I’m a little late to the hydraulic impact driver trend, having been using a regular impact and wearing hearing protection for quite some time, but so are some prominent brands out there who still haven’t thrown their hat in…
No doubt people are disliking noise more than before. As power tools become more popular with DIYers, there’s a demand for a tool that has the ability to set screws fast and quiet, fitting the needs of home owners who like to tackle remodeling themselves; then there’s the contractor who just got tired of hearing so much noise when driving screws. Enter the Hydraulic Oil Impulse Impact Driver.
Being a long name to remember, we’ll simply call it a hydraulic driver here. Other brands have provided different names for their version, with Makita calling theirs “Soft Impact “, Milwaukee naming it “Surge”(comes in both M12 and M18).
The reason I chose Ridgid is because I liked the orange color… and having found an excellent deal.
When being sold as a bare tool, its price tag is not very different from its competitors. Although it’s slightly cheaper compared to other brand’s hydraulic drivers, it’s still more pricey than most traditional impacts.
Fortunately for me, HomeDepot had a promotion running, as they often do, offering free bare tools when you purchase a starter kit. This promotion was going on across multiple brands, yet Ridgid’s offerings seemed the most generous. While I didn’t go for the bare tool with the most value, which would probably be their brushless circular saw, I don’t feel too bad as I received what I really wanted.
Content includes: user manual, compatibility sheet, a product card, a belt clip. And yes the drill, the elephant in the box.
The kit is nice to have for a very power demanding tool, for the driver it’s a bit of an overkill, considering that it adds unnecessary weight, something I’ll discuss further below.
I really like how the battery’s LED gauge flash while charging, indicating the charge level it has reached. This allows those who wish to disconnect early at 50% charge to monitor the SOC(state of charge) quite easily. Read more on this here.
Impressions
The thing performs just as well as it looks: strong, powerful, and rigid. It is somewhat on the heavy side though.
In terms of noise, yes it is very quiet, I don’t feel the need to wear hearing protection at all in most cases. I don’t have the resource now to performs tests, but according to other sources online this may well be among the quietest impact drivers on the market.
Highlights
I always wanted a bit holder on my drill, DeWALT didn’t grant me this wish (although they do carry certain models that have it on the side of the drill). This feature isn’t necessary, but surely nice to have, like when you’re dealing with a bunch of No.1 & No.2 Square Head screws and have to switch back and forth.
As contractors our hands get sweaty, while often times normal rubber overmold will provide sufficient grip, this Hex Grip ™ Micro Texture by Ridgid does indeed feel much more grippy, if that would be a proper word to describe it. This design is apparently used across most Ridgid tools, another reason to like them for sure.
The speed settings on this driver are 1000/1800/2400 RPM respectively. Located at the top of the tool, the switch is easy to access and see, though I personally favor Milwaukee’s push button design more than a tab switch.
Ridgid probably did research and found out that contractors like to use their tools as a flashlight, therefore they implemented this extra switch below the trigger as a way of activating the lights independently by simply gripping the tool. While this would be helpful when working in dark areas, my suggestion would be that they extend the amount of time the light remains on to at least 1m, since sometimes one would put the tool down, causing the light to go off quickly.
Comparison
The only other driver I have with me right now is the DeWALT DCF887B traditional impact driver. Being a rather popular choice, I thought it would be helpful to compare it with the Ridgid. I won’t be comparing noise though, as it would be pointless.
DeWALT: I have a bunch of brothers up in our line who can beat you!
Being big isn’t always a good thing, when it comes to impact drivers undoubtedly compact and lightweight is well appreciated.
The DCF887B weighs roughly 2lbs, its 5AH battery at around 1 lbs 6 oz
The R86036B weighs roughly 3lbs, its 5AH battery at around 1 lbs 12 oz
So both the Ridgid bare tool and the battery weighs more than DeWALT’s, that is 1lbs & 6 oz heavier in total. This is not particularly pleasing for those working on ladders where reaching up can be a pain.
Another difference is the light, the DeWALT appears to be a slightly brighter yellow…
While the Ridgid has a somewhat dimmer blue colored LED. Perhaps the light intensity is similar, but visually the DeWALT’s beam looks more focused. Not a huge problem though.
I’m pretty sure Ridgid’s 18V OCTANE Cordless Brushless 6 Mode Impact Driver is a beast too, if I have the opportunity I would be love to try it out and do a comparison.
Final Thoughts
Since I haven’t used this driver a lot yet, I couldn’t provide feedback on its long term performance, but I would say, judging from my brief experience this driver is quite suitable for those who need to drive plenty of screws, e.g. subfloor, and since the decibel level of this tool meets OSHA standards stating that it can be used without hearing protection, one can really drive some screws without putting on uncomfortable ear plugs and muffs for once.
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