Project Farm Impact Driver Test

[Silver Bullet]

Milwaukee, Makita, DeWalt, Bauer ... in that order.  And not even close, even though the Milwaukee was much cheaper than the Makita and DeWalt.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jxZAKk_nSk

Bauer (Harbor Freight) was by far the cheapest, and it was the only one to include the battery.  Aside from the fact that it quit working  , it might be a reasonable choice if you only needed it a few times a year, and weren't doing anything as demanding as the tests in the video.

Otherwise, based on this video I didn't see any reason to not buy the Milwaukee, unless maybe you already had batteries for one of the other brands.

[Hawkmoon]

He talks too fast. If he's a friend, tell him to lay off the speed before making videos.

I prefer the AvE channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/arduinoversusevil

[K Frame]

Interesting review.

I've been thinking about getting an impact driver, but I'm really considering a corded one.

[charby]

I'm still trying why I need an cordless small body sized impact driver?

[K Frame]

I'm still trying why I need an cordless small body sized impact driver?

If you were a carpenter/handyman full time I think it would be one hell of a great tool to have.

Joe Homeowner? Not so much.

[dogmush]

It's kinda useless to watch a single tool cordless tool reviews.  I must have watched 100 before I bought new tools this summer.  The problem is you aren't buying A cordless tool.  You are buying into an ecosystem.  So Milwaukee might have the better 1/4" driver, Hitachi might have the better drill, DeWalt may have better, cheaper batteries, and so on*.

So you need to really consider which tool gets used the most in your life, and what features work for you, then buy the tool set with those weighted.  Milwaukee makes good tools, no doubt, but I found that the price got pretty out of hand quickly when you needed 4 or 5 tools and the batteries to support them.  YMMofcourseV.


*All claims are for illustrative purposes.  I have no idea who's drill is better this week.

[dogmush]

I'm still trying why I need an cordless small body sized impact driver?

Mine is probably my most used cordless tool.  I love it.  I use it for everything from hanging outdoor motion sensor LEDs to pulling valve covers and intake manifolds off.  It speeds any project that has more then 4 or 5 fasteners.

[K Frame]

" You are buying into an ecosystem."

WHY DO YOU HATE CAPITALISM AND INNOVATION, YOU GODLESS COMMIE!!!???!!!  

You are 100% right.

As it stands right now I have a grand total of ONE cordless tool... A Hitachi 18 volt cordless drill.

All of my other tools are either person powered or cord powered.

To be 100% honest, there really aren't that many situations in which a cordless tool is going to be very advantageous to me. A LITTLE more convenient, maybe, but a true advantage? No.

My Hitachi drill is a different story, though. A drill/screwdriver is used so much that going cordless really makes sense.

I bought the same drill that Castle Key bought (he bought his, I really liked it and my corded drill had crapped out, so I bought one a few months later).

That has come in handy a number of times when I've been helping him with projects, most recently earlier this year when I helped him build his greenhouse and the base on which it sits. We drove a TON of screws to tie everything together.

Having two drills and not having to worry about dragging cords from the garage while being able to charge batteries that could be used in either drill was a real advantage, especially when we had one drill set up to drill pilot holes and the other set up to drive the fasteners.

We could have done that with two totally different drills/battery systems, but it was marginally easier given the compatibility.

[Kingcreek]

You are really buying into a battery platform. Milwaukee has declared war on the cord and has over 200 tools using the M18 batt system

[tokugawa]

They are not just impact drivers- since the torque is modulated by pressure and trigger, they can be used to drive small sensitive screws.

And the advent of hex shank drill bits means they can drill also. I use mine a lot for little household chores where all I need to get out is the driver, a drill bit, and a screwdriver bit.
 
Also, for mechanical work -they are handy with a 1/4" socket to 1/4" hex adapter, it makes short work of running a bunch of small bolts and nuts.

A set of six inch driver bits really enhances the utility because a screw close to a parallel surface can be run in, as the angle changes for the better.

 As an aside, after going through Makita 9V system, Hitachi 12 volt system, Dewalt 18Volt system, and now  Dewalt 20 volt, I have never destroyed a tool- the battery has always been the weak link, and the reason to upgrade.  The L ion batteries are huge improvement, as the packs seem to stay charged sitting for a very long time.
 
 For a while I debated making a 120v to 12volt transformer plug in for the dewalt cordless, just out of reluctance to toss a perfectly good motor and chuck.  Too much effort, I had work to do.

[Perd Hapley]

He talks too fast. If he's a friend, tell him to lay off the speed before making videos.

I prefer the AvE channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/arduinoversusevil

Youtube lets you slow down or speed up the video.

[charby]

Mine is probably my most used cordless tool.  I love it.  I use it for everything from hanging outdoor motion sensor LEDs to pulling valve covers and intake manifolds off.  It speeds any project that has more then 4 or 5 fasteners.

I do all that with my cordless drill, damn thing still will break off 1/4-20 bolts.

[Ben]

 As an aside, after going through Makita 9V system, Hitachi 12 volt system, Dewalt 18Volt system, and now  Dewalt 20 volt, I have never destroyed a tool- the battery has always been the weak link, and the reason to upgrade.  The L ion batteries are huge improvement, as the packs seem to stay charged sitting for a very long time.

Which I find both sad and wasteful. I just finally upgraded to the DeWalt 20v stuff and now have a bunch of 18v tools in great shape that will be sitting around, all because it's hard to get good 18v batteries for them anymore.

It's almost the opposite of SLR camera lenses and bodies, where your keeping all the lenses and just upgrading one body.

[Ben]

I took the advice here and switched to the impact driver for construction screws. It was good advice, wish I'd learned it sooner. I also just used it instead of a cordless drill for removing and reinstalling the oil pan shield on my truck while doing an oil change. The compact tool is much handier for tight spaces like that.

[dogmush]

I do all that with my cordless drill, damn thing still will break off 1/4-20 bolts.

You can, and the world won't end.  For driving fasteners (and pulling out stuck bolts/nuts) an impact works better and is less likely to strip and/or break the fastener.  Especially loosening stuck stuff.

That said if you don't think you need one, you probably don't.  I really like mine, though.

[charby]

You can, and the world won't end.  For driving fasteners (and pulling out stuck bolts/nuts) an impact works better and is less likely to strip and/or break the fastener.  Especially loosening stuck stuff.

That said if you don't think you need one, you probably don't.  I really like mine, though.

I use sockets and wrenches a bunch, old school I guess. :)

...and for any big stuff I just fire up the air compressor and bust out the air tools.

[dogmush]

It's a shame, I have a big compressor set up and some really nice air tools, but I don't fire them up anymore unless I am doing suspension work.  Don't need all the ugga-uggas for stuff in engine bays or around the house.  My poor Snap-On's sit lonely and unused.   

I think the last three times I fired up the air compressor was to beaddblast something, or run a nail gun.

[Nick1911]

I'm with dogmush on this one.  My 1/4 impact driver is night and day compared to my cordless drills for driving screws.  Can I run 3-1/2 deck screws with my cordless drill all day?  Sure, and it works for that.  But the impact... is clearly the correct tool for the job.

I've also got the 1/2 inch cordless impact.  With that, I rarely fire up the compressor anymore doing automotive work.  And bonus, I can take it to the junkyard with me. 

[Silver Bullet]

I've also got the 1/2 inch cordless impact.  With that, I rarely fire up the compressor anymore doing automotive work.

You're still talking about an impact driver and not an impact wrench, correct?

[Nick1911]

You're still talking about an impact driver and not an impact wrench, correct?

I suppose it's an impact wrench: https://www.dewalt.com/products/power-tools/impact-drivers-and-wrenches/20v-max-xr-high-torque-12-in-impact-wrench-with-detent-pin-anvil-tool-only/dcf899b

I'm not sure where the line is drawn between an impact wrench and an impact driver.

[K Frame]

OK, what's the difference between an impact driver and a hammer drill?

Is the impact driver a rotary hammer motion, while the hammer drill is linear along the length of the bit?

[Silver Bullet]

I'm not sure where the line is drawn between an impact wrench and an impact driver.

I don't have either   but to me the difference is that an impact driver has a chuck that can accept drill bits or driver bits.  The impact wrench has a square drive made for fitting sockets.  I believe the impact wrenches typically have a lot more torque than the impact driver.  Some of the high end impact wrenches have upwards of 1000 ft-lb of torque, such as this little beast that was king of the hill for several years, maybe still is.  

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-M18-FUEL-ONE-KEY-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Brushless-Cordless-1-2-in-Impact-Wrench-with-Friction-Ring-Tool-Only-2863-20/303651964

As I understand it, this device is approaching, if not exceeding, air tool wrench performance.

[Silver Bullet]

OK, what's the difference between an impact driver and a hammer drill?

Is the impact driver a rotary hammer motion, while the hammer drill is linear along the length of the bit?

I don't know, but I have a vague recollection that a hammer drill is used for drilling holes in concrete, if that helps.

[K Frame]

"I don't know, but I have a vague recollection that a hammer drill is used for drilling holes in concrete, if that helps."

I have a hammer drill and have used it to drill quite a few holes in concrete and brick over the years. Good piece of kit that I got for absolutely free...

It definitely has a straight line hammer effect along the length of the bit, which is what helps it cut through stone and concrete, etc.

I'm assuming that an impact driver's force is imparted in the rotating motion (otherwise it probably wouldn't be all that good at breaking loose lug nuts, etc.), but I don't know that for sure...

[Silver Bullet]

I'm assuming that an impact driver's force is imparted in the rotating motion

That sounds right to me, and I think we can see that in the Project Farm video I linked in the OP.