Accessories

Much better than previous model
This impact works much better than Dewalt's previous model, also it is much more comfortable to use. It has a good deal of power for driving screws, I haven't tried drilling with it as I have a regular 18 volt drill for that. A previous reviewer said that the one he got has a great deal of runout, mine does not share that quality with his, I have no problem driving any kind of screw, except flat blade screws. I bought this mostly for driving screws into metal and it works great even better with the new nano batteries. I would reccomend this tool to any one who drive alot of fastners, especially if they drive larger fastners.

Don't tell dewalt this, but I would pay double for this tool if I had to !!!
I have been using a 14.4 dewalt xrp cordless screw/gun for the past 5 years and have had GREAT success with it. The original two batteries keep on ticking no problems at all plus the tool has taken heavy abuse (dropped, banged, etc. For drilling, the tool is great, can go through 1/4" plate steel no problem. For driving screws, lag bolts it gets the job done no problem but I have always had an interest in impact drivers. I have never used one before(air or cordless) so I figured I would give it a whirl. I am VERY loyal to brands. The screwgun was my first dewalt purchase and since then i have bought everything dewalt(router, table saw, angle grinder, circular saw, jigsaw.

So I brought the impact driver home, gave the batteries a full charge then let er rip on some 3" drywall screws. I was blown away. You blink, its in. I used to have to lean on the cordless screw gun to drive drywall screws.

Moved up to lag screws (5/16ths 3" inch no predrill) the dewalt laughed, no problem at all.

Moved up to taking nuts off 1/2 bolts that were touqed to 80ft/lbs, no problem.

My only regret is that I didnt purchase this tool earlier. Also, using both the impact driver and the drill together saves a TON of time not having the change bits.

I would pay $500 for this tool if I had to.

Craptastic
I know a 1/4" impact is going to have play in the chuck, but this wobbles around like crazy. It works it's way out of phillips very easily. With a Dewalt 3" driver the thing is unusable; the tip (while fully seated and under pressure is eccentric by 3mm!!! Even star drivers want to pop out.
That might be okay for big 1/4" or 3/8" lags, but anything smaller, forget it.
You might as well get the 1/2" if you're working with fasteners that big.

The heavy duty impact driver is worth the extra cost.
I have owned two of the regular duty impact drivers and have used them extensively. One of them is about worn out, so I tried the heavy duty model. I am very pleased and would definitely buy another one when I need it. I made the plunge and all of my cordless tools are DeWalt 18 volt. I really appreciate the interchangeable batteries. If you are debating on buying the heavy duty or standard duty impact driver, this is a recommendation for the heavy duty. The noticeable differences are the led light that turns on when the trigger is pressed and the smaller size.

Driver gets extremely hot driving deck screws
This driver works well but gets EXTREMELY hot during extended use. It reached close to 130-135 degrees at the top of the grip and on the back of the motor housing not to mention the gear housing was hotter. The battery needs to cool for an hour before the charger will begin to charge. The driver needs a better cooling fan if it's to be used for more than 1/2 hour at a time. For intermittent use it would be fine. The forward/reverse switch could use a more positive detend and or more throw.