Several people have lately described Milwaukee’s Impact Drivers as wobbly, and I saw a video that backs up their assertions. The videos raised a number of questions with me, so I set up a block of wood for a few tests done in a similar manner to the video I saw. I used a block of cedar, a soft wood I know, but the test was for stability, not power, and it was all I had.

The video in question can be seen on Kiefer Limeback’s Instagram feed under the name “@toolaholic”. It shows a head to head comparison of Makita’s “Baby Hulk” impact driver with Milwaukee’s new Generation 2 M18 Fuel Impact Driver. The Makita was clearly faster, but I could not understand why the Fuel driver moved around so much. Limeback attributed the difference to the Makita’s considerably higher RPM and IPM (impacts per minute), but I was skeptical. It looked to me that the two operators had different techniques, and I thought (incorrectly) that there were two different screws used. Both operators used the same screw with their respective tools.

To answer my questions, I drove some 10″ Timberlock screws with my M18 Compact Impact Driver, my M18 Fuel Impact Driver, First Generation and my M18 Fuel Hammer Driver/ Drill. What I learned was that toolaholic was correct about the affect of rotational speed on smoothness and I was right about the affects of screws that are out of true. A straighter screw will drive more smoothly, but as toolaholic noted, speed trumps all! A fast tool may often drive a wobbly screw with more stability than a slow tool will a straight one.

My video begs some explanation.

I first drove the straighter of the Timberlocks with the M18 Compact, and it wobbled noticeably. I next used the M18 Fuel, and it drove straight and true on its highest setting, but allowed some wobble on a slower setting. I then tried the M18 Fuel Hammer Driver/ Drill and was startled by the speed and smoothness. Not the slightest wobble. On the driver’s slower setting, there was the wobble again! It leads me to believe that if speed is your greatest need, this might be the go-to tool.

I ended the test with a screw that was less than true, but certainly like many (if not most) that will come out of the box. The Fuel Impact now wobbled some, and the Compact Impact rocked the whole table!

If I can get my hands on a Makita by the time I get my Generation 2 Milwaukee tools, I ‘ll do a comparison. In the meantime, I’ll know that more RPM and IPM means less wobbling, and that straightness of screws is a factor. Which can we control?

Please feel free to comment below.

-dvl