Milwaukee M12 Brushless Pruning Shears Review

Ditch Your Manual Shears For Milwaukee’s M12 Brushless Pruning Shears

Taking some of the work out of repetitive tasks like pruning can be a lifesaver. With how rapidly the Crepe Myrtles grow around Central Florida, you can get hand cramps maintaining these trees with manual pruning shears. The Milwaukee 2534 M12 Brushless Pruning Shears present a truly ergonomic solution for repetitive trimming tasks. To me, the real question is whether a professional landscaper should have this on their truck or trailer as part of their tool arsenal. Be sure to check out our best pruning shears round-up to see where this tool ranks against similar products from other manufacturers.

Milwaukee M12 Brushless Pruning Shears Performance

The Milwaukee M12 Brushless pruning shears deliver fast and controlled pruning, even on big branches. In fact, it has the power to cut through branches up to 1-1/4 inches in thickness. Having used my share of manual pruners on branches that large, a battery-powered solution really eliminates a lot of hand fatigue.

I got a lot of trigger time with these shears around our office here in Central Florida. One of the first things I noticed was how well the blade reacts to the trigger. When you squeeze the trigger, the blade quickly engages. When it’s released, the blade opens up immediately. That means that if you don’t want to complete a full cut, you can just release the trigger and the blade retracts. This action provides you with more control over cut capacity while pruning.

Additionally, Milwaukee added a feature that really gives it some innovative tool functionality. A mode selection button lets you select between two opening widths—designed for larger or smaller branches. This reduces the time it takes for the jaws to open when cutting smaller branches, resulting in a much quicker workflow. When you go back to larger brandches, just switch modes and the jaws open up fully once again to the maximum 1-1/4″ capacity.

Performance Specs

• Cut Capacity: 1-1/4 in.
• Blade Length: 2-1/4 in.
• Cuts Per Charge: 1,000 (with CP2.0Ah battery)
• Motor: Brushless

Milwaukee M12 Brushless Pruning Shears Design

I love the in-line ergonomics of the tool. Having tested and used the DeWalt 20V pruner, the Milwaukee M12 brushless pruning shears take up a lot less space and give you easier access when trimming trees and large bushes. They also weigh less, have more features, and demonstrate comparable power and capacity. About the only negative is that some other models provide an additional 1/8-inch of branch diameter capacity.

I made dozens of cuts on both thin and thick branches using both modes as applicable, and it did not disappoint. With an M12 CP2.0 battery—which I highly recommend due to its low weight—Milwaukee tells us you can expect these shears to perform around 1000 cuts per charge. Based on my use so far, that’s likely a fairly accurate estimate.

• Model: Milwaukee 2534
• Power Source: Milwaukee M12 battery
• Weight: 2.9 lbs (bare), 3.3 lbs (with M12 CP2.0Ah battery)
• Length: 14-1/2 in.
• Additional features: Built-in hand guard, replaceable blades

Milwaukee M12 Brushless Pruning Shears Price

This retails for $199 as a bare tool and $249 as a kit with a compact CP2.0 M12 battery and charger. Milwaukee backs it with a 3-year tool warranty and a 2-year warranty on the battery.

The Bottom Line

Overall, I really like the inline design of the Milwaukee cordless shears. Compared to larger, more vertical designs, you can really get into some tighter spaces with this tool. Milwaukee clearly spent a lot of time researching the best way to design a product that would eliminate the need for carrying around manual handheld shears. It has plenty of power and capacity for larger branches, and a design that feels truly ergonomic.

For Pros looking for a professional solution for seasonal branch pruning, the Milwaukee 2534 provides a solid solution that should pay for itself quickly in time-savings.