Milwaukee M18 Fuel 2904 Hammer Drill vs Milwaukee 3602 M18 Compact Brushless Hammer Drill
vs
Quick take: The Milwaukee 3602 M18 Compact Brushless Hammer Drill costs $70 less bare; the Milwaukee 3602 M18 Compact Brushless Hammer Drill is lighter (2.3 vs 3.3 lbs).
| Spec | Milwaukee M18 Fuel 2904 Hammer Drill | Milwaukee 3602 M18 Compact Brushless Hammer Drill |
|---|---|---|
| Price (bare tool) | $229 | $159 |
| Kit Price | $299 | $219 |
| Rating | 4.6★ (4,747) | 4.5★ (59) |
| Category | Hammer Drill | Hammer Drill |
| Battery Platform | Milwaukee M18 | Milwaukee M18 |
| Voltage | 18V | 18V |
| Motor | Brushless | Brushless |
| Weight | 3.3 lbs (bare) | 2.3 lbs (bare) |
| Released | 2022 | 2023 |
| Max Torque | 1,400 in-lbs | 550 in-lbs |
| Top Speed | 2,100 RPM | 1,700 RPM |
| Max BPM | 33,000 | 25,500 |
| Chuck | 1/2 in all-metal ratcheting, carbide teeth | 1/2 in all-metal |
| Speeds | 2 | 2 (0-550 / 0-1,700) |
Pros & cons
Milwaukee M18 Fuel 2904 Hammer Drill
- ✓Won Pro Tool Reviews' best-overall cordless drill head-to-head by consistently placing top 3-5 in every wood, concrete, and torque test against Flex, DeWalt FlexVolt, Makita, and Hilti.
- ✓Class-leading power-to-weight ratio - Home Depot reviewers note it delivers 1,400 in-lbs from a tool that is lighter than similarly powerful hammer drills at 3.3 lbs bare.
- ✓The 6.9 in head length is among the most compact in its class, and owners love how it fits between studs and into cabinets.
- ✓AutoStop kickback control earns praise from owners for reliably cutting power in bind-ups without false triggering during normal use.
- ✓Masonry performance stands out - testers found it outdrilled the competition in concrete and Home Depot reviewers echo how easily it hammers through block and brick.
- ✓Milwaukee's return to a mechanical clutch on Gen 4 is praised for more consistent, predictable torque delivery than the Gen 3 electronic clutch.
- ✓A redesigned heatsink and added motor ventilation let it sustain hard drilling; the platform carries a 5-year tool warranty.
- ✓Backward compatible with every M18 battery since 2008, so owners can run it on packs they already own.
- ✗Multiple ToolGuyd commenters reported chuck problems, with bits slipping or failing to lock properly under load.
- ✗Owners say Gen 4 runs noticeably louder and at a higher pitch than the 2804 it replaced, with some reporting excessive gear noise.
- ✗Only a 2-speed gearbox - low gear tops out at 500 RPM, so it lacks the mid-range gear DeWalt's 3-speed flagship offers.
- ✗A Home Depot reviewer noted the tool gets quite hot when drilling very dense masonry for extended periods.
- ✗Pro Tool Reviews found heavy High Output batteries (8.0-12.0Ah) make it top-heavy and compromise the otherwise excellent balance.
- ✗The $229 bare-tool list price at Home Depot is premium; getting it cheap means waiting for holiday or Slickdeals promos.
- ✗The 2904-22 kit ships with standard XC5.0 batteries rather than the High Output packs that maximize the motor's performance.
- ✗No One-Key inventory tracking on this model - Milwaukee reserves that for the pricier 2906.
Milwaukee 3602 M18 Compact Brushless Hammer Drill
- ✓Dramatic downsizing - at 5.8 inches it's over 12% shorter than the previous generation while raising compact-class torque from 500 to 550 in-lbs.
- ✓2.3 lbs bare and 3.2 lbs with a CP2.0 battery makes overhead and in-cabinet work genuinely comfortable.
- ✓All-metal ratcheting chuck and all-metal gear case - flagship-grade construction points at a mid-tier price.
- ✓New mechanical clutch that ToolGuyd readers and owners praise for consistent, repeatable fastening depth.
- ✓25,500 BPM hammer mode handles Tapcons and light masonry, which the drill-only 3601 sibling can't.
- ✓REDLINK intelligence plus compatibility with every M18 pack since 2008 - the 250+ tool ecosystem is the platform's superpower.
- ✓4.5-star average across 59 Home Depot reviews, with owners calling out the torque-for-size ratio as the standout.
- ✓$159 bare / $219 kit undercuts the Fuel 2904-class hammer drill by $60-100 while covering most of the same daily work.
- ✗550 in-lbs is well under half the Fuel flagship's rated torque - big self-feed bits, long augers, and large hole saws are the wrong job for it.
- ✗1,700 RPM top speed is the slowest of the big-three compacts (DeWalt's DCD805 turns 2,000), costing real speed with twist bits.
- ✗On paper it's a torque step down from the 725 in-lb 2902 it replaced, which rubs spec-sheet shoppers the wrong way.
- ✗Lower RPM plus 25,500 BPM makes concrete drilling noticeably slower than rivals' 34,000 BPM compacts.
- ✗No kickback/bind-up protection at this tier - a safety feature that is spreading through flagship drills.
- ✗The CT kit's CP2.0 compact batteries are the platform's weakest packs; the drill wants a 5.0Ah to show its best.
- ✗Milwaukee holds street pricing far firmer than DeWalt - the deep $75-100 promo cycles DeWalt compacts see rarely happen in red.
- ✗Only on the market since late 2023 with a modest review base, so the long-term reliability record is still thin.