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I have several NIMH and NIcad powered hand drills 12v to 18v, and all suffer from short battery shelf life and run time. Recharge time is 20 minutes and can almost be done during the course of ones coffee break. Since then I have driven several hundred 3" drywall screws, and have only had to recharge the batteries once, each. By far this is the best cordless hand tool I've ever purchased. This Lithium Ion technology is wonderful. The carry case has also been a pleasant surprise, as I'm able to carry all sort's of 1/4" HEX attachments like my nut driver set as well as a set of 1/4" HEX shanked drill bits, all fitting in the cases compartmented lid. I purchased this particular Impact Driver refurbished with 2 - BL1830 3ah batteries, and Makitas Rapid charger all in one carry case.
However, I put down a floor of cement board, ran lag bolts into a few ledgers, and forced a few deck boards down, and this tool was indispensable while performing those jobs. The chuck leaves the bit too wobbly from the start. I'm not speaking of the front to back spacing to allow the impact action, but the overall grip on the bit. It's an absolute necessity for the contractor's arsenal. It's possible that if they provided a bit more control via the trigger, this would be remedied.
Needed impact driver to do assembly work for a very large retailer. Would recommend it to anybody. Friends and co-workers recommended Makita 140. Because of it's light weight and long battery life I feel I made the right choice.
I have a Panasonic 15.6V drill (which I love) but this gun requires little pressure, does not torque the wrist and has an amazing battery life. If you're looking for just a cordless drill (your one and only) I wouldn't start with this one. You don't know what you've been missing until you've tried one of these. If your not careful, you can send a screw right through a piece of wood (and it takes surprisingly little effort). Just bought this gun a couple of weeks ago and all I can say is.
The Good: Drills ok, but it's strength is in driving screws and bolts. The little LED light sure is handy as well. This is a great gun for decks, etc. A cordless drill would be much more versatile than an impact driver BUT. WOW.Screws just melt through wood (and keep on going if your not careful).
Light weight and powerful. If your looking for an impact driver, and know what their limitations are, this is the one.Will report back in a few months to offer feedback after I've put it to the test. The not so good: Drills ok, and a little loud, but heck, it's an impact driver, what do you expect.
The driver wants to go right to full speed, so you slip out of the screw or tear up the head. The bosch worked great, but the battery would run down fairly fast.The Makita, with it's Lithium battery runs all day long. I got this impact driver to replace my Bosch 14 volt. I previously had gotten a Makita Lithium drill/driver to replace one of my Porter Cable NiCad cordless drills, and I love it.The problem with this Makita is that there isn't enough "feel" in the trigger. The balance of the driver is fantastic, and fit and finish is normal Makita quality, but I'm sad now that I sold my Bosch for the sake of extra run time. It's very hard to slowly startup when screwing in something.
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