Milwaukee
Milwaukee M18 Fuel 2904 Hammer Drill
The 2904 is Milwaukee's Gen 4 M18 Fuel flagship hammer drill, bumping torque 17% over the Gen 3 2804 to 1,400 in-lbs while staying just 6.9 in long and 3.3 lbs bare. It was the first non-One-Key Milwaukee drill with AutoStop kickback control, and it returned to a mechanical clutch with improved motor cooling. Pro Tool Reviews named it best cordless drill overall in its head-to-head against Flex, DeWalt, Makita, and Hilti.
Specifications
Features
Pros
- ✓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.
Cons
- ✗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.
Common Questions
Will my old M18 batteries run the 2904?
Does AutoStop kickback control actually work?
How does it do in concrete and masonry?
Anything owners complain about?
Is the kit worth it or should I go bare tool?
Compare the Milwaukee M18 Fuel 2904 Hammer Drill
Related tools
More from Milwaukee →
Launched in August 2023, the 3602 is the volume mid-tier of Milwaukee's M18 drill lineup: their first compact brushless hammer drill, slotting between the entry cordless line and the M18 Fuel 2904/2905 flagship. It packs 550 in-lbs and 25,500 BPM into a 5.8-inch, 2.3 lb body - more torque than the old 2801-class compact in a body over 12% shorter, replacing the larger 725 in-lb 2902 as the sensible-money pick. What you give up versus the Fuel is top-end torque and speed, not build quality: the all-metal chuck and gear case carry over.
Released in March 2026, the GPH03 is Makita's most powerful hammer driver-drill, putting out 1,590 in-lbs of max torque - more than most corded drills and every cordless flagship rival. It pairs a 3-speed transmission (0-650/1,800/2,400 RPM, up to 36,000 IPM) with a 92-setting electronic digital clutch and Active Feedback-sensing Technology (AFT) anti-kickback. Pro Tool Reviews scored it 9.5/10, confirming it out-torqued the GPH01 in lag-bolt driving.
Bosch's flagship 18V hammer drill pairs its BITURBO brushless motor with CORE18V high-power batteries to deliver a class-leading 1,330 in-lbs of torque, 0-2,200 RPM, and 30,000 BPM. It features a 25-position clutch, all-metal 1/2-inch chuck, KickBack Control, and optional Bluetooth connectivity via a separately sold module. Announced in January 2022 as part of the PROFACTOR high-power lineup.
Launched in April 2022 as the hammer-drill twin of the DCD800, the DCD805 is the compact XR that DeWalt actually sells by the pallet - it packs 850 UWO and 796 in-lbs into a 7-inch, 2.95 lb body, up 40% on the DCD796 it replaced. It sits one tier below the flagship DCD999/DCD1007, trading their anti-kickback E-Clutch and top-end torque for a smaller, lighter package that handles 90% of the same work. The adjustable 3-position, 70-lumen spotlight LED is the party trick no other brand's compact matches.
The XPH14 is Makita's flagship 18V LXT hammer driver-drill, released in 2021 as the XPH07's successor with 1,250 in-lbs of max torque in a body 14% shorter (7.0 in). It runs a 2-speed all-metal transmission (0-550/0-2,100 RPM, up to 31,500 BPM) with an all-metal self-ratcheting 1/2 in chuck. It remains the torque king of the LXT drill lineup, though it predates the newer 40V XGT models.
The DCD1007 is DeWalt's flagship 20V Max XR hammer drill, replacing the DCD999 with a shorter 7.5 in head, a 3-speed all-metal transmission, and 1,530 MWO of output (up to 2,100 in-lbs rated max brake torque). It pairs a torque-sensing anti-rotation system with a pivoting 3-position LED and a 1/2 in nitro-carburized metal chuck with carbide jaws. Pro Tool Reviews scored it 9.7/10, finding it outperformed the DCD999 in nearly every metric.