purchasing my first cordless tool (18v Fuel

[Daniel831]

Been eyeballing various 18v tool sets for a long while. Got turned off to the entry level stuff when borrowing a friends ryobi 18v angle drill to prep a stripped exhaust manifold bolt hole for a helicoil in an aluminum cylinder head. There was a lot of wobble in the mechanism to the point that it seemed very poorly made. Been borrowing another friends Milwaukee M18 tools (PRC made, non-Fuel models) and they're real nice, apparently he returned several cheaper makitas before biting the bullet and picking up a milwaukee combo set. Anyways I've been looking to start my cordless tool collection off with a high quality hex impact driver for use in basic DIY construction odd jobs for family and friends in addition to lightweight automotive use such as engine disassembly where the 1/2" corded milwaukee impact I've been using is overkill/clunky. Right now I'm looking at picking up the Milwaukee Fuel 1/4" hex impact driver kit with the XC batteries http://www.milwaukeetool.com/power-tools/cordless/2653-22. At $232 shipped this seems to beat anything from competitive brands, not sure if I should hold out for a promotion to try and get a better deal though. I'm also wondering if the XC batteries are overkill and will make the tool too clunky. Anyone using this impact driver have feedback? Is it worth the $$$?

 

[rlitman]

I bought the M18 Fuel drill first. With the drill, the XC batteries give you more power, so that's what I went with. I then bought the hex impact driver as a bare tool when it became available. Supposedly, the impact driver has the same power with either size battery, although the XC will last longer (in total lifetime, as well as time between charges).

It fells like it is about the same weight as my DeWalt 18V NiCd was. Not too clunky for me at all, although hugely clunky when compared to my Bosch 12V stuff, but those tools are disturbingly light.

I've been finding myself using socket adaptors with the impact a lot now, and no longer reaching for my 3/8" pneumatic impact when working on the car (it has a touch less power than my IM31).

The three speeds on the impact driver are REALLY important.
On speed 1, I can use it on tiny stuff, and have great control.
Speed 2 is about the same power as my Bosch 12V tools. Great on most screws with a Phillips #2. Excellent control
Speed 3 has enough power to easily strip and overdrive drywall screws. It'll easily sink a 3" #10 deck screw into a stud.

On the lower two speeds, it has a weird electronic lockout that I've learned to really like.
If I gently pull the trigger, it will turn slowly, and tighten until the first click of the impact, and then stop. This has nicely prevented me from damaging things.

The drill (I know you didn't ask about it), has more torque than my plug in 7.8A DeWalt. I was just using it the other day to drive 5/16" x 3" lags into studs when I didn't want to hear the noise of the impact.