What impact driver is the best

Best Impact Drivers Updated November BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers.

We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and all opinions about the products are our own. Read more. We buy all products with our own funds, and we never accept free products from manufacturers. Bottom Line. Best of the Best. Check Price. Feature-packed Bottom Line. Best Bang for the Buck. Budget-Friendly Bottom Line. Trusted Brand Bottom Line. Simple Yet Solid Bottom Line. Easiest to Use Bottom Line. Click here for testing insights. Models Considered. Consumers Consulted.

Hours Researched. Updated November Written by Bob Beacham. Table of Contents Buying guide for best impact drivers Why buy an impact driver? Buying guide for best impact drivers A good impact driver is a powerful and versatile tool. Impact drivers are noisy due to their percussive action. Every one we initially tested was above the decibel safety limit, so ear protection should always be worn. Though more expensive, they don't suffer the "memory effect" of nickel cadmium NiCad types.

L-ion batteries deliver more energy for longer, and they recharge more fully, too. Make sure you have a good grip when you pull the trigger! Do it gently until you become accustomed to the power. And with its two batteries, we had plenty of juice to finish most jobs.

When we drove lag bolts into treated landscaping lumber, we easily drove the heads, cupping the washers we used, deep into the wood. The one-handed chuck on the Flex was unlike any other models we tested. We pressed a button, just above the trigger, to open the chuck and accept or release a bit.

A low-speed, low-torque setting renders small, delicate jobs where overdriving a fastener can be a problem worry-free. In our testing, the Max completed every task, including driving 4. It did drive slower and work harder than a larger driver, but it got the job done.

And to be fair, Bosch claims this driver is designed to cover 85 percent of the types of driving tasks on professional job sites. Built with the same quality, and warranty, as its green tools, the black versions strip away some of the advanced features, bringing the cost down. This basic impact driver has the same torque as its green counterpart and drove all the fasteners in our test well, including 4. These are the marks of a tool intended for daily professional use.

There are four speed settings, wood and bolt modes, and two tightening modes that prevent fastener breakage or stripping. Once mastered, these modes help perform repetitive tasks with consistent results. This drives fasteners quicker, produces a more uniform sound, and reduces vibration. There are four modes: soft, normal, power, and a self-tapping option that starts slower and backs off as the fastener seats. Self-tapping mode is intended more for sheet-metal screws but also works to get screws easily started in hard wood.

The contractor-grade tool also has an IP56 rating, which means it will resist intrusion by direct jets of water. Not an ideal task for this driver, but it got the job done. Two inches shorter than most drivers, with a compact head, the M12 Fuel is great in tight spaces.

And a single LED works to light those dark nooks and crannies. Self-tapping mode starts slower to prevent walking and then backs off as the screw finishes seating. The M12 Fuel is a contractor-quality tool, built to hold up to daily use.

Type keyword s to search. By Bradley Ford. Best Overall. Milwaukee M18 Fuel Surge Volt. This model comes with a bit holder on the front of the handle and also includes a magnet plate for holding additional bits or fasteners. The RPM switch, located on the driver's back, is very easy to see and access.

The Milwaukee M12 Fuel is lightweight and small in size, and we appreciate these attributes about this model. It's about as compact and light as they come, ideal for folks without much storage stage or for pros hoping to carry a lighter load in their tool kit. In addition, its small size makes the M12 Fuel great for driving into weird angles and harder-to-reach places.

We love that the Makita XDT13 is so short — from front to back, it's only mm. Regrettably, this driver is devoid of RPM setting controls. Some of the drivers showed impressive battery life. Others, not so much. The Makita XDT13 did a good job of driving five sets of 14 ledger screws and four lag bolts in and out, but it eventually ran out of sauce while loosening the fifth lag bolt of the experiment. The Milwaukee M18 Fuel completed four sets of the ledger screws and the lag bolt but died after driving four ledger screws on the fifth go around.

While the Ryobi P couldn't quite keep up with the top models during our battery test assessment, it still outperformed most of its adversaries. It got through 42 ledger screws and drove the lag bolt three times, but when trying to remove the lag bolt on the third round, the battery died.

As far as noise is concerned, impact drivers are just, well, loud. Nevertheless, we decided to run some experiments and include the results in our overall assessment of these tools. We used an SPL meter to measure the average decibel level that each model produced while in operation. Unfortunately, nearly every impact driver basically failed this metric because they all emit absurd amounts of noise.

The only driver that was somewhat bearable was the Bosch PS41BN — we measured an average of 86 decibels with the SPL meter during the noise testing for this model. All of the other impact drivers were so insanely loud in this assessment that we chose to score them terribly low. GearLab is founded on the principle of honest, objective, reviews.

Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products.

And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. No cherry-picked units sent by manufacturers. No sponsored content.

No ads. Just real, honest, side-by-side testing and comparison. Best Impact Driver of We tested impact drivers from top brands like Milwaukee, Makita, DeWalt, and others to find the best products. Credit: Laura Casner. Our Editors independently research, test, and rate the best products.

We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and we never accept free products from manufacturers. Learn more. During our quest to find the best cordless impact drivers, we bought and tested the 12 most promising models on the market to put in a head-to-head, hands-on, battery-powered tool showdown.

We measured, weighed, and timed dozens of variables but also looked for tiny details such as the usability of the bit holder as well as the pattern and effectiveness of the target lights. We subjectively judged the comfort and ergonomics of each driver, but we also beat the heck out of them by effectively maxing out their torque capabilities. Top 12 Product Ratings.

Displaying 1 - 5 of Milwaukee M18 Fuel Makita XDT Ryobi P Milwaukee M18 Choosing the best oscillating multi-tool used to boil down to just a couple of brands. Not anymore. Advancement in battery, motor, and vibration control technologies offers more viable options than ever.

As we considered the landscape, our team was unanimous in our selection of cordless oscillating multi-tools. Corded models are absolutely relevant and there are […]. Horrible customer service. There are many people complaining of this same issue. This tool should be recalled as there is definitely something wrong when the metal part near the tip gets hot to the touch and you can smell the tool getting hot.

Then when it stops you have to press the trigger many times to get it to start again even when using a fully charged battery! DeWalt has declined in … Read more ». Clint — Thanks for a great comparison! Not only does … Read more ». Milwaukee drills and impacts are lighter, smaller, more powerful, have a more robust set of features and customization options, most importantly, have a much, much better customer service and warranty!

I was a loyal dewalt customer for many years but it seems, to me anyway, as if they deliberately make tools out of cheaper materials with every generation and their warranty terms become worse and worse… Milwaukee guarantees the majority of their mid and high — end tools.

I have the DCF and I think if dewalt wanted to improve it they should start with the self-tapping mode. I recently installed new ductwork in my house and on the Dewalt that setting is almost useless. The Milwaukee has significantly better control. When driving in tubs of screws in awkward positions makes a huge difference. Might be an area for you guys to add to the reviews. How well the different modes work. I have a slew of dewalt tools and Milwaukee tools.

I find myself reaching for the DCF driver more often than not. This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognizing you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

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