Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Accessories). This thread is read-only.
Ok did some testing, and here are my results. First I want to mention, that for those of you who have read my reviews know that I like to push these tests to the limit. I choose to test this way because I get quicker results, and I’m not a patient person.
I bought a package of 5 bit’s, one from ®Milwaukee, and one from ®Dewalt. Models are;
2″ ®DEWALT DW2022IR5 5pc Impact Readyâ„¢ #2 Phillips Bit Tip.
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2″ ®Milwaukee 48-32-4602 5pc ShockWaveâ„¢ #2 Phillips Bit Tip.
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Both 5pc packages retail for $5.97.
I started off using engineered materials. This way I could speed up the breaking process, waste less time, and get more consistent results. I used 9 1/2″x 1 7/8″ LVL material. I used ®GripRite 3″ exterior screws.
So how does ShockWaveâ„¢ technology work?
What does ®Dewalt say about Impact Ready™ bits?
Here is a sample video of the testing done by me. I zoomed in close, and shot in HD, this way you can hopefully see everything that’s going on. Make sure you adjust your settings if you want to view the video in HD. Also make sure you crank your volume!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrvvgGAbI7E
As you can see from the video, the ShockWaveâ„¢ bit’s did not hold up very long. On average I was only able to get around 12 screws per bit. I never actually broke a ®Milwaukee bit because the tips simply gave out. They didn’t wear down, they simply bent over. See the pictures below.
With ®Dewalt Impact Readyâ„¢ bit’s I got on average of 25 screws before each bit broke. I did have one rouge bit that surpassed 25 screws, and never broke. I got 32 screws before the tip simply wore down much like the ®Milwaukee bits. The other 4 snapped off.
New ®Dewalt and ®Milwaukee Tips.
[External image (www.dewaltownersgroup.com), not copied]
®Milwaukee ShockWave™ bit after 12 screws.
[External image (www.dewaltownersgroup.com), not copied]
[External image (www.dewaltownersgroup.com), not copied]
®Dewalt Impact Ready™ Bits after 12 Screws.
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®Dewalt Impact Ready™ bits after 25 Screws.
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In my opinion ®Milwaukee bits need a stronger tip. I don’t believe the ShockWaveâ„¢ technology works, and if it does actually work, then the weak sauce tips are the problem. I’ve used cheap no-name bits in the past, and seen this type of bit wear. I highly doubt these bit’s are made of premium materials. Enough complaining~ I did manage to find one thing I liked about these bits, and that was fact that they are magnetic.
The ®Dewalt Impact Readyâ„¢ tips held up much better! If I was a consumer shopping the aisles and I was shopping simply by appearance, ®Milwaukee has it hands down. The bits look cool, and that’s about it.
Thanks for going through the trouble of doing this, I’m glad to see the Dewalt bits won out!
Yes, thank you for running these tests.
Another Thank you here, I almost bought the ShockWave myself, glad I didn’t and after this review I won’t be.
I’ve used the milwaukee torx bits with spax screws and they worked fine but I only bought them because I couldn’t find the dewalt ones at the borg. I have had the dewalt phillips bits shear off at the tip but it was after a load of screws into pt lumber.
I really wish that the big box stores would stock all of the impact ready stuff.
deshi wrote:
I’ve used the milwaukee torx bits with spax screws and they worked fine but I only bought them because I couldn’t find the dewalt ones at the borg. I have had the dewalt phillips bits shear off at the tip but it was after a load of screws into pt lumber.
I really wish that the big box stores would stock all of the impact ready stuff.
I found that our local Lowe’s carries the best assortment for Impact Ready accessories. I wish DeWalt would offer a better Impact Ready kit with more 2″ and longer bits that work with the 18V Impact Drivers. These drivers will not take a 1″ bit and all the kits have plenty of them. The only way you can use them is with a extension holder and then it’s longer than a 2″ bit, not good in tight areas. I haven’t seen any kits that offer a 2″ T-25 Torx bit and just about all the Deck screws that Home Depot and Lowe’s sells have a T-25 Torx head. The shelves are loaded with every size and color but they don’t carry a Impact Ready T-25 Torx bits. I had to buy regular DeWalt T-25 Torx bits and so far it’s been holding up but it’s a matter of time because their not rated for Impact use. I’ve already lost a few other non impact bits. Come on DeWalt get with the program. I even emailed them and suggested this early this year and nothing on the market yet.
Great Review. I like to use the long impact bits. They are thin and tend to be perfect foe odds and ends. I just need to remember to swith to the impact bit holder so I can break the little ones.. The long ones are pricey to break that much. I do really appreciate that review…
i might have believed this test had the tester newly opened both packages in front of the camera. who knows what kind of tampering he did to the bits, for example he could have easily removed the temper or hardness of the steel with a regular flame torch.
I almost only use dewalt bits and they break all the time and get dull. Still seem to be better than most.
I’d have to say that our crew has seen about the same results in the field as the test demonstrated. We purchased the Milwaukee bit from reputation and their appearance, within the day the guys were all complaining that the bits were failing quick, the DeWalts have lasted longer for us but have the best luck with Snap-On automotive impact bits. These are just a slight more inconvienent to purchase. Take it for what it’s worth but this has been our experience.
dewaltUK wrote:
i might have believed this test had the tester newly opened both packages in front of the camera. who knows what kind of tampering he did to the bits, for example he could have easily removed the temper or hardness of the steel with a regular flame torch.
Protoolreviews.com called me out when I did this test, after doing their own independent testing, they drew the same conclusion that I did. I took before photo’s of the tip’s, that’s why they were out of the package.
DEWALTDUDE wrote:
i might have believed this test had the tester newly opened both packages in front of the camera. who knows what kind of tampering he did to the bits, for example he could have easily removed the temper or hardness of the steel with a regular flame torch.
Protoolreviews.com called me out when I did this test, after doing their own independent testing, they drew the same conclusion that I did. I took before photo’s of the tip’s, that’s why they were out of the package.
after doing a little more research on the matter, your conclusions seem to be verified, so in that case thanks for taking the time and effort to do this test, although i wouldn’t consider buying these particular bits (in my mind, Wera bits are far superior than any on the market) i can see how potentially you’ve saved certain people some money.
i hope you can understand why i wrote what i did, im not one to blindly believe everything i see or hear, especially when i know that person is bias and if it’s going to potentially influence decisions i’m going to make.
x2 on the Wera bits. I have had mine for almost 2 years now. Definately far superior to other bits. I would like to see a test comparing Wera bits to the New Dewalt FlexTorq bits.
Ace18 wrote:
x2 on the Wera bits. I have had mine for almost 2 years now. Definately far superior to other bits. I would like to see a test comparing Wera bits to the New Dewalt FlexTorq bits.
I agreed. Wera bits VS. New Dewalt FlexTorq bits will be awesome. I saw too much video with Milwaukee shackwave vs. Dewalt impact ready bits. Dewalt bits are way tougher the shackwave. Dont get me wrong. I used to like the Milwaukee shackwave bits. But then the dewalt impact ready bits came out I have been liking them every since. I heard a lot of good things about Wera bits tho, but my local store didnt carry them:( and I’m more than happy with my dewalt impact ready bits for now;)
I’ve used the Wera bits before and as Ace18 says there far superior than other bits.But what is it that makes them better?
How are they made differently & what is the reason for the rubber band on the bit?Is it this that stops a certain frequency resonating through the the bit and causing it to break?
dewaltUK wrote:
i might have believed this test had the tester newly opened both packages in front of the camera. who knows what kind of tampering he did to the bits, for example he could have easily removed the temper or hardness of the steel with a regular flame torch.
actually kind of a ridiculous notion. any test could be fabricated, even a video with unboxing included. quite apart from that, if a review in post form (like this) was going to be tampered with, they would just lie about the numbers!
I agree that the Shockwave bits are softer than the impact ready DeWalt bits. But I’m really impressed with the Flextorq bits so far and would like to see the above test performed with them.
I have the dewalt impact ready bits and love them, one thing I will say is that they last me a lot longer than 25-32 screws
dewaltUK wrote:
i might have believed this test had the tester newly opened both packages in front of the camera. who knows what kind of tampering he did to the bits, for example he could have easily removed the temper or hardness of the steel with a regular flame torch.
Really??? You think he went to the trouble of comparing impact bits….only to sabotage one brand? Wow.
Thanks for making this video! It is very time consuming to make a quality review video, and I appreciate you taking the time to do it. In anything, there is a winner & I think we can all see who that is in this case. Obviously the Shockwave bits are not lasting as long as the Dewalt ones, but as companies compete with each other….the quality will continue to improve. Who knows, maybe next month’s batch of shockwave bits will go through a modified heat treatment & will last longer because of reviews like yours.
Thanks again!
Woodstockva
Had a chance to use the Dewalt impact ready bits and I’m quite impressed with them,definitely a lot stronger than there standard Dewalt bits..
I have used both and for light /med duty I use the milwaukee cus of the long bits they have but for heavy duty I definitely go with the dewalt impacts.
seems like the milwaukee has a softer tip and that would be the reason they wear rather than break. even hardcore milwaukee fans seem to dislike the shockwave bits.
They have some new shockwave bits coming out soon that are supposed to be much better than the old ones. They showed them off at this years Milwaukee event. I still have a ton of Dewalt and Makita bit sets though.
Anyone up for testing the new Shokwave bits? I have really low expectations tbh. I still think I’ll prefer Bosch bits.