M18 18-Volt Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 1/4 in. Impact Driver with 3-Speeds (Tool-Only)

Excellent power and rugged in a compact frame. Only downfall is the 2.0 batteries. Upgrade the batteries (a bit pricey) but less time on the charger. I switched to the Milwaukee a few years ago from another name brand and have never been disappointed..

This is a nice tool, the best most powerful impact driver I’ Ever had.

This is my second impact driver, decided to move up to the three speed model. These are really great units. It surpasses all of my expectations. I have decided to go all out with Milwaukee 18 V tools. Mostly brushless models. I have had excellent luck and longevity with Milwaukee. Had a 12 V drill in use for over 25 years. Will keep using it when I find new batteries on sale.

SUMMARY: AN EXCELLENT IMPACT DRIVER. BACKGROUND: I already have an impact driver from another manufacturer. But I have come to appreciate Milwaukee cordless tools. So the chance to evaluate their new 2851-20 driver was too good to pass up. FIT AND FINISH: All the Milwaukee tools I have seen have a great appearance. They have a beefy “Use Me” feel. This driver is no exception. It fits well in my hand, and is no heavier than I expected. DOCUMENTATION: Milwaukee doesn’t have the best owner’s manuals and the one supplied with this wasn’t as nice as I’d like. FEATURES: The 2851 offers several features not always found on other impact drivers. • It uses brush-less motor technology which provides longer run-time, cooler operation, and overload protection. • It is variable speed but also offers 3-speed ranges (Modes) which I found very convenient. • It uses Milwaukee’s proprietary REDLINK motor control technology. This is their term for an integrated control to maximize batter/motor/charger efficiency. Unfortunately, for a tool junkie like me, there is very little information available from Milwaukee on this system. Even a search of “REDLINK” on their website only produced a list of tools using REDLINK. • It has a built-in LED light. • There is a belt clip. • Unfortunately, there is no bit holder of any type, a feature I use often. OPERATION: This driver does have features that affect the way you use it. The 3-speed modes affect the way you drive fittings. With my other drivers speed and power are solely controlled by trigger pull. More pull, more speed and power. With the 2851 the speed mode, combined with the overload detection will cause the driver to stop when it drives a fastener in to the point of overloading the motor for a given trigger pull. I ran 1/4x6” Tite-grip screws into pine lumber in all three speed modes using half trigger pull and full trigger pull. I found that on the lowest speed mode a half-trigger pull would stall out and engage the overload cutout about ½ way into the drive. On medium mode the screws would run about 2/3 in on a half-trigger pull. On high mode the screws would seat and sometimes embed slightly. On full trigger pull the screws would drive all the way in each speed range with the only difference being the speed. Also on full trigger pull the difference in power for each range was very evident. I embedded the 6” screw head over an inch into a 2x4 before the driver stalled. For me the speed modes are a very handy feature. Low speed is good for smaller/shorter fasteners where an accidental overdrive could break the fastener or damage a work-piece. Medium speed seemed to work well for 1 ½ to 3 inch fasteners where control of speed but with more power is desired. High speed was great for driving bigger/longer fasteners. SUMMARY: A very enjoyable tool to use. I now have TWO! PROS: 3-speed modes, brush-less motor technology, built-in LED light CONS: No tool bit holder.

This is Milwaukee’s 2850-22CT impact driver kit (see Photo 1). Note that this driver is similar to the 2851, but does not have the speed control which lets you select between several speed/IPM ranges. This kit includes the brushless impact driver, two 2.0Ah batteries, charger, and hard case. The driver is 5.1” long—however, if you’re looking for the most compact (and powerful) Milwaukee impact driver, you’ll want to look at the 2853-22, which is only 4.59” long. The kit with the 2853 impact driver is $100 more than this kit, but note that, for the extra $100 you get two 5.0 Ah batteries (instead of 2.0 Ah) and the much more powerful driver (consequently, I only gave it a 4 for value). It looks to me that this kit is aimed toward the “pro-sumer” rather than the professional contractor. Also note that, as far as I can tell at this writing (Sept, 2018), the 2851 with the speed control, does not come in a kit with batteries and a charger—it does come in a kit with the 2902 hammer drill (2893-22) and as “tool-only” (2851-20). I tested the impact driver by driving 3/8” x 6” long lag bolts into some pressure treated lumber. Though it did drive the bits, it did feel a bit warm after the effort. When driving “reasonably” sized screws, it did fine. With the included batteries, the unit is light and easy to handle. The tool comes with a 5-year warranty and the batteries have a 3-year warranty.

Another excellent tool from Milwaukee. I have been a fan of their tools for years and have their impact driver that I love, and it never disappoints This is an update to that tool. It is well constructed of the same high quality materials that I have come to expect. The tool feels very balanced in my hands and feels solid yet compact and has a good weight. It is very powerful and easily drive screws into a variety of materials easily and efficiently. The nose of the tool is a bit shorter that the original which I like because it allow me to fit it into some tighter sport for driving hard to reach screws. The battery last s a very long time with plenty of power and I have yet to run out of power on a job. Another great addition to my tool collection and well worth the upfront cost for a high quality tool.

The heart of this kit is the Model 2850-20 variable speed brushless impact driver. The specification stamped on the tool and within the user's manual lists a maximum speed of 3,400 RPM. Opening the kit for the first time the gauges on both batteries indicated that they were not charged. The included charger brought both up to full charge twice as fast as others in my shop. A bit holder is essential and would have been a nice inclusion. However, they are available. Surprisingly, the bit insertion requires pulling out on the ring, making it a two-handed task. Milwaukee has a solution for that if it is a must-have. That is the Model 2851-20; and it also adds a 3-range speed limiter which is not offered on this driver. All features considered, this kit offers outstanding usefulness.

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It’s a Christmas present but I had one myself and loved it.

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