Review: Dewalt 20v Impact Driver

In every Dads DIY evolution your toolbox or workbench goes through phases. When you first start doing projects you try not to spend money on tools that you wont use often, you by multipurpose tools, and you tend to buy brands that can save you a few extra bucks. A Dads drill is one of the tools that often gets shortchanged when he is first starting out. “Why spend money on a fancy drill when you just use it to hang some pictures?”, you may ask… Here’s the deal, a drill is not a driver.

Many DIY Dads are out there using their drills to put in screw after screw with the screws, the wood, and the drill fighting them every step of the way. When it comes to putting in screws or tightening down tough bolts you NEED an impact driver. I bought mine after starting to build my work benches using my Craftsman drill to secure the screws.

After much research I ended up buying the Dewalt 20-Volt MAX Lithium Ion 1/4-Inch 1.5 Ah Impact Driver Kit. As soon as I had the Dewalt 20v Impact driver out of the box I had a hard time putting it down. The ease that these things can drive a screw or bolt is unreal. Every time I use this driver I wonder how I ever got along without it. I’ve used mine to build a shed, workbenches, shelves, attic storage, patio steps, and countless other projects. This driver is lightweight, has solid battery life, and is compact to fit into tight spaces. I also like the LED lights on the front when the driver is in use. I didn’t think they would be all that useful when I bought it but after having to throw in some screws in our gragae attic with limited light I definitely found them handy.

The downside to this impact driver is that it is a little on the noisy side. When I was using it to build our patio steps I had to think twice about how early and late I was working so the noise wasn’t bothering the neighbors. I also think that the belt clip could have been thought through a little better. Unless you actually wear a tool belt during all your projects, which I don’t, the design of the clip is pretty useless. This usually isn’t an issue at all until I’m up on the ladder. Without a solid clip, it’s hard to keep it on the ladder without me holding onto it.

All in all, I would say this is one of my favorite tools on my workbench. If you don’t have one, you should. The Dewalt is great but I’ve played with a Milwaukee and Bosch that were both solid too. Some of the more affordable brands offer impact drivers too but trust me when I say, spend the extra coin. This is one tool that will get used!

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