impact drivers

[J-man12]

i was just wondring about your opinions,
ive been looking at the dewalt 18v cuz i have a bunch of that stuff and the ryobi 18v cuz its cheap and i like the makita lxt 18v but its a little spendy i was just wondering if any of you have any of them and what you have to say about them

[oldslowchevy]

i have the lit ion makita and i love anso so does everone i let use it. i have known of a few people with dewalt and they like them but i am not a dewalt fan and belive it or not i know a lot of people with the ryobi and they love them one of those guys i know installs garage doors for a living and that is what he uses i hope that is of some help

[J-man12]

thanks:cool:

[screwit]

if you already have the batteries and charger from your dewalt or ryobi just pick up one of those on ebay cheap. if you would like a whole new set than i really liked the makita and panasonic. I guess it depends on how much you want to spend for the tool that weighs less.

[Velosapien]

I have the Makita and Dewalt. Both are good units. There's no real functional difference between the two. They work as intended, period. I prefer the Makita because its lighter and the battery pod is smaller, Its also a little shorter and has a LED light. I noticed on Dewalt's UK site they have a lighter version of the impact driver but thats not available in the US yet. They will also be releasing 18v lithium ion batteries at some point which will reduce the weight gap. If you already have Dewalt 18v batteries you are better of picking up the dewalt bare tool on ebay since they are very cheap. The Makita kit will run at least triple the cost since you'll need the kit with batteries and charger.

[J-man12]

thanks a lot

[Davet]

When I got my 18volt lit-ion driver, I got the 1/2" 18volt Lit-ion
hammer drill mailed to me free! That almost cut the price of each
drill in half.... Not sure if they still have that same promotion
going on now. I bought it from Home Depot.

[Newman]

I agree with others that since you already have some Dewalt tools it makes sense to get a Dewalt impact. This way you can interchange batteries and chargers.
I've tried several impact drivers, and seems to me they are all more than sufficient for most common everyday tasks. In fact if you are using an impact to drive screws, all of the current impact drivers have more than enough torque to break off screw heads.
I got a Bosch impactor and I'm very happy with it, and since I have mostly Bosch tools, I can carry just one charger and a couple batteries for several of my most used tools in the truck - saves me a lot of space which is at a premium for me. :p
I also have the Ridgid right angle impact and I think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread - one of those tools that you wonder how you ever got along without. That's another set of batteries and charger I got to carry, but I keep a Ridgid drill with it, so I can use the charger for that too. Unfortunately, I have to carry a Dewalt charger too for my Dewalt tools, which aren't that many:) . See what I mean about having different brands? Oh well, I guess it's hard to find one make that carries every specialty tool you need.:rolleyes:

[Davet]

Good point about the batteries.
My friends use their Dewalts really hard every day.
They really like them.

[woodenstickers]

I recently got the 14.4 DeWalt impact because I got a great deal on it on Craigslist. I also have a 14.4 DW drill that I have worked like dog for years and has never let me down. The extra batteries that came with the impact have come in more handy than I expected, too.

I don't have to drive a lot of lag bolts, but the 14.4 has no problem with 4" screws into rafters to hold up cabinets. I really wonder how the torque issue ever comes up in daily use, I think the weight is the main point, and the compatibility with your existing tools as previously stated.

[The Wood Meister]

I have the DW 14.4, cost me under a hundred bucks new, bare. I have lots of batteries and chargers. The DW is an excellent tool. I use it almost every day from hanging cabinets to putting on drawer guides. That's 3" screws and 1/2" screws. Works flawlessly.

Mark

[FURPEOPLE]

I had a Dewalt 14.4 impact driver,it's powerful but it has poor low speed control (important when driving long screws),runtime wasn't very good.
I bought a Makita LXT combo and added an impact driver. It is nearly a pound lighter than the Dewalt.It does everyting I want. After going with L-ION I will never go back to nicads,though I still use my Dewalt stuff.
The Dewalt impact driver is a fine tool,but the Dewalt battery technology
is from the 90's. If the budget allows,go with l-ion. I paid 400 for a 4 piece Makita LXT combo on ebay and 70 for the impact driver (bare tool)

[Davet]

I bought a Makita LXT combo and added an impact driver. It is nearly a pound lighter than the Dewalt.It does everyting I want. After going with L-ION I will never go back to nicads,)

Amen to that! ...Lighter, Longer use time, holds charge longer
even while not in use.

Another thing I like about the Makita is the light.
My eyesight ain't as good as it use to be, every little
bit helps. :rolleyes:

[Newman]

I wish the manufactures would start offering L-ION battery/charger upgrade kits for existing Ni-Cad tools... :(

[woodenstickers]

I wish the manufactures would start offering L-ION battery/charger upgrade kits for existing Ni-Cad tools... :(

I agree...you would think it would add to their bottom line because I know I am much more likely to upgrade batteries than buy a whole new kit before my tools poop out. They charge almost as much for the battery and charger as they do for the tools anyway...