Everyone seems to be making an impact these days, but is there really a difference between one brand and another? We went hands-on with Apex bits in several shock ratings to see how they stack up against other bits we've used, such as Makita's Gold Series and Milwaukee's latest generation Shockwave bits.
Apex bits judge themselves on four main areas: identification, fit, longevity and durability.
advantage
- easy-to-read size
- very fit
- Longer service life (based on Apex testing)
- harder to break
shortcoming
- Bulk packs are more expensive than Makita Gold and Milwaukee Shockwave
- Not as readily available as more popular brands
recommend
So far, I really like the performance these impact rated Apex bits bring to the table. For a contractor bag, they cost more than the Makita and Milwaukee, but they fit well and are very durable.
Pick up a 5-pack of your most used products and see how they work for you. Be sure to come back and let us know what you think!
A deep dive into the impact-packed Apex drill
identify
Most of our bits are not identified at all. The ones that do have the bit size marked somewhere on it and are hard to read. In fact, most of us know that by looking at the Phillips head size we're picking. Some other types are not as easy, although many of you have been using them long enough to know them.
No matter your level of experience, the black-on-white printing is easy to see on the side of each bit.
fit
A perfect fit requires quality drills and quality fasteners. If one of the two is turned off, the entire system is affected. The Apex drill claims only 1.4º of wobble, compared to 1.5º for its closest competitor and 2.5º for the far end.
I grabbed a handful of screws and some Makita Gold and Milwaukee Shockwave bits to see how well they fit together. All three have zero forward and reverse turning action.
But it makes a big difference when you start shaking the bits around to see which ones engage the screw heads the best. The Makita bit seems to wobble a bit more than the other two, and I can't really tell how well the Milwaukee and Apex bits fit.
Life
According to their in-house testing, Apex drill bits can withstand over 20,000 cycles in the ASME Proof Load Test at 100 in-lbs of torque. Its unnamed competitor is amazingly color matched to Bosch, DeWalt, Makita and Milwaukee, with cycles ranging from 7,500 to 12,000.
I'm not going to drive 100,000 screws just to prove Apex's point here, but the results are interesting. This isn't talking about how a fastener reacts to 1800 inch-pounds of torque from a metal fastening impact driver. It's talking about how long it can last with a steady 100 inch-pounds of torque. In this test, Apex lasts ridiculously long. But then again, 7,500 screws isn't bad either.
durability
Durability is the torque required to break the drill. According to their in-house testing, Apex bits need close to 160 inch pounds to break. Their competitors weigh around 75 inch pounds on the low end and around 120 inch pounds on the high end.
I tested this as best I could and got some interesting numbers on the Makita Gold and Milwaukee Shockwave breakpoints. The problem was that our vise wasn't strong enough and I couldn't get the actual breaking torque before the Apex bit started turning. Frustratingly, I can't provide exact numbers, but apparently more torque is needed to break off the Apex bit.
price and availability
Apex impact drills are not the type you walk into any store and pick up. Using a 2" #2 Phillips drill bit as an example, the pricing is as follows:
top notch
- Single: $1.99
- 5-pack: $8.99
- 15-pack: $23.99
Makita Gold
- 2-pack: $3.97
- 15-pack: $12.97
Milwaukee Shockwave
- Single: $2.77
- 5-pack: $5.97
- 15-pack: $9.97
Interestingly, when you get to 15 packs, Apex has a lower price per pack and is more expensive than the other packs.
the bottom line
So far, I really like the performance these impact rated Apex bits bring to the table. For a contractor bag, they cost more than the Makita and Milwaukee, but they fit well and are very durable.
Pick up a 5-pack of your most used products and see how they work for you. Be sure to come back and let us know what you think!