Who has a cordless impact driver?

gafftapegreenia

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About two years ago I upgraded and purchased an 18v Makita lithium ion drill/impact driver kit. While I could make a whole separate thread about how great li-ion drills are, this one is about impact drivers. If you haven't discovered the cordless impact driver yet, you owe it to yourself. 3" screws have finally met their match. I have become a firm believer in the value of a cordless impact driver. Of course, I also just put a new motor in my 7 year old DeWalt 12v drill, for two reasons. 1) It still has better torque than the drill that came in my Makita set and 2) I'm not ready to give up that 3 speed clutch, because most drills only have two speeds.

As for all the impact bits, namely the DeWalt Impact Ready and Milwaukee Shockwave offerings, I'm still undecided as to if they are gimmicks or not. Now, certainly impact sockets are different, since they are made to resist shattering, as will happen with normal sockets when used on an impact tool. However, the impact driver bits don't seen to have a much longer lifespan than normal bits, and the DeWalt impact bits actually seem to have a shorter life (and normally I laud DeWalt accessories)

So, impact drivers, discuss.
 
I bought three Ryobi cordless drivers a couple of years ago. I love and hate them. They arte indispensible for driving long screws and make short work of medium size screws but you really have to remind folks that they will drive a screw right through certain materials. Oh and they are annoyingly loud.
Other than that I agree they are fantastic.
 
Yes, we have them at work and they are pretty much indispensable for driving screws into 1by or 2by. They don't do much else though.
 
I have both a Milwaukee impact and Makita impact, just the other day I had someone nearby using a Ryobi and the Ryobi unit is far louder and more shrill than the other two. Not to say impact drivers aren't loud, but some more than others.
 
Yes, we have them at work and they are pretty much indispensable for driving screws into 1by or 2by. They don't do much else though.

Oh They are pretty good at a few other things..... Like when you need to pop out to the parking garage and fix something real quick. the impact driver is great at removing certain nuts and bolts which were installed at the factory....
 
My cordless stuff is all Hitachi 12v Max Li-Ion, and I have the impact driver (and the drill/driver, screwdriver, and recip saw), and that impact driver can sink lag screw after lag screw after lag screw in to case wheelboards with no issues. Used it to put new wheelboards on a bunch of chainmotor cases and didn't have any battery issues. As a side note, I really do love the Hitachi 12V Max stuff and the battery life and power is really surprisingly good, as is most of the newer 12V LI-ION stuff these days.

To have a tool that can sink lag screws over and over again without an air hose is wonderful. And the size is another bonus.
 
I've got a Dewalt Impact 18V and it's the best thing since sliced bread, unfortunately now that I got it I haven't had any projects to work on.
 
We have 8 DeWalt 18v Impact Drivers at the school. Couldn't live without them, we barely use our normal drills. Hopefully gonna pick one up for myself sometime soon.
 
I have 6 Milwaukee 18v impact with the lightweight battery. We use them extensively on installations. They will drive a 3/8" x 3" concrete anchor (BIG concrete TapCon) without hesitation. When installing a T-bar guide wall, 100 plus fasteners, that's a biggie. The half weight 18v LiOn batteries don't have the charge time of the full size, but the wear and tear on your hand and arm is cut in half due to the weight. That makes a big difference at the end of an 8 hour day. Get a couple extra batteries, keep up on charging and the crew will thank you profusely at the end of the day.

When assembling tracks or raceways, the speed of the tool is incredible. Saves a LOT of time. Because there is no measurable or set-table torque setting, the crew is trained on the required torque need for each fastening and they check frequently to stray within the requirements. For batten clamps and track hanging clamps, we have found that two or three rattles sets the fasteners at well over the needed torque. YMMV.
 
I found that using our Ryobi impact driver, many of my high school technicians didn't strip out screws with the frightening regularity that they otherwise might with an ordinary screw gun. And loving them for longer screws and lag bolts. But +1 about the loud issue.
 
I personally own an 18V Hitachi Cordless Impact Driver and Cordless Drill/Driver. I have used impact drivers from Makita, Milwaukee, Ryobi, Dewalt, Ridgid and Bosch. When it comes to quickly putting together standard platforms of 2x4 and 3/4" OSB, they make quick and easy work of the 3" screws in framing and legging (I know, I know not shear rated, but we don't have an air powered nail gun and take them apart and reuse the materials - screws). However, my preference is still to use my 18V Drill/Driver or 12V Milwaukee Drill/Driver for the 1-5/8" screws used to secure the lid. Less likely to drive right through the OSB, and the 18V Drill/Driver definitely picks up a bit more speed on the shorter screws than the Impact.

Reasons I purchased my Hitachi:
1. Excellent battery life. Fade Free (blessing and a curse, it dies right at its limit but has up to 80-85% power all the way through that point).
2. Excellent torque and speed.
3. Even with its full size battery it isn't overly heavy.
4. Smaller, contoured, more comfortable grip to my hand.
5. Usually available at a very reasonable price.

What I don't like about it:
1. Impact Driver does get hot, but never manages to overheat.
2. The LED light is slightly high on the driver and is obscured at close range by the driver/tip/guide.
3. As much torque, but not as much speed, as the Makita Impact Drivers.

Would I buy it again?
Yes, absolutely. Outprices Makita; usually outprices Dewalt, Bosch and Milwaukee. Better feel to the driving than Dewalt, Bosch and Milwaukee IMO. Ryobi and other brands are less expensive, but have less torque and speed. Usually less well contoured grip and feel to drive. IMO, again.
 
I've had the little 10.8V Bosch Impact Driver for a few years now, and I love it. Almost as powerful as the 18V Dewalt impacts we have at work. Certainly faster at driving screws than the 18V regular drills (and lighter, so easier on the wrist).
 
Both in maintenance and tech I love impact drivers, I have yet to find an easier way to drive Tapcons into our eighty year old concrete.
 
Impact drills really have change my life, in regards to construction and maintenance, of course. I use a dewalt 18v at work and have a 18v ryobi at home, I really love the dewalt, and for home use, my ryobi is fine, but I am really looking to upgrade to a li-ion soon. I work with some set carpenters that have the ion's and i really love those. So someday the upgrade will arrive.

I love the fact that you can easily switch from driving 3" screws to a 3" lag bolt and not have to get a darn socket wrench out, I think that's what I love most.
 
Both in maintenance and tech I love impact drivers, I have yet to find an easier way to drive Tapcons into our eighty year old concrete.

I have a 12v Bosch, and it Blows regular 18v Drill Drivers outa the water now matter what brand. Bosch tools seem to have higher Amperage batteries too which seems to make them perform a little better then Dewalt alternatives. I love my Bosch Kit.
 
I had seen the impacts for a while but hadn't bought one because my drill/driver wasn't eating anything and I just hated to spend the money for something I really didn't need. Boy, was that a mistake. I finally got a couple and my drill rarely leaves the box anymore.
 
Small reason I like Makita: The light stays on for a short time after you release the trigger.
 
i have the makita and the new craftsman at home and like everyone says they are amazing, i use mine everywhere from work, to the shop, it even proved to be a very valuable companion when replacing a clutch on my ford ranger. 230xxx miles on the factory clutch and the flywheel bolts just came right out. i wouldnt trade these tools for anything.
 

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