M12 vs M18 for a new apprentice?

[tm.laws6n]

Hey everyone! I'm kinda new to the trade. I'm a couple months out from starting my apprenticeship. I'm hoping to start in residential for work, though most of my network is in commercial, so I also wouldn't say no to a job offer there.

I think I'm ready to invest on my own tools. The first things on my list are a hammer drill and an impact driver, and I'm looking at a Milwaukee, specifically the M12 Fuel or M18 Fuel line. I really like the idea of the M12 for the weight and size, especially for carrying on my belt or for overhead work all day. Will the M12 be enough for most of what I'll be doing, or if I should just straight away get the M18? The M12 stats seem pretty comparable to the 18V DeWalts we use in school, which do fine except for when we're drilling with auger bits.

I'm looking for some advice from guys who are in the trade day in and day out. Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[Castello_V]

For residential work and overhead use, the M12 Fuel is plenty, light and easy to carry, handles most tasks fine. You'd only need the M18 if you're doing heavy duty stuff like large auger bits or really tough drilling, so starting with M12 and expanding later works well

 

[AbdulAziz]

Stick with Milwaukee. Their batteries work across tools, even new ones down the road.

 

[Andre Tardif]

I wholeheartedly agree with Castello-V on starting with the 12-Volt Milwaukee tools.

They are my daily users, plus the line of tools includes the 12-Volt NM cable stapler.

Andy.

 

[PGB1]

I've had all manner of brands over the years. At home & for light jobs, I very much like the Metabo HPT line. Most have lifetime warranty and they do honor it. The prices are good. Hikoki is the name used for the same tools in some markets.

Metabo (not HPT) is the pinnacle of tools- battery and corded. Despite beating them up unmercifully, no one at work ever wrecked a Metabo tool. (Industrial- Lots of water cured, pre-cast concrete & lots of steel!)

Meatbo Ultra M line is very robust and delivers power very efficiently. But the cost is a premium.

Metabo? Metabo-HPT?
Metabo is the original German Metabo. Metabo-HPT is the old Hitachi. Hitachi long ago sold the tool line to Hitachi Koki and eventually decided to charge a premium to Koki to use the name, so they went to Metabo-HPT. In 2025, Koki also bought Metabo, but left the engineering in Germany.

These days, I u-turned to the corded tools of the "pre battery tool" days. No battery drill can match the speed and power of a corded tool when boring holes in wood (something a residential electrical apprentice will do often).