Withย impact driver demand on the rise, the DeWalt DCF885L2 20V impact driver delivers the goods. This impact driverย packs plenty of power and run-time into one of the industryโs mostย compact platforms, making it super easy to fit into the tightestย spaces. The 20V MAX line of cordless tools from DeWalt offersย improved performance, better ergonomics, and more innovation whenย compared to their current 18V cordless products.
The impact driver comesย with two 3.0Ah batteries, a quick charger, and a nice heavy-duty carryย case. The small, lightweight design of impact drivers is ideal forย cabinetmakers, HVAC professionals, steel stud framers, electrical,ย mechanical, and general contractors who frequently perform drillingย and fastening applications. The growing popularity of impact driversย is largely because these tools are smaller and moreย compact than drills, and they eliminate reactionary torque thanks toย the impact mechanism inside the tool.
Innovative Features
Someย of the cool innovations built into the DeWalt DCF885L2 20V impact driver include a chuck that conveniently acceptsย and holds one-inch bit tips and a metal belt hook that can beย attached to either side of the tool handle. Three LED lights areย located around the chuck which helps to provide visibility withoutย casting shadows in dimly lit spaces.
The even cooler feature is thatย the lights remain on for 20 seconds after the trigger is released,ย making it double as a flashlight when called for. This impact driverย produces up to 3200 impacts per minute, has a max torque of 117ย foot-pounds, and free spins at 2,800 RPM. Electronics areย built into the switches, making these tools smarter by maximizing theย life of the tools and batteries and helping to protect them fromย overheating, overloading, and deep discharge during use.
โThere is anย increased demand for impact drivers globally because these toolsย offer the versatility and durability professionals need in a compactย yet very powerful package. Due to hundreds of hours of jobsiteย research around the world, we know that professionals are usingย impact drivers more frequently. We have optimized our 20V MAXย Lithium-Ion models so they can handle a variety of applications andย withstand daily jobsite wear and tear while giving users featuresย that allow them to work more productively.โ
Jeremy Torok, Senior Product Manager of DeWalt
DeWalt DCF885L2 20V MAX Impact Driverย Features
Asย an added bonus, the quick charger for the 20V MAX Lithium-Ion systemย has dual voltage capabilities, making it compatible with the 12V MAXย Lithium-Ion batteries. It should be noted that the 20V MAXย designation is there to differentiate these tools from their 18Vย line. Operating in a tool, they measure a nominal 18 volts. Theย company wanted a way to avoid confusion here in the North Americanย 18V market (which is their largest world market).
Rather than a topย post design like we know, the new 20V MAX batteries are a slide-onย sled type much like what we have seen on their new 12V MAX compactย cordless tools. They call the new battery style a Slide Pack. Just inย case you are wondering, the 12V MAX batteries do not fit on the 20Vย MAX tools. The impact drivers will come standard with a three-yearย limited warranty, one-year free service contract and 90-dayย money-back guarantee. The 3.0 Ah Lithium-Ion battery packs come withย a three-year free service contract. The only difference between theย DCF885L2 and the DCF885C2 Impact Driver is that the other kit comesย with two 1.5Ah batteries for a slightly lower cost.
Testingย and Use
Oneย of the big things that we first caught onto was how easy it was toย put in a bit. Simply push the bit into the chuck and youโre all set.ย You donโt need to use a second hand to pull back on the outer chuckย ring. Also, a standard 1โณ long bit will fit and not fall out ofย the chuck which makes fitting the DeWaltย DCF885L2 20V MAX 1/4โณ Drive Impact Driver even easier into tightย spaces. We tried our hand at a few different fastening applications,ย like putting in 3โณ deck screws and drilling by using a thinย metal hole saw to put some extra holes in a metal electrical box.ย
Right away, it was evident that this impact driver had more thanย adequate power to do the tasks that we asked of it. As far as user comfort, this is where DeWalt really did some homework and it wasย evident by the new shape of the handle, the extra rubber overmold, andย the balance. Since the new sled-style 20V MAX battery does not have aย top post that fits up into the bottom of the handle, the handle wasย narrowed down to make it fit more naturally in the hand.
Size and Weight
When weย compared the motor body length to other 18V impact drivers on theย market, the DeWalt was a little shorter. While some have mixedย feelings about LED lights on tools, we like them. This impact driverย actually has three LED lights that are arranged around the 1/4โณย chuck so that no matter what angle you view the bit tip from, itย casts no shadows. To make it even better, touching the trigger will keepย the LED lights on for an additional 20 seconds after itย is released.
Pricing
Theย DeWalt DCF885M2 20V MAX 1/4โณ Drive Impact Driver looks to be a good choice if youโre on the market for some new cordless tools.ย Since the 20V MAX cordless product line is a departure from theย well-known DeWalt 18V cordless tool line we suspect that this newย platform would be a fantastic way to start off a new DeWalt cordlessย tool collection. For $99, we really appreciated its value.
Conclusion
The biggest bummerย about this tool is that it has no battery level indicator. DeWaltย claims their next versions will have this, but we feel a mature toolย company should have surveyed the market caught this. For our Valueย rating, we gave this tool a 7/10 since we think that, given theย features and the performance over the current 18V offerings, itโsย worth coming up with the extra money to gain a more mature technologyย with the tool and the 20V MAX batteries.
