Milwaukee 2650-21

Bottom line

The 18-volt Milwaukee 2650-21 cordless impact driver is consistently rated highly for torque, speed and run time. Similar in size and weight to a cordless drill, this driver excels at a variety of heavy-duty jobs, professionals and homeowners say.  Features like the trigger-activated LED task light and battery gauge sweeten the package.

Power

Top torque with two battery choices. The Milwaukee 2650-21 earns lots of praise from reviewers. It's available with two 1.5 Ah compact batteries, while the otherwise-identical Milwaukee 2650-22 (*Est. $280) comes with a set of 3.0 Ah batteries. The 2650-22 has double the run time, but otherwise the two drills offer the same RPM of 0 to 2,000, and they deliver an average 1,400 inch-pounds of torque.

After testing many brands and models of cordless impact drivers, editors at TheFamilyHandyman.com name the Milwaukee 2650-22 their favorite. They praise its "raw power," saying, "in our lag-screw races, it consistently matched or exceeded the others."

Calling it "a lag-driving powerhouse," Popular Mechanics agrees. In their tests alongside nine other Li-ion impact drivers, Roy Berendsohn says the Milwaukee 2650-22 "drove the most lag screws and was among the fastest drivers in our multifastener time trials."

Battery life

Long run time. Both models use Milwaukee's Red Lithium batteries, which the manufacturer says have longer run time, better speed, more torque and more power than Milwaukee's regular Li-ion batteries. To check these claims, online DeWaltOwnersGroup.com compares Red Lithium batteries with Milwaukee's standard Li-ion batteries and DeWalt's Max Lithium batteries in a series of side-by-side tests. "Does Milwaukee's Red Lithium live up to its claims? I would have to say YES," they say.

In their test of 18 impact drivers, Tools of the Trade review both the Milwaukee 2650-21 and the 2650-22; not surprisingly, the Milwaukee 2650-22, with the more powerful battery, lasts twice as long (driving in 64 lag screws to the smaller battery's 31). The Milwaukee 2650 ranks high in the run time test with either battery," coming in third.

Recharge time

Fresh batteries in an hour. The Milwaukee 2650-21 comes as a kit, with a one-hour charger and two 1.5-Ah batteries. Contractors and mechanics at HomeDepot.com say having a fresh battery is never a problem. "Great battery lasting power, fast recharging," says a user at HomeDepot.com. Many users say the same, with no complaints on the speed or quality of the battery charger.

Features

All the favorites. The Milwaukee 2650-21 "has all the features we love: a tool-belt hook, a bright work light and a battery 'fuel gauge'," say reviewers at TheFamilyHandyman.com. Of these, the battery meter is one of the most popular extras. "There is nothing more frustrating than heading out to do a half-hour of punch work and arriving on site with a dead battery that takes 30 to 60 minutes to charge," say reviewers at Tools of the Trade.

The LED task light is trigger-activated and it remains lighted for eight seconds after you release it. Reviewers say this feature is a huge bonus. "The light is awesome in brightness and a light press of the trigger turns it on without turning driver on," says a customer at HomeDepot.com.

In addition to a five-year warranty on the driver, Milwaukee includes a two-year warranty on their Li-ion batteries. On Amazon.com, one owner says their "customer service has been great" when they warrantied two batteries that quit after "1.5 years of heavy professional use."