The Surge is great in my opinion on a majority of tasks. For big lags I used my standard impact. Surge is my overall go to.

I thought your first video under this title was a teaser. If it was, it worked, because I sat waiting for this one to be posted. As usual, another great video, and solid review. I liked the concept of the dancing sawdust. It was an inventive, novel approach, even if it didn't turn out as you'd hoped. Keep up the great work. 👍👍👍

This was a nice review. It answered many questions I had last week (lol) before I purchased the M12 Fuel Surge to replace a 1st gen M12. I have a couple of M18 impact drivers but I enjoy the weight and compactness of an M12 sometimes. The M12 Installation Driver is one of my favorite Milwaukee tools hands down (just bought a 2nd one on a crazy deal). I will say the trigger control with the Surge is outstanding and the fact that the hydraulics keep the same level of torque throughout the entire drive cycle is super nice. And yeah it’s a bit quieter which is nice if you’ve got your head and body contorted in some crazy position. Keep up the terrific channel and stay safe.

Thanks for all the details 👍😃

​@BitnerBuilt thanks for your well thought out review, I have been using my Surge for over a year now and it has become my most used tool. I especially love the precision when in setting 1 at very low speed..... it's awesome. I also thought I'd mention, I have not had any of the stalling cut-outs that I saw you had. Once I get to my unit's limit, it just keeps hammering. At that point I grab a more powerful big brother tool. I'm suspicious that you have a faulty unit. Thanks

I have both the M18 and M12 Surges, as well as the regular impacts in both lines. For the remodeling/handyman work we do most of the time the reduced noise is great. We've worked in homes with small children that were terrified of the impacts but didn't flinch when the Surge was used. Also, it's so much nicer when you have to work in an enclosed space like cabinets, crawlspaces and attics.

I took a chance on the Surge a few years ago. But, I did my homework and knew what to expect. I build decks and other builds with 2" dimension lumber. I drive 3" deck screws all day, every day, week after week. It has never failed to deliver. If I required 2000 Ft/lb torque, I would use my full sized impact wrench. I never thought it was mis-represented in ads. It's for wood screws and sheet metal screws. It says that in the ads. One ad did show it driving a lag screw, but it was no more than 1/4" diameter. The decreased noise and vibration is worth every penny. Thanks. PS - Safety Source is now Way Source.

Very timely video for me to send to my brother. He is agonizing over which to buy. I have the M18 Surge. He is attracted to the power of the 2953. So, this video will help him choose.

I’m an electrician and I have both, the surge is better for me I don’t generally need the extra power and the trigger feels like it gives more precise power control. I bought the surge after the other one broke internally so less internal friction seems like a great idea. Milwaukee fixed my 2953-20 under warranty and I just keep it now as a backup

I agree on the marketing. This thing got a bad rep fast because they went off the shelves to construction workers looking for power and speed. My experience is that it has better speed control and smoother driving on small fasteners and regular screws too. And it doesn't run away on you and strip screws or snap em' These big lag bolts are for the regular impact. I really prefer the Surge for regular screws. It drives large screws no problem and great control and sound refuction. I also believe it will stall less with a better battery. Great review! Honest and calm and to the point. Also electricians and the like seem to love it, since it's a gentle impact and go easy on sensitive stuff.

You missed one of its key advantages, it can do slow fine torque control for things like sheetmetal grill's without crushing it. You have way more low end speed control while still doing its job well. Try it out

I like mine, I have the M12. I always misplace it. My understanding is it has a setting for starting self tapping screws in metal studs and sheet metal. I also like that the less torque settings tend not to cam out my phillips screws. On the heavy stuff using landscape lags I use my M18 hex impact. I have started though using my RIDGID Impact wrench more and more for those both the mid torque 3/8" & 1/2" models. I just had to buy a hex adapter or the right size socket bits.

I have the M12 and M18 (non-fuel) impact drivers, but I grabbed one of these on sale a few months ago because: 1) I hate the sound impact drivers make, so I rarely used the one's I owned. 2) the full power and torque are never needed and will likely damage my woodworking projects. 3) I really wanted something that would accept hex head bits -- as opposed to my drills that I was using for drivers that still have the chuck. . It's been my go-to driver since I picked it up. I have the benefit of having the full-power versions when I need them, but that all falls into the handyman and repair realm, and I am almost always working on woodworking applications.

My experience, YMMV. I've used my surge for a couple years off an on, it works OK, recently did some deck work and it was suitable for the task. Community project on a boat dock yesterday, was ready to throw it in the water. 3 1/2" 316 stainless screws attaching 2x8's into 4x's. Was slow and lacked the power to smoothly drive the screws (1/8" pre-drilled for the 2x8's). Frequently I had to remove the screws because they were visibly overheating and getting 'soft', some snapping. Most of the screws I could not drive below the decking, countersinking. I'll keep it. but I will get another driver before I go back down to the dock. My buddy using his package deal dewalt driver was running screws in with zero issues. I eventually switched to my over 5 year old M18 Fuel 1/2" drill and finished the day's job with no more issues. Only 3000 more screws to go.

Both tools are Great but what make me like a little more on the Surge is that when your installing hinges or handles with brass screws or finish screws on cabinets the surge when set on low eases the screw into the wood & doesn't cam out the screw if you half to bump up to setting 2 & you ease the trigger you can still set the screw without damaging the screw & if there's anything you want to avoid is a screw with any kind of sharp voids that can attach there selves to soft Garment's like ladies high fashion cloths.. So i think the Surge is Great for this type of installation's... I've got both of the tools in your Video & M18 Drill Milwaukee makes some Great stuff i wished i had these tools back in the 80's when i was in highschool.. In Wood working i did 3 years & my senior year helped build a Home in Vo-tech.. Allen D

Could you use the 2953 Gen 4 driver to remove lug nuts for a DIY'er to get the tires off quicker for doing brake work?

Great video and explanation, I was wondering if it was worth it to me buying the surge one. You just saved me some $. What kind/brand of shop apron are you using? I like all the different size pockets, specially to fit a small notepad.

One thing to add if the surge gets excessively hot they can leak gear fluid from the seals. And the drill will not function with full power. You can fill the compression chamber back up with gear oil but it’s a pain.

Nice video and I think you brought up some good points and you’re right that the regular driver is probably the best option for most people. But I have some additional specific scenarios where after using both I strongly prefer the surge. First is with the use of soft fasteners. Where I work we have to custom order all of our fasteners in 316 stainless with no. 2 sq drive heads. These are very soft screws that will strip incredibly easily. The surge driver is able to run these screws so much more easily than any other driver I’ve ran because it applies its torque gently and gradually vs the instant max torque application with a traditional driver. This means that when putting in screws from weird positions across your body reached out and over equipment, you don’t need anywhere near the amount of pressure on the driver to successfully run a screw. You’re less likely to strip a screw and you much less likely to cam out of the head of a screw. Second application is I have to remove a lot of very rusted deteriorated fasteners that have been exposed to years of salt water and chemical conditions and often times the screws have already been stripped out before. Often my coworkers will come and ask me to use my driver to remove out very stripped out screw heads that are rusted in place because the gentle toque application that all of their drivers will cam out in.

I have both the surge 18volt and the m12 surge I have used the m18 surge a couple times but I use the m12 surge on a daily basis

I've found the surge to be much better go-to for majority of jobs, like roof screwing, and floor screwing. Outside on the roof I do not even need earmuffs, and in the heat that is awesome!

Main takeaways, the surge is going to be quieter, easier on the body, and at the cost of reduced torque. Standard impact is going to be the loud powerhouse. For me, I work on Hvac and often times end up on a roof top with people sleeping below. Considering I'm not driving lags, but rather simple sheet metal self tappers. I am going to buy a surge and give it a go! Great review and thank you for the video and explanation.

Good review. I was considering the surge but I can use that money elsewhere. I do jobs in occupied commercial settings from time to time but I just use my drill instead of impact. Milwaukee also makes a m12 installers drill.

I don't have either of these, but my thought is wouldn't the higher torque model make less noise if only used to the 450 inch pounds the surge makes? Maybe not as low but comparing both at full power when one makes over 4 times the power it would make sense it would be louder without even considering the different mechanisms used to make that power.

The surge for me. You are alot less likely to strip he head of a screw. The fastners go in with such ease I love it

great explanation. I thought it would be the opposite on torque becuase of the hydraulics.

I bought the surge when it was frost release. I used to do loft conversions and compared to my dewalts I had previously thought it was very underpowered and hated it. But when in confined spaces, The quietness was appreciated. However I do feel it was very mis marketed really. It also takes some getting used to, handles differently to standard impacts.

Do they ship it in their original packaging or do they do it like Amazon and just bag it up and ship it?

I would like to see that against a VSR drill. How much torque does a drill have while driving screws?

Love my m12 surge for 99% of stuff I encounter. I've had to pull out the m18 gen3 fuel driver when doing steel to steel though. the m18 fuel always reminded me of that little gun in men in black, too much power and not much finesse but it does come in handy to have all that power.

It’s a professional light-medium duty tool. It has a perfect use for interior work on vehicles and recreational vehicles with lighter materials. They engineer chainsaws the same way for different types of trees.

I install blinds all day. M12 surge works for me, also use installation driver but surge is a little better. Lighter less fatigue and quieter.

i got the surger because i dont want to loose my hearing when I get old otherwise If i have to use a regular one i have to use ear protectors

As a garage door tech I have found that the 2953 tends to destroy its because of the amount of torque it has. I was picking up a new impact ever 3-6 months. I have now owned a surge for roughly a year now and it’s still going strong. The extra torque is nice but when you purchase your own tools and money plays a part, the surge is the better impact in my opinion. It would be interesting to see someone make a video on the longevity of each.

The Ridgid stealth is one of the best hydraulic impacts

Totally agree. I also bought this thinking it was the top end impact and it was a disappointment. I should have done my research

2000 inch pounds of torque not 2000 pounds of torque which equals to 166 foot pounds of torque. the surge is 450 inch pounds which equals to 38 foot pounds. the surge is an amazing tool for people who work in confined spaces and people who work indoors. like electricians and plumbers they don't want to make a lot of noise at service calls especially if the customer has a sleeping baby or dogs or children or on a phone call or working from home.

I have XGT and LXT sub-compact. Now that I have M12 tools and I could swap my LXT, I’d get this as my 2nd driver for neighbors, shop dog, and maybe not having to wear ear protection for the one off drive. But if only had one, it’d be the XGT.

from what ive come up with the surge is good for self tapping metal to metal. effortless compared tro a norma impact.

I think stats may be wrong on battery life . Touque runs 100% until dead . I’ve had both I love my hydro. Steel studs save you’re hearing, extremely satisfying putting in lags or big screw , monotone throughout. Only negative is you can’t hear when it’s failing to run out of power witch it doesn’t. 100% great tool

I bought the Surge shortly after it was released. One of my favorite tools. Wouldn't mind getting the M12. There is dust on my regular impacts. More than enough power for typical fasteners. What I like the most is the smoothness. Feels like you have better control. If you want to see a low torque impact check out Milwaukee's right angle impacts. Very handy but kinda weak.

" silent" is what sold for me .... we have jobs that are multi family or apartments where poeple are already moved in and we cant be too loud , or the clubhouse where the property manager is in the other room , so a bit more quiet for me at least ... we are not using 4 inch lag bolts for my application .

This Hydraulic Impact 2760-20 stops working when it's +5 degrees outside and when it's minus outside, it won't tighten a single screw. The instructions say that you need to warm it up for 10 sec. but this doesn't help. I don't recommend it for those who need to work outside

Good video, save me money.

Why not drive stuff with a drill if sound is such an issue?

Your specs are wrong, You said Surge 450ft lbs of torque, and Fuel 2000ft lbs of torque. These are "Inch Pound" numbers. The real foot pounds numbers are Surge = 37.5 ft lbs and Fuel = 166.67 ft lbs...

So the answer to which one? Both.

So this is a RipOff From AEG/Ridgid OilPulse. AEG nas lower torque (on paper) but longer "pull" so it's better for long screws (300mm and more) because of tosion forces in screws.

it's not always about torque. I think a quieter tool is very valuable. Especially when it comes to your hearing. For most things the surge is the more valuable tool, I install windows and doors, and find that the surge is a perfect fit for that kind of work. And really, if your doing allot of lags, you should be using an impact wrench. Allot less wear on the tool. I have used impact drivers for lags and have found that you're abusing the tool. They get overheated,, and thereby you're increasing the rate of wear. Just because a tool can do something doesn't mean you should, especially if you're using it everyday. It's kind of like the difference between a hammer drill and a rotary hammer. And if you're using it all day for a task. And what the material you're drilling. Sucks using a hammer drill in high strength concrete. But a rotary hammer,, easy poesy. It all depends. Using the right tool always makes the job more pleasurable.

For commercial work i'd reccomend the Fuel and for residential its the surge for sure

For the most quiet of operations, just use a cordless screwdriver.

I'd recommend a regular drill-driver if you really need to work quietly.

That's absolutely not more quiet ENOUGH that office workers wouldn't bítch about the noise. And unless ALL your other tools were also quiet enough it's a moot point.

It’s rated at 2,000 INCH pounds of torque, not foot pounds. You should specify that as it’s misleading. And maybe you didn’t realize it’s inch pounds?

They really do market those things for everyone, so then a buch of people who don't need it end up wasting their money.

This nice and powerful tool in USA you get five years warranty but Europe you only get one year warranty after one year if breaks down you can’t fix it because you Can’t buy the part individually you have to buy the whole controller switch all together cost you about £70to£80 pound get some one put it on for you it will cost you £40 pound so it’s not really worth it that’s why very unpopular in Europe it’s ok DIY it

Thank you for the insight!! Great work. I will never buy Milwaukee after the M12 drill/driver fail. It was the first time I actually threw out a drill/driver as it never set in at 1 or 2 speed switch and kicked out while using. I replaced a 20 yr old Dewalt. Donated it because it was usable. And for there hand tools, I just tried a pair of lineman pliers and the piers were not tight enough so the jaws stayed aligned. I hope they are working on better not cheaper as I cannot go out and buy Festool willy-nilly.

I feel like its like dewalt

The surge isn't suppose to die out like it does. Mine doesn't even remove a cover plate screw on any power level. Brand new out of the box. It's a piece of trash and Milwaukee should be embarrassed to sell it to any person whatsoever. It should be marketed for a dumpster fire!!! It's for a construction worker that's around people and needs to be quiet? It certainly will because that worker won't be doing any work at all. The vibration from an impact is not of any this significant. Junk junk junk junk!

Definitely a mismarketed tool, if they marketed it for precision control and light workloads it would have been much better received.

2,000 pounds????? 1:59

Makita is better, i have tried both Milwaukees ...as for the price - Milwaukee is a better choice