6 Milwaukee Tools & Products That Can Help Make Decorating For The Holidays Easier – SlashGear

If you’re not careful and don’t plan ahead, decorating for the holidays can be such a grueling chore that it ends up sucking all the fun and cheer out of it. To make sure this doesn’t happen, and you enjoy preparing for the holidays as much as the festivities themselves, you’ll want the right set of equipment to get the job done as quickly and painlessly as possible. One brand that you might not associate with Santa Claus and eggnog is Milwaukee Tools, but the company is well-suited for the holiday season. The brand even makes its own Milwaukee Advent Calendar you can incorporate into your home decorations.

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Milwaukee is a very popular brand with professionals and DIYers alike for its quality construction and convenient features. Milwaukee offers a wide range of products, including several that can help with putting up all sorts of Christmas decorations and other holiday adornments. These include power tools, hand tools, and other accessories you may not have even realized you could use.

Milwaukee also makes generators and other gear that can power your Christmas decorations, but you’ll also want to stock up on items that will help you set everything up. To help you figure out which are right for you, here are six Milwaukee tools and products that can help make decorating for the holidays easier, based on the reviews of people who’ve used them. More information on how these products were evaluated can be found at the end of this list.

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The first thing you’re going to want to do before setting up elaborate holiday decorations is taking measurements. The last thing you want to do is start all over after realizing you don’t have enough lights or can’t fit all the reindeer you purchased. The Milwaukee 25′ Wide Blade Magnetic Tape Measure will come in especially handy as you map out your various indoor and outdoor decorations, whether you’re figuring out the biggest Christmas tree you can fit in your living room or planning to cover your house with enough lights to be seen from the North Pole.

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Milwaukee makes several measuring tapes, but not all are magnetic — an especially useful feature if you’re working by yourself. The magnetic hook can easily attach to steel studs and other metal surfaces to help you take measurements. It has a 17-foot reach and a long, straight standout. With nylon bond blade protection and an additional coating on the first six inches of the blade, you won’t have to worry about tape tear, while its 5-point reinforced frame also gives it enhanced impact resistance. You’ll end up using this tape measure year-round for all kinds of applications, which is why it’s even included in some of the best Milwaukee tool sets for mechanics.

Of course, tape measures are easy to come by and there are some really affordable options, and you may find Milwaukee’s tool to be too costly. However, Pro Tool Reviews gave a slightly older model of this tape measure a positive review and said its durability and improvement to user experience make it worth the extra bucks.

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The Milwaukee 25′ Wide Blade Magnetic Tape Measure is available from Home Depot for $25.

A cordless drill is a versatile power tool that can really save you time and effort while putting up holiday decorations, and the Milwaukee M18 Cordless ½-inch Drill/Driver is one of the best on the market. Pro Tool Reviews rated the drill/driver and a hammer driver variant a near-perfect 9.8 out of 10 score in its hands-on review of the test, calling its power and balance impressive. Milwaukee’s hammer driver/drill is useful for different reasons, and you might want to go with that model instead if you have more uses for it throughout the year, but for the basic drilling needs you’ll come across while putting up decorations, the M18 Cordless Drill Driver should be more than enough for you.

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Since it’s just 6.9 inches long, the drill is great for smaller decorations. You can use it to drill holes for hooks or for attaching stands to outdoor Santas, reindeer, Nativity characters, and more. An integrated belt clip makes it easy to carry around, and its gearcase and ½-inch chuck are all metal for increased durability. The mechanical clutch can be used for many different fasteners, adding to the tool’s versatility.

As an M18 Fuel tool, you’ll get the usual powerful motor and long battery life you can expect from Milwaukee’s cordless line. The tool also features Autostop Control Mode, which allows you to set the sensitivity to low, medium, or high, allowing you to find the perfect balance for safety and convenience. Plus, it’s one of Milwaukee’s One-Key compatible tools, which makes it ridiculously easy to keep track of.

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Home Depot sells the Milwaukee M18 Cordless ½-inch Drill/Driver for $239.

A set of Milwaukee 6-in-1 Electrician Pliers can be invaluable while setting up Christmas decorations, whether you’re removing old staples and nails, bending or shaping hooks, or using them to safely strip, cut, twist, or crimp wires. Pliers are also great for gripping particularly small items, especially when your fingers are numb from the cold. Milwaukee’s 6-in-1 Electrician Pliers are very popular with Home Depot customers, earning a 4.7 out of 5 average user rating based on over 2,400 reviews, with 87% of customers recommending the tool. They have a comfortable grip that comes in handy for extended use, and have tether-ready holes in the handles for easy storage and portability. Its integrated one-handed swing lock also makes sure they don’t open in your pocket or tool bag, and the pliers are spring-loaded for quick and easy opening.

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The pliers employ a curved cutting blade for cleaner cuts, even with larger wires. It can cut #6 and #8 bolts easily, as well as strip 8-18 AWG solid wire and 10-20 AWG stranded wire. The tool also features a reaming head design and is constructed of forged alloy steel for improved durability and rust protection. They may not be as precise as needle-nose pliers, and to be honest, it’s good to have a few different kinds of pliers on hand, such as the 9-inch 7-in-1 High Leverage Combination Pliers, which is one of many Milwaukee tools no handyman should be without. But, if you’re only going to carry one pair, the 6-in-1 pliers will be plenty useful during the holidays.

You can purchase Milwaukee 6-in-1 Electrician Pliers from Home Depot for $15.

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Wintertime means festive holidays, but it also means much shorter days and early sunsets. There’s a good chance you’ll end up having to put up some of your decorations in the dark, but fortunately Milwaukee makes several lighting options to brighten up the worksite. That includes the M18 Rocket Dual Power Tower Light, which can run for hours on batteries if your Christmas decorations are using up all of your outdoor outlets. If they aren’t, the hybrid light can also be plugged in and be used indefinitely.

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It can be set up in just a few seconds and has 7-foot reinforced extension legs that have a compact footprint. The tool is impact resistant and has a low center of gravity to keep it stable, as well as a protective guard for the lamp head while you’re moving it from site to site. Perhaps most importantly, it offers a bright, 2,500 lumen output in neutral white, with an even beam pattern for optimal visibility. A low battery indicator will keep you from losing light unexpectedly.

One downside to the product is that it’s fairly pricey for a work light. Like many Milwaukee tools, you can find cheaper alternatives, but they’re less likely to offer the same quality and features. Both customers and professional reviewers, such as Tools in Action, have favorable opinions of the M18 Rocket Dual Power Tower Light.

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The M18 Rocket Dual Power Tower Light retails for $179 at Home Depot.

If your holiday decorations are even slightly crooked, it can ruin the entire look and make it feel like all your trouble was for nothing. You can prevent this nightmare with the Milwaukee 48-inch Redstick Digital Level, which uses Pinpoint Measurement Technology and offers a precise, easy-to-read measurement on its dynamic hi-res display. The screen will automatically adjust its brightness based on ambient light so that you won’t have to squint to read it, and a power save mode will preserve battery life. It’s easily rechargeable via USB.

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In addition to a large font size, it uses lights and sounds to signal when it’s found a measurement. Its digital menu is also simple to use and includes settings for mode, sensitive, tolerance, power, and language. You may be hesitant to expose an expensive piece of digital equipment to the elements, but the Redstick is IP65-rated for protection against debris, dust, and more. High-density, removable end caps to protect the frame and make it easier to use in tighter spaces.

After testing the product, Pro Tool Reviews scored the Redstick Digital Level an 8 out of 10 and reported that it’s “chock-full of functionality,” as well as praising its “excellent carrying case.” Having a high-tech, digital level can certainly make measuring easier, though it comes with a couple of drawbacks. With a traditional bubble level, you can make measurements instantly and don’t need to worry about turning on the device for it to work. Milwaukee makes a significantly cheaper 48-inch Magnetic I-Beam Level that will offer the same measurements as the Redstick — but you may prefer the modern, digital touch of the latter.

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The Milwaukee 48-inch Redstick Digital Level sells for $299 at Home Depot. Shorter and longer models are also available.

One item you may not have thought of using while decorating for the holidays is a radio. After all, you’re likely to be spending at least a few hours toiling away, and what better way to put you in a festive spirit than by listening to some Christmas carols — or at the very least, Mariah Carey. While you can easily listen to tunes from any number of devices, the Milwaukee M18 Packout Radio + Charger is a smart choice for a few different reasons. For one thing, it’s built to withstand rough-and-tumble jobsites, unlike many more delicate radios and Bluetooth speakers. This makes it perfect for the chilly, windy, snowy conditions you may face while putting up outdoor decorations.

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Another advantage is that it can last for hours on battery power — which means you can even incorporate it into your decorations themselves, adding a fun audio element to your visual display. The device can also charge your devices, as well as M18 batteries you may be using for other Milwaukee tools while you work. It’s also one of several accessories that make for great Milwaukee Packout options, as it easily attaches to the brand’s modular storage system.

Plus, it sounds great, which is obviously important when it comes to radios. After thoroughly testing the product, Bob Vila said the unit offers “unmatched sound” from its 10 speakers. However, you can save money by opting for a non-Packout model of the M18 radio. The M18 Jobsite Radio is more affordable, but it doesn’t offer the same storage and portability convenience as other Packout accessories, so it may come down to what’s more important to you.

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The Milwaukee M18 Packout Radio + Charger is available from Amazon for $272.99.

The best way to know if a product reliably works as advertised is to test it yourself. Short of that, you can rely on the feedback from others who have had the chance to do the same, including professional reviewers writing for reputable publications. Most of the recommended Milwaukee tools and products on this list have been vetted by such publications, including Bob Vila, Tools in Action, and Pro Tool Reviews.

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It can be tough to find professional reviews of smaller hand tools, however. No professional reviews were referenced when writing about Milwaukee’s 6-in-1 Electrician Pliers, but fortunately the tool has strong feedback from customers who’ve purchased and used them. Based on over 2,400 reviews, Home Depot customers rated these pliers an impressive 4.7 out of 5. With so many people weighing in, this can be considered a reliable customer score, as any fake reviews or outlier scores made in bad faith, whether positively or negatively, won’t overwhelmingly skew the rating. You can thus be confident that the pliers, along with the other recommended Milwaukee products on this list, can help make decorating for the holidays an easier endeavor.

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