Sealey Premier 14.4V impact driver

SCORE 7/10

Part number: CP6001 Price: From £199 sealey.co.uk

Sealey’s Premier range of impact drivers and ratchets are a step above the entry-level models in terms of features, performance and price. For the extra money, you get a couple of 14.4V 2.0Ah lithium-ion batteries with a 40-minute recharge time, plus a two-year warranty (one-year for the 12V impact ratchet and driver). However, the biggest selling point has got to be its maximum torque, which is a whopping 140Nm – that’s enough to slacken and tighten most wheel nuts! And there’s no kickback from the driver when you tighten a fitting to this amount or can’t undo something. Of all the impact drivers on test, this was the favourite with the mechanics and apprentices at MJ Motors because it was sufficiently compact to squeeze into tight spots and offered a greater range of torque. Mechanic Mike Smith said this one feels better to handle and seems to be well-balanced. Our only reservation concerns overtightening, but with a variable speed trigger you can control this. However, we concluded that if you don’t need the extra torque, the cheaper 12V driver is just as useful. After several months of use we discovered that sockets were often difficult to remove from the square end of the driver, suggesting the ball bearing that helps to keep a socket securely fitted may have become clogged with dirt. At £199 for the entire kit, there are cheaper options, especially if you already have a charger and a battery. The body only costs from £87 and a battery (part number CP60BP) costs £60.44. Unfortunately, even with these prices broken down, there are a lot of cheaper alternatives in the impact driver market, but they are bulkier and most of them have a ½in square end.