Impact Drivers on Sale: Which One?

[John TenEyck]

FYI, just saw this in my e-mail: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=pe_108770_19631060_pe_epc_/?node=2399141011

I've been wanting to buy a 10 - 12V impact driver for some time, but couldn't decide which one. I'm thinking of the Makita (approx. $110 today) or the Bosch (approx. $85). Anybody have any feedback, recommendations, warnings, other preferences? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[John Baranowski]

The $85 Bosch is actually the PS-20, which is a drill, not an impact driver. I have that one and the PS-40, the impact driver. I like it alot, and use it all the time. It is lightweight, and small enough to get just about anywhere. I recommend it.

[Chris Ainsley]

I've had the 18V LXT Makita for about 7 years now and I have no complaints.

[Kent A Bathurst]

My personal experience: Had 2 x Milwaukee 7-yr-olds, they started to reach the end of their life, checked around, including input here. I have no comparative info on other brands. I wanted one brand for everything, one set of batteries, and charger[s] that handled all of them.

To be honest, from the sidelines, the big hoo-hah about impact drivers seemed to me to be overblown. I was wrong-wrong-wrong.

I ended up with 18v Makita. I have the "black + white" drill/driver, the "green" impact driver, the "green" hammer drill/driver, the "black + white" flashlight. 2 chargers, 5 total batteries.

I am absolutely happy. Two observations from my personal evaluation [meaning, this was not written on the back of Moses' tablets, and others will likely disagree]

1] the small-end batteries that come with the "black + white" packages - I would never buy these again. They simply don't last very long. But - they are lightweight, which I like - slap one in that black + white drill, and you've got a nice, functional, lightweight tool. OTOH - and this is odd - the "small" and the "big" batteries both fit in the same charger, and both fit in the "black + white" tools. But, "small" batteries will not fit in the "green" tools. I assume they need more muscle to run well than the small batteries can supply.

2] The green impact driver - it has 3 "muscle level" settings. That's good - I love the tool. But, my neighbor's wife asked for Christmas present recommmendations for her hubby, and I conned her into getting a full set of black + white tools, chargers, and batteries [now, my stuff stays in my shop :D]. The black + white impact driver has no muscle settings, but it's operation is right in the middle of the green's low and medium settings, and seems to be the "sweet spot" for driving a lot of commonly-used wood screws. Kinda like Goldilocks - my green low is a bit too small, my green medium is a bit too big, but the black + white is just right.

If I went to the stupid end of the scale some day, I'd get the black + white impact as a second tool - I like my green as the primary - and I'd get 2 more big batteries.

So - dunno what type of work you do, but for most of the common woodshop tasks, my ideal "get one thing only" package would be the black + white impact and 2 of the big batteries.

[Julian Tracy]

I've had 4-5 impact drivers, from the older Bosch 9.6 nicad unit, the Makita 14.4 NiMH, the Panasonic 12volt, the Hitachi 10.8/12, the Makita 3.6volt, the Bosch 10.8/12volt, and the Makita LXT 18volt.

The Makita's own this category - the Mak 14.4 unit was a workhorse, the LXT is as dependable.

For the smaller units - the Hitachi 10.8/12 unit is pretty amazing - It'd do a 3 1/2" cabinet hanging screw like the big boys.

I have a complete Bosch 10.8/12 kit and sold off the impactor from it. Compared to the Hitachi, it was a joke. Compared to the Makita LXT stuff, it was useless.

All it did was be noisy, I didn't find it much more usefull than their standard driver unit.

I'd go for the Makita. You might as well get the full size LXT - get the white version that comes with the smaller 1.5 batts - it's not a whole lot larger than the 10.8/12volt units.

I could not reccomend the Bosch 10.8/12volt impactor at all.

JT

[Greg R Bradley]

Kent's advice is very good but he missed the middle Makita LXT impact.

They have the Black/White one, which is the "normal impact" with the small battery. This can be a great alternative for the 12v max ultra compact tools since it isn't much larger or heavier and gives you more options.

Then they have the same unit with the normal battery, BTD141. This is the most common LXT impact. This is the one Kent missed.

The new BTD144 is the one Kent is raving about and I fully agree. This unit is much more expensive but it is the new Brushless unit with the 3 power levels. I love mine and have a couple extra BTD141 to sell now that I have it.

I also fully agree with Kent's last point: "what kind of work are you going to do?"

The 12v max tools are great but they are a bit light for general use. If you are mainly doing light work, they will serve you well. Bosch and Milwaukee have a much broader line than Makita in the 12v Max stuff. Bosch has a couple unique tools such as the I-Driver and Multi-Tool that are unique. Milwaukee has some weird stuff nobody else has such as pipe cutters. It really depends on what you want.

In the 18v line, Makita LXT is king. The White/Black light duty stuff with the small battery is a great idea as that makes it light weight for the general use drill and impact if you wish. You can use the bigger battery on those tools if you need longer run time. Makita LXT only has one bad tool in the whole line, the Hybrid 4-way driver.

So again, what kind of work are you going to do?

[Greg R Bradley]

Looks like Julian was typing as I was. His post reminded me that the original Bosch impactor was weak. The Bosch rep swapped it out for the PS40-2 and I was happy. Still pretty weak compared to the LXT stuff, of course. It depends on what you are using it for.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Kent's advice is very good.........

Awwwwww, shucks, Greg...........you make me feel so much better after the beat-down I took on the pancake compressor thread. I'm a new man - thanks. :p :p :p



Then they have the same unit with the normal battery, BTD141. This is the most common LXT impact. This is the one Kent missed.

Yeah - that one I don't know anything about. When I was retooling that part of the wall, I thought about that one long and hard, but decided that I'd roll the dice and pop for the extra bucks to go big-time - I figured that I'd go with the best available technology - the brushless - that was the entire basis for my ultimate buy decision. I feel I spent my money well - and it was more than just weekend beer money, by a long shot - but someone like Greg that buys impact drivers by the gross knows more than me.

I use mine for everything from fine woodworking to 3/8" x 6" galvanized lag screws into PT deck posts. On the fine ww - I leave it on the "weenie" setting, let it pop out of drive, then finish with a hand-held screwdriver. Prolly too cautious, but that's what I do. That's why I mentioned the B+W model as a possiblity.

[Ryan Hellmer]

I have the Makita 10.8 v impact/drill driver combo set (2 tools) and LOVE it. That little impact is an amazing critter. I use it for everything from 1/2" hardware screws to 3.5" deck screws and it handles them all. Note that I would not recommend this set if you are building a deck and need to drive big screws all day, but it works great in the shop and around the house. My poor porter cable 19.2v set (that was the bees knees when I got it) gathers dust now.

Ryan

[Mike Schuch]

What are you guys using these Impact drivers for? Woodworking or something else?

I couldn't live without my pneumatic Ignersol Rand 3/8" and 1/2" drivers but I have never used them for wood working????? I wouldn't want to have to worry about batteries or breaking power when I am in the middle of swapping out an axle. Are the battery powered ones for people who don't have a decent sized compressor?

[Joe Angrisani]

What are you guys using these Impact drivers for? Woodworking or something else? I couldn't live without my pneumatic Ignersol Rand 3/8" and 1/2" drivers but I have never used them for wood working????? I wouldn't want to have to worry about batteries or breaking power when I am in the middle of swapping out an axle. Are the battery powered ones for people who don't have a decent sized compressor?

Different animal, Mike. It's not an impact wrench like you are imagining regarding your 3/8" and 1/2" guns. Think more along the lines of a cordless drill with a little impact ooom-pa-pa to help drive bigger screws. Quite a handy tool, but to be honest I think of mine as more of a construction and handyman tool, and less of a fine woodworking tool.

[scott spencer]

John - A friend of mine has a Makita that's pretty nice. I've used it and like it, but I'm just as happy with the performance of my Hitachi WH10DL (the Makita looks a little nicer IMHO!). I recently picked up a Hitachi WH10DL from reconditionedsales.com (http://www.reconditionedsales.com/Hitachi_WH10DFL_10.8V_%2812V_Peak%29_14_Cordless_I mpact_Driver_%28Reconditioned%29___i1606.aspx) for $64....love the driver and the deal...it looked like new. It included two batteries, quick charger, hard case, and driver.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Different animal, Mike. It's not an impact wrench like you are imagining regarding your 3/8" and 1/2" guns. Think more along the lines of a cordless drill with a little impact ooom-pa-pa to help drive bigger screws. Quite a handy tool, but to be honest I think of mine as more of a construction and handyman tool, and less of a fine woodworking tool.

Yeah - completely different critters. Also - it seems to reduce the likelihod of a bit driver from spinning out of a screw head. I use mine pretty much everywhere that I used to use a battery-powered drill to drive screws.

[Mike Schuch]

Hmmm.... I might have to look into one. I use my Dewalt 18v drill and Milwaukee hole shooter for driving screws depending on there location. So a battery powered impact gun is kind of an ultimate screw gun? So would you choose an impact driver over a screw gun or cordless drill for lets say laying a Trex deck?

[Jim Finn]

Another vote for Makita.......I have used makita impact drivers for over 16 years now. When I worked as a professional sheet metal worker we (by we I mean everyone) had them and drove in screws all day long. I am retired but I understand the sheetmetal workers still use them today but the 18 volt models now. I have broken off 3/8" thick bolts with this tool! I use it in woodworking now. (I have an old 9.2volt model)

[John TenEyck]

Wow, thanks for all the great input, guys. I didn't realize the Bosch being advertised was not an impact driver, until I went back and read it more carefully, so thanks to the person who pointed that out. I was all set to buy the Makita based on the accolades for it here, and my own love for my two old 9.6V Makita drills, which are still running strong after 20+ years, and then I saw the recommendation for the reconditioned Hitachi here and on another site. The specs. look just about equal to the Makita. I discounted it at first because I thought it only came with one battery, but if it really comes with two, then for $64 that looks like a no brainer, and for a guy who sometimes seems to misplace his that's a comfort. Thanks again all.

[Chris Parks]

I was building a noise reducing enclosure for the cyclone yesterday using the little Bosch impact driver and I have decided I am over it, totally. The noise drives me nuts so I will buy another Festool or more likely a Panasonic drill for driving fasteners and keep the Bosch for those internal cabinet jobs which I am sure it was originally designed for, it being compact and having a light. Yes they do a good job for a small compact tool but I was always surprised at how much noise it always made from day one. What I should have done was adapt my pneumatic butterfly driver for those jobs but it did not have a light and never under estimate the worth of that when you are putting cabinets together, absolutely priceless in my book.

[Larry Edgerton]

Makita's here. I use them very hard every day, and drive a lot of long screws. In much of the work I do I use only screws, and the two Makitas I have put them all in. Went through over $2K in screws on the last job.

I would buy them again if I ever wear these out.

Larry

[Joe Angrisani]

.....So would you choose an impact driver over a screw gun or cordless drill for lets say laying a Trex deck?

Absitively. Posolutely. It's my go-to tool for screws ~2" and longer.

[Chris Parks]

I have put over 3,000 screws in to decks around my house the last was a Trex style board, all with a conventional drill. The depth control with an impact driver is no way as good as a drill with a clutch or at least in my experience it is not.

[Von Bickley]

After using an impact driver in the shop, I will never be without one again. If mine breaks to-day, I will go and buy a new one ASAP.

I'm presently using a Makita......

[Greg Peterson]

I have no experience with Makita, but I have always read nothing but positives about their tools.

I have a 18v DeWalt impact driver. This is my first impact driver and frankly, I can not imagine not having an impact driver. I grin every time I drive a three inch screw without the slightest slip of the bit. Try that with a drill.

[jack howery]

i have the 18 v ion hitachi.love this tool built several decks with it.quick charge.drives everyything i try.more money but it has a lifetime warranty on the tool.not the batteries or the charger.first one i ever had and love it.



jack

[Will Blick]

It seems that every impact driver thread, there is a few newbs that are confused.... as plainly stated, once you drive a screw with an impact driver, you will never drive a screw another way... you have to experience it to appreciate the brilliance of the tool.

As for depth.... yes, a screw gun, or even a drill/clutch can be safer at times.... mainly because an I.D. can strip the wood (not the head)... since I.D. has no clutch, you should keep an eye on the fastener...when it seats, stop... to be safe, I tend to pop/pop/pop mine near the end.... short bursts, as the inertia alone is enough to finish seating the fastener... its very rare I ever strip the wood.

as for brands.... well, this is a moving target, every year a new leader. Best way to choose IMO...first decide on use...if light duty, i.e. few screws, small diam., small length, soft woods, etc. I see no reason to get the heavy duty 18V versions... heavier, costlier, etc. For small 9.6 or 12V batteries, right now, I think the DeWalts are the most ergonomically correct. Visit a Lowes and try them in your hand. I have the small Bosch's as well, PS, much wider grip, better suited for larger hands. Its incredible the battery life of an ID vs. a drill, due to the reduced draw of the I.D. method of driving vs. a drill. and if you always have 2nd battery ready to fly near by, (you work in a shop vs. in the field), then clearly comfort wins....

OTOH, if you drive larger or wider screws into harder woods, and/or have high volume, and/or work in the field where charging is not always easy..... now the larger capacity, high voltage batteries earn their wings.... with higher voltage, you get more torque, longer life per charge. Current DeWalts which have the new NANO technology claim 30 minute recharge time. The NANO technology stops the battery from full drain, so I.D. stops working when voltage drops, DEAD, you must replace battery, this speeds recharge time, and supposedly increases battery life, as it was the constant low drain that kills batteries...... as with all these tools, when the batteries are shot, you replace the entire tool, as the batteries cost as much as new tool w/batteries. If DW is right, this warrants the higher price, as they are on the higher end of price scale. I bit the bullet, as I hate when batteries need replacing long before the tool...

Just had a Bosch 14.4V get a bit cranky on me.... 5 years of abuse, no complaints.... replaced with the 827K DW, 18Volt.... wow, these tools keep getting better... this DW is over powered if you work with softwoods, so overkill is not always desirable... but when I drive 5/16's lag bolts 6" long, I appreciate the power. And remember, ergonomics play a bigger part than you think, try a few out, the battery size makes all the difference, unless you have ultra strong hands, and holding weight never bothers you...read the specs on torque as well to compare...

[Julian Tracy]

If you want to talk yourself into using an impact driver, and putting up with the resulting noise of doing so, do this test.

With a standard drill, try and drive a 4" drywall screw horizontally into a joist above your head. It may work, but only with a lot of muscle on your end behind the drill, and chances are, the screw head will strip out before it's set.

Now try it with an impact driver. One handed, no muscle needed - the driver does all the work and no cam out of the screw head.

For blocking work while framing, or any screw driving task - they are the ticket.

The cordless impact wrenches rival the air tools now in terms of power.

JT

[Chris Parks]

If you want to talk yourself into using an impact driver, and putting up with the resulting noise of doing so, do this test.

With a standard drill, try and drive a 4" drywall screw horizontally into a joist above your head. It may work, but only with a lot of muscle on your end behind the drill, and chances are, the screw head will strip out before it's set.


Why would dry wall ever require a 4" screw, but I know what you mean. A lot of cam out issues are caused not by the position but the driver engagement with the screw head. I always thought that drivers were drivers until I used a genuine Festool driver bit and after a while it occurred to me that the bit did not cam out and I was not using huge force to hold it engaged in the screw. Cheap drivers get cheap results I suppose.

[Brian Brightwell]

I have the 18m Milwaukee set. Half inch impact, quarter inch impact, hammer drill, and light. I like it very much. No shortage of power. I like the charge level led's. The half inch impact will take all the lug nuts of my one ton truck. I bought the impact to build a barn 32x48. I used rough sawed hard wood and half inch by five inch lag bolts. It would sink the five inch bolts into cider poles with no pilot hole. If I didn't let up it would break the bolt. A very useful tool.

[Don Morris]

I borrowed a fellow creekers Milwaukee hammar drill much like the one in the post above to drill a couple 3" holes in brick. That Milwaukee was amazing. No way could my regular drill have done in minutes what the Milwaukee did in seconds.

[Erik France]

Why would dry wall ever require a 4" screw.Some fire rated assemblies where you are stacking 4 layers of gyp do.

I picked up a Dewalt 18v nicad drill & impact driver set a while back and later got the small circular saw and light. One thing I would look at in getting a compact impact driver is what other tools will the batteries work with. I have severely limited shop space and I like being able to have just one charger and swap the batteries between tools. Makes it easier to take offsite too.

[Harry Hagan]

Panasonic, hands down. You can't go wrong with Panasonic.

The gents that installed my garage door a few years ago said they'd tried many other brands and nothing compares to Panasonic. They use an impact driver all day long.

I've owned/used a Panasonic impact driver and drill the past three years and can't disagree with their assessment. Also, I helped a neighbor with a project last winter and after watching/using mine; he ordered a set the next day.

[Larry Edgerton]

Why would dry wall ever require a 4" screw, but I know what you mean. A lot of cam out issues are caused not by the position but the driver engagement with the screw head. I always thought that drivers were drivers until I used a genuine Festool driver bit and after a while it occurred to me that the bit did not cam out and I was not using huge force to hold it engaged in the screw. Cheap drivers get cheap results I suppose.

Actually drywall bits are designed so that they "DO" cam out, or the whole process would not work. Imagine trying to hang board when the bits would not reliese from the screws.

You want philips bits that were not designed for drywall, there is a difference in the edges.

I switched to GRK's on almost everything except drywall, and for that I use Grabbers.

[John TenEyck]

Well, the Hitachi 10V arrived today from Reconditioned Sales. I don't know what's reconditioned; everything looked new to me. Anyway, I'm impressed. I put it to work tonight making a little fixture and, like everyone who has one already knows, it set screws great w/o having to lean on them to keep the bit from camming out. Small, nice balance, seems to have plenty of power. I think it's going to find lots of use in the shop and on job sites.

[Dave Carteret]

I bought the Bosch driver & impact combo set from Lowes last November on black Friday, and would buy them again in a heartbeat. I was skeptical about how useful an impact would be. It's simply awesome. Drives long screws into 2x4s like nobody's business. Those cabinet hinge screws that seem to work their way loose over time? MUCH tighter than ever. Need to drive a long screw for a door hinge? No problem, no stripping. Rusty bolt? No worries. Actually torqued off (broke) a 5/16" bolt the other day.

[rick carpenter]

I have a recon Bosch 18v impact driver and love it. Heavy enough to be stable but not too heavy. I spent four full days hanging sheetrock with it. With the right touch, it worked just fine. I'm not as fast as a pro, so one slimpack battery lasted from 8 am til mid afternoon. No complaints!

[Lloyd Kerry]

I got a really good deal on a Black & Decker cordless impact driver. Built two large decks (screwed down every board with it) and it's still going strong.

[Robert L Stewart]

I vote for the Makita
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51al99BA67L._AA160_.jpg
Makita BTD142HW 18-Volt Compact Lithium-Ion Cordless Impact Driver Kit (http://www.amazon.com/Makita-BTD142HW-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Cordless/dp/B000P9CZJK/ref=sr_1_5?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1304220586&sr=1-5)

I use it for cabinet making and this is one great deal at Amazon for 188.00. The 1.5V batts are all your need unless you are out in the field.