Was wondering if anyone has any recommendations, I had a IR one but after two years the batteries are shot. I was wondering if anyone has an experience with the full size Milwaukee one, also any experience with the small Milwaukee 3/8 drive ones.

 

do a search on youtube for reconditioning the batteries on cordless drills etc. buddy of mine did it to his snap on 1/2" drive cordless impact and it woke up the batteries.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja2TXbkDI2I

 

Any other opinions.

 

We have a Dewalt 18v XRP that works great. I use it a lot at work to remove lugs and rusted bolts

 

Dewalt or Makita is what I am familiar with.

The Milwaukee is supposed to run the longest between charging.

 

I don't own one personally, but my cousin owns a ryobi and we built the framing for a HUGE deck with his. Worked very well and had no issues driving 8" - 16" structural screws with a self drilling tip. It was a 3/8" though. Ran it for four or five days with no issues at all. He still uses it and is going strong. The weak point in all cordless drills are the batteries, and the torque of the tool. If the battery can not supply enough power for the torque the tool has, it is really hard on the batteries. I think this is why impacts are becoming so popular, the have a lot of torque, but they can also 'slip' while in use.

Depending on what your needs are, I would go with the fit to your hand, and battery power/integrity. Weight may also be an issue. Big batteries are very heavy. Might be worth it to get a smaller battery pack, and just by a spare battery.

Milwaukee makes a fine tool, but they are expensive. I own a big milwaukee hammer drill, and a 3'/8" corded but I could never afford to get any others. Wish I did though, they are really great products.

 

Used the heck out of a 3/8 Makita and absolutely LOVED that thing...like the energizer bunny it just kept going and going and going..........

 

I have a 3/8 inch Makita that I cannot seem to kill and a 1 /2 inch Snap On that is just as good, for home use I would recommend a Makita any day.

 

I've had very good luck with Milwaukee. Worth every penny. I don't necessarily use the impact every day, but I do use the sawzall and 1/2" hammer (18v) every day, sometimes all day. I've had the drill for 4 years and sawzall a few months less then that, they still out perform Dewalts/Ryobi any day. Only problem is the batteries. I've got the "old" style 18V, and every one I've had has a connection inside that comes off. It's just a bunch of C cell batteries, and they spotweld the connecting plates for the + and -, one has 4 little spots and the other has 2. Guess which one comes off first. A little solder fixes it for a while though.

 

I have an 18v Dewalt XRP as well. Supposed to be good for around 300lbft and for most lighter stuff it works awesome. I almost never use my 1/2" air impact anymore because its so handy. Removing side panels or anything held down by a lot of bolts is where it shines. Its nice not having to drag an airline up with me everywhere.

 

Snap-on makes a nice 18v Electric cordless impact, the RR I worked for bought one for me. Very strong and the batteries had a decent life.

 

Thought I would update this, I bought the 18V Milwaukee 3/8 impact. Amazon had a deal where if you bought the kit they included a 3rd battery free. Looks like the kit has alot of room to grow in terms of other tools(1/2 impact, drill, sawzall, grinder). I used it some the other day on a project removing a motor from a car and doing a timing belt on another car, had it out using it here and there and the battery lasted all day and was still 1/2 charged according to the indicators.