Best Impact Driver

TempestV

I have the 18v Dewalt and the 10.8v bosch, and both work very well.
I have also used the 18v Makita and the 18v Bosch as well a fair amount. I prefer the Dewalt over the Makita- More power, and way more durable- The guys that I've worked with that had LXT tools went through quite a few batteries because they are rather fragail. Even a small drop, and they won't charge. In compairison, my Dewalt survived a 30" drop onto a stone floor. The only thing the Makita has on the Dewalt is weight, and that's mostly due to the newer battery tecnology, so a Nano Dewalt would probably do better there. The Bosch was about as good as the Dewalt, and I really couldn't decide which I prefer there.

s.kelly

older 12v makita, probably 5 yrs? love it, best tool at the time in my opinion. not sure about newer one,though many are interesting!

jarhead0531

STP57-- I thought about switching to the Lithium batteries from dewalt but when I found the Makita drill/impact combo for 199 and two additional 3 AH batteries for 99 it made sense to take the jump.

I would like to switch to the Lithium for the Dewalt as my batteries die but I have plenty of chargers for the nicad, including the the radio. Any changes in battery platform on the dewalt side create a cascade of additional purchases. I like to have a 2 chargers besides the radio on the truck, and I've had all three going when working with a couple guys.

Dewalt stays on the truck cause I love that little extra power, and I have the saw/right angle drill/flashlight for that platform. Makita stays in the shop, for any projects there and as a backup if needed on the job.

Barry

stp57

Barr,
That's a great deal on the Makita. I read that DeWalt doesn't have a radio/ charger for the Nano's yet. When your radio finally goes belly up, maybe DeWalt will have an upgrade for you then.
Steve

TempestV

The radio was actually the first Dewalt cordless tool I bought (My cordless stuff was Milwaukee). The only reason I got the Dewalt was that I intended to get a battery to leave in the radio, so that I could always play the radio, without really having to worry about having batteries handy. Then I started buying Dewalt tools, and found how nice it was to use the radio as a charger. I don't even bring my other chargers to work anymore. They are somewhere in the garage, not exactly sure where. The last time I used them was a couple of months ago, when I was working at a spot with no power, so I would put all the batteries on to charge each night.

I'll probably switch over to the Nano's when Dewalt releases the new radio.

Tom Struble

yea but dosnt the radio suck when you charge the batteries

eirechippysteve

i got a dewalt 18v impact in jan of this year i will never use anything else i always used a 18v dewalt drill for driving screws.

i find dewalt batteries hard wearing and will take a drop no problem

as for the radio i use it on site sometimes to charge the batteries and it doesnt drop sound when charging

TempestV

Not sure what you mean. I've never had any problems. I usually have a battery in the radio all the time, but I haven't noticed a difference when I don't.

I also added a metal electrical box to either side of the roll cage, and wired up two receptacles to either side of the radio, giving me 8 outlets off the radio. I pull my radio out even when we can't have radios on site, just to charge batteries and split power.

jarhead0531

No problem with my radio with a battery charging eiter, works like a charm all day every day.

Show us some pics of your modded radio, sounds like an interesting idea.

HitchC&L

I love my Milwaukee M18 kit

72chevy4x4

The AM radio station has noise when the battery is charging...I rigged up a XM satelite receiver on my dewalt and love it, as long as the job has clear access to the south west.

XanadooLTD

hilti's 14.4 cpc is really light, but lacks the ability to drive the screw into the wood. Bosch 18v is etterr.

Tom M

Didn't JLC do a review for these? I have to look, but I think the Milwakee came in first. I would have thought the HILTI would be the cream but it wasnt tested side by side with the Bosch, Milwakee, Makita and Ridgid.
In was really considering the 12V Hilti or 14v. The guy said the 12 pisses on most 14 volt models so I assumed the 14 would rule all. Now Im stumped.

Archania

I have that DeWalt radio too. It does make some noise when you are charging a battery when you have it on AM sometimes. Other than that, haven't heard it on FM.

I have the DeWalt 14.4v impact, and I like it. had it for about 4 years now. WAY better with the Lithium Ion batteries I got over a year ago. I have nothing to compare it to, but I have been very happy with it.

maninthesea

Same here. Most of my tools are Milwaukee

oldhouseluvr

i love my milwaukee kit as well..except for the battery life..seems to be a good bit shorter than that my bosch

WarnerConstInc.

Cordless impact drivers suck, plus they make too much damn noise. How am I supposed to hear all the voices in my head while using one of those things.

Inner10

The Hilti 14.4 is a nice piece but lacks the stonk of the Milwaukee, I think the Makita 18V is a nice balance of power and weight.

The Hilti is great for Tapcons/Qwikcons, Teks and short lag bolts, but if you're gonna be running 4"+ Lag screws all the time get an 18.

ironnutts

well u cant get the best impact driver at your local home depot. because the pros know...its panasonic. i even ask the hilti guy which is better their impact or panasonic? all he can say was, "Our warranty is better" i have a panasonic 14.4 lithium thats is the best, i tried them all no one makes a brushless motor impact besides panasonic. i've had mines for 2 1/2 years already. everybody who uses my impact ask me where did you get it. u can use it forever straight and the heat is like warm. not like the others use them for driving a couple of 6 1/2in lags screws and its hot like hell by the motor. but not the panasonic. makita u can get anywhere but panasonic, only the real pros know. my 14.4 is strong then that 18v crap. trust me if u use a panasonic b4 or own one then u know what i mean. the best PANASONIC dont doubt the name, it doesnt sound like they make tools but they do. rated #1 impact driver now.

RS Sam

Yeah Panasonics - the drill/drivers & the impact have served me exceptionally well with hard work, in all kinds of conditions. Guys I have worked with tossed out their Makitas & Dewalts & Porter Cables after using the sonics & never looked back.