With its 18 volts and 1,700 inch-pounds of torque, we were able to drive long fasteners and lag bolts, even without pilot holes. We found the variable-speed trigger allowed us to easily manage RPMs from zero to 2,900 at up to 3,800 IPM. The tool has a compact head, measuring 5.5 inches from dewalt impact drill front to back, which helped reaching fasteners in tight areas. The quick-release chuck seemed a little awkward at first, and we found that it works better on some bits than others. DeWalt offers ample power in a compact lightweight size in what amounts to its best all-purpose impact driver.
The DeWalt DCF809’s brushless motor, though somewhat noisy, delivers an impressive 1,700 pounds of torque, enough to drive bolts into ledger boards or remove lug nuts from a car wheel. At 5.1 inches from its back to the tip of the chuck, it’s at home in tight spaces, be that under a kitchen sink or in between wall studs. This 18-volt impact driver from Metabo HPT, formerly Hitachi, is part of the company’s new line of black tools.
The DeWalt 20V MAX XR Impact Driver, which produces a max torque of 1,825 inch-pounds, is the most powerful impact driver that DeWalt produces. The list below includes the best of a formidable line of impact drivers that DeWalt puts out. They include models for weekend warriors as well as those that are suitable for the pro work site. Dewalt Impact Drivers are designed with the trade professional in mind, so you’ll get the driving performance you’d expect from the brand you know and trust. It’s hard for us to identify an audience for which the Atomic is particularly well-suited. We didn’t think it was a bad tool by any means, but it struggled to earn recognition compared with the top-ranked impact drivers in our review.
Hart is a relative newcomer to the cordless-tool game, with a line of affordable models including this 20-volt impact driver kit. The tool head measures just over 7 inches in length, almost 2 inches longer than typical compact tools, so working in tight spaces could be dewalt impact drill a challenge. And it has a traditional electric motor with brushes, which can wear over time, affecting performance. However, we were able to drive all of the fasteners in our test with this Hart, with the bolts torqued to 40 ft-lb and lag bolts noticeably taxing it.
An impact driver’s job is to drive in or remove fasteners that require more torque than what a standard cordless drill can handle. As such, torque is much more important than speed when it comes to impact drivers. Most impact drivers produce around 1,500 inch-pounds of torque, which is enough for removing lug nuts torqued up to 100 pounds or driving longer screwdrivers through thicker dimensional lumber.
As such, a brushless motor can run faster than a brushed motor without overheating, resulting in greater torque and speed. Brushless motors are also more efficient, allowing them to run on a battery for up to 50 percent longer. A brushless motor is also more expensive to manufacture than a brushed motor, which makes tools using them much pricier.