The Best Compact Impact Driver

[@Xaluber]

Good thing you put that size explainer at the end. I was gearing up to comment about why so many popular models were left out.

[@Tools-Tested]

Yeah its tricky, we have no clear definition as to what's Regular, Compact or Sub Compact.

[@hanssteiner-nv3lf]

You are literally the only one I can find that reviewed and showed the Hilti sid4 nuron. Please show more when possible of its strengths and weaknesses

[@robertrada4783]

Its strength is that it cost me less than a hundred dollars. The trigger control leaves a lot to be desired. Makes a weird noise at top speed. Ergonomics are great though. Stellar fit and finish. If it controlled more like their 6-22 it would be the business.Lights aren’t as good as the 6-22, but better than most. Grabbed it so I’d have an impact with the 4-22 drill. Standing on its own, it doesn’t fair well because a.) So many flagship impacts happen to be really light and small already. b.) If you want a gimped impact driver, may as well buy a tiny 12v. I digress. If you’re on Nuron and need a second impact driver. Just buy a second 6-22.

[@Tools-Tested]

Yep 100%, its half the price of the 6-22 which in my mind makes it the better pick unless your running lags all day then you probably need the 6-22. Yeah I agree with the above, trigger control seems better on the the 6-22, but the ergonomics are great. Really depends on your application in my option.

[@dberry99]

Noise, vibration, usability and comfort are my primary metrics when choosing a new tool. Glad to see more people are starting to test things other than raw power!

[@toolscientist]

Something went whacky with the scaling of your graphs at 5:45 and 5:55. The Hilti is about 2x slower than MIlwaukee, but the bar graph is 6-10x longer

[@Tools-Tested]

Yeah thats my love hate relationship with Apple Keynote. Sometimes the auto scaling seem to mess up if you extend the graph from its original size with the data in it.

[@toolscientist]

9:09 in fairness to Milwaukee, the collet is the hottest part. Whichever tool has the highest output power is going to have the hottest collet from the collet and bit smacking together harder than the others. But it is substantially hotter than the Dewalt, which is pretty much on par with it for most tests

[@Tools-Tested]

Yep this is very true, with more torque and power. Im curious if it has any impact on normal use. Im guessing only if your driving lags all day.

[@THEBEARDEDTOOLGUY]

4900 IMPs i have the 3651-20 and with the 6 AMP FORGE BATTERY it is a BEAST but it gets so Hot Real Fast

[@afellowinnewengland6142]

Thank you for including decibel testing! The 7db difference between the Makita and Milwaukee is absolutely massive as the scale is not linear and a 3db increase translates to doubling of sound energy. In other words, that Milwaukee is pretty damn loud compared to the Makita. That said, I find the Milwaukee Hydraulic driver to be fairly quiet, so it would be interesting to see a test down the road. Lastly, wouldn't mind your subjective opinion on them as well- as certain sound types can be irritating compared to others. Thanks again and keep up the great testing!

[@Tools-Tested]

No problem! Yeah that Milwaukee is really loud compared to the others. I really have come to like the M12 surge, it will be investing to see how the M18 surge will do a the Dewalt DCD870 hydraulic impact. I was wearing ear protection with these, they would drive me nuts without. Will do!

[@chrxx4327]

To me the dewalt is easily the winner. It barely lost to the Milwaukee in raw performance, but the dimensions make a lot more sense. The battery sticks out past the nose of the Milwaukee, where as with the dewalt it sits flush. The dewalt's design looks like it would fit in more tight areas which is the whole point of these designs anyways.

[@Tools-Tested]

Yep its really close, really depends on the application

[@james2042]

My only issue with compact 18v impacts and drills is that 12v compacts exist. My go to tool is an m12 surge with a 2.5ah for driving small fasteners. Honestly i havent touched my 18v tools since getting my m12s, i dont do anything that requires the power and the 12v is on par with 18v from years ago and work got done just fine with those. Id love to see a 12v impact showdown with milwaukee, dewalt, makita, hercules and surprisingly skil

[@Tools-Tested]

Yeah I really do like that 12v surge, I was using it today building a mount for the new breaker panel in the house. Time to make the next big leap from 2 wire with fuses. Hope to do impacts at some point, just ends up lower on the list bc TTC covers them so well.

[@anzov1n]

Really appreciate all the thorough testing. A few notes... Please make sure that bar graph ranges always start at 0, not doing so can distort the data, like at 6:05 Milwaukee appears to be multiple times faster than everything else while the actual difference is much smaller. I think it would be slightly more easy to read if times were expressed in decimals and not split into seconds and milliseconds.

[@Tools-Tested]

Sorry, thats my love hate relationship with Apple Keynote. Sometimes the auto scaling seem to mess up if you extend the graph from its original size with the data in it.

[@fon75]

The hotter they run, shorter is the life expectancy. I would take the Makita over the Milwaukee anytime!

[@Dtonk4609]

You can also metabo hpt with speed modes as well, the triple hammer

[@Tools-Tested]

Yeah plan on it.

[@riba2233]

another great test, thanks! makita actually performed a lot better compared to others than I thought, since it is basically a 12v tool.

[@Tools-Tested]

Thanks! yeah in all reality all will get the job done.

[@josephmerz2666]

have several .dewalts 850 has a very sloppy collet ,the width has been a problem. the little makita has been great ,small and light weight .it has the better power switch over my dewalts and milwaukee . the makita power switch saves so much time in broken screws when using small stainless fastners . i was hoping milwaukee would put out a small tablet battery for there compacts .

[@Tools-Tested]

Yeah I was really let down by pipeline, release a new 8 and 12 but nothing for the lower end.

[@pete1323]

The makita is an excellent fit and finish tool with lots of finesse for detailed work. I wouldn’t build a deck with it though. There are better options. Nice video as always

[@corin164]

What about HFT's Hercules branded compact driver? The TTC has it at number two.

[@Tools-Tested]

Even though most of these are labeled as Compact, I consider them Sub Compact. Hercules will be in a different video with the other Compacts.

[@juanc5149]

When you get to the top range models, at least the Dewalt dcf860 has way more torque in reverse than it does forward. I wonder if other impact drivers are like this?

[@riba2233]

they aren't really. there is some difference but not that huge

[@juanc5149]

On the Dewalt dcf860 the difference IS huge. Look at the results on TTC. Not just on torque but also on IPMs.

[@riba2233]

@@juanc5149 omg bro I know, I am talking about the other ones which y0u asked about! Are y0u messing with me or what?

[@riba2233]

omg bro I know, I am talking about the other ones which y0u asked about! Are y0u messing with me or what?

[@jamesjenkins8373]

I scored a 1/4in Milwaukee with battery and charger for $99.99 at home depo like 2 weeks ago, I use it everyday and I love it

[@Tools-Tested]

Yeah you really cant beat that.

[@ididitok9007]

Thank you for your hard work on testing tools For getting this information out there for someone like me ( the Average. Joe) Thank you again. Much appreciated

[@Tools-Tested]

No problem! glad you found it useful!

[@MarinRamos-x7w]

Can you do the habor freight impact tools next thanks

[@Tools-Tested]

Yeah they are on the list, with in the next few months compact impacts will probably be first followed by ratchets.

[@GarenP]

Ages ago it used to be I would get the biggest, hardest hitting unit I could get my hands on, but weirdly now things have reversed for me in recent years: I almost always use my M12 Surge or Ridgid Subcompact, rarely do I reach for a compact or "full size" (is that a term?) impact driver, as even the smallest tools are so much more powerful nowadays. Aside from weight, the large physical size - including the huge M18 batteries - are a hassle to me, creating obstructions, to say nothing of the noise being so loud that it bothers me or others around me. I almost want to call the "regular" size tools "outdoor power tools".

[@Tools-Tested]

Yep, I have been using the Surge after the testing and like it. Seems to be no standard in sizes, the “full” size is much smaller compared to the old brushed versions.

[@strykerentllc]

We've got the Milwaukee and it serves us well until there's a fastener that it can't tackle so we step up to the 3/8 mid-torque compact impact and if it fails, the 1/2 (newest model) impact is called upon. If that one fails to make the fastener give up the fight, ol' oxy-acetylene makes his debut and turns it to liquid.

[@Tools-Tested]

Yes the fire wrench, idk about you but I always seem to pull that out sometime after 1am and a few beers deep lol.

[@georgedavall9449]

Very good testing and evaluation. Wearing that Milwaukee hat might not have been the best choice for ‘optics?’ 😆 😊 ( I do like my Milwaukee hat! 😃) The Milwaukee is a little beast, no doubt. It does get hot, and collets are random in QC. They make them in Mexico and China. The compact drill is impressive, but the clickity clack of the speed controller as the trigger is let off, is annoying. I’ve sampled two separate drills, and both made them. The quality of the Made in China ones was a bit better than Mexico sourced units. Yes, the Makita wont win any races, but it will get in some slim spaces, and sets smaller screws with finesse. The little DeWalt is impressive, and the first speed setting will set #6 X 5/8 screws flush in most types of wood. It is impressive. Numbers don't lie, but at the end of the Day ease of use, comfort, and control play a very important part. Appreciate the effort, and your ‘rig’ was impressive! 👍💪✌🇺🇸😊

[@Tools-Tested]

Thanks! Yeah the hat might not have beed the best choice, honestly I didn't expect Ito to do that well. But if they are going to jump to conclusions probably the hat wouldn't make a difference. I get it all the time, one minute I'm a Milwaukee hater and somehow the next I'm a fanboy. Personally I could care less what brand wins, im more curious how they perform to the $. Interesting I didn't know it was also made in Mexico, I really do also like that drill. Thanks again!, yeah it took me a while to come up with that rig. But I really wanted something that was repeatable vs driving screws into wood.

[@danr1920]

If only some one could figure out how to test how durable they are. Will a cheap no name China brand last as long as a Milwaukee or DeWalt. No, but what about a DeWalt vs. Milwaukee? Who knows. Could be a big difference or the same.

[@hanssteiner-nv3lf]

All I can tell you is that Hilti would outlast all those other drivers on the test on any jobsite.

[@Tools-Tested]

Yeah I would like to do more in the durability area, but sadly I currently dont have the time or the funds to pull it off. I work full time and that job allows me to buy these tools which I then turn around and sell so I can buy others to test.

[@2down4up]

Awesome video as always! I can’t help but feel that Milwaukee pulled a bait and switch with the Forge 6.0 to the 8.0 and 12.0. I’ll reserve my final judgment till the 8 and 12 get tested but I feel Milwaukee mislead us. There’s also many other things I could point to in this year’s pipeline, but I’ll spare the reader from that.

[@toolscientist]

I think development of the 6Ah forge took longer than they thought. Case had to be redesigned and the PCB is much more complex with high powered cutoff mosfets. It got released about a year ago, then we saw first tabless packs 9 months ago from Makita. Don't think it was deliberate, just got caught out by changing tech.

[@Tools-Tested]

Yeah seems like they changed quick once they noticed how abundant tabless will be. Which makes sense seeing I believe the majority of the profit comes from them selling battery's not so much the tool. I just wish they could have came up with a different name, idk we have HO so lable them as HOT . High Output Tabless Dewalt seemed to do the same thing, but at least its being called PowerPack vs PowerStack. In all reality seems like a good amount of confusion for the average consumer.

[@2down4up]

@@Tools-Tested I completely agree. It annoys me that at least none of the presenters I watched at Pipeline called them on that or even questioned it. I would’ve been all up in there like what heck are these cylinders doing here? Switching to tabless to me seems like a step back, I’m still not convinced that round tabless cells are as good, let alone better than pouch cell batteries. They certainly don’t fit as well as rectangular pouch cells fit in rectangular cases! Much less wasted space making things smaller and potentially lighter. I dunno just bothers me all around. I do really like your idea of the HOT acronym though.

[@Tools-Tested]

@@2down4up Yep, that’s why they never invite people like me or TTC because we would straight up call them out. I don’t believe the tabless claimed either. I plan on getting them though and we will see.

[@2down4up]

@@Tools-Tested Awesome! Can’t wait for your tests!

[@boosted2.4_sky]

I like that Ridgid is on Milwaukee's and Dewalt's ass...above the FLEX which is surprising....☝️

[@Failsafeman100]

TTI have been known to deliberately sandbag the performance of Ridgid tools when they get too close to Milwaukee

[@Tools-Tested]

Yeah flex was a shocker, I also expected to see a gap between Metabo and Makita. Ridgid seem like a solid bet value play wise, I'm curious though how strong the older more compact Sub Compact version is.

[@FrankCastle694]

Why no Hercules

[@Tools-Tested]

It's a compact, only sub compacts in this video. It will be tested with the other compacts soon.

[@AricBolf]

The bars in the chart at 5:45 isn’t proportional. It’s not even close. This gives a distorted sense of the results. Yes the numbers give the results, but part of what people base their decisions on is the bars, otherwise why would we even have the bars? On my 43” TV, the 12s bar is 2” long, the 14s bar is 3 1/4”, and the 24s is 10 3/4” long. How they should be to properly represent the difference between them is: If the 12s bar remains the same at 2”, the 14s bar should be 2 1/4” long (not 3 1/4”), and the 24s bar should be 4” long (not 10 3/4”) If the 24s bar remains the same, then the 12s bar should be 5 3/8” long (not 2”), and the 14s bar should be 6 1/8” long (not 3 1/4”) Granted nobody is perfect with the bar lengths, but when it’s ridiculously off where the 24s bar is literally over 5x longer than the 12s bar, i just had to call it out.

[@Tools-Tested]

Sorry, thats my love hate relationship with Apple Keynote. Sometimes the auto scaling seem to mess up if you extend the graph from its original size with the data in it.

[@Vasiliy_Aliev]

Как могут быть компактными Flex и Hilti у ник аккумуляторы имею большую длину потому что там по 6 элементов питания в ряд а не 5 элементов в ряд и при работе в ограниченном пространстве это будет заметно.Почему Dewalt DCF850B сравнивают с Makita XDT18ZB которая длиннее чем Makita XDT19 и менее мощная .Зачем сравнивать старшую модель Dewalt DCF850B с младшей Makita XDT18ZB которая ничем не блещет и самая недорогая в линейке у Dewalt есть модели попроще и подешевле но они длиннее так почему же вы взяли не самую короткую Makita?

[@joshuaewalker]

At the end there you say that it _easily_ goes to the Milwaukee. I don't see how. It starts to run away from the other drivers on torque with its top battery but otherwise it's really not blowing anything out of water. The DeWalt beats the Milwaukee on size, it beats it on how loud it is to use, it beats it on how hot it gets, it beats it on the fact that it has a quick connect collet, the fact that it's not made in China I consider a win on the DeWalt's part, and as far as what it's actually meant to be used for (as a driver) the speed difference between the Milwaukee and the DeWalt when driving GRKs and lag bolts is imperceptible.

[@riba2233]

low reliability and I would argue that it is too wide to classify as a sub compact

[@joshuaewalker]

@@riba2233 It's less wide than it is long and it's literally the shortest

[@riba2233]

@@joshuaewalker ok but it is really wide compared to others in this class

[@engineer_alv]

it's called bias and most American channels seem to be that way with the red tool company owned by China. a loud, boiling hot impact driver w/o speed selection, lousy LED and no quick insert collet is definitely not the best tool. Is it the quickest and most powerful out of these three? Sure it is but for how long? The Milwaukee sounds like a drag racer but it can't do circuits, if you know what I mean

[@riba2233]

@@engineer_alv that is true but DeWalt is not much better :)

[@Vasiliy_Aliev]

How can Flex and Hilti be compact, Nick's batteries have a long length because there are 6 batteries in a row, not 5 cells in a row, and when working in a confined space it will be noticeable.Why is the Dewalt DCF850B compared to the Makita XDT18ZB, which is longer than the Makita XDT19 and less powerful .Why compare the older Dewalt DCF850B model with the younger Makita XDT18ZB, which does not shine and is the most inexpensive in the line. Dewalt has simpler and cheaper models, but they are longer, so why didn't you take the shortest Makita?

[@engineer_alv]

Maybe because Makita clearly markets the XDT18Z as their subcompact tool. Length is just one side of the story, that tool is the narrowest, lightest 18V impact driver in their lineup. That's pretty much the same as the Metabo HPT which is longer than the tripple hammers but narrower and lighter.

[@Vasiliy_Aliev]

@@engineer_alv The XDT18Z is very slightly lighter and significantly longer than the XDT19Z .The XDT19Z also has a narrowing case in the front.There are also 4 speeds, 3 special modes, a flashlight function for 20-30 minutes and the button itself is more sensitive and the XDT18Z does not have all this because this is the simplest cheap brushless model, which, although recently updated, has not added new functions.Other manufacturers have compact models that are more powerful and more compact because they were recently developed and Makita just did a facelift without adding anything, just changed the name of the model that it has been producing for many years.Why it is in the test is unclear for a construction site, it is low-power and for craftsmen there are few functions and power, and for a house it is also not the best option.As an installation screwdriver for furniture assembly, it is also not an obvious choice.

[@engineer_alv]

@@Vasiliy_Aliev I'm aware of what the XDT18Z represents in Makita's Linuep and also how much different it is from the XDT19Z (I owned that one). None of the tools tested is a top of the line tool, this test is about the compact tools. The XDT19Z is top of the line and is usually compared with top of the line tools from other brands. It's also more expensive than most of the tools in this video but it's also the better tool. Blame Makita for branding its weakest impact driver as a compact/sub compact. Also, please note the weight difference between the 18Z and 19Z is over 20%. That's quite the difference

[@Vasiliy_Aliev]

@@engineer_alv kzbin.info/www/bejne/ioHaq3mtrraqqZI kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZWocq1qf5qfitU

[@Vasiliy_Aliev]

@@engineer_alv вес XDT19Z он же у нас DTD172 kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZWocq1qf5qfitU 845 грамм вес XDT18Z он же у нас DTD157 kzbin.info/www/bejne/ioHaq3mtrraqqZI 808 грамм I do not agree with you about the weight, but I agree that all questions about market positioning are for the manufacturer.The difference in weight between XDT19Z and XDT18Z is less than 5%. 845 grams versus 805 grams.The XDT19Z is much shorter and more powerful with a more sensitive button, there is a flashlight function, many light modes, a button and more.Why it's not here is unclear, it's a top model, it's compact and lightweight.....Dewalt DCF850B you have here and it's also a top model and it doesn't stop you from comparing it with the younger XDT18Z, which is at least one and a half times less powerful......I don't understand why not add XDT19Z and XDT18Z at once.