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Best I have used.

I used a friend’s sub-compact impact driver (Bosch 12V) to finish a deck this summer, which was enough to quickly convince me that these little impact drivers were absolute wonders for driving screws (of any size or type). They have plenty of power, they don’t strip out the screw heads, and they don’t transfer any torque or twist to your wrist. Impact drivers are clearly superior to drills for driving fasteners of any type. They are wonderful.

So I decided to get my own little impact driver. And a little matching drill as well. Just as well be hung for a sheep as a goat.

After spending about an hour driving screws and lag bolts in the parking lot of ACME Electric (Tool Crib of the North), I decided I liked the Makita 10.8V sub-compacts better than the Bosch and the Milwaukee sub-compacts. All three were excellent products, but the Makitas were the speediest and fit my hand the best (the Makita sub-compact driver has a two speed gear box which made for speedier drilling). The Milwaukee had a tisch more power but, by comparison, was a good bit bulkier than Makita. All three brands had plenty of power for driving screws. These products are so close in performance the determining factor will likey be which one feels best in your hand (or which color you like best). The Makita is the most compact and has the trimmest handle. The Milwaukee is the largest and has the thickest handle. The Makita spins the fastest. The Bosch is a little slow for drilling. I went with comfort and compactness, (and speed) and I brought the Makita set home.

But, while wandering through Lowes a couple days later, I saw these trim Hitachi 12-volt compacts. They felt great in my hand, even trimmer and better balanced than the Makitas. As I was still in the trial period for the Makitas, I decided to get the little Hitachi set and compare the two at home.
The next day, I brought a couple 2X6 boards into the kitchen, charged up all the batteries and started comparing, drill to drill and impact driver to impact driver.

I put a quarter-inch bit in each drill and started drilling. Both the Makita and Hitachi were impressive for their size. But the Hitachi was clearly the speedier drill. And when the Makita wore down, the Hitachi was still going full speed. I did twenty more holes, and then stopped. The Hitachi was still going full speed, but I had learned enough about the drill. The Hitachi was faster and ran longer, clearly so.

I then compared the impact drivers by driving lag bolts into the holes I just drilled. Again, both drivers were impressive, but the Hitachi was speedier. Clearly so. And when the Makita wore down, the Hitachi was still going strong.

I recharged the batteries and then used the impact drivers for drilling with a 3/8″ bit. The Hitachi made speedy work of it and didn’t need to go into the “chatter” mode. The Makita was slower and had to go to “chatter” to finish off the hole. (chatter= impact mode).

The Makita 10.8 sub-compact drivers are a great product. (and the Bosch and Milwaukee sub-compacts are nifty as well). But these little Hitachi’s have more power, longer run-time, and speedier operation than any of them. And the handle is trimmer and the balance is good (some will find the Bosch and Milwaukee to feel a little thick in the grip).

I’m keeping the Hitachi set and returning the Makita.

Whatever you decide, do get a compact impact driver of some type. They really put a drill to shame when it comes to driving screws and lag bolts. No screw head stripping, no pushing, and no torque transfer to your wrist.

Update (2/6/2012): This item is currently on sale here for the lowest price I’ve seen. I also found some auctions for this item here.

The featured review for this product, Hitachi KC10DFL 12-Volt Peak 2-Tool Li-Ion Combo Kit with Carrying Bag Tools & Hardware, was written by Paul Tandberg.

The average rating for this item is 4.7 out of 5 stars, according to 3 reviews.