Word is that Ridgid is adding another power tool to their cordless 12 volt line in the form of a new 12V palm impact driver. I’ve seen 12V, 14V, 18V/20V, 24V, and even 8V impact drivers before in regular pistol grip or right angle form, but never a palm impact driver. This new design mashes the shape and form factor similar to palm nailers and a right angle impact driver. When I first seen it, the first thing that popped up in my mind was Milwaukee’s M12 12V palm nailer as the overall shape is similar. This doesn’t surprise me as we all know that TTI makes both of these 12V power tools.
This info was found on the Home Depot website for this new palm impact driver but has since been pulled. What we know so far is that users will operate this new palm impact driver similarly to the M12 palm nailer in the sense that the user must press the impact driver into the screw and thus the pressure will act as the trigger to activate and drive the fastener. In other words it works when you push the tool into a fastener such as a screw. There is no traditional trigger as it’s completely pressure sensitive. Also interesting is that the palm driver will be variable speed which is determined by the pressure from the user. Also interesting was that in the description, it is said that this tool seems to be positioned as a compact tool for tight spots. This is what they say: “This tool is perfect for any contractor wanting to get into hard to reach locations”.
Other features include a true one handed 1/4″ hex chuck with self eject feature, a fuel gauge, and a usual forward/reverse switch with a lock. No word on if a LED light is built in, so we’ll have to wait and see on that one. As for performance stats, we’re looking at 400 in/lbs of max torque, 2,000 RPM, with 3,000 IPM.
(EDIT) Some viewers are speculating that it does have an LED light built in and are saying the black tab that appears to be a button is the button that activates the light. This is hard to confirm or not because the info supplied by the Home Depot didn’t mention a light. It doesn’t mean it doesn’t have one, I was simply stating that a light is not mentioned. Until official news appears we can only speculate whether it does or doesn’t have a built in light. It makes sense that it should have a light since this basic feature has proven it’s usefulness plenty times over but I will repeat myself by saying that this hasn’t officially been confirmed.
My thoughts: I’m excited to see a new tool design on the horizon, even though this is a mashup of two existing technologies. I’m eager to see what others think of this and how the general audience will respond to it’s design. Even though it is being pushed as a tool designed for hard to reach places it looks bulkier than a right angle impact driver at the head front to back length. My guess is that it looks to be a tad bit shorter in length front to back than a regular 12V impact driver. If users are looking for an ultra compact impact driver, it would make for sense to go with a right angle impact driver such as Ridgid’s own JobMax right angle impact driver attachment. My guess is that the core feature of this new impact driver is it’s easy to use pressure sensitive push to drive feature and its palm handle grip style and the relatively short front to back distance will complement this core feature. My last rant is that 400 in/lbs torque is not impressive to say the least but we’ll have to see just how this little bad boy performs in real life.
As it says in the title, this is just a sneak peak of this new Ridgid 12V palm impact driver. Release date and pricing are not available yet so we’ll have to stay tuned.
Ridgid 12V Palm Impact Driver R8224K Specifications:
- 12 volt palm impact driver
- 1/4″ one handed self ejecting hex chuck
- 400 in-lbs torque
- 2,000 RPM
- 3,000 IPM
- 5.3 lbs weight
- 3.63″ product depth
- 9.13″ product height
- fuel gauge
It has a light, the black button where your thumb goes triggers it
Could we have a direct quote from Ridgid’s senior management as to exactly when this wonderfully compact Palm driver will actually be available in the UK and which retailer can we buy one from…?
Thank you.