Accessories

Failure report
First the good:
This is a solid tool with great daily performance- drives your screws like a cordless drill could only hope to.

Now the not so good:

DeWalt's batteries seem to fail a LOT earlier than they used to. I don't know why but at $60 each to replace them, well, I'm not thrilled.

I have owned this tool for about 1 1/2 years. In that time I built 3 good sized decks with it and it performed very well for the most part, but. . . .today it failed (broke).
I estimate the tool drove 4,000 3-inch screws. That sounds like a lot but honestly, the tool was used rather modestly. I THINK the brushes burned up. Unfortunately, unlike the competition's impact driver, DeWalt's brushes are not user-serviceable- they are inaccessible unless you open the tool housing. It will cost (MINIMUM) $75 to repair along with a lengthy stay in the repair shop due to DeWalt's SLOW performance delivering repair parts. I will have at least 3-4 weeks of down time just waiting for parts.

In general, while this is a very useable tool I am not very impressed with it's longevity and have already ordered a lighter, more powerful, easier to service unit from another maker to hold me until (and IF) this comes back from the repair shop.

Homeowner buyer: buy it.
Pro daily user: keep looking, friend.

Edit: I spoke to my tool repair guy today. It was the (plastic) cooling fan that broke. Seems they get brittle with usage, eventually shattering. While DeWalt is aware of this problem they will not remedy the issue for those of us that own this tool.
Also, the little fan will cost around $50 and labor is approx. $75.
Interesting coincidence that you can buy the 'bare tool' for $129.

great tool to go
handy and powerful little impact driver, great price, got it delivered on time, packaged great, no hassles, will shop amazon again. rev. r.tokunaga

This is one handy tool that will send your drill/driver on a vacation....
I have some rental properties that always need something done, and man, does this tool get a lot of use. I've used it for putting down plywood, some sheetrock installation, putting stainless steel screws into redwood fence boards and a number of other things. We liked it so much I bought a second unit so my helper can use one while I use the other. Like another reviewer said, people love this tool. It doesn't weigh much, is small enough to get into tight places, and goes a long way on a charge. It is pretty noisy, but who cares (unless you're working on a house while the next door neighbor is trying to sleep! Except for drilling, I never pick up my other cordless drill/drivers. Pick up one of these impact drivers and you will surprise yourself with how often you reach for it.

Oh man
This is a great screw gun! I bought mine last week, and have hardly had the chance to use it. Why? Because if it sits idle for a minute, someone on my crew has nabbed it for whatever they're building. I haven't seen a WOW factor like this from a tool since the first Hitachi slide saw. To a man, everyone on my crew says they're going to buy one of these for themselves. I hope they do - so I can use mine!

Sweet, but...
I shopped (data and spec-wise)around for this style of tool and finally decided on the DeWalt 14.4v. As a professional cabinet installer for 4 national manufacturers, I rely on my tools for my income and my high quality reputation million dollar plus homeowners demand. I think I have every DeWalt 14.4v tool made. Even a DeWalt 14.4 bisquet joiner. I like the professional grade 14.4v because it is light enough to use all day long and because most pro grade 14.4v drivers and drills won't "over torque" the screws. I know most contractors like the 18 volt, and I agree for circular trim and recip saws. But, the 18's can take me all the through a cabinet and the outside wall of the house before I can let go of the trigger (not a good thing). I have a couple Bosch 18 volt for heavy drilling in concrete, but all the DeWalt 14.4's have more that enough power to take a 2-1/2" hole saw thru a 2x4 or neatly drill a 1-1/4" forcner bit into hickory and still break off the heads of screws if you want! Back to the DeWalt 14.4 volt IMPACT DRIVER. A really sweet tool and drives the screw straight and slightly countersunk without splitting face frames or braking the heads off the screws. Well balanced, nice weight for all day use on a single charge (XRP) but, a bit loud (actually they all are). BUT...Unfortunately, I only had the tool for about 10 days before it and all the rest of my DeWalt 14.4 tools (all neatly placed in thier cases with xtra batteries and chargers)and a couple brand new XRP batteries, were stolen. %#@!*&^$%$!!! I had to replace this new tool immediately and local resources had none (DeWalt 14.4 any way). So, I ended up with a Makita 14.4v (it was my orginal 2nd choice) and I can tell you, I liked the DeWalt better. The quick release is much smoother for single finger releases (the Makita actually takes two hands to change a bit), slightly quieter and felt better in hand than the Makita. The flat bottom of 14.4 battery held it upright and stable on inclined surfaces. Suffice it to say, the impact driver is THE tool for driving screws, and the DeWalt 14.4v is the front runner in my opinion.