Overall Ranking: 4.8/5.0
Price: $189
Brand or Company: Kobalt Tools
Website: https://www.kobalttools.com/ or https://www.lowes.com/
Introduction to the Kobalt 24v Impact Driver
The Kobalt 24-Volt Max Lithium Ion 1/4-in Cordless Variable Speed Brushless Impact Driver, or aka the Kobalt 24v Impact Driver, is the house brand and impact driver for Lowe’s, but don’t let that fool you. Kobalt has really come through with this impact driver, I assure you, it doesn’t disappoint.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Comes with Kobalt’s ONE YEAR 100% RISK FREE MONEY BACK GUARANTEE
- Has a brushless motor that can deliver up to 3,500 IPMs or Impacts Per Minute
- Comes with an electronic variable speed control with 3 settings; 0-850, 0-2,000, and 0-2,700 RPMs or Revolutions Per Minute
- Has 1,800 pounds of torque (technically 1800 in.-pounds or 150 ft.-pounds of torque)
- Has a quick release collet for changing out bits fast and easy (no chuck)
- Can be used as a drill with the right drill bits aka hex shaped shanks
- Has a 24-volt 2.0-Ah Lithium-ion battery that features a built-in fuel gauge
- Has a light that comes on when you squeeze the trigger, allowing you to see what it is you are working on, no matter the lighting around you
- Is small, compact, and light weight allowing you to get in tight spaces
- Comes with Kobalt’s 5 year limited warranty
- Battery comes with Kobalt’s 3 year limited warranty
- Oh, and did I mention that it also comes with a 100% money back guarantee!!! 🙂
Cons
- My be difficult for light duty projects because of the high speed and torque
- Requires more finesse or extra care when drilling or driving into soft wood, again because of the high speed and torque
Who is the Kobalt 24v Impact Driver For?
The Kobalt 24v Impact Driver is not your basic drill. My oldest son, Jason, who is also the least of the DIYers, amongst my boys and I, wondered why you wouldn’t just use an impact driver for every power drill need.
That is until we used the impact driver to turn Jason’s oldest son, Hunter’s full size bed, into a full size loft bed. The wood we used, to raise the bed into a loft, was yellow pine. Yellow pine is a relatively soft wood, compared to other types of wood.
Note to self: Take extra care when using an impact driver on soft wood! There were times when we were screwing the posts together, that we stripped the wood because the impact driver drove the screws too deep, too quick. It doesn’t mean you can’t use an impact driver, you just want to make sure you are only applying a small amount of pressure to the impact driver, so that it doesn’t drive the screw too deep.
So who is the Kobalt 24v impact driver for? It is for your hardcore DIYers. This tool isn’t for the guy that needs a drill every now and then to hang up some pictures or curtains or to put together some Ikea furniture. No, this impact driver has enough torque and speed that you can use it for drilling (with the right drill bits aka hex shaped shanks, which are pretty standard items anywhere drill bits are sold) into solid wood without having to pre-drill a hole, driving self-tapping metal screws, or even sinking screws directly into drywall.
So if any of those types of jobs describe the work you do, then yes, this drill is for you.
The Kobalt 24v Impact Driver in Action
Check out this video below on how the Kobalt 24 Volt Impact Driver lives up to the test.
Specifications
The Kobalt 24 Volt Impact Driver is very compact coming in at only 5.63 inches in length, 2.56 inches in width, and 8 inches in height. This compactness allows you to get in hard to reach areas that you wouldn’t normally be able to get to with a regular drill. It is also very lightweight, weighing in at only 2.43 pounds, which allows you to use this almost all day long without getting too tired…and you can easily carry it on a tool belt too!
And although you probably won’t find this under specs on the Lowe’s website, after a chat online with the Lowe’s agent, I found out that the battery will last approx 1.1 hours, with continuous use. And the battery only takes 83 minutes to be fully charged, which means if you have two batteries, you could pretty much change them out and go non-stop, all day long!
Warranty and Customer Support
The Kobalt 24 Volt Impact Driver comes with a 5-year of limited warranty on the tool itself, and a 3-year limited warranty on the battery. There is a disclaimer that states:
This guarantee does not cover damage due to abuse, normal wear, improper maintenance, neglect, unauthorized repair/alteration, or expendable parts and accessories expected to become unusable after a reasonable period of use.
But who cares about a disclaimer like that when you have Kobalt’s unheard of ONE YEAR, 100% RISK FREE, MONEY BACK GUARANTEE!!! That is huge. For Kobalt to do that means they know they have made a well built product, and the only “disclaimer” is that they require the tool and the receipt. So just be sure to scan a copy of the receipt in your computer or take a quick snapshot with your iPhone, to make sure you have it in a year, just in case.
The other great advantage of Kobalt is that it is sold through Lowe’s, which means when it comes to customer support, you can ask plenty of questions, like in the chat box I did on the specs above, and get an answer within minutes.
Price
Price of Kobalt 24 Volt Max Lithium-Ion 1/4-in. Cordless Variable Speed Brushless Impact Driver is normally $189. But if you use your Lowe’s credit card you can get 5% off or if your purchase is $299 or more, you can get special financing for 6 months. But if you are gonna spend more than $299, than I recommend you consider The Kobalt 6-Tool 24-Volt Max Lithium Ion Brushless Cordless Combo Kit for only $449.
Disclaimer: You can usually get the Impact Driver by itself for less expensive at Lowe’s but you can get the combo kit for less, usually at amazon, just fyi.
In Conclusion
I have personally used the Kobalt 24 Volt Impact Driver on recent jobs, like to help my son, Aaron, rebuild his house after Hurricane Harvey flooded it. I have used it to rebuild me a workshop in my garage, and for even simpler jobs, like helping my son, Jason, turn my grandson’s, Hunter’s bed, into a loft.
I have used many drills over the past 40 years and I can truly say the Kobalt 24v Impact Driver is very well made product and with the 5 – year limited tool warranty, the 3 – year limited battery warranty, and the ONE YEAR, 100% RISK FREE MONEY BACK GUARANTEE, the Kobalt 24 Volt Impact Driver gets Tools 4 Guys Seal of Approval!
If you have any questions or would like to comment on your own experience with the Kobalt 24 Volt Impact Driver, please leave them below, it is greatly appreciated.
Go Get it Done,
Ruben, Jason, Brandon, and Aaron Cancino
Co-Owners
www.tools4guys.com