Which Impact Driver Bits Brand Wins?
In our test we compared 10 impact driver bits options head to head. Milwaukee Shockwave came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Milwaukee Shockwave
Price shown in test: 66 cents each
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Bauer
Price shown in test: 43 cents each
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Bauer
Price shown in test: 43 cents each
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The quick take
The short version of why each pick lands where it does, built straight from the measured results.
“it's a very good brand in my opinion, the best of all the ones we've tested”
Best in 2 of 3 measurements, including Cam out torque, used after 100 screws and Break strength.
The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Products are listed in the order they finished.
Fit/wobble
- 1Milwaukee Shockwave Shockwave
very nice fit, very little wobble
- 2Bauer
much better fit than the Warrior, very little wobble, nice tight fit made driving screws very easy
- 3Wiha
a little bit more wobble compared to some of the other brands, did not have a perfect fit but still did a terrific job
- 4DeWalt Max Fit
very nice tight fit with very little wobble
- 5Craftsman
much tighter fit than the previous three brands (Warrior, Bauer, Hercules), but didn't grip the screw as well as the Bauer
- 6Irwin
pretty good fit, but definitely some wobble, more than some other brands
- 7Bosch
very tight fit, very similar to the Craftsman, but performance seemed to degrade quite a bit by the end of the test
- 8Makita Gold
pretty good fit, but a little bit more movement than compared to some of the other brands, didn't grip the screws as well as some of the other brands
- 9Hercules
doesn't offer a very good fit, quite a bit of wobble
- 10Harbor Freight Warrior
quite a bit of wobble
Wear after 100 screws
- 1Milwaukee Shockwave Shockwave
held up very well with a very small amount of wear along the leading edge of the flutes
- 2Bauer
very little wear along the leading edge of the flutes
- 3Wiha
didn't do quite as well as the Milwaukee
- 4DeWalt Max Fit
visible wear to the leading edge of the flutes, but definitely less wear than the Bosch
- 5Craftsman
width of the flutes near the tip are much more narrow and the tip appears slightly twisted
- 6Irwin
some wear on the leading edge of the flutes, appears less worn than the Craftsman
- 7Bosch
the lightest bit of all the brands, quite a bit of damage to the flutes
- 8Makita Gold
some rounding on the leading edge of the flutes, seems to have less wear than some of the other brands
- 9Hercules
quite a bit more wear than the Bauer; likely made by the same manufacturer as the Bauer but the bit didn't fit the screw as well
- 10Harbor Freight Warrior
quite a bit of wear and some of the metal along the edge of the bit is elevated
Cam out torque, new (in lbs)
- 1Milwaukee Shockwave Shockwave91
- 2Bauer102
- 3Wiha107
the best yet at that point in the test
- 4DeWalt Max Fit101
- 5Craftsman95
- 6Irwin96
- 7Bosch94
- 8Makita Gold96
- 9Hercules101
just 1 lb less than the Bauer
- 10Harbor Freight Warrior
did not cam out, snapped at 93 instead, exposing the weakness of using a bit not designed for high torque use
Cam out torque, used after 100 screws (in lbs)
- 1Milwaukee Shockwave Shockwave84
nearly as good as the new bit, did the best yet at that point in the test
- 2Bauer81
very impressive, better than the Warrior
- 3Wiha75
well above average but not as good as the Milwaukee
- 4DeWalt Max Fit67
much better than average
- 5Craftsman64
better than the Hercules but not as good as the Bauer
- 6Irwin62
very close to the Craftsman
- 7Bosch62
the same as the Irwin
- 8Makita Gold56
really struggled
- 9Hercules53
had a lot more visible wear than the Bauer
- 10Harbor Freight Warrior71
actually did well
Hardness (relative scale)
- 1Milwaukee Shockwave Shockwave
seven, grouped with Irwin, Makita, and Wiha as the hardest bits
- 2Bauer
six
- 3Wiha
seven
- 4DeWalt Max Fit
six
- 5Craftsman
six
- 6Irwin
seven
- 7Bosch
six
- 8Makita Gold
seven
- 9Hercules
six
- 10Harbor Freight Warrior
six
Break strength (in lbs)
- 1Milwaukee Shockwave Shockwave157
tied with Wiha for the best of all brands tested
- 2Bauer144
impressive strength
- 3Wiha157
tied the Milwaukee, very impressive
- 4DeWalt Max Fit140
the lowest of all driver bits except the Harbor Freight Warrior
- 5Craftsman143
not quite as strong as the Bauer or Hercules
- 6Irwin149
the best yet at that point in the test
- 7Bosch146
not quite as well as the Irwin
- 8Makita Gold149
tied for the best at that point in the test; flexed and twisted the most of all brands before breaking and began camming out before snapping
- 9Hercules148
slightly better than the Bauer
- 10Harbor Freight Warriornot tested
How it was tested
- wear comparison under microscope after driving 100 drywall screws into pressure treated 4x4s per brand
- twisting force (cam out torque) required for new bits to cam out
- twisting force (cam out torque) required for used bits (after 100 screws) to cam out
- twisting force required to break each bit under 200 lbs of downward force with self tapping steel screws
- metal hardness test (transcript says 'most hardness test', likely a mangled reference to a Mohs style hardness test)
“it's a very good brand in my opinion, the best of all the ones we've tested”
