Cordless Impact Gun Brand/Size

Jamesonm said:
Ive been happy with Makita 18v -- I use the 1/2 impact for my tires every year and it works great.
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Again read my post,not saying Makita won’t do a little job here and there,but try running it hard all day, you will soon realize the battery suck, I bought 4 36voltt Makita with 12 5amp battery for my guys, 3 saw where Burnt out in 3 months and battery would crap out within a month or 2 of use every day, 12 amp Milwaukee last 2 plus years before they start getting weak, but still work, again all depends what your expectations are from the tools you buy
 
brutus said:
Again read my post,not saying Makita won’t do a little job here and there,but try running it hard all day, you will soon realize the battery suck, I bought 4 36voltt Makita with 12 5amp battery for my guys, 3 saw where Burnt out in 3 months and battery would crap out within a month or 2 of use every day, 12 amp Milwaukee last 2 plus years before they start getting weak, but still work, again all depends what your expectations are from the tools you buy
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Mine are used fairly lightly I would say -- it's a "gentleman's shop" ;)
 
Milwaukee all the way. They have taken over almost ever industry with tools specifically made for each trade.
I’d go with the Key One series, get the app and you can customize your torque settings and always see where your tools are. If they’re ever stolen you can track and shut the tool down.
 
I own a landscape/carpentry company, and have a trailer full of Makita LXT tools along with ~30LXT batteries, and a bunch of the new 40v batteries and tools. I'd personally buy the "DTW700" over that high impact one. The high impact one is frustratingly heavy. 18V Makita tools still make me money every day. I still use my 3AH battery I bought 15 years ago on my impact from time to time. Stick with what you got IMO.

Edit: As much as I fanboy Makita, there are a number of super reliable& high performance cordless tool brands out there. I have friends who use all the main platforms, and swear by what they have. The big three IMO are Makita, Milwaukee & DeWalt. Rain city did a good job outlining the other popular brands. Look at the tools the manufacturer offers, and buy into whichever brand suits your needs. I'm a firm believer in sticking to one main platform, as batteries get super expensive, and multiple types of chargers gets super annoying.
 
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Its crazy how some of the old batteries just keep going. I have x2 1.5ah Milwaukee batteries that I got about 12 years ago when I bought one of those Home Depot specials on a drill / impact driver combo for personal use. Best tool investment I ever made - both tools still going along with the batteries. I don't use them on any of my newer high demand tools, but still fine for a few hours of work with the drill / impact.
 
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Max123 said:
Its crazy how some of the old batteries just keep going. I have x2 1.5ah Milwaukee batteries that I got about 12 years ago when I bought one of those Home Depot specials on a drill / impact driver combo. Best tool investment I ever made - both tools still going along with the batteries. I don't use them on any of the newer high demand tools, but still fine for a few hours of work with the drill / impact.
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Exactly the same experience for me. More than a decade old and those Milwaukee batteries keep right on going. The tools are great too. I wouldn’t buy another brand based on my experience.
 
Saxe Point said:
Exactly the same experience for me. More than a decade old and those Milwaukee batteries keep right on going. The tools are great too. I wouldn’t buy another brand based on my experience.
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I recently upgraded my 13 your old impact driver to a new fuel/surge model. If you can demo one - highly, highly recommend. Blew me away how powerful it is, accurate speed control, and how quiet it is. Keep in mind, i'm comparing against a base model 13 year old driver, but even still. Phenomenal tool.

www.kmstools.com

Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18 Volt Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless SURGE 1/4 in. Hex Hydraulic Driver - Tool Only

The smooth-operating M18 FUEL SURGE 1/4" hex hydraulic driver is the quietest cordless fastening solution on the market. With Milwaukee's new FLUID-DRIVE hydraulic powertrain, users will experience quieter operation, less vibration and faster driving spee
www.kmstools.com www.kmstools.com
 
Max123 said:
I recently upgraded my 13 your old impact driver to a new fuel/surge model. If you can demo one - highly, highly recommend. Blew me away how powerful it is, accurate speed control, and how quiet it is. Keep in mind, i'm comparing against a base model 13 year old driver, but even still. Phenomenal tool.

www.kmstools.com

Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18 Volt Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless SURGE 1/4 in. Hex Hydraulic Driver - Tool Only

The smooth-operating M18 FUEL SURGE 1/4" hex hydraulic driver is the quietest cordless fastening solution on the market. With Milwaukee's new FLUID-DRIVE hydraulic powertrain, users will experience quieter operation, less vibration and faster driving spee
www.kmstools.com www.kmstools.com
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We drove home 3000 12”x3/8 GRK into 4x6 fir with those fuel 1/4” impact, the power is insane for the size
 
brutus said:
We drove home 3000 12”x3/8 GRK into 4x6 fir with those fuel 1/4” impact, the power is insane for the size
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I really like the low speed control. I used a lot of 1-1/2" stainless fasteners for a few projects, and the problem with the old driver was that it was so quick that you could easily spin off the heads if you weren't careful. The surge at min speed was perfect for snugging them up. Likewise, no issues at all driving in beefy lag screws. The versatility of the newer drivers is amazing.

If you are looking to expand your personal tool collection, I found that the trick was to buy a few of the yard tool packages that come with larger ah batteries, and routinely go on sale. The leaf blower and hedge trimmer / pole chainsaw are all great homeowner tools, and go on sale as a package for really great prices and come with a mix of 6ah + 8ah batteries. Once you have a few batteries,,KMS & Summit have great prices on tool only. Likewise, if you know you are only going to use the tool periodically or its going to get really beat - the brushed tools are still fine, and go on sale for really good prices. My sawzall lives hard and will die young - I think I paid $75 for a brushed version vs $200 for brushless. If you buy a single tool with case, battery & charger you tend to pay full retail. Buy combo packs with batteries when they go on sale, or buy tool only.
 
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Max123 said:
I really like the low speed control. I used a lot of 1-1/2" stainless fasteners for a few projects, and the problem with the old driver was that it was so quick that you could easily spin off the heads if you weren't careful. The surge at min speed was perfect for snugging them up. Likewise, no issues at all driving in beefy lag screws. The versatility of the newer drivers is amazing.

If you are looking to expand your personal tool collection, I found that the trick was to buy a few of the yard tool packages that come with larger ah batteries, and routinely go on sale. The leaf blower and hedge trimmer / pole chainsaw are all great homeowner tools, and go on sale as a package for really great prices and come with a mix of 6ah + 8ah batteries. Once you have a few batteries, I KMS & Summit have great prices on tool only. Likewise, if you know you are only going to use the tool periodically or its going to get really beat - the brushed tools are still fine, and go on sale for really good prices. My sawzall lives hard and will die young - I think I paid $75 for a brushed version vs $200 for brushless.
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Great idea! I'm slowly going 40v makita on everything. Chainsaw, blower etc.
 
Max123 said:
I really like the low speed control. I used a lot of 1-1/2" stainless fasteners for a few projects, and the problem with the old driver was that it was so quick that you could easily spin off the heads if you weren't careful. The surge at min speed was perfect for snugging them up. Likewise, no issues at all driving in beefy lag screws. The versatility of the newer drivers is amazing.

If you are looking to expand your personal tool collection, I found that the trick was to buy a few of the yard tool packages that come with larger ah batteries, and routinely go on sale. The leaf blower and hedge trimmer / pole chainsaw are all great homeowner tools, and go on sale as a package for really great prices and come with a mix of 6ah + 8ah batteries. Once you have a few batteries,,KMS & Summit have great prices on tool only. Likewise, if you know you are only going to use the tool periodically or it’s going to get really beat - the brushed tools are still fine, and go on sale for really good prices. My sawzall lives hard and will die young - I think I paid $75 for a brushed version vs $200 for brushless.
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thanks ill look for that. I’d like a nice electric polesaw. Amazing what you can do with an old fiscar manual. Getting talked into a $700 impact gun and single battery charger seems stupid, but as my batteries are 12 years old I have to think about getting at least one to two new batteries.
 
I’ve got the big 1/2” Makita impact and it’s great. Heavy but powerful. It’s an older design and red/yellow brands have better power to weight offerings. Makita seems to be better for repairability from what I have seen but doubt you’ll need to worry about that. Really depends if you want to invest in a new battery system. If so, I would go with whatever Milwaukee/DeWalt is on sale and meets your needs. Torque Test Channel you YouTube is a good resource, check out some of their videos if you need a more scientific comparison to make sure you get the most bang for your buck
 
kaelc said:
thanks ill look for that. I’d like a nice electric polesaw. Amazing what you can do with an old fiscar manual. Getting talked into a $700 impact gun and single battery charger seems stupid, but as my batteries are 12 years old I have to think about getting at least one to two new batteries.
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My mid torque 3/8" impact gun (good for 550/600ft/lbs) is currently priced at $279 ($298 for 1/2") at KMS right now (tool only), but I think I got it on sale for $199 or better last year. I see they are selling it for $709 with x2 batteries - terrible deal, watch and wait - these come up for sale all the time. If you have a PO in the states, Factory Authorized Outlet sells all the major brands at really good prices, and in weird combos with special bonus offers on extra batteries.

Pro life hack: If you do a lot of brush clearing (eg rec property) - a milwaukee pole hedge trimmer (with angled head) is phenomenal. Its like a battery powered scythe. I've used it to clear huge areas on rocky/steep ground where the lawnmower is useless. You would be astonished at what it will cut through with zero complaint, and minimal battery use. The pole chainsaw is also great (and way safer) - but be warned that you may develop an 'aggressive' pruning style.

I'm one of those jack asses that insists on having a leaf blower in the City. About 2 years ago I got tired of the dirty looks every time I fired up my old jobsite Stihl blower, and switched over to a milwaukee (got it on sale through FOA, with an 8ah battery). Way quieter, works great, no issues with power or battery life - fewer dirty looks and no more 2-stroke gas sitting around the house. Highly recommend the switch unless you live on acreage.
 
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I'm an on the tools contractor. I personally finish and install millwork. I have makita, bosch, Milwaukee and hilti cordless. I'm old school so I mainly use the cordless drill and an impact. But for some reason have all the gimmicks. The feel and trigger of the makita blow the rest out of the water. The durability of the hilti is above the rest. The Milwaukee has great power to sink big grk lag screws, but that's all I use it for. The Milwaukee impact is too powerful. It drives the screw in before it impacts. Which can make the perfect depth more difficult to achieve. The bosch isn't great at anything. I believe every tool brand has winners and losers. Milwaukee Sawzall. Dewalt 369 skillsaw, makita mitre saws the earlier additions, bosch hammer drill, hilti jackhammer, festool track saws, etc.
 
If you ever buy open box tools be careful, I spent a couple hours head scratching last night why old my batteries didn’t fit, only to realize the 12v and 18v look almost exactly the same. One of the biggest scams going is buy a low priced item that looks the same, as the high priced one, swap and return the high price box with low price item.
 
I've got mostly Makita stuff that is from around 2015. A mix of 3, 4 and 5 amp batteries. Some are original to around 2015, some have been upgraded. Those tools have all been used daily to put food on the table and have never missed a beat. I burnt out one impact driver sending 14" Lag bolts home...cooked the guts right out of it. Other than that, no issues. I bought a dewalt 7-1/4" cordless saw a couple years ago because dragging a power cord through roof trusses is a ****** way to spend your day. Milwaukee has the best framing nailer. I am at the point of needing to upgrade the whole kit pretty soon and I'll definitely give Milwaukee a try. If not, it will probably be dewalt. Makita has a great oil impact driver which helps to keep your hearing intact.
 
Also, I think they're probably all made in the same factory and just rebadged. I remember a guy at Summit tools telling me that at any point in time every tool manufacturer will have all the competitions tools on a desk somewhere taken apart. I think they're pretty much all the same.
 
Bifmalibu said:
I've got mostly Makita stuff that is from around 2015. A mix of 3, 4 and 5 amp batteries. Some are original to around 2015, some have been upgraded. Those tools have all been used daily to put food on the table and have never missed a beat. I burnt out one impact driver sending 14" Lag bolts home...cooked the guts right out of it. Other than that, no issues. I bought a dewalt 7-1/4" cordless saw a couple years ago because dragging a power cord through roof trusses is a ****** way to spend your day. Milwaukee has the best framing nailer. I am at the point of needing to upgrade the whole kit pretty soon and I'll definitely give Milwaukee a try. If not, it will probably be dewalt. Makita has a great oil impact driver which helps to keep your hearing intact.
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You really can't beat the makita 40v saw. The dewalt doesn't like any rain. The new framing gun is coming soon!!
 
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