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It's not like a variable speed screw gun. Now that I have one of these, I do not know how I lived without it. As for performance, it's all about keeping the batteries cool and charged. Compact, light weight and lots of power. The torch takes a little getting used to. I found that during a hot day of decking, a short stint inside my cooler brought the battery temperature down enough to charge it right away, which is key when you're alternating between batteries all day. It drove 2,500 2-1/2" screws over two days, no complaints.
I am a professional cabinet installer and I have owned this tool for a little over a year. Bosch will fix it again since it is still under waranty but I need one tomorrow so tonight I bought a Makita hoping it will last longer. The trigger has now gone bad on it for the second time. The first one lasted 9 months and the second one lasted six. The Bosch was my first impact driver and now I can't be without one for even a day. I have several cordless Bosch drills, saws, and planers that I have used them every day for several years and they all work perfectly so the trigger problem seems to be limited to just the impact driver.
This is my 4th Bosch 14.4 tool. The impact driver applies it in tiny jolts and the result is that the screws seem to sink into the work without much effort at all. It comes with a small tiltable led that does a nice job illuminating the area you are working. Could not beat it for the price I paid (130 with free shipping) which included 2 bluecore batteries and a charger. It has plenty of torque, enough that it will loosen lug nuts on your car wheels. I wanted the extra charger and 2 more batteries helps keep all my tools available with charged batteries.As for the tool itself, if you haven't used an impact driver before, you don't know what you are missing. Very well built, nice features. Its also very good for removing screws out of decking for the same reason.
Driving long screws into 2x material is a joy. My Bosch drill had plenty of power, but if you don't hold the drill down firmly, it is possible to strip the head of the screw with all the torque. Battery life is OK, not one of Bosch's stronger points. You can buy adapters that will let you attach sockets from 1/4 to 1/2 inch drives.
I have always had a cordless drill and used that as my driver. I don't know why I didn't get one of these earlier. I have used it on a deck, including the 6" lag bolts (pre-drilled holes of course), on cabinet installation, and putting shelving together. The batteries last a long time and it has great power for such a small and light weight tool.
I have happily used Bosch tools for several years. The said it just shouldn't have broken the way it did. I find the tools extremely durable and the couple of times I have had a problem Bosch bent over backwards to correct the problem. Once even replacing a tool out of warrantee. I use this impact driver daily and love it's light weight and power. I would have given this a 5 if it functioned as a drill as well.
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