The best DeWalt cordless impact drivers, compared.
Top pick: DeWalt DCF887N – Three speeds, about 205 Nm and 4.7 from 5,167 reviews, at about £59.95 for a bare body you run on 18 V XR packs. Best value: DeWalt DCF850N – About £98.43 for a three-speed body of about 101 mm in the same torque class, with 4.7 from 1,106 reviews, when the shorter nose is why you spend more. Updated October 2026.
A cordless impact driver is a handheld screw tool with a 6.35 mm hex holder. Under load a hammer strikes an anvil, so your wrist does not take the continuous twist of a drill. In the UK you buy one for timber screws, coach bolts and decking when you already own packs on that voltage. Use impact-rated bits only. Round drill bits do not fit. Lock the direction switch in the centre, or take the battery off, before you change a bit. A bare body has no battery and no charger. Three speeds suit long timber screws. A nose of about 100 mm is what a tight gap needs. One speed leaves only the trigger, a weak match for hinge screws. A hydraulic oil-pulse driver is a different mechanism, with a much lower stated torque, for indoor fastening. Holes and a clutch belong on a combi drill. Nuts belong on an impact wrench. Declared noise and vibration are emission figures, not a silent tool. Platform, length and modes are set out in the [cordless impact driver buying guide](/hub/tools/de-walt-cordless-impact-driver/sub/de-walt-cordless-impact-driver-buying-guide).
A cordless impact driver is a handheld screw tool with a 6.35 mm hex holder. Under load a hammer strikes an anvil, so your wrist does not take the continuous twist of a drill.
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What are you fastening?
Across 5,167 amazon.co.uk reviews the DCF887N sits at 4.7, and UK reviewers use it for screws, coach bolts and decking with less wrist strain than a drill. The shelf price is about £59.95 for a bare DCF887N-XJ, so that figure assumes you already own an 18 V XR pack and a charger. Three modes are the control people mention, though several say mode 1 is too light and mode 2 is too fierce for a delicate screw. More than one UK reviewer reports side-to-side play in the collet, while one says theirs has none, so check the nose when it arrives. One owner says a 5 Ah pack lasts their working day, which is one person's day. The body is longer than the compact DCF850N, and one reviewer could not get it into a gap under 20 cm. A buyer who expected round drill bits sent it back, and said the tool itself was fine. The listing says a three-year warranty, and one buyer lacked the belt-hook screws and could not register the model number.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already own 18 V XR batteries and want a three-speed body for screws, coach bolts and decking at about £59.95.
Less suitable: Gaps around 100 mm, hinge screws that need a clutch, or a first tool with no battery or charger.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the DCF887N include a battery?
No. The title says bare unit. The shelf price is about £59.95 for the body.
How many speeds does the listing state?
Three. Maximum torque is printed as 205 Nm, and a second torque cell says 200 Nm.
Will a round drill bit fit?
The chuck-size cell is 6.35 mm. One UK reviewer returned the tool because drill bits would not fit the holder.
UK reviewers who moved off a longer driver say the DCF850N keeps the work going in a shorter body, and the listing is 4.7 from 1,106 reviews at about £98.43. The bullets put the length at 101 mm and the weight at 0.95 kg without a battery. The item-weight cell that says 1 g is not the figure to use. Three speeds, an LED ring and a drop-style bit change are what owners praise, and one reviewer who replaced a DCF887 mentions a lighter feel. One reviewer says it still worked after a drop from scaffolding, which is one incident, not a drop rating. Mode 1 is the recurring complaint, and one owner said a repair return left setting 1 no better. Separate UK reviews mention a cut-out and a direction switch that went sticky after two or three months. If the DCF887N already reaches the screw, the extra cost is a length purchase on the same star line.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Tight gaps where about 101 mm matters and you already have 18 V XR packs.
Less suitable: Buyers who only need the lowest price, or who need mode 1 to behave like a clutch.
Specifications
Common questions
How long is the DCF850N?
The bullets say 101 mm and 0.95 kg tool only. The item-weight cell says 1 g, so use the bullet for weight.
Does it include a battery?
No. The title says bare unit. The shelf price is about £98.43.
What torque and speeds are listed?
Both torque cells say 205 Nm. The listing says three speeds. The maximum-power cell says 205 watts.
The DCF870N is the hydraulic oil-pulse body at about £184.99, with 4.6 from 95 reviews, and 56 Nm and 500 W on both the DeWalt data and the amazon specification. Several UK reviewers, including a joiner and a buyer covering an electrician whose DCF850 was in for repair, say it is quieter than a conventional impact driver and a similar length to the DCF850, about 101 mm in the bullets. One reviewer finds screws into 2x4 timber easier than with their combi. The first speed is described as very quiet and the other two as more powerful. This comparison did not measure decibels, so an overview percentage about being quieter stays unused. 56 Nm is a different mechanism from the about 205 Nm on the DCF887, not a smaller copy of that figure. More than one UK reviewer calls the price high and still worth it for them. No repeated mechanical defect shows in the saved UK texts, and one review's claim that screws went through masonry is not a hammer-drill rating.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Indoor fastening where noise is the reason to spend more, and 56 Nm is enough.
Less suitable: Jobs that need the conventional torque class, or a first kit with no battery.
Specifications
Common questions
What torque does the DCF870N listing state?
56 Nm in both torque cells, with maximum power printed as 500 W. The listing says three speeds.
Does it include a battery?
No. The title says bare unit. The shelf price is about £184.99. Included components says Drill Attachment, not a battery.
What do the bullets say about noise and length?
They say a quiet hydraulic mechanism, 101 mm length, a drop-and-load holder, and a flashlight mode for 20 minutes. The saved file has no decibel figure.
The DCF840N-XJ is the single-speed brushless body at about £78.00, with 4.5 from 38 amazon.co.uk ratings. DeWalt UK and the GB manual state 192 Nm, 0–3200 rpm, 0–4200 ipm, 0.88 kg without a battery and 129 mm, while the listing also prints 200 Nm, so this comparison uses 192 Nm. Five of the six saved UK texts are one-line praise. The sixth says the tool spins the wrong way, then the correct way on the next press, and that it was still not fixed. There is no mode dial, so the trigger is the only control, which matters on hinges where a first mode or a clutch would pause the impact. The model-number field names DCF850E2T-QW, a different body, so buy the part number in the title. A feature cell also says Brush beside a brushless bullet. At about £18 more than the DCF887N you lose two modes and almost the entire review sample.
Pros
Cons
Best for: An XR owner who accepts one speed and a thin review line for long timber screws at about £78.00.
Less suitable: Anyone who wants three modes, a large UK sample, or a repair history for a reversing fault.
Specifications
Common questions
How many speed modes does the DCF840N have?
One. The bullet says 192 Nm, single-speed, variable and reverse. The maximum-torque cell says 200 Nm.
Does it include a battery or charger?
No. The bullet says it does not. The shelf price is about £78.00.
Is the motor brushless?
The bullets say brushless. The special-features cell also includes the word Brush.
Four amazon.co.uk listings were scored from the stored pages of 20 October 2026 and the UK review notes already on file. There is no laboratory test. Stars are the listing line, not a workshop trial. The score is stars, sample size, fit and price. A repeated fault is a deduction, and a thin sample is not deducted twice. The highest score is the top pick. The best-value badge is the next three-speed body in the about-205 Nm class with more than a thousand reviews, where the shorter nose is why you spend more. One of each. The weights below sum to 100.
Stars
40%The amazon.co.uk star line divided by five, times 40, then rounded. It is not the star line times 20, and it is not a workshop trial.
Review sample
25%Full marks at 5,000 reviews or more, then a step down at 1,000 or more, at 90 or more, and below 50. A thin sample sits in this part only.
Fit
20%Three-speed mechanical screwdriving scores highest. A single speed scores lower. The hydraulic body sits between them because 56 Nm is a different mechanism from about 205 Nm.
Price
15%The about £59.95 body takes the full price marks. Other shelf prices score in proportion to that figure. That is not a promise the price will stay the lowest.
Buy the platform and the mechanism before you buy a star line. All four bodies here are bare 18 V hex drivers. A battery and a charger are not in the box. 56 Nm on the hydraulic body is not a smaller copy of about 205 Nm.
A cordless impact driver uses a 6.35 mm hex holder. Under load a hammer strikes an anvil, so the wrist does not take a drill's continuous twist. Use impact-rated bits only. Lock the direction switch in the centre, or remove the battery, before a bit change. Round bits do not fit. None of these four DeWalt bodies includes a battery or a charger. They suit someone who already owns 18 V XR packs. A first tool needs a pack and a charger as well. 20V MAX is a marketing voltage, not a second system.
About 205 Nm is the conventional figure for the DCF887 and the DCF850. The DCF870 is hydraulic at 56 Nm and 500 W. The mechanisms do not match, so the lower number is not a weaker copy of the higher one.
One listing's model field names a different body from the part number in the title. Ignore junk cells such as 1 g, latex, faux leather, and a 2 Ah line on a bare body. Buy the part number in the title.
All four titles are bare units. The shelf price is the body. A first tool still needs a pack and a charger. 20V MAX is a marketing voltage on the same 18 V XR system.
These bodies run on DeWalt 18 V XR packs. The DCF840 manual lists DCB181 to DCB189 and FlexVolt DCB546, DCB547 and DCB548. 20V MAX is not a different system. None of the four includes a battery or a charger, so the shelf price assumes you already own both. The DCF887 and the DCF850 are conventional brushless drivers with three modes and about 205 Nm. The DCF850 manual prints 206.2 Nm. The DCF840 is one speed.
The DCF850 bullets put the length at 101 mm and the weight at 0.95 kg without a battery. The DCF870 is about 101 mm and about 1.0 kg. The DCF887 manual figures used here are about 135 mm and 0.9 kg. The DCF840 manual figures are 129 mm and 0.88 kg without a battery. A nose of about 100 mm is the reason to spend more when a longer body will not reach the screw. Three speeds are the usual control. Reviews say mode 1 is too soft and mode 2 too fierce.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You already own 18 V XR packs and a charger, and you want three speeds for screws, coach bolts and decking. The DCF887N is the top pick at about £59.95, with 4.7 from 5,167 reviews. It is a bare body, and more than one UK reviewer reports collet play.
The screw sits where a longer body will not fit. The DCF850N is about 101 mm and 0.95 kg without a battery, three speeds, about 205 Nm, at about £98.43, with 4.7 from 1,106 reviews. Mode 1 is the recurring complaint.
Noise is the reason to spend more, and 56 Nm is enough. The DCF870N is the hydraulic body at about £184.99, about 101 mm, with 4.6 from 95 reviews. UK comments call it quieter. That is not a measured silent tool.
The top pick is the DeWalt DCF887N at about £59.95. It leads the score, with three speeds, about 205 Nm, and 4.7 from 5,167 reviews, and it is the lowest shelf price in this set. The best value is the DeWalt DCF850N at about £98.43 when the nose has to be about 101 mm: three speeds, the same torque class, and 4.7 from 1,106 reviews. The DCF870N is the hydraulic body at about £184.99 and 56 Nm, not a cheaper DCF887N. The DCF840N is one speed at about £78.00 with 38 ratings. None of these scores is a laboratory test, and none of the bodies includes a battery or a charger.
DeWalt DCF887N
Three speeds, about 205 Nm and 4.7 from 5,167 reviews, at about £59.95 for a bare body you run on 18 V XR packs.
DeWalt DCF850N
About £98.43 for a three-speed body of about 101 mm in the same torque class, with 4.7 from 1,106 reviews, when the shorter nose is why you spend more.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources from the research digest, used for this page in October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are from the four amazon.co.uk listings captured on 20 October 2026. Noise and vibration action values apply at work. They are not a certificate that a domestic driver is silent or safe for all-day use.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk (tag pcuk26-21). If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are from the listings. This is not a laboratory test.
