The Panasonic EY75A1LS2G 1/4โณ Impact Driver works with the companyโs 14.4V and 18V batteries. Both batteries also now come in 4.2Ah capacities, which begs the question: Are these tools going to win the award for most extended run-time over all other Impact Drivers on the market? We think they just might (this week, lol). In recent testing, run-time and torque are two completely different aspects of a tool, and high accomplishments in one area do not necessarily yield the top results in the other.
This 1/4โณ Hex Cordless Impact Driver Kit has a versatility about it that makes it compact while retaining power. While many tool manufacturers have transitioned to more compact 12V products, Panasonic has lagged behind in this area, which may explain the shift towards accepting dual voltage on their newest tools.
Editorโs Note: Check out our bestย impact driver head-to-head article.
Panasonic EY75A1LS2G Cordless Impact Driver Features
The new cordless impact driverย has variable speed and three power settings that make it handy forย heavy-power or fine-control jobs such as HVAC installation, auto repair,ย deck building, lag bolt or more sensitive finish fastening applications. The New Panasonicย EY75A1LS2G has a High/Hardย setting, which is best for heavy driving jobs such as setting lag bolts,ย tightening large bolts and nuts or driving long screws. In this setting,ย it delivers 0-2500 RPM (no-load) and 1370 in. lbs. of torque with 0-3000ย impacts/minute (IPM).
The Medium setting is suited for drivingย self-tapping screws and conduit clip fasteners, delivering 0-1400 RPM, 1150 in. lbs. of torque, and 0-2800 IPM. Then, for more delicateย fastening jobs that require controlled power and finesse, such asย installing hinges on cabinets and fastening wall plates to electricalย boxes, the Low/Soft setting delivers 0-1000 RPM, a much reduced 230 in. lbs. of torque and 0-2000 IPM.
The new Panasonic EY75A1LS2G impact driver uses anย electric brake to stop the 1/4โณ hex quick-connect bit instantly in allย modes. A built-in LED light shines from the bottom of the tool just atop the battery to illuminate the work area. The tool is reasonable in weight, coming in at just 3.5 lbs. with the 4.2Ah battery, and it measures just around 2-3/8โณย wide x 9-1/2โณ tall and 5-5/8โณ long. The tool comes with a built-in belt hook.
Hereโs how the modes break down:
High/Hard Mode
- 1,370 in.lbs. torque
- 0-2,500 RPM
- 0-3,000 IPM
Medium Mode
- 1,150 in.lbs. torque
- 0-1,400 RPM
- 0-2,800 IPM
Low/Soft Mode
- 230 in.lbs.torque
- 0-1,000 RPM
- 0-2,000 IPM
Theย tool uses a brushless motor and has a durable switch and sealed control circuits inย both the tool body and battery pack. How do we know this, and why do we care? Well, the tool is IP56-rated, which means the tool has withstoodย demanding laboratory tests of working in extremely dusty workย environments and the effects of water getting sprayed on the tool byย powerful jets. This is one of those ratings that we actually think is significant in real-world usage.
What Is the Big Deal with IP56?
The IPย rating is established by the International Electrotechnical Commissionย (IEC) and is outlined in IEC 60529. Itย assigns a rating to the enclosureโs ability to keep potentially damagingย solid foreign objects (dust and contaminants) and water out of the toolย under increasingly difficult conditions. The dust protectionย test subjects the tool to a very dusty environment and the Panasonic achieved a dust protection level of fiveย out of six levels; the sixth level is for completely dust-tight tools. Similarly,ย the water protection test put the tool up against increasing levels ofย water exposure and Panasonic attained a six out of eight levels rating,ย withstanding the effects of powerful water jets.
But the big deal with this new tool, aside from the increased battery capacity, is still the dual voltage feature. The tool can beย powered by Panasonicโsย 18-volt or 14.4-volt 4.2Ah LS Li-ionย battery pack. Interestingly, Panasonic also built vents into theย battery case so water can easily drain out of the battery pack in the event it gets wet. Theย battery charges to 80% capacity in 65 minutes and fully chargesย in 80 minutes.
The EY75A1LS2G kit comes with the EY75A1X tool, the EY0L81B charger, two 4.2Ah Li-ion battery packs and a hard plastic carryingย case.
