Impact driver for cabinet building

[Rick Potter]

I guess I am alone on this, but for cabinets I assemble with a 12V Milwaukee, but don't tighten too much. I then finish tightening with a T handle screwdriver by hand. This way I can 'feel' when they are tight, but not overdo it.

[John TenEyck]

The 12V drills and impact drivers are perfect for most shop uses, especially assembling cabinets. I have the Hitachi Li ion ones; paid only a little over $100 for both with 4 batteries and two cases, reconditioned, and they looked and smelled new. That was about 4 years ago and they are still running fine. The batteries hold there charge for weeks and last well during use. The impact driver can put out about 750 in-lbs of torque, IIRC, meaning you can twist the head off a screw if you keep the trigger pulled after the head has seated in something really hard. In softer wood it will pull the head right through it! So you have to be careful. A drill with a clutch has better "feel" in comparison.

I also have a set of 18V Milwaukee compact drill/driver. Bought those reconditioned, too and, again, they looked new. They weigh at least twice as much but are still the tools of choice for long, hard, heavy use, like building a deck. Curiously, the Milwaukee driver is shorter to the end of drive head than the Hitachi.

Festool may be nice; no clue really, but I would never spend that much money on a drill/driver. In fact, I can't see buying any drill/driver new when I can get them for half price reconditioned and they look and perform like new.

[Tom M King]

Watch the remodeling shows on TV, and you will see screws stripped with any of them.

[Bryan Cramer]

I wonder if any one has one of these yet: http://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-ST...036K/206596563 . They claim half the noise and double the speed.

[Johannes Becker]

For the last 20 years I have used a Makita 7.2v for smaller work. I have run through several generations of batteries, of course. I have always loved the form factor: the drill or driver is in line with your arm. All the newer models and drills I have had in parallel did not have that feature. When I was looking recently at rebuilding the batteries again I bought the festool CXS (?) and it allows me to do the same thing. Ridiculously expensive for the specs but the form factor allowed me to finally retire my 7.2v Makita. However, I am probably the complete exception if the industry has done any market segmentation for their product development. So if you have no idea what I am talking about write it off as a crazy minority opinion.

[John Sanford]

I have the Bosch 12v.
I like the weight, size and fit.
Charge up time quite fast.
Downfall: batteries don't last that long + battery left overnight in tool will be drained by morning.

Then there's something wrong with either your batteries or your tool, more likely the tool. I have 4 of the Bosch 12v tools, including 1 impact, and none of them exhibit that behavior.

[Rick Alexander]

I'm lucky in that I don't live too far from the Makita Plant that services/distributes their cordless tools. You don't see them much in the stores yet - mostly only in supply houses and often they have to order them - but Makita has a brushless line out there now that is pretty amazing. Luckily at the plant they have a demonstration room where you can try out their latest stuff. Our Woodworking club goes there every year to have a tour of the plant. Lighter - more powerful than anything I've put in my hands on - and fantastic battery life. You pay a premium for the technology but I believe this is the absolute highest quality tool out there right now. Drives 1/4 inch lags like nobody's business.

http://makitatools.com/en-us/Modules...spx?Name=XDT01

Their circular saw in that brushless line is even more amazing. Smoothest most powerful cordless out there that I think out performs corded saws for most things - including 2x stuff. No more cut cords or finding power. You have just got to try this puppy out if you get the chance. Check out the reviews - pretty universally highly favorable for good reason.

http://www.amazon.com/Makita-XSH03Z-...less+brushless

and no - I have no connection to Makita - just a big fan. I'm going to own one of these saws I hope soon - man that thing is something.

[John Sanford]

What's a good impact driver for building cabinets, assembling workbenches, etc.? I had my eye on the Dewalt dcf895d2 but am going to buy the Festool 150/5 and vacuum soon so I was wondering how the Festool driver stacked up.

The Festool comparison video I found on YouTube was fairly old so I'm not sure how the most current model ranks and why I'd want it over something else. I've read Hitachi makes a good driver which can limit its power for finer assembly work, which is why I was really interested in the Dewalt ... I'd like to use it with confidence I won't break or strip out smaller pieces of wood.

I have the Bosch 12v system, and DeWalt 20v Max XR, i.e. Brushless. For almost everything except for cabinet hanging, the 12v does the trick. Any of the Big 4's (Milwaukee, Makita, Bosch, DeWalt) 12v (actually, 10.8v) systems will do the trick. Currently, Milwaukee is the only one with a 12v brushless impact available in the US, although it is strongly rumored that Bosch is going to release their unit here in March. The "second tier" of Rigid, Hitachi and Porter-Cable will also handle most woodworking workshop tasks.

One issue, raised by Richard Schaefer, is the noise. Makita and Rigid have introduced nearly silent impact drivers, but only in the 18v size. If the noise is an issue for you, then you may want to look at one of those instead. They will be bigger and heavier, but much quieter. Running an impact inside a plywood box is LOUD, especially since you're almost in there with it. (Sometimes you ARE in there with it.)

In choosing between the various options available, the absolute first consideration needs to be "how does it fit MY hand." Between Lowes and Home Depot (also Menards, but don't have one so don't know), you should be able to get your mitts onto all of the 12v contenders. Big hands tend to prefer the Milwaukee, Bosch, Rigid (?), and previous gen Makita. Smaller handed folks generally prefer the DeWalt, Hitachi, P-C, and new gen Makita. The key difference is placement of the battery.

As for the Festool, it is a very nice piece of kit, but to my mind it's one of those where the Festool premium isn't counterbalanced by enough additional value. For one thing, having TWO separate tools (drill/driver AND impact driver) is more useful than having a single tool, unless one has extreme space/weight restrictions. As someone who almost always predrills, being able to simply set down the drill and pick up the impact is preferred over other options, even the drill/flip/drive option.

So, if I were buying into a 12v system today, from scratch? I'd go with the Milwaukee Fuel. If I weren't doing so until March? The Bosch. If I already were into either the DeWalt 20v or Makita 18v systems, I'd seriously look at their 12v simply because the chargers are the same for 18v and 12v, whereas for Bosch and methinks Milwaukee they are different. If DeWalt were to steal a march on Bosch and pop a 12v brushless platform on the market before summer, I'll consider jumping over to that, otherwise, my next cordless purchase is almost certainly going to be the Bosch 12v brushless. Leverage my existing battery investment and all that. Note that I don't need the 12v brushless, I just want them.

[Matthew Hills]

I like my 12V hitachi. Very light. I was interested in the Milwaukee, but those seemed much heavier when I tried the ones at HD. Maybe it is tougher and would last longer, but I'll consider that if/when the hitachi breaks

[John TenEyck]

I have a Milwaukee charger that can charge both 12 and 18 V batteries.

John

[Ken Kortge]

I myself use an 18V Bosch and like it. When I first got an impact driver I guess I thought it would result in less control, but I think it actually provides more control because I don't have to rely on high speed to provide high torque. Still for use driving Kreg pocket screws I worry that an impact driver might be too much torque - and I prefer a clutched driver - I use a 12V Bosch PS20 non-impact driver instead.

Just in case folks aren't sure how impact driver works, here is a link to a GREAT video that explains HOW they work:

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/how-...t-drivers.aspx

[Jim Dwight]

I use Ryobi 18V cordless tools including an impact driver. Works great. For some things I prefer the drill, however, due to the clutch. How long you stay on the fastener is a decent way to adjust torque but I think the clutch of the drill is safer.

[Sam Murdoch]

OK , I'll add my 2¢ . This one https://www.milwaukeetool.com/power-...rdless/2653-22 y. I use it every day. It is small(ish) and light, has 3 clutched speeds/power, is powerful and holds a charge for a long time. Milwaukee has great customer service and warranty too. Combine this with the Milwaukee Fuel 1/2" drill and you will have a very impressive pair of tools. I have no reservations recommending this.

[Martin Wasner]

Panasonic. A little more money, a lot more tool. I've owned and been disappointed by DeFalt, Milwaukee, and Makita. I've never owned a Bosch driver.

Whatever you get, make sure it's brushless. Much more efficient, and more power than a comparable brushed motor.

If it's just for shop use I'd recommend the SP Tools air powered impact driver. I've had mine for many years now and I wouldn't be without them. Will run off a relatively small air compressor since they don't require constant airflow.




http://www.spair.co.jp/en/products/d...8102B&c=driver

$274 from Amazon.

I've been kicking around getting a small air powered impact like that for the face frame table. I just found Matco makes one, comparable in price to what you posted. I know nothing about the brand SP.

[Ole Anderson]

My son's PC 20 volt (with the standard Lion battery) seems about half the weight of my old Dewalt 14.4 volt XRP with the NMH battery. It feels really nice in my hand.