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With Father’s Day right around the corner, this is one of the two times a year when there are plenty of special buys and aggressively-priced cordless power tool promotions.
Several Milwaukee Tool cordless impact driver special buys have returned, each at the $99 price point.
These three options are very different from each other, and so I’m wondering – which would you pick if you needed a good cordless impact driver at $100 budget?
Milwaukee M18 Compact Brushless Impact Driver
First up is this M18 compact brushless impact driver special buy, model 2850-21P. It comes with a standard M18/M12 charger, a 2.0Ah battery, and tool bag.
What’s notable about this – and Milwaukee’s other cordless special buys – is that this is their everyday compact brushless impact, with belt clip and 2.0Ah battery. Another brand might have left out the belt clip or downgraded the battery, but this is something Milwaukee hasn’t taken any interest in doing.
The impact delivers 1600 in-lbs of max torque and is said to have the fastest speed in its class with 3200 RPM. I haven’t checked to see if this is still true.
Overall, this is a very capable 18V-class brushless impact kit that is very attractively priced.
Milwaukee M12 Fuel Brushless Impact Driver
The M12 Fuel impact driver kit, model 2553-21, is another interesting option, providing for a more compact and lightweight user experience.
This impact delivers up to 1300 in-lbs and also has a 4-mode drive control setting so that can dial down the speed and torque if needed.
The kit comes with an M12 charger, 2.0Ah battery, and carrying case.
Milwaukee M12 Compact Drill and Impact Driver Combo
Lastly, there’s the M12 cordless drill and impact driver combo kit, model 2494-22. The impact delivers up to 1000 in-lbs of max torque, and it’s accompanied by an M12 cordless drill. You get 2x 1.5Ah batteries in the kit, as well as a charger and tool bag.
Which Option Would You Choose?
At first glance, the M18 compact brushless kit seems to deliver the most bang for the buck, with respect to both value and power performance. Get it? BANG for the buck? Because these are impact drivers…
That would be my choice without taking a deeper look.
But, the M12 Fuel impact driver has the 4-mode drive control, which I think comes in handy. You get 3 speed/torque settings and a fourth self-tapping screw mode.
So if looking at the first two options, do you pick the more powerful 18V-class tool, or the more featured 12V-class tool? 1300 in-lbs is still a lot of torque, and it wasn’t very long ago that this was around average for 18V-class performance.
Plus, the M12 Fuel has benefits in being a more compact tool as well.
Then there’s the drill and impact driver combo kit, which is also a regular holiday season special buy. I suppose that would be my last choice, but it also does offer more versatility since you get a drill/driver and a second battery albeit with 1.5Ah vs. 2.0Ah charge capacity.
At the $99 price point, you can’t have everything.
Power, Features, or Value?
Which of these Milwaukee cordless impact driver kits would you buy?
In case anyone says “what about the M12 or M18 SURGE?” Those are also special buys right now – see my Home Depot Father’s Day 2021 Tool Deals post for details.
