Milwaukee Tool held its annual New Product Symposium last week, bringing contractors and members of the trade press together to learn about the latest tools available as well as what is coming in the near future for professionals working in the trades.

On the plumbing and mechanical side of Milwaukee Tool’s offerings, the company will be releasing seven new tools through September.

Milwaukee Tool 06 — Milwaukee Tool product manager Cody Scheyer demonstrates the M18 FUEL 7-inch/9-inch angle grinder. The grinder is 2 pounds lighter than previous models.

Already released in March was the DUST TRAP drilling shroud — ideal for overhead drilling applications and with a universal fit to work with all SDS Plus rotary hammers. The tool attaches to the hammers to collect silica dust. It is OSHA Table 1 compliant when used in conjunction with a proper dust extractor.

In late May, Milwaukee Tool is releasing its M12 and M18 HAMMERVA Dust Extractor updates. The new design allows the user to easily clean the filter with the press of a button.

Milwaukee Tool 09 — Throughout the Milwaukee Tool presentation, demonstrations were held pitting the company’s products against competitors’ products in head-to-head competitions. Here the new TORCH with carbide teeth is featured.

Coming out in June will be the Hole Dozer, TORCH and BIG HAWG, all featuring carbide teeth:

Hole Dozer — Building on the Hole Dozer bi-metal product, these new hole saws provide 50 times longer life in extreme abrasive material applications than stainless steel. They can cut easily at high speed through nail-embedded wood, stainless steel, cement board, fiberglass and plaster.
TORCH — Engineered to deliver 50 times longer life than standard bi-metal blades, the new blades can handle a wide range of metal-cutting applications, from cast iron to stainless steel and high-strength alloys. These blades have 25 percent more carbide-per-tooth than any other carbide metal-cutting reciprocating blades on the market.
BIG HAWG — These new hole saws use advanced carbide technology to cut through material five times faster than any other hole saw on the market. Each is engineered with a three-tooth design and also have 70 percent thicker backer material for longer life in demanding applications.

Milwaukee Tool 07 — Alex Boll, senior product manager, talks to contractors about some of the plumbing-specific applications for Milwaukee Tool’s M12- and M18-powered products.

In August, Milwaukee Tool will be expanding its pipe wrench offerings with a broad range of new sizes, many of which feature dual coil springs, an overbite jaw, and optimized grips. A new 10-inch extended pipe wrench eliminates the need for a “breaker bar” on smaller pipe wrenches.

The company will then release its extreme metal-cutting band saw blades in September. The new blades feature an aggressive variable pitched tooth design that delivers the versatility to cut all metal thicknesses with one blade, and also extends the life of the blade in common materials.