Strong enough? Yes. Fast enough? Not remotely. An 18v is about 3x faster than a 12v driver. The new gen5x Ridgid impact also has a speed transmission for even more control over speed and torque :)

Pretty tools for sure. I can not compete with you guys. Since I, at 70, don't get to construct projects that often, thus, tools sit there in the man cave, Harbor Freights tools do the job for me.

How bad was it about stripping small appliance screws? What about size/weight?
For big projects I agree, the 18v is the way to go.

Heres an update on my Nextec set from Craftsmen, almost three years in and thousands of screws driven and I'm still pleased as can be. I have mostly been driving 2.5" and 3" deck screws and this impact driver has no problem. I did nearly overheat it once and had to let it rest for a while. That said I would call this a homeowners tool as it is not up to daily torture tests of a contractor. The battery just does not last long enough. The charger can keep up and charges faster than I drain the other battery most of the time. I am about to replace a battery that is failing. Probably from the time I nearly overheated it building a deck. I had 5 batteries in rotation that day.

Run for your life, it's Godzukie on a rampage!
http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...pssnmdvvhn.jpg

Found him at the local indoor flea market for $20, including drill motor, case, 2 batteries, and super charger. Got home, plugged in charger, no lighty up. Both batteries dead as hammers. Rigged up a battery to a power supply, it took a charge. Plugged into drill motor, works like magic. Cha Ching!

Rather than buying a whole new charger, I rigged up a satellite power inserter (19VDC unregulated) to the factory charger terminals. Takes longer than 30 minutes to charge, but it beats paying way too much for a new charger.

After using it for awhile, one of the batteries tried to self-destruct on the charger. Got toasty and warped the latches, measured 13 Volts between terminals. It is most likely the cause of the dead charger. No big deal, batteries start at $20 for this drill on amazon. An OEM high-capacity battery is around $100. This bad boy will drill holes through castle walls and log cabins if you need it to. With the torque clutch engaged, it acts just like an impact driver, and will twist your wrist off if you let it. Good all-around work doer if all you have is one holster on the tool belt.

BTW, Godzilla is the corded equivalent of this one. Too much drill for many jobs.
http://www.catskillhouse.us/blog/wp-...mmer-drill.jpg