Impact drivers

[fmradio516]

Originally Posted by benb

This is like Ford vs Chevy really.. a decent amount of religion is part of it.

I have a 20V Dewalt 1/4" impact driver.

It's a sometimes tool.. I would not use it casually on a car and I would never let it within 10ft of a bike.

Very easy to break fasteners if you're not being smart.

Every once in a while it comes in incredibly handy, and 99% of the time that is taking something apart, not putting something together.

E.x. rough outdoor woodworking stuff where you're taking something apart and are going to replace the fasteners anyway.

Mine is not even an XR.. it has no speed or torque settings, and even at that level in the line it is hard to control and really easy to break stuff.

Last fall we built a wood in ground frame to put a hot tub on.. I recall using it to drive some huge lag bolts through the 4x4 pressure treated posts and it was pretty ridiculous for that. Absolutely no problem and it was shocking how fast the job was done. But the regular driver also has enough torque for bolts like that and is way more precise.

One of the first things I did with my XR is replace the radiator in my Jeep WJ.. It was my second time doing the job; the first time was years ago with a basic ratchet/wrenches. I was amazed how much quicker it was this time around. There were tons of bolts, brackets, fasteners that had to get undone before the rad could come out. Sure I was definitely quicker because it was my second time doing it, but man, i loved now having to get my hands in tight spots and fumble with basic tools. Though I agree about the power, I wouldnt use it to do something like tighten a hose clamp or something.

I also used it on a throttle body the other day where i had one stubborn t25 torx bolt that wouldnt budge by hand due to rust. Tried soaking it overnight and still nothing. Felt like i was gonna strip the head. I broke out the XR on the lowest setting and let it hammer; still nothing. medium setting, wham! took it right out! That alone was worth it!

[benb]

A rusted bolt on something like that where you're replacing the parts anyway is a good car use.

Years ago I had a bracket on my old car that was bolted into the chassis and corroded/frozen.

I ended up taking that to a mechanic and letting them take care of it with a torch, etc.. because I didn't want to risk snapping the head off a fastener that was directly into the chassis. I didn't have the impact driver at that point but I wouldn't have trusted it on that case.

Now with a better tool than my Dewalt I'm sure I'd be more comfortable using it on more stuff.. the pneumatic stuff in a shop is a lot better than my Dewalt AFAIK.

For bikes and motorcycles I'd consider all this stuff a critical safety failing if I was going to do maintenance and found fasteners frozen by corrosion to the point an impact driver entered my imagination.. that would imply I was not doing enough regular maintenance to stop that kind of stuff from happening.

[fmradio516]

reviving an old thread: so I went with DeWalt and the tools I got work awesome, but im finding that Milwaukee is coming out with more and more awesome tools that I want and it seems like Dewalt has given up and only is covering the basics. Id really like a right angle impact wrench and a die grinder. Just dont know if i wanna stick with 18v or go down to 12v..

I wanna sell my yellow stuff and buy red stuff, and this is the absolute worst time since the holiday sales are over, but I was wondering if anyone knows when the next tool sale would be at a place like Home Depot? I know 4th of July is one, but is there anything sooner? Ive got the itch.

[proxient]

Late to the party, but have been using Makita daily /professionally for the past 7 years.
They just keep making more things that work with their battery system

[572cv]

For me, it was either Makita or Milwaukee. I am not using the tools professionally, value light weight and compactness. The batteries have all gotten pretty good. So I went with Milwaukee, the M12 series. The impact driver is terrific. The grinder quite good, drill just fine, the mini sawsall is a really useful tool, the skill saw works fine, not better or worse than others. Each tool was very well made, and I like the storage and carrying systems. Squeezing the battery attachment clasps is sometimes a pain, but a little silicone spray periodically helps immensely. I bet Makita would have impressed as well. I've used their impact wrench and thought it was well designed ergonomically.

[Tandem Rider]

Longer term report here, I've been using and abusing the Milwaukee M12 at work daily and at home for projects for 5 years now. I also have the drill, little sawzall, and 2 different lights. I have not killed any batteries yet in spite of daily use. I can't speak for any other brands though, I'm sticking with one battery platform.

[Matt92037]

Home Depot has specials on their “deals of the day” or “pro deals of the week” sections all the time for the Milwaukee stuff. Its worth keeping a look out.

Last year I sold all my cordless tools and replaced with Milwaukee 18v and 12v setups. When it comes to the drill/driver kits, the 12v and 18v have a ton of overlap and i always reach for the 12v first. My 12v Surge impact will sink 5” ledger locks into wet treated 4x4’s no problem, but if i had to sink a ton of them i would go 18v as it does it significantly faster. I am becoming heavily invested in both platforms.

I dont see any harm in keeping your 20v dewalt kit and to just start investing in Milwaukee 12v stuff.

The 12v tools Milwaukee offers are a slippery slope. So many cool things…. The key with the 12v tools is to make sure you have a couple larger batteries (4ah or 6ah) in your arsenal.

Originally Posted by fmradio516

reviving an old thread: so I went with DeWalt and the tools I got work awesome, but im finding that Milwaukee is coming out with more and more awesome tools that I want and it seems like Dewalt has given up and only is covering the basics. Id really like a right angle impact wrench and a die grinder. Just dont know if i wanna stick with 18v or go down to 12v..

I wanna sell my yellow stuff and buy red stuff, and this is the absolute worst time since the holiday sales are over, but I was wondering if anyone knows when the next tool sale would be at a place like Home Depot? I know 4th of July is one, but is there anything sooner? Ive got the itch.

[fmradio516]

Originally Posted by Matt92037

Home Depot has specials on their “deals of the day” or “pro deals of the week” sections all the time for the Milwaukee stuff. Its worth keeping a look out.

Last year I sold all my cordless tools and replaced with Milwaukee 18v and 12v setups. When it comes to the drill/driver kits, the 12v and 18v have a ton of overlap and i always reach for the 12v first. My 12v Surge impact will sink 5” ledger locks into wet treated 4x4’s no problem, but if i had to sink a ton of them i would go 18v as it does it significantly faster. I am becoming heavily invested in both platforms.

I dont see any harm in keeping your 20v dewalt kit and to just start investing in Milwaukee 12v stuff.

The 12v tools Milwaukee offers are a slippery slope. So many cool things…. The key with the 12v tools is to make sure you have a couple larger batteries (4ah or 6ah) in your arsenal.

Good call, I just saw the deals youre talking about. They look promising. I feel like im gonna go with M12 (Fuel).

The only reason id want M18 is for the occasional need for something heavy duty like installing a tow hitch on a car with tons of rust... I tried doing that by hand a few years ago and it was not possible. Tried different holes for a couple hours.. didnt work. Had to have my truck mechanic buddy come over with his honkin impact wrench and he zipped em in in a couple mins. BUT i havent needed it since, so thats not enough for me to invest in 18v.. Plus im not building houses over here.

[C40_guy]

I resurfaced my outdoor deck last summer with mahogany, and the best tool purchase for that product was the small DeWalt impact driver. I had been using a DeWalt drill for predrilling holes and driving stainless screws, and I was spending a *lot* of time swapping bits and drivers.

So I picked up the DeWalt impact driver halfway through...it's a nice little driver with a surprising amount of power.

...I've got a growing collection of that yellow XR stuff.

...and an old 1/2" Milwaukee cordless impact gun I bought for autocross and still use for seasonal tire changeover.

[cmbicycles]

The nice thing about Mikwaukee chargers is they have a slot for both 18v and 12v batteries, so it's one charger for both tools (I have drills and drivers for both) although only one will charge at a time on the basic charger. I built a mini barn using their 18v tools (saw mostly) and used 12v impact occasionally as well. The smaller stuff is what I usually reach for first and the 12v impact (pre-fuel, so a little less power) doesnt struggle with most fasteners and is great for bike disc rotor bolts. For loosening disc bolts it's great... tightening you need to be a little judicious in how hard it hits.

[kppolich]

While I've heard good things about the new DeWalt Atomic impact, I'll take my M18 with 3.0 all day long for stuff around the house.

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by kppolich

While I've heard good things about the new DeWalt Atomic impact, I'll take my M18 with 3.0 all day long for stuff around the house.

I've heard good things about that stubby!

[climbgdh]

Can’t go wrong with Milwaukee. Have lot’s of battery powered tools here in home shop which have always worked great plus I use them in a heavy industrial setting. Very reliable and long battery life.

[Matt92037]

Check out the M12 stubby Impact Wrench (1/2"). I went with an M18 Mid Torque Impact but people swear by the stubby + a 6ah battery.

This kit with the 1/2" impact is lethal!

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwauke...4-20/313167101

Originally Posted by fmradio516

Good call, I just saw the deals youre talking about. They look promising. I feel like im gonna go with M12 (Fuel).

The only reason id want M18 is for the occasional need for something heavy duty like installing a tow hitch on a car with tons of rust... I tried doing that by hand a few years ago and it was not possible. Tried different holes for a couple hours.. didnt work. Had to have my truck mechanic buddy come over with his honkin impact wrench and he zipped em in in a couple mins. BUT i havent needed it since, so thats not enough for me to invest in 18v.. Plus im not building houses over here.

[Gsinill]

Originally Posted by climbgdh

Can’t go wrong with Milwaukee. Have lot’s of battery powered tools here in home shop which have always worked great plus I use them in a heavy industrial setting. Very reliable and long battery life.

I would make the exact same statement for Makita.