Hey BITOG,
I'm in the market for a cordless impact driver, preferably a compact design with a brushless motor, in the 18V/20V class.
This tool will most likely be purchased as a kit with a cordless drill, but I'm more concerned with the impact driver so I'm making my selection more or less based on the impact driver rather than the drill (just about any of the newer 1/2" 18v/20v cordless Li-ion drills will meet my needs).
I already have a small (12v) impact driver/drill combo that I use for light work but they easily max out on the tougher jobs.
The new impact driver will be used in a homeowner setting but I'm hoping to use it for everything from tire rotations (spinning nuts off and on) to driving screws and lag bolts (typically ~3-3.5" long, up to 3/8" dia. lag bolts but more often 1/4"-5/16" lag bolts). I do not need the biggest, highest capacity batteries or the fastest possible recharge times, since the driver will likely only be used for a few hours at a time, then fully recharged. I'd like something with a high torque rating so I can run lug nuts onto wheel studs up to ~75-80% of the final torque, then finish them off with the torque wrench. Ideally I'd like to be able to break them loose with the impact too, but that isn't a necessity and is probably asking too much of a compact driver. I want something that will last me a long time even with occasional use up to its maximum torque rating.
I'm primarily looking at these two impact drivers:
DeWalt DCF887
Bosch IDH182
Does anyone have experience with these two drivers? Or general experience with build quality comparisons between Bosch and DeWalt? Or suggestions for other options? I don't necessarily have any brand loyalty in this area, but I would prefer a brand with a good reputation. (Makita or Ridgid, maybe?) Milwaukee is possibly in the running but I've heard several stories about them breaking down/eating gears (possibly they deliver more torque than their gears can handle?)
What do y'all think?
I'm in the market for a cordless impact driver, preferably a compact design with a brushless motor, in the 18V/20V class.
This tool will most likely be purchased as a kit with a cordless drill, but I'm more concerned with the impact driver so I'm making my selection more or less based on the impact driver rather than the drill (just about any of the newer 1/2" 18v/20v cordless Li-ion drills will meet my needs).
I already have a small (12v) impact driver/drill combo that I use for light work but they easily max out on the tougher jobs.
The new impact driver will be used in a homeowner setting but I'm hoping to use it for everything from tire rotations (spinning nuts off and on) to driving screws and lag bolts (typically ~3-3.5" long, up to 3/8" dia. lag bolts but more often 1/4"-5/16" lag bolts). I do not need the biggest, highest capacity batteries or the fastest possible recharge times, since the driver will likely only be used for a few hours at a time, then fully recharged. I'd like something with a high torque rating so I can run lug nuts onto wheel studs up to ~75-80% of the final torque, then finish them off with the torque wrench. Ideally I'd like to be able to break them loose with the impact too, but that isn't a necessity and is probably asking too much of a compact driver. I want something that will last me a long time even with occasional use up to its maximum torque rating.
I'm primarily looking at these two impact drivers:
DeWalt DCF887
Bosch IDH182
Does anyone have experience with these two drivers? Or general experience with build quality comparisons between Bosch and DeWalt? Or suggestions for other options? I don't necessarily have any brand loyalty in this area, but I would prefer a brand with a good reputation. (Makita or Ridgid, maybe?) Milwaukee is possibly in the running but I've heard several stories about them breaking down/eating gears (possibly they deliver more torque than their gears can handle?)
What do y'all think?
