Impact drivers

[fmradio516]

This may be like opening up flood gates, but what does everyone use for impact drivers?

I have NEVER owned one before in my life so I am extremely excited and indecisive on what I should get. This is just for general work, nothing too specific... maybe if i could use it for automotive, but i believe that is a no go for these. Id need an impact wrench to do auto properly.

In the past, I had Makita power tools, but it looks like the best bang for your buck(and warranty) is the Milwaukee M18 Fuel.

Any opinions?(rhetorical question)

[GScot]

There are a wide variety of impact drivers from 1/4" hex that are great for torquing the heads off of deck screws to 1/2" and even larger for industrial applications.

I was happy with the industrial line of Milwaukee for years but after 2014 or so they became considerably less durable. If you won't really be using it much any of the mainline brands are fine. If you want to spend a bit more for better performance and durability the main options are industrial Bosch and Metabo. You have to do your homework to know what you're buying as both have some less robust models popular in the big box stores.

Personally for home mechanic use I have switched to the Makita Sub-Compact line. Power, great battery selection and performance and quality tools that so far are holding up great. An advantage of Makita is their 18V batteries can be used as a pair for the 36V heavier tools like the leaf blower and chainsaw, even a string trimmer.

You can absolutely use a cordless for automotive purposes. A 1/2 drive can deliver as much torque you'll ever need for chassis fasteners and wheel studs. In fact they can overdo it and few offer anything resembling an accurate torque setting so torque limiting extensions fill in where you can use them. And then torque your fastener with a proper torque wrench. I have 3/8 drive that is small enough I have used it removing stubborn suspension fasteners.

[zmudshark]

Originally Posted by fmradio516

This may be like opening up flood gates, but what does everyone use for impact drivers?

I have NEVER owned one before in my life so I am extremely excited and indecisive on what I should get. This is just for general work, nothing too specific... maybe if i could use it for automotive, but i believe that is a no go for these. Id need an impact wrench to do auto properly.

In the past, I had Makita power tools, but it looks like the best bang for your buck(and warranty) is the Milwaukee M18 Fuel.

Any opinions?(rhetorical question)

What size?

One of my kids uses M18, he likes it.

Edit: GScot is the guy you should listen to. He's wicked smart.

[Tandem Rider]

I make my living with Milwaukee, I use them every single day, don't overlook the M12. I carry one in my tool bag and it will pop your eyes open with it's torque and it's light too. The M18 is an all day tool but the M12 is great for intermittent use, don't overlook it.

[Louis]

Do you have a compressor, and are you looking for a pneumatic impact wrench, or an electrical (presumable battery powered) one?

[wc1934]

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the big 3 - Makita, Milwaukee, Dewalt.
I have the Makita (combo - drill and impact driver) and like their product. I went with it because the smaller hand grip felt better than the other 2.

[climbgdh]

I have Milwaukee in my home work shop and am really impressed with their 1/4” driver and all their other battery operated hand tools. I also work at a very large oil and gas facility and we have a wide range of battery operated tools including Milwaukee, Dewalt and others. Milwaukee generally perform the best and all of the mechanical tradesmen who make their living with hand tools will grab a Milwaukee versus almost anything else. And the tools get the living crap beat out of them. Their 3/4” impact is impressive with ability to bust nuts at 1200 ft-lbs. Can’t go wrong with Milwaukee IMO.

[bobdenver1961]

I have a Milwaukee M12 and it's lightweight, the battery lasts a long time and it seems to work great. Lots of power.

[dlbracey]

Professionally, I see Milwaukee and Dewalt on my residential construction job sites almost exclusively. Probably more Milwaukee than Dewalt for battery drivers.

As a home user I just buy whatever well reviewed model I can get the best deal on. For periodic use I think any product from the major brands is going to be fine. There are units that will be lemons, but that will be apparent within any of the warranty periods. It is the all day, day after day use cases where one might end up being better than the other. The amount of use an average hobby/home user puts on the tool during ownership might be equivalent to what a tradesperson would do in the average week.

I own various types of drivers from Bosch, Makita, and Dewalt, but the ones that get by far the most use are the Bosch 12V Max drill and driver two piece set. Compact, light, ergonomic, powerful enough for most anything. I do use a more powerful Makita impact driver for certain tasks like driving timberloks or messing with some automotive stuff, but 4 out of 5 times I’m grabbing the bag with the Bosch 12V.

[GScot]

Originally Posted by zmudshark

What size?

One of my kids uses M18, he likes it.

Edit: GScot is the guy you should listen to. He's wicked smart.

Ha. On this topic it all comes from trial and error. I probably complained about Milwaukee too much as what I've used them for could be described as abuse. But on the line in the shop my personal 2006 models that got more use than any outlasted a 2012 and 2014 driver. In fact it lasted until I could not get new batteries. With the newer tools the battery outlasted the driver.

Newer Makitas haven't been worked quite so hard but are holding up great after a couple years.

I should add that familiar phrase about fit is important in tools too. I find the current Makita ergonomics work best for me and the sub compact line fits in more places than other tools as well. Like others have said any of the big brands are going to be fine. Exception being if you get into specialty niches where you need something like small size where Makita shines or extra high torque in a drill/driver where Bosch and Metabo have an edge.

Some day I'm going to get a Mafell jigsaw but that's another topic.

[JAGI410]

I bought the Milwaukee M18 combo kit (driver, drill, light, and hackzall) and got the jobsite radio free for a father's day deal from Fleet Farm. I've been amazed how much I've used every single tool. The driver is far more powerful than expected. I'd highly recommend it.

[m_sasso]

I believe German Metabo/Hitachi is or has released a new line of power tools with a combination battery and corded in one tool. There is some information beginning at 20:00 of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRQYafS77Rc Why it has taken manufactures this long to release a combination like this I don't know? I use very few power tools these days, so kind of out of the loop, do other manufactures have this option now?

[sokyroadie]

Dewalt 20V is hard to beat for the price, even the smaller 1.5 - 2.0 Ah batteries last a long time with the 1/4" impact.

[unterhausen]

For me, I started out with Dewalt tools and I refuse to bring in another brand of battery. If this is the only cordless tool you are going to buy, it doesn't really matter that much.

I have a 1/4" impact driver and it's very nice. I wouldn't mind getting rid of the hose in the garage, so i was looking at a 1/2" driver. No need right now though

[jamesdak]

Good to see others views here. I'm about to finally make the switch to cordless myself. By coincidence I've been overseeing a construction project at work for around 2 years now. One thing I have noticed is that pretty much everyone from both the prime and the subcontractors are using Dewalt Tools. A few Milwaukee show up now and then but I'm saying 90% of the tools are Dewalt.