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 I just came in today to discover one of Milwaukee's cool new 2401-22 Subcompact 12v Lithium Ion drivers on my desk. Based on Milwaukee's brand new (as in, this is the first tool using it) 12v 1.4 Ah Li-Ion platform, the 2401 promises to be the first of many new tools using this tiny 6.5 oz battery.
The entire 2401 weighs just over 2lbs when equipped with the battery. This is almost half the weight as one of Milwaukee's other new 18v compact drill we evaluated last week, the 2601-22 . I love how tools are getting so compact and lightweight, yet still are powerful enough to be functional.
The sixteen position clutch delivers up to 100 inch/lbs of torque at a max speed of 500 RPM. There's even a drill setting if you have hex shank-type drill bits. However, as we experienced with the Bosch PS40-2, this class of tools is much better for twisting screws than boring holes.
The metal bit holder on the 2401-22 is designed so that you can easily operate it with one hand. Simply insert the bit and the sleeve slides back and automatically locks. Push the sleeve forward, the bit unlocks and drops right out. Simple and effective.
Like almost every other new cordless tool, the 2401 features an intergrated white LED worklight mounted in front of the trigger. We still prefer Bosch's 360° implementation of LEDs on the PS40-2 Pocket Impactor over a single LED, but at least Milwaukee has chosen a very bright LED for the 2401. It comes on with a slight press of the trigger and extinguishes the moment you let go.
 We also like the neat little battery gauge on the side. Just like Milwaukee's larger V18 or V28 li-ion batteries, four little red LED indicators display battery charge Level in an instant, so you know when it's time to charge the battery. Unlike power tools using NiCd battery systems, Lithium Ion batteries will deliver full power up until the battery completely dies and needs to be recharged. Because of this, it's hard to tell how charged the battery is without this "fuel gauge" feature. This makes it easy to tell at a glance whether or not you need to hook up the charger.
One thing I did notice right away is that the battery is suprisingly difficult to pull out from the bottom of the 2401. For older users, I can see how this could be a very frustrating issue. However, this could just be because our test model was brand-new and it could loosen up over time. (edit: a rep from Milwaukee let me check out a demo unit he has had for a few weeks and the battery was definitely loser on that model, so it looks like it does loosen up over time)
Milwaukee has consistently offered one of the best warranty programs in the power tool industry. The 2401 itself is covered by a generous five year warranty, while the batteries are covered for still-generous two years. The transmission and clutch is all metal, so the tool should last a long time.
 Our first impression of 2401 was that it strongly resembles Bosch's 10.8 PS20-2 Pocket Driver. While there is no doubt in my mind that the PS20 was definitely one of the inspirations behind the 2401, Milwaukee has made a few small improvements that make their version somewhat superior. We're currently working on a separate article comparing the two tools, keep an eye out for that over the next few days.
The Milwakee 2401-22 Subcompact Driver includes two 12v Lithium Ion Batteries, a 30 minute charger, two driver bits and a really nice soft-sided carrying case. The Milwaukee 2401-22 is available now from ToolKing.com , or wherever professional power tools are sold.
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