I've already got a Dewalt 1/2" impact at the house. It is a giant unwieldy thing that is only practical within 10' of the charger. I'm looking to pick up another, more portable and useful impact. I'm thinking 1/4" drive but am also open to 3/8".

So, which cordless impact should I be looking for and why do you recommend it?

I'm running the Dewalt 18v 1/4" impact, it uses the same batteries as all the rest of my junk. It works great with the 3/8" adapter in the chuck & puts out a decent amout of torque, enough to drive in a bunch of bronco bits. I've also used Matkita and Porter Cable 1/4 " impacts and they work just as well. I'd say buy what is easy to incorporate into your existing tool set.

BTW - I'm not nice to my Dewalt cordless tools, they aren't abused, but I don't worry about a few knocks or grease or a few drops of water on them. My only failure so far was the battery clip on my sawsall, likely due to my technique of battery insertion.

I used a Milwaukee cordless impact at Intel when crating up semiconductor equipment.

That thing would drive 3/8 6 inch screws all day long. I mean it would run long enough we would have to take turns using it as it would wear you out before the battery died.

I bet one wrench must of ran 10,000 screws in just a few months.

J.E.

I've got a Makita 18V driver that takes different bits

http://www.mscdirect.com/product/detail ... PLA+-+Test

I have 1/4" & 3/8" adapters. It works really well, I use it at work all the time. I need a real impact when things get sticky. But its light, and lasts a long time. I only have the small battery, and I recharge it every few days, at most.

I have the DeWalt 18v lithium-ion Drill and Impact. I am DeWalt loyal so they may not be the best on the market but the 18v lithium fit in my older 18v recip, flashlight, skillsaw, jigsaw, and radio. The new ion Chargers are different is my only complaint but the new ion batteries last forever and charge fast that this hasn't been a problem.

I also have a 1/2" 18V Dewalt cordless impact along with the smaller 18V 1/4" impact. I really like the smaller unit. It has had enough grunt to remove lug nuts and is compatible with my other cordless Dewalt gear.

I love my Milwaukee 18v stuff.. the new batteries are even better than the old ones that I used to build 2 broncos with over 3 years... just added one new battery but the old ones work great still.

I forgot to mention I also have the 20V Dewalt, not the 18V.

It does ok and was a good buy, I use it for rebuilding an old railroad hotel as it's light weight enough for hard to reach places.

But it couldn't drive big screws all day like the Milwaukee.

J.E.

I have a 1/4" 20 volt and a 3/8" 18 volt both are dewalt and both have been great but if I could only keep one it would be the 3/8" even with the 18volt battery it seems like it can break stuff loose that the other one can't.