The Best Cordless Impact Drivers

What is the best cordless impact driver to buy? Which one is worth the money? These are some frequent questions we hear from our readers when it comes to impact drivers, or merely for any cordless power tool in general. Today we took the time to review the best cordless impact drivers for the money based on their user reviews, overall build and quality, and reasonable price ranges.

Before we get started, and if you weren’t aware, an impact driver is a power tool that delivers strong, sudden rotational as well as downward force. Along with most tough screwdriver bits and socket sets, impact drivers are used by mechanics across the world to loosen larger bolts and nuts that are frozen or over torqued. They’re usually paired up with cordless drills to help with that extra force you need at the end of projects. A cordless impact driver is the best option in the sense that it uses a battery instead of a cord in order to get power to start, and this feature makes the tool easy to carry without any worry of looking for a power socket.

If you came here from our 10 best impact drivers article or merely knew what you were looking for in the first place, you most likely understand the benefits of cordless power tools. We can relate with the fuss cords give most of the time, especially if you want some versatility to your projects or plan on traveling to different sites from time to time. If you don’t mind charging up a battery when it isn’t in use, cordless power tools can be a life saver.

How to choose the best cordless impact driver

• Price-point – The best cordless impact drivers usually come in or around a hundred bucks. We found most of the highest rated to hover just below or above that price point. As we speak about in the reviews, make sure to factor in the cost of purchasing a battery and/or a charger if you don’t have them yet. Be sure to read our best impact drivers under $100 if you need a more confined list.
• Overall power – When it comes to speed and torque, we made sure to choose models that came in with a feasible amount that cover most applications. Aside from industrial projects (which don’t call for these, anyway), we make a rule of thumb for at least 1,000 pounds of max torque just in case.
• Additive features? Some come with additional LED lights to help with guiding in dark places, others an accompanying carrying case, or a specialized grip. We found most highly rated cordless impact drivers come with at least a few of these, but make sure to keep this in mind if you want something specific.

The best cordless impact drivers

Makita XDT042

The Makita XDT042 cordless impact driver is one of the highest rated tools in the market. Coming in at 18 volts with LXT lithium-Ion power, it delivers feasible speed in a compact size for a full range of fastening and driving tasks. Makita’s batteries and chargers have one the fastest charge times among its competitors. This particular model by Makita features a built-in 4 pole motor with varying speed (0- 3200 RPM for high-speed and 0- 2300 RPM for low-speed) that delivers up to 1420 pounds of max torque. It is just 5  7/16 inches in length and 3.3 pounds in weight, offering reduced operator fatigue and easy overall use. It also comes with a nifty LED light that illuminates the darker and narrow spaces to make the task easier. What’s also great is this package comes with both a Makita battery and charger so if you were looking for these separately, this package will be well worth your money.

DeWalt DC825B

Up next we have another one of the best cordless impact drivers that has a compact size, making it compatible to reach any small and congested area with ease. The DeWalt DC825B provides a frameless motor to extend the tool durability. It has 1330 pounds of torque in order to perform a huge range of fastening applications. It offers replaceable brushes to increase the serviceability and its anti-slip comfortable grip offers strong control with better-than-average comfort. This cordless impact driver also includes a magnesium gear case with all metal transmission for more extended durability, especially if you plan on traveling frequently. It is a compact and light tool with a length of 5 3/4 inches and a weight of just 2.2 pounds. Just keep in mind this is the bare-tool version, so if you still need a DeWalt battery and charger you’ll have to factor that into your budget. It is still pretty affordable with those if you need to buy them separately.

Milwaukee M18 2653-20

It seems as if the M18 series is always making at least one appearance in our buying guides (it was one of the best power tool combo kits we listed). The M18 2653-20 cordless impact driver provides up to 3 times longer motor life and 50% more run-time than a lot of its competitors, so if you were looking for a tool to help with long projects, take a look at this one. For some of the best control over the speed and power needed for particular applications, it offers a 3-mode drive control. This isn’t considered completely necessarily but is definitely a plus. Its brushless motor performs (arguably) better than its brushed competitors and runs very cool without any wearable components. With its red lithium compact battery pack, it delivers more work on each charge. Its on-board fuel gauge enables you to monitor the charge accurately to give us some visualization which ultimately helps with less downtime at the site. The is considered one of the best cordless impact drivers because of its high-quality brushless motor, 3-mode drive controls and the extra built-in LED light that illuminates the work surface even in dark locations.

Porter-Cable PCCK640LB

The Porter-Cable PCCK640LB has quite the large number of reviews (and relatively positive at that). The high torque motor of this best cordless impact driver delivers 1495 pounds of torque. For quick fastening applications, it provides high transmission with 0-2900 RPM and 0-3100 BPM. It is a compact tool with just a 3.2 pound weight and 6.2 inches in length to provide easy fit in rather tight spaces while reducing fatigue. It comes with a battery fuel gauge that is used to display the remaining charge in the battery and the excellent LED work light offers additional light if ever in need. The user can also enjoy more power and run-time in quite a smaller package — It comes in at around the same price-point as the others but also includes the battery, which helps save money if you don’t have one yet.

DeWalt DCF886B

To top off our list, we have another solid DeWalt cordless impact driver. The DeWalt DCF886B is considered an ideal tool for most fastening needs. It is designed with a brushless motor that is used to deliver up to 57% more run time than those that are brushed (at least that’s what they say — either way you’re getting a longer life due to the motor build). This is a compact and lightweight driver to fit into those pesky areas if needed. It is 5.55 inches front to back long and only 2.9 pounds in weight. This one also has 3 LED lights that provide visibility with a 20 second delay after trigger release — it doesn’t hurt, right? Again, just remember this is the bare-tool version so you’ll have to factor in the costs for a battery and charger if needed.