We’ve all heard the term “shade-tree mechanic” – that is, an amateur mechanic who works on their vehicle at home in their yard. The key operative here is “shade-tree” because it implies that there’s actually foliage on the trees at your house. What about in winter, when leaves are likely nowhere to be found? I hereby proclaim that we need a new term for someone who works on their car in a hastily cleared-out spot in their too-small garage at home. Suburban mechanic. 2-car mechanic. Weekend mechanic. Something like that. One thing’s common though between all kinds of mechanics, no matter where they work: Ratchets. In this installment, we’ll hear about the new line of cordless Milwaukee M12 Ratchets, which will speed up your workflow.
Save Your Knuckles – Use the Milwaukee M12 Ratchets
Milwaukee recently rolled out two new M12 FUEL™ High-Speed Ratchets – a ¼” version and a 3/8” version. They’re basically the same tool, just with a different size. The POWERSTATE™ Brushless Motors deliver up to 35% faster speeds than other solutions on the market. With 35 ft-lbs of available torque, they can handle most common fastening jobs. REDLITHIUM™ Battery Packs and REDLINK PLUS™ Intelligence rounds these tools out.
What’s user-friendly about these tools are the compact head sizes. These, coupled with a recessed shift knob, mean that it’s easy to get the tool to fit into tight spaces. This allows you to use one tool for the whole task – vs. having to switch to a different tool if there are space constraints. The dimension of 11.1” long w/ battery and weight of 2.1 lbs add to the compact feeling of these tools.
The 450 RPM drive speed is up to 35% faster than other solutions on the market. It can be time-consuming to fully thread or unthread a fastener, so the additional speed is nice to have. A steel yoke housing and a premium rubber overmold deliver superior durability. Used your ratchet enough to drain the battery? No problem, as you can use these new Milwaukee M12 Ratchets manually, without engaging the motor. We reviewed one of the first Milwaukee ratchets way back in 2012, and suspected they’d be a game changer for mechanics relying on air tools.
Model 2566 is the M12 FUEL™ ¼” High Speed Ratchet. Model 2567 is the M12 FUEL™ 3/8” High Speed Ratchet. They’re available now.
Shop 1/4″ Ratchet:
Shop 3/8″ Ratchet:
