Milwaukee launches (another) new tool category - HVAC and Electrical?

comments (0) June 12th, 2009 in Blogs

Justin Fink, Senior Editor

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Three years ago Milwaukee announced that they were launching pneumatic framing nailers. But that tiny "drop" in the pneumatic market's proverbial “bucket” was deafeningly quiet, and though the burly framing nailers are still available, I rarely hear a peep about them one way or another. They are lost in that purgatory between “this tool is awesome!” and “I wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole.”

Then, about a year ago they launched a new line of miter saws, and I think lots of people (myself included) were, to put it nicely, skeptical of yet another Milwaukee branch-out. The miter saw market was, and is, fiercely competitive. It sure looked like Milwaukee was walking into a guns-a-blazin’ gang-fight holding a high-priced, bright-red butter knife. Well, I was wrong. That gamble paid off. Not only was Milwaukee packing more heat than I had guessed with their miter saws, but their 12-in. slider rides in my truck to every job (I'll give it back soon...I swear), and I sing it’s praises to anybody who will listen.

So, when I visited Milwaukee’s headquarters earlier this week for a big new product symposium, I wasn’t sure if I should be concerned that they were venturing into yet another new category, or reassured by the fact that the miter saws ended up being a pleasant surprise (and our reviewer’s belated choice for Best Overall in the field).

So what’s the newest red-labeled craze? It’s a category that Milwaukee is calling “Testing and Measurement”. The tools are aimed specifically at professional HVAC and electrical contractors. Some of the new tools are designed as expansions to their compact line of M12 Li-ion cordless tools; some operate using conventional alkaline (AA) batteries. If some of the shapes look familiar, it’s probably because Milwaukee has beefed up their knowledge in this area by acquiring a slew of engineers and product experts from Fluke, among others. (ahem...this Bosch looks a bit familiar, too...)

Here’s the basic line-up:

Laser Temp-Gun (M12) 2277-21
Fork Meter 2205-20
Digital Multimeter 2217-20
M12 Sub-Scanner Detector 2290-20
Non-Contact Voltage Tester (w/ work light) 2201-20
Clamp-Gun Meter (M12) 2238-21

This is no small shift in focus for Milwaukee - these tools are expensive. I'm told the $1 billion "testing and measurement" market represents roughly 1/4 of the entire U.S. tool market, and the competition from respected names like Greenlee, Fluke, Ideal, and others will be intense.

Milwaukee seems confident with their position, though, and is banking on the fact that they have made significant changes to a category of tools that hasn’t seen any dramatic progress in nearly a decade.

I guess only time will tell if this latest move will be another “framing nailer” mistake, or a Cinderella “miter saw” story…