cordless dilemma

[nahuebsch82]

I am at a dilemma, as of now I have the craftsman 19.2 drill, impact driver and 1/2 impact. My batteries are dieing one by one and I'd rather upgrade. I'm looking at the Milwaukie M12 tools, no debate here I'm pretty set on brand. My only conflict is I'm on a budget, so I have to decide between the brushed drill and impact driver combo OR get just the brushless impact driver. I am a diesel mechanic and don't use a drill all that often...I do have an air drill....so I am leaning towards the brushless.....let me know your thoughts

 

[Ign]

The brushed drill should only come in 3/8" and is all but useless for anything other than light work. It has its place, but doesn't have enough torque or speed for much of what I want to drill.

So get the Fuel impact driver for now and go from there.

 

[BajaBound]

I have the 1/2 impact and when I upgraded to the lithium batteries it became a new tool. There are now new lithium batteries and I would look at those before upgrading or buy new tools.

 

[ChrisF250]

The brushless impact is amazing. I got one within the first two weeks of release, that one the casting broke around the anvil. I warrantied that one at home depot no questions asked and gotanother and have driven around 2000 screws with it. Battery life is good considering how light it is. Easiy out performs dewlat 18 volt and is comparable to makita 18. Today it survived a 15 foot fall no problems. Nothing negative to say.

 

[jfcasey]

I faced this same problem about 6 months ago and I went with the brushed combo kit that came with the 3/8 impact, drill, and light. I've got no regrets the impact is exactly what I was looking for, and I haven't had any spots where it didn't meet my expectations. I've also gotten a lot of use out of the drill around the house which keeps the ol lady happy and the light has become my go-to shop light.

I'm an automotive tech but I'd imagine we use 3/8s impacts for similar tasks. For the price its hard to say no to the older version if you are on a budget. I paid the same for 3 tools, 2 batteries, and a charger as the brushless impact, 1 battery, and a charger would have cost.

 

[firebox40dash5]

The Fuel impact is indeed pretty awesome. However, I will say that it lacked enough in the power department (I was used to an 18V brushless already) that I added an M18 Fuel 3/8 square impact, which I LOVE and use for most of my socket-related impact needs. The M12 is now used mostly as a screwdriver, or with an adapter and 1/4" sockets, and I honestly probably don't NEED the extra torque over a regular brushed model anymore.

That being said, the battery life is incredible, far beyond a brushed tool, and being able to select low torque mode (which happens to be about right for gasketed aluminum stuff like valve covers and trans pans to boot) is a time- and life-saver. Great when I'm in an awkward spot and have to *shudder* start a bolt or nut with the impact- it starts impacting at almost no torque, letting me know right away it's cross-threading, without doing any damage.

My $0.02, buy the Fuel impact, wait for the next free battery promo and buy the Fuel drill. Getting an extra 4.0ah battery free is ****.