

DAN BLYTHE: Yeah, yeah. So on our larger grinders, it typically takes about three seconds to stop in a controlled manner. But on our, our M18 Fuel five-inch grinders, it can stop as fast as one second, or with thinner cutting wheels in fractions of a second. So really making sure we're keeping that user under control.

TONI NEARY: So now let's talk about the difference between Rapid Stop and AUTOSTOP. Because again I definitely don't have a degree in this. And I'm not as technical as either of you. What's the difference between Rapid Stop and AUTOSTOP?

JEFF MORMAN: Yeah. Playing off some of the similar technologies rooted in how people are using tools today, AUTOSTOP is a solution that we added as a feature to our M18 Fuel drills. So across all different trades, people have talked about how bind ups in drilling can be a real concern. Almost everyone can tell me a story of a time where a tool tried to kick out of their hand.

Now, this can damage a workspace or even worse, it can really cause damage to the operator. So these bind ups can occur all too often. We knew it was something that we needed to adjust or change. So what AUTOSTOP does different from Rapid Stop is sense that over-rotation event and stop that event before it happens to keep the operator of the tools, you know, feeling confident and delivering enhanced safety when using a drill.

TONI NEARY: I think it's amazing. And when we look at the fact that you've got these new products, these are just part of the standard line now when you're actually releasing products within either of these categories, right?

DAN BLYTHE: Correct. Yeah. It used to be a feature that was only on a couple of specific products that actually started on our M18 Fuel mag drill, and has since rolled out to standard drills, to rotary hammers, and now even to grinders. Our dual trigger grinder actually added AUTOSTOP, and not only stops in the primary working direction, but now senses rotation about all three of the main axes to, again, really elevate that control that the user feels.

TONI NEARY: And I'm so glad you mentioned that, because we definitely don't want to gloss over the dual trigger control, because that's another amazing safety feature. Tell us a little bit more about that.

DAN BLYTHE: Yeah. So dual trigger control is really a feature that was developed as a request from some of our large end user partners. So they wanted to make sure that their team members were using the tools as intended and being under control and confident out on the site or in the shop. So what it requires is the use of both hands on the tools at all times.

So if I fire up this grinder here, I have to squeeze the side handle, squeeze the main handle, and if I take either hand off, it shuts the tool down, thus keeping that operator in control. It's available on both our M18 Fuel dual trigger grinder as well as a pair of M18 Fuel band saws.

TONI NEARY: And I think we all know safety features are imperative in preventing accidents, but ergonomic safety is another huge factor. What advances are you making when you're looking at ergonomic safety?

JEFF MORMAN: Yeah, ergonomics is certainly something that we're always focused on in these new tool development cycles, whether that be the comfort and feel in your hand to reduce fatigue as you work all day. But on the other side of it is, is just that overall day improvement by noise reduction as well. So that's something that we've worked on and developed in both our M18 and our M12 Surge hydraulic drivers. So really the unlock here is instead of that standard hammer and anvil mechanism on impact drivers, what that does is it's just really noisy operation in your ear all day, especially if you're someone that works in confined spaces.

What the Surge will do is use hydraulic fluid to pulse through that tool, and it delivers something that's 50% quieter in operation. Again, perfect when you're working multiple hours in a day. But also three times smoother and less vibration into the hand. So when you think about ergonomics, this can be that 360 view to deliver an improved solution day to day.

TONI NEARY: Now, one thing you've not mentioned, and this is something that just came up in our house, for anybody that's ever changed to a new phone and your charger is not the same as it was. Let's talk a little bit about batteries, battery life and these standardized batteries and chargers, because for me that is a game changer.

DAN BLYTHE: Yeah. No we definitely agree here as well. And battery life in particular. We actually just launched a new range of batteries, within the last year, which are M18 REDLITHIUM FORGE that really focuses on enhancing that battery life. Here are those with our new M18 superchargers. And you can rapidly recharge these batteries, keeping those packs cool thanks to the COOL-CYCLE technology that's built into those chargers.

So really, it can take away a lot of the range anxiety that we see with people that are using pneumatic tools or using corded tools in the shop today.

JEFF MORMAN: One thing I'm most excited about as well is just that backwards and forward compatibility of our M18 and M12 system. You know, we launched these systems back in 2007, and the batteries we're launching today will work on tools all the way back, and the batteries back then will power the tools that we launch today or in 2026. So, I've been really happy to make sure we keep those under that one house of the M18 or M12 systems.

TONI NEARY: Well, I can't thank you enough for not just the work and innovation that you're putting in, but for taking the time to spend some time with us here today and share some of this new innovation, because it's really, it's exciting.

DAN BLYTHE: Yeah. No, we definitely enjoy it. Thank you very much.

JEFF MORMAN: Yeah. Thanks for the time.

TONI NEARY: It was great hanging out with Dan and Jeff today. And if you enjoyed our conversation as much as I did, and you want to make sure you don't miss any of our other discussions like this, go ahead and subscribe to our channel. To find out more about our latest safety innovations and power tools, visit www.mscdirect.com/milwaukee. Thanks and we'll see you next time on Tooling Up.

Narrator: Want more insights and ideas to improve the efficiency and productivity of your operations? Check out the Tooling Up video playlist to hear tips that can take your company to the next level, and subscribe to our channel so you won't miss out.