DEWALT 18V Impact Driver, 1/4-Inch, Tool Only (DC825B)

I'm not a huge Dewalt Tool Fan but it's what I started with (an initial 18-volt set I must maintain), nor do I imply they're the best brand.This Bare Tool DC825B is my latest addition.About It:90-Day Money Back, a 1-Year Free Service Contract, and a 3-Year limited Warranty - that's above average CS for sure."Made in Mexico"; 1/4" (6mm) Impact Driver, Type 3, 18v DC, is variable speed based on trigger pull @ 0-2400 RPM with 0-2700 impacts per minute; Magnesium gearset and tranny; user replaceable Motor Brushes; weighs only 2.2lbs (bare tool); yields 1,330 Inch Pounds = 111 Foot lbs - alot for a cordless tool of its compact size.Lots of torque for size but with a downside - torque's not fully controllable. Albeit small, this Impact Driver has wallop, I can easily over torque smaller size fastener. Now, by design, my amount of trigger pull does control RPM/IPM, so its torque (speed too) is somewhat controllable. Additionally, Dewalt has a Cutch/Torque Attachment P/N DWHJHLD - not sure how good it is however...It's a Quick Disconnect (QD) & Connect feature of a Cylindered Collet Slip Ring. Insertion of Hex bit does not require movement of Ring, just clicks in place with a push and locks firmly into position. Its Collet Slip Ring, 'spring loaded' to locked position is only required to be pulled forward upon Hex bit removal, then snaps back into locked position - quite neat design.Does have 'burnt electrical' smell for a while during first many uses (mine did). This annoyance could be different between new and rebuilt units, not sure - yet could explain varying reviews same topic. Its 'burnt electrical' smell will dissipate once broken-in (mine did), a length of time hedged on usage. In my case odor began to dissipate within three weeks of daily use.Battery life with a 3-4 y/o 18v XRP brick is good to excellent.Accepts 1/4" Hex bits/drills; 1/4" Hex to ratchet-type square drives, and 1/4" Universal Hex to whatever.Is a light bare tool yet battery attachment near doubles its weight as expected.I will strip head of a cross-tip (Phillip's head) fastener in blink of eye if not applying enough force to fastener head, happens frequently. If utilizing fasteners with Torx head, hex head, 12-pt head, internal wrenching, I'll not experience such head stripping. I'll go further and opine it's rare to strip head of fastener other than cross-tip however, it'll snap heads off easily, especially smaller type fasteners size #10 and smaller.Before I forget, a good quality 'Impact Bit' is similar in makeup as impact sockets...Try to locate those which claim forged (should say so on packaging) vs cast/machined, also be wary of 'cold forging' and note the higher their Carbon content the better. Impact sockets/bits are generally coated with black oxide and easy to distinguish, but be wary of low carbon content machined or cast knockoffs painted black.If building a Deck, wood Playhouse, performing repetitive fastening of nature this Driver will be your friend. I recommend TORX head-type fastener deck screws if building a deck or similar project and intend to use heavy-duty size steel/weatherproof Deck Screw fasteners. Torx head deck screws are a bit more pricey, but to me, they're well worth extra cost.If planning to drive Lag Bolt fasteners 5/16" or greater shank diameter and more than a ~ 4 inches in length such for heavy treated timbers - landscaping/fence type, I recommend searching for a more robust Impact Driver. The DC825 will handle most common heavy-duty Deck Screws with ease, but does not perform well driving 5/16" X 6" or larger lags without drilling pilot holes.In closing, if searching for a drill which will serve more than singular purpose of Impact, Dewalt and other equally reputable brands have many other Drills offering multiple features which will satisfy broad application.This cordless Impact Driver DC825 I find serves well as a light-to medium-duty Impact Driver.KR

I've used this impact for a long time. Highly recommend if you're looking for an 18v unit.

Not long ago a friend gave me an extra DeWalt 18 volt drill he'd come into. I'd been using a 12 volt Makita for over a decade, and I was impressed with how much more torque and battery life the DeWalt had. The same friend also had a DeWalt impact driver from the same series, and again, I was impressed how well this handled mechanical tasks usually relegated to a pneumatic impact driver. But even more impressive was how well the DeWalt worked for driving screws.A few years ago, the major cordless tool makers started to come out with impact drivers which they marketed not to mechanics, but to carpenters. While today's 18volt cordless drills do a pretty good job of driving screws, they still start to bog down when driving really long screws into hard or resinous wood. The slow, stall, and eventually overheat. But impact drivers don't do this. They work on a different principle, using a motor-driven hammer to repeatedly strike an anvil that drives the output shaft. As the load increases, they switch from spinning to a rapid-fire staccato impact mode, in which every impact turns the screw a bit farther, while the motor continues to spin and bring in cooling air.I was very pleased to discover that Amazon had a DeWalt impact driver available in a batteryless and caseless package (for those of us who already have a charger and several batteries) for about $125. I purchased mine for a mix of yard projects- this is a great tool for driving the big screws used to tie landscape timbers together- home projects, and motorcycle/scooter maintenance. And amazingly, it's even lighter and more compact than the DEWALT DC759KA Heavy-Duty 18-Volt Ni-Cad 1/2-Inch Cordless Drill/Driver Kit. I'm giving away my Makita 12v drill/driver to a nephew who likes tools and gadgets, and switching 100% to the DeWalt system.

I got this because I'm putting in tile and I was having trouble getting the square drive screws to set properly in the backer board using my standard drill/driver. I fired this up and the screws went in so quick I had to be careful to not run them completely through the board. It was so much quicker and I didn't strip a single screw (I was averaging 1 of 5 stripped with the standard drill/driver using the same bit). I'm not just waxing effusive for no reason, this really made a difference when driving square drive screws and phillips screws and 2 and 1/2 inch lag bolts. I'm actually looking for things to drive in with this tool. The compact size is misleading as to the power the impact creates in driving screws/bolts, etc.Probably the most effective tool I own, except for maybe the recip saw.Only negative I've noticed so far is this drill eats batteries. If they won't hold a full charge, or aren't fully charged, it'll wear them out quick. Fully charged batteries last for 100 or so screws.A year later, still one of my favorite tools. The only reason it's not my absolute favorite is that I own a couple of Paslode cordless nailers. After using the pneumatic nailers, the cordless is so convenient and simple to use, it blows any others away. Still, this little bugger is a tough, hard-working bruiser of a tool. I've dropped it from 6 feet and dropped stuff on it and it still works great.You pull this out on a worksite and the other guys laugh at it because it looks like a toy, but start running 8 inch long 1/2 inch lag bolts into 100 year old wood without pre-drilling, they start asking questions like where can I get one of those.Impressive, powerful, fits into tight spaces, small enough your kids can use.