Milwaukee M18 Fuel Mid-Torque Impact Wrench: 5-Year Head-to-Head Review

5 Years After Our Initial Review, We’re Putting the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Mid-Torque Impact Wrench Up Against the Newest Competition

Back in 2020, we got our hands on the second-gen Milwaukee M18 Fuel Mid-Torque Impact Wrench and put it to the test against its predecessor here at our shop. The overall performance level definitely impressed our team and set an impactful benchmark for mid-torque impact wrenches.

But now that we’re a few years further down the road, we’ve redesigned our testing methods and wanted to see how it fares against the best of the best of what’s available today. Can this 5-year-old impact wrench still hang with the big dogs, or is it time to keep our eyes open for an upgrade?

Pros

• Plenty of torque for demanding applications
• Compact design for this performance level
• Lightweight design
• Tri-beam LEDs
• Large lanyard hole for working at height
• 3 anvil styles available
• Optional kit includes oil-resistant batteries

Cons

• No One-Key option

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Milwaukee M18 Fuel Mid-Torque Impact Wrench Performance

• No-Load Speed: 2,575 RPM
• Impact Rate: 3,100 IPM
• Max Breakaway Torque: 650 ft-lbs
• Max Fastening Torque: 550 ft-lbs
• Anvil Type: 1/2-inch friction ring (2962)

Speed and Power

Right out of the gate, this 2nd-generation Milwaukee M18 Fuel mid-torque impact wrench has more power than its predecessor. Its 650 ft-lbs of nut-busting torque are 50 ft-lbs more. When it comes to fastening, you have 550 ft-lbs to work with which is more than enough power for light and medium-duty applications.

The PowerState brushless motor has a top speed of 2,575 RPMs with a max impact rate of 3,100 IPM. These numbers a fairly consistent with what we expect from premium models. The nice thing is that Milwaukee gives you three speed modes that allow you to dial the RPMs back to just 1,250 RPM.

Auto Modes

In addition to the standard three electronic speed settings, you also have an auto mode which functions differently in forward and reverse.

In forward, it prevents overtightening by automatically shutting off after the first few impacts. For torque-specific bolts, use this mode to get your fastener in place, then switch over to your torque wrench to finish it off.

When you’re working around a $100,000 car with that much power available, this mode is a huge help to make sure you don’t create an expensive problem to fix.

In reverse, there’s bolt removal assistance. With it, the impacts start light and slow and ramp up until it senses the nut or bolt is loose. It doesn’t stop at that point. Instead, it continues loosening at a low-speed rate to help prevent flinging fasteners all over your shop.

Milwaukee M18 Fuel Mid-Torque Impact Wrench In Action

Bolt Break Test

This test is all about breakaway torque. We start by tightening eight 1 1/2-inch lug nuts down to 500 ft-lbs using a specialized torque wrench and time how long it takes each tool to loosen all eight nuts. This gives us a solid, real-world representation of each tool’s capabilities.

Here, Milwaukee took second place with a total time of 26.09 seconds, falling only 2.32 seconds behind the DeWalt DCF891 (23.77 seconds). This is an impressive time when you consider that DeWalt sports 800 ft-lbs of breakaway torque, while Milwaukee sits at 650 ft-lbs.

Consider for a moment how often you legitimately need to break more torque than a 1 1/2-inch bolt can hold. It’s certainly possible, but outside of heavy equipment and diesel mechanics or industrial applications, it can be rare.

Even with rusted lugs on many passenger vehicles, we find it’s more likely you’ll shear off the stud before you reach the limit of Milwaukee’s mid-torque strength.

The point is that when it comes to nuts and bolts, this impact can handle nearly anything a passenger vehicle can throw at it, along with a solid range of jobs on heavy equipment and transportation vehicles.

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Lag Bolt Test

In order to test the fastening torque, we drive a 10 x 1/2-inch lag bolt into a laminated OSB test block. Each tool has 30 seconds to sink the lag bolts. If the bolt is not completely sunk, we measure the inches remaining as our data results.

This is a tough ask for most mid-torque impact wrenches, but it’s a good test that displays the raw driving power of these tools.

This test challenged every single tool in our lineup, with DeWalt being the only one to actually sink the lag bolt within the allotted time. After driving the monster lag bolt for 30 seconds, Milwaukee left the bolt 0.56 inches proud, bested only by the Ryobi P262, which only left 0.38 inches.

Considering that the average remaining height was 1.5 inches across the board, we feel obliged to tip our caps to the design team.

We’re also completely confident it would have finished if we prolonged the test for a few more seconds, but we limited the time to protect the tools from overheating.

Like the previous test, this type of application is pretty rare for most folks, but when it comes to large structural fasteners, the 2962 is a solid choice.

Inertia Torque Test

The last test we ran measures torque using an L1000 torque tester from Inertia Torque. This is very different from our other tests because it only tests torque without speed or impact rate coming into play.

Our method is to run three 5-second intervals with a 3-second break between and take the highest torque reading. This helps us understand how much actual torque the impact wrench is producing, and it is different from the method manufacturers use to rate their impact wrenches.

During this test, Milwaukee registered a peak torque of 412.8 ft-lbs, landing it in 4th place of the ten models we tested. This doesn’t really come as a surprise when you consider the data. Milwaukee’s fastening torque is the lowest in the four top spots, if only by a small margin.

Still, these top four were the only models out of the bunch to break the 400 ft-lb mark, so kudos to Milwaukee for that!

Milwaukee M18 Fuel Mid-Torque Impact Wrench Design Notes

• Model: Milwaukee 2962
• Power Source: Milwaukee M18 battery
• Weight: 3.5 lbs (bare tool), 5.1 lbs (with 5.0Ah battery)
• Head Length: 5.9 in.

Size and Weight

Compared to Milwaukee’s first-gen model, the updated version is 0.8 inches shorter in our measurements, putting its head just shy of 6.0 inches. That’s really compact for an impact wrench with this kind of power.

There’s a little weight loss that comes with the smaller size as well. Dropping 0.3 pounds, it’s now 3.5 pounds bare and 5.1 pounds with a 5.0Ah battery.

On smaller jobs, we like popping a 3.0Ah High Output battery on for even more weight savings. With it, you’re looking at 4.8 pounds for the weight.

The size and weight losses aren’t just against Milwaukee’s previous models. It has the shortest head of all the models we tested head-to-head, coming in more than an inch shorter than DeWalt’s DCF891 and nearly an inch shorter than Makita’s GWT07.

If serious power in tight access spaces is what you’re after, this is your impact wrench.

Available Models

This impact wrench is available in three anvil configurations—3/8-inch friction ring (2960), 1/2-inch friction ring (2962), and a 1/2-inch pin detent (2962P).

LED Tri-Beam

Tri-beam LEDs are fantastic and we love that Milwaukee included them on their mid-torque impact wrench!

The three LEDs surround the anvil, lighting up your work area much better than any foot-mounted LED can, and nearly eliminating any shadows.

One-Key Models

Milwaukee didn’t release a general One-Key version of the Gen 1 mid-torque impact wrench, and there’s been no indication that Gen 2 will get the nod. However, it wouldn’t surprise us to see one coming, considering this is the go-to mid-torque model.

Milwaukee does have two torque-limiting impact wrenches built on the mid-torque foundation, though. If you’re on the hunt for a model. The M18 Fuel 3060 and 3061 models are purpose-built for large-scale solar installations that require specific torque settings and reporting data evidence.

Additional Features

• Reversible belt hook: Customize your tool to fit your needs
• Tether Ready: Large lanyard hole improves safety when working at height

Milwaukee M18 Fuel Mid-Torque Impact Wrench Comparison Chart

Milwaukee M18 Fuel Mid-Torque Impact Wrench Price

The Milwaukee 2962 mid-torque impact wrenches sell for $279 as a bare tool and $479 as a kit. The kit includes two 5.0Ah Resistant Batteries, a charger, and a hardshell storage case. There’s also a protective boot you can purchase separately for $45.

Milwaukee backs this impact wrench with a 5-year warranty.

Should You Buy It?

If you’re thinking about starting big with the high-torque or going small with the compact, give the Milwaukee’s mid-torque impact wrench a close look first.

It’s much smaller and lighter than the high-torque, and still has the power to cover a surprising range of applications that you might not expect from a mid-torque model. Even though the compact version is nice for close quarters, the mid-torque won’t leave you wishing you had more power, and it’s only about an inch longer. Plus, the two-battery kit configuration is a really attractive option for busy Pros.

When you put it all together, the Milwaukee M18 Fuel mid-torque impact wrench is easily the most versatile in their lineup.

Against the competition, this is still a top-tier option in terms of performance, even five years after its launch. Perhaps what’s even more impressive is how much more compact it is than competing models from DeWalt and Makita. It puts Milwaukee in the enviable position of having the best balance of power and size in the mid-torque class.