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Dewalt will soon be coming out with a new 20V Max Atomic Series brushless 3-speed impact driver, DCF850, and… WOW that’s compact!
The new Dewalt 20V Max Atomic impact driver measures under 4-inches in length, which is great for working in tight spaces. Its spec sheet puts the exact length at 3.97″.
Dewalt rightly emphasizes that their new Atomic Series impact driver doesn’t sacrifice performance for size either, as it delivers up to 1,825 in-lbs in max torque.
For a bit of context, Dewalt’s long-time 20V Max premium brushless impact driver, DCF887, also delivers 1,825 in-lbs max torque, but measures 5.3″ long.
What this means that Dewalt engineers managed to reduce the length of the tool by just over 25%.
As an aside, I remember a Dewalt engineer describing how reducing the length of their impact driver by 1/4″ was a prideful achievement. With this new DCF850, they’ve taken more than 1-1/4″ off the length when compared to their now second-most compact brushless 3-speed impact.
The new Dewalt DCF850 Atomic impact driver features 3 speed and torque settings, a 3-LED worklight, and a belt clip.
Dewalt DCF850 Features & Specs
- 1/4″ hex bit chuck
- 1,825 in-lbs max torque
- 3,250 RPM max speed
- 3,800 IPM max impact speed
- 3 speed and torque settings
- 3-LED worklight
- 3.97″ length
- Weighs 2.1 lbs (tool)
- Removable belt clip
At the time of this posting, it looks like there will be 3 purchasing options:
- DCF850P1 (1) battery kit
- DCF850P2 (2) battery kit
- DCF850B bare tool
The DCF850P1 kit comes with a tool bag, 5.0Ah battery, and 20V/12V Max charger.
Price: $199 for the 1-battery kit
First Thoughts
Hold on a second, while I pick up my jaw from the floor.
Like many of you, I’ve heard rumors and seen fuzzy low-res images that didn’t quite look official. But, it’s actually real – the DCF850 is coming, and it’s a big deal.
Over at Acme Tools, they have now started taking preorders for the 1-battery kit.
This is just… wow.
Dewalt kicked off the 20V Max Atomic series with the DCF809C1 impact driver kit. That impact driver measures 5.1″ in length – which indeed makes it more compact than their typical flagship model DCF887, and it delivers 1700 in-lbs of max torque. The DCF809C1 kit comes with a battery and 1.3Ah battery.
In contrast, we now have the new Dewalt 20V Max Atomic impact DCF850, which matches the max speed and torque of their flagship model, and is also dramatically more compact. Plus, it has 3 speed and torque settings, making it a more premium-positioned model.
On top of all that, it’s bundled with a 5Ah battery, which should provide for considerably long runtime.
This new model definitely seems like it deserves some kind of sub-product family classification, such as “Dewalt Atomic XR Series,” as it doesn’t seem right to consider it side by side with the existing often value-focused model.
Hypothetically, I would love to see a compact battery version of the kit, one where it’s potentially paired with a compact 2.0Ah, 3.0Ah, or even 4.0Ah battery.
Pairing such a compact impact driver with a 10-cell battery seems unconventional, but it also slams the point home that this is a premium tool.
My absolute favorite 18V/20V Max-class impact driver is the Metabo HPT Triple Hammer. Compared to that model, this new Dewalt Atomic impact is still a full 1-inch shorter in length.
The new Dewalt Atomic impact driver looks amazingly compact, and what’s more impressive is that there don’t seem to be any compromises. What’s the catch?
I know that a lot of you have been excited over the new impact ever since the first images were leaked online. What do you think about the new Atomic impact driver now that we have official images and specs?
Are you excited about the new Dewalt 20V Max Atomic impact driver?
There’s no official release date yet, but Acme Tools is now accepting preorders.
See More Dewalt Atomic Series Tool News. Speaking of which, I’d bet we’ll start seeing the first round of Dewalt Atomic series hand tools as the holiday shopping season approaches.
