Best Impact Drivers: The Top Tools for Working With Fasteners

Impact drivers are a part of our daily lives. If we're not out in the garage using our own impact drivers, we're reading into what's new and what others have to say about the ones they've been using. That doesn't mean we just go off the cuff when putting this buying guide together. While experience is certainly a factor, plenty of research is done to ensure anything we recommend is truly worthwhile. 

Again, the Milwaukee M18 Fuel 18V Impact Driver Kit is our top pick. The quality and performance are just tough to beat. However, it's hard to go wrong with Hercules 20V Impact Driver Kit wherever a tight budget is a limiting factor. 

It's a good thing if you haven't made up your mind yet. Making an educated decision is always better than jumping on the first thing that's recommended to you. The following tips will get you up to speed on what makes one impact driver better than another so you can determine which best fits into your tool box.

RPMs refer to the speed at which the tool can operate. The higher the number, the faster it can fasten or loosen hardware. This does factor into how quickly you can work, but it only tells part of the story. It doesn't factor in the tool's speed under load. Still, it's a good number to refer to when reading through the specs, and a bigger number here is usually a good thing.

The torque rating is the other detail you need to look at to gauge an impact driver's performance. All the RPM in the world won't do you any good when the going gets tough. Torque is the power that drives fasteners through hard materials. A higher number here will also help an impact driver work more quickly under load, so you want to make sure a high rpm rating is backed by high torque for optimal performance.

A brushless motor is one of the best choices you can make when you’re considering different impact drivers. A driver with a brushless motor doesn’t need carbon brushes to deliver a current; instead, an internal circuit does that work. This kind of motor increases your driver’s workload and efficiency — which makes for a better overall tool. A brushless motor can lead an impact driver to have multiple speed settings, run longer on a single charge, and prevent issues like overheating.

You're dealing with small fasteners. Going all-out all the time will cause problems. While variable speed triggers and different modes to work with may seem like standard features on power tools, it's always wise to verify their presence. They become more important as power levels increase, so you'll want to be mindful of them as you shop and every time you get to work. Otherwise, stripped fasteners will be far too common for comfort.

Impact drivers exist on a pretty broad price spectrum. They can list anywhere from $50-$300. Generally speaking, anything suited for DIY work and some professional work will list around between $100-$200, with professional-grade tools sitting in the $200-$300 range. Of course, performance, quality, and unique features are going to determine what you pay.

You have questions. The Drive has answers.