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How to use a Milwaukee cordless drill

Updated: 2026-10-23

The drill is on the bench, and the collar has more marks than the hole you are about to make. How to use a Milwaukee cordless drill, for the four tools in this amazon.co.uk set, comes down to the collar, the gear and a pack that matches the rail. On the 2607-20 the clutch number does nothing in hammer or plain drill. An M18 pack will not seat on the M12 body. Dated 22 October 2026, this follows the 2607-20 manual and the other listing text. It is not a lab test. A qualifying Amazon purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Which listing you bought is the [Milwaukee cordless drill comparison](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/milwaukee-cordless-drill).

The drill is on the bench, and the collar has more marks than the hole you are about to make.

Our top picks

Milwaukee Milwaukee M12 3401-20 subcompact drill driver

Best overall

Milwaukee Milwaukee M12 3401-20 subcompact drill driver
9.2/10about £92.99
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Milwaukee Milwaukee M18 2607-20 hammer drill, bare

Alternative

Milwaukee Milwaukee M18 2607-20 hammer drill, bare
8.8/10about £124.95
View offer
Milwaukee Milwaukee M18 BPD-402C

Best value

Milwaukee Milwaukee M18 BPD-402C
8.8/10about £213.00
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Collar before the trigger
  2. 2.Gear and a large bit
  3. 3.The pack and the charger
  4. 4.When to stop

Collar before the trigger

On the 2607-20 the application collar runs hammer, then drill, then drive. Set it with the chuck stopped. Hammer mode in that manual is masonry with a carbide bit, no water on the bit, and no reinforcing bar. In hammer and in plain drill the numbered torque collar has no effect. The number only matters in drive. Do not copy a FUEL clutch table onto these rows. The M12 3401-20 bullets list 12 clutch settings and do not mention hammer. If the collar in your hand has no hammer symbol, treat it as a drill driver. The £213 row prints an impact rate of 0–28,800, and one review says percussion was missing. None of those cells replaces a collar you can see. No hammer position means no hammer mode on this arrival.

Gear and a large bit

Use low gear for a large bit and for the first turns of a long screw. The 2607-20 and the £213 row give 0–450 rpm and 0–1,800 rpm. High gear is for a small bit that is already cutting cleanly. If the chuck labours or walks, drop to low before you lean harder. Forcing high gear is how a chuck locks and a bit snaps in metal. The M12 table says 12 speeds and 1,550 rps. Read 12 as the clutch count, not twelve gears. Read 1,550 rps as the listing's mis-labelled rpm. Milwaukee's 3401-20 page is 0–1,550 rpm. You do not have a chuck doing 1,550 revolutions per second. If high gear grates, stop.
Milwaukee Milwaukee M12 3401-20 subcompact drill driver

Testsieger

Milwaukee Milwaukee M12 3401-20 subcompact drill driver
9.2/10about £92.99
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The pack and the charger

Fit only the pack for the rail on the tool. M12 packs run the 3401-20. M18 packs run the 2607-20 and the BPD bodies. A charger sold as M12-18 can charge either rail. It does not let the wrong pack click home. Pushing an M18 pack at the M12 foot is not topping the pack up through the drill. Which foot you need is Milwaukee M18 or M12 drill. None of these rows states a BS 1363 plug. One review on the £213 listing mentions a UK plug. Check the pins. The 3401-20 and the 2607-20 do not name a battery. The £213 line names a battery and a charger, pack count 1. The £184.99 line names a charger, while the title claims two 4.0 Ah packs. Charge what is in the box.

When to stop

Stop if the tool sparks, smokes or smells of burning brushes. Reviews describe a brush smell on the £184.99 row, sparks on the 2607-20, and smoke then a seized tool on the £213 row. A drill that smells of hot windings after two holes in plaster, or three holes in 2 inch wood, is a return. Stop the hole when you cannot trace cables and pipes, when the dust is silica you cannot control, or when the work is repeated concrete. A carbide bit in a combi collar is occasional masonry, not an SDS hammer. At work, PUWER applies. The HSE action value is 2.5 m/s² A(8) and the limit is 5 m/s² A(8). Wear eye protection whenever the chuck is turning. The buying conflicts are on the Milwaukee cordless drill buying guide.

Common questions

Does the clutch number matter in hammer mode?
On the 2607-20 manual, no. The numbered collar has no effect in hammer or in plain drill. It works in drive, when you want the clutch to click as a screw seats. Set hammer, drill or drive first, with the chuck stopped. If your tool has no hammer symbol, there is no hammer mode to adjust. Do not borrow a FUEL inch-pound chart for these four listings.
Why does the light stay on?
On the 2607-20, reviews say the LED stays on while a pack is fitted and goes off when the pack is removed. That is a complaint about that bare tool, not a feature of the M12 or the BPD rows. If you cannot store the tool with a pack fitted, take the pack off. The drill is not still running.
Can I put an M18 pack on the M12 drill to charge it?
No. The packs do not seat across rails. An M12-18 charger can charge either pack on the charger. It does not turn the drill into a cross-rail dock. The 3401-20 takes M12 packs. The 2607-20 and the BPD bodies take M18 packs. Forcing the wrong foot does not charge anything.
What if the collar has no hammer symbol?
Use the tool as a drill driver. The M12 bullets never promised a hammer, and a UK review says that body has none. If you bought the 2607-20 because the table says Hammer Drill and the collar has no hammer position, that arrival matches the reviews that received a drill driver. A masonry bit will not invent the missing mode.
When should I stop and reject the tool?
When it sparks, smokes or smells of burning brushes, when the chuck will not hold a bit, or when the trigger does nothing. Reviews describe those failures on arrival and after a few holes, including light plaster and three holes in 2 inch wood. A missing hammer collar on a hammer-drill title is a reason to query the parcel before you buy bits.

Related pages

Best Milwaukee cordless drill

Milwaukee cordless drill

Milwaukee drill body only or kit: read the contents

Milwaukee cordless drill buying guide: rail and box

Milwaukee M18 or M12 drill: packs stay on one rail

Sources

Sources from the research digest, last checked on 22 October 2026.

  1. Milwaukee UK, M18 system (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. Milwaukee Europe, choosing between M12 and M18 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. Milwaukee, batteries and chargers (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. Milwaukee manual, 2607-20 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. Milwaukee, 3401-20 subcompact drill driver (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Toolnation, Milwaukee 4933443520 M18 BPD-402C (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Milwaukee guarantee conditions (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. HSE, hand-arm vibration regulations (retrieved 22 October 2026)