12 or 18 volt compact impact drill

[Ed Gibbons]

I have learned that going bigger usually is better. Are there any downsides to the higher voltage?

[Steve Baumgartner]

I have learned that going bigger usually is better. Are there any downsides to the higher voltage?

Due to the larger battery, 18v are both heavier and more expensive (for equivalent quality). These trade off against greater strength and potentially longer run time. Your specific needs will determine the value of the tradeoff.

[Tom M King]

I have both the white Makita with the half size 18v batteries, and the full sized set with the heavy batteries. The big'uns are better for running in long lags, but other than that the lighter ones do just fine. HD often has the white set on sale for 199. Mine are at least four years old, used most days, and I have not had to replace a battery, except for one that got abused. I used just the lighter ones for a couple of years before I bought the heavier set.

The only downside I see is metal roofs with exposed fasteners put on by idiots who obviously had 18v impact drivers handed to them to use with no instructions, and they overdrove the washered screws. It's almost unbelievable how many of these roofs we've fixed in the past several years.

[Jason Roehl]

My 18V Li-ion Bosch impact driver is probably half the weight, if that, of my old 14.4V Porter-Cable cordless hammer drill. Weight doesn't even cross my mind as I'm using the Bosch like it did when I was using the P-C.

[John TenEyck]

If you want an impact driver for building furniture/cabinets I recommend the 12 V ones. They have plenty of torque for furniture applications (and more, actually), are small enough to get into tight spaces, and are light and easy to handle. If your needs are home remodeling or construction, then 18V or more is a better option for their greater torque and run time.

John

[Peter Quinn]

Weight. and money. But mostly weight. You get more power obviously with the 18V....but you get so much power with the new 12V L ion impacts. The new 18V's aren't heavy, but the 12V are so light its crazy. Ive just finished a job where Ive been using a hitachi 12V impact (another guys) a lot, and its great. In my own shop Ive been using a milwakee 12V, love that too. Its a great time to own a cordless drill! can't go wrong.

[Matthew Hills]

for furniture and light home improvement, the 12V impact drivers are real nice.
I'd give a lot of thought to the bigger ones if I was doing significant construction -- many, long fasteners.

Matthew

[Scott Driemel]

just recently had to make this decision as well. Bought a set of makita 18v for the construction site where decks were the main use. Bought the milwaukee m12 drill & impact set for the shop. So comfortable, small, powerful enough and able to work for long periods with no fatigue. Unless you need heavy duty construction stuff, the 12v li-ions are hard to top!!

[Don Morris]

I recently went through the same process of going from the old technology to the new Li Ion. I had a 12v DeWalt and thought DeWalt was the World trend setter. After a lot of looking and testing, I settled on a Milwaukee 18v Fuel. It's lighter and smaller than my old 12v DeWalt, and it has 3 levels of power. So if I want to do more delicate stuff and not overpower the drill, I can. Yet when I want to drive in that 7" lag whatever, I can also do that. All with one drill. Since I bought the Milwaukee, I had occasion to go to my local Electronics supply store and noticed that they got rid of all their DeWalt stuff and now ONLY carry Milwaukee. I asked the sales person about that and he said their evaluation was Milwaukee has gone ahead of DeWalt and DeWalt is now just a good brand, not the best. In his opinion they thought DeWalt was running on their reputation too much. My relative in Chicago is a construction carpenter. When I was visiting recently, he had independently also bought the same 18v FUEL Milwaukee for his job site tool. That little unit is amazing: Light weight, variable power from cabinet work to heavy duty, all in one unit. You have to give it a try.

[Earl Rumans]

For normal woodworking needs the Milwaukee M12 Fuel is about the best option. I love mine and I would say it has enough power to handle about 98% of your needs. Since I upgraded from the regular M12 to the new M12 Fuel brushless version, I don't even pick up my M18 anymore. The new Fuel versions have much more power, 350 in lbs of torque vs 275 in lbs of torque, has a 1/2 inch chuck instead of 3/8's and the battery lasts longer then the regular M12.

[scott spencer]

My little Hitachi 12v palm sized impact driver is by far my favorite and most used drill/driver in my shop. So convenient and comfortable, and powerful enough for > 90% of what I do.

[Dennis Aspö]

I have an 18v makita set, impact driver and drill. I like them very much, I have a tiny 3.6v screw driver too for the odd occasion, and a bit & brace.

[Bill Ryall]

I have 2 18V Makitas, one older orange battery, and a new white version. Great for construction, remodeling and heavy work. I also have a 12V Bosch for the furniture and technical cabinetry I build.

It comes down to personal preference and application. If all I did was work in the shop and build furniture, the 12V would be all I need. Howver, IMO, it isn't enough for framing and heavier carpentry jobs.

[cody michael]

I have switched to ridgid brand, work well and have lifetime free replacement parts including batteries. home depot has compact drill, impact driver, radio and 2 batteries (18v) for 179, you can get coupons if you look around. they work good and I don't need to worry about batteries in a couple years.

[John Sanford]

For most furniture/DIY work, a combo set of the new breed brushless 12v will do 85% of what you need. I don't know how they'll hold up to a lot of pockethole work, although I do know that my Bosch 3/8" 12v lithium-ion brushed drill/driver doesn't really have enough oomph. I would suggest going the 12v route first, and if you find you need more, then look at 18v. Either way, go brushless. More power, longer runtime.