Cordless Impact Drivers - 1/4" vs. 1/2" - Bosch vs. Rigid?

[giradman]

Hi All - I own a number of cordless drills, including an 18V Bosch; also have a number of 18V Rigid tools - lately I've been driving holes into concrete and brick (using a hammer drill - no problem making the holes) and also making a number of jigs w/ threaded inserts - the drill drivers do not always allow enough torque to fully seat the fastening items - I've never owned an impact driver, but have been looking at a number of 18V Bosch and Rigid offerings (a number shown below).

My questions: 1) Any personal experience/comments for these brands/models; 2) Will the 1/4" hex models serve my needs or should I go to the 1/2" units; and 3) Know that the 'brushless' motor are the best choice, but really needed for short duration use?  Thanks for any comments.  Dave

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[fredhargis]

A friend of mine has the Bosch and the Milwaukee 18V, and he swears the Milwaukee is a little faster and seems to have more torque. When I bought one I kept he opinions in mind and was strongly favoring the Milwaukee. But I just can't dismiss the Rigid LSA, so I bought one of them. The one I got is a brushless model, but on;y because it happened to have a special price on the day I bought it. While there's little doubt in my mind that the brushless models are better...I doubt most of us hobbyists will notice the difference. I've been happy with the Rigid, and may have given up a little "oomph" over the others, but I won't be shelling out a fortune for replacement batteries.

[Arlin Eastman]

A friend of mine has the Bosch and the Milwaukee 18V, and he swears the Milwaukee is a little faster and seems to have more torque. When I bought one I kept he opinions in mind and was strongly favoring the Milwaukee. But I just can't dismiss the Rigid LSA, so I bought one of them. The one I got is a brushless model, but on;y because it happened to have a special price on the day I bought it. While there's little doubt in my mind that the brushless models are better...I doubt most of us hobbyists will notice the difference. I've been happy with the Rigid, and may have given up a little "oomph" over the others, but I won't be shelling out a fortune for replacement batteries.

Dave

My neighbor bought the Harbor Freight one for putting up a deck and the concrete work and he things it is the cats meow.  I watched him some and although it has not been used for  6 months it is still going strong and seems very much worth the price.

[giradman]

Dave

My neighbor bought the Harbor Freight one for putting up a deck and the concrete work and he things it is the cats meow.  I watched him some and although it has not been used for  6 months it is still going strong and seems very much worth the price.

Hi Arlin - must admit that I rarely shop at Harbor Freight, but took a look and for just $100 (not sure what shipping may be?), the Hercules kit w/ 2 batteries has received excellent reviews - also searched and found some discussion of the driver closely resembling the DeWalt and speculation about the unit being made by Stanley/Black & Decker?  Thanks for the suggestion.  Dave

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[giradman]

A friend of mine has the Bosch and the Milwaukee 18V, and he swears the Milwaukee is a little faster and seems to have more torque. When I bought one I kept he opinions in mind and was strongly favoring the Milwaukee. But I just can't dismiss the Rigid LSA, so I bought one of them. The one I got is a brushless model, but on;y because it happened to have a special price on the day I bought it. While there's little doubt in my mind that the brushless models are better...I doubt most of us hobbyists will notice the difference. I've been happy with the Rigid, and may have given up a little "oomph" over the others, but I won't be shelling out a fortune for replacement batteries.

Thanks Fred for your comments - for those interested, here is a good Review from about 18 months ago - the Milwaukee, DeWalt, Makita, and Rigid (model R86036K) were the overall top rated cordless impact drivers; they also review the Rigid R86037, which came in 5th - obviously I would like a 'bare tool' - about to go to Home Depot, so will take a look.  BTW, the Bosch model I showed in my OP was down their list (8th and quite pricey as a 'bare tool').  Dave

[Cian]

I’m a Milwaukee fan. I had a few of their corded drills, their monster 12” slider, an older cordless hammer drill, and a healthy assortment of their M12 line. When it came to buy into a new higher capacity codless combo, I opted for Ridgid after much evaluation, because as Fredhargis noted, it is more tool than I need as a hobbyist and overall a better value. In fact, just came back from my local Home Depot and they had a promo on the larger Ridgid 4.0AH Li batteries - TWO(!) for $99 - so definitely grabbed those. And Fwiw, Milwaukee and Ridgid are owned by the some company.

[jteneyck]

If you already own Rigid and Bosch 18V cordless tools I would buy the bare 1/4" impact driver from whoever gives the best deal.  IMHO the 1/4" is the better choice for anything except exceptionally heavy work.  And, as said, I wouldn't pay more for brushless.  I also would have no qualms about buying a refurbished tool if available.  CPO outlets might have a Bosch one.  

John

[Roly]

[quote='jteneyck' pid='7623785' dateline='1526758444']
If you already own Rigid and Bosch 18V cordless tools I would buy the bare 1/4" impact driver from whoever gives the best deal.  IMHO the 1/4" is the better choice for anything except exceptionally heavy work.  And, as said, I wouldn't pay more for brushless.  I also would have no qualms about buying a refurbished tool if available.  CPO outlets might have a Bosch one.  

as said
The 1/2" is more for lug nuts and heavy duty wrenching,  the 1/4" is for screws and other items that require less torque.  The 1/2" is normally called an impact wrench, and the 1/4" is normally called a impact driver.   The 1/2" will be heaver and more bulky than the 1/4".   Doubtful if you could drive wood screws with the 1/2" model without breaking off.   Roly

[giradman]

Thanks All for the additional comments - from the reviews that I've read and the advice given here, the Rigid 'bare tool' may be my best bet w/ the 1/4" hex connection (don't do auto work and not planning to drive large lag bolts or similar items) - did not get to Home Depot today as planned (my landscape irrigation/lighting guy showed up to do some repairs, so I stuck around) - will try tomorrow - have 2 18V Rigid batteries - both are 2Ah only so doubling that capacity would be nice.  Dave

[Pirate]

I think HD still has a Ridgid, 18 volt drill and impact for $179 And get 2 extra 4 ah batteries free.