Milwaukee M18 Fuel Impact Driver Shows Off 4th Generation Power
The Milwaukee M18 Fuel Impact Driver (2953) had little room for improvement in its fourth generation, but that didn’t stop Milwaukee’s product team from releasing it anyway. Now, even better, the Milwaukee 2953 represents the new flagship impact driver in the company’s lineup. We got our hands on this impact driver and tested it to see how well it performed.
Editor’s Note: To see how well the Milwaukee 2953 did against its peers, check out our best impact driver article.
Milwaukee M18 Fuel Impact Driver Performance
Milwaukee’s previous model didn’t leave us with a disappointing feeling, but there’s a speed increase for the latest version. It moves 300 RPM to drive at a maximum speed of 3900 RPM. That also comes with a slight increase in impact rate, bumping up 100 IPM to 4400 IPM.
The torque stays at the exact same 2000 in-lbs. We’re not upset by that at all considering that’s plenty to drive most screws and the Gen 3 model was already quick to snap our 1/2-inch square drive adapters.
For control, you still have four modes to work with: 3 standard modes and a self-tapping screw mode. Where the team spent some additional time was in developing the trigger system. It’s now capable of smoother acceleration to give you more control over your screw starts.
Milwaukee M18 Fuel Impact Driver Design Notes
Size and Weight
Milwaukee already had one of the most compact impact drivers available and the 2953 manages to shave another 0.12 inches off, making it just 4.47 inches. By comparison, only the DeWalt DCF850 Atomic impact driver is more compact in the 18V/20V Max class, and it doesn’t come close to the performance of the M18 Fuel.
All of the improvements come with no change in weight. Bare, the tool still weighs 2.2 pounds and a 5.0Ah battery brings the total weight up to 3.8 pounds. You can work a little lighter by using a 2.0Ah or 3.0Ah High Output battery.
Tri-Beam LED
The LED light makes a shift from a single light just above the trigger and now forms a ring around the collet with three LEDs. If you haven’t used a tool with this style of lighting, you’re missing out—it’s much better at eliminating shadows than other placements.
One-Hand Bit Insertion
Bit insertion can be a pain since it’s typically a two-hand operation. Milwaukee’s M18 Fuel Impact Driver collet design makes life a bit easier by using a one-hand insertion. With the collet empty, just slide your bit into place. There’s no need to pull the collet out to accept it.
Milwaukee One-Key
As expected, you also have a Milwaukee One-Key option for this impact driver. It currently comes as a bare tool option only, though you can get a fourth-generation two-tool kit with One-Key versions of both the M18 Fuel hammer drill and impact driver.
Additional Highlights
- Available rubber boot
- All-metal belt clip
- Compatible with all Milwaukee M18 batteries
Hands-on Performance Testing Results
We ran three different performance tests to check out the power and speed of this fourth-generation impact driver. We used a 90Wh M18 RedLithium 5.0Ah battery pack, comparing it against DeWalt, Makita, Flex, Ridgid, Metabo HPT, Ryobi, and others.
The first test compares medium-load by driving a 6-inch x 1/4-inch GRK Fasteners RSS screw into stacked OSB subfloor. The result is the average of three tests.
The second test is timed to see how far each model can drive a 10-inch x 1/2-inch lag screw into the same material in 30 seconds. The result is the average of how much of the screw remained proud in three tests—less is better.
The third test is to see how long it takes to break loose a nut that is set to 150 ft-lbs (1800 in-lbs). The result is the total time added together for 5 bolts. Here are the results:
| Milwaukee 2953 | |
|---|---|
| RSS Screw Average | 8.6 seconds |
| Lag Screw Average | 1.7 inches |
| Nut-Busting Total | 2.5 seconds |
Testing with M18 High Output Batteries
What if you have access to Milwaukee’s advanced High Output batteries? We tested that, too! The overall capacities of the batteries aren’t the same, but we used the 6.0Ah pack to keep them as close as we could.
| Milwaukee 2953 w/XC 5.0Ah | Milwaukee 2953 w/6.0Ah High Output | |
|---|---|---|
| RSS Screw Average | 8.6 seconds | 6.7 seconds |
| Lag Screw Average | 1.7 inches | 1.2 inches |
| Nut-Busting Total | 2.5 seconds | 1.9 seconds |
Milwaukee M18 Fuel Impact Driver: Gen 3 vs Gen 4
| Gen 3 (2853) | Gen 4 (2953) | Gen 4 (2957) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No-Load Speed | 1900/2800/3600 RPM | 1700/3000/3900 RPM | 1700/3000/3900 RPM |
| Impact Rate | 4300 IPM | 4400 IPM | 4400 IPM |
| Max Torque | 2000 in-lbs | 2000 in-lbs | 2000 in-lbs |
| One-Key | No (2857) | No | Yes |
| Length | 4.59 inches | 4.47 inches | 4.47 inches |
| Bare Weight | 2.2 pounds | 2.2 pounds | 2.2 pounds |
| Bare Price | $149 | $149 | $199 |
Milwaukee 2953 M18 Fuel Impact Driver Price
The Milwaukee 2953 bare tool runs $149 and the kit is $299. The kit includes the tool, two 5.0Ah batteries, a charger, and a case. As usual, Milwaukee backs the tool for 5 years and the batteries for 3 years.
There’s also a combo kit available that includes the 4th generation M18 Fuel hammer drill.
Milwaukee 2957 M18 Fuel Impact Driver w/One-Key Price
Look for the Milwaukee 2957 One-Key impact driver as a bare tool for $199. Currently, Milwaukee doesn’t offer it as a kit. However, if you want a solid One-Key 2-tool combo kit, grab the 3696-22 for $449. It includes both the One-Key impact driver and hammer drill, along with a pair of 5Ah batteries and a charger.
The Bottom Line
Milwaukee’s upgrades for the 4th generation M18 Fuel impact driver pay big dividends. With performance consistently near the top of our tests, an impressively compact frame, and a helpful feature set, it’s the best all-around impact driver we’ve tested to date.
Milwaukee M18 Fuel Impact Driver Specifications
- Model: Milwaukee 2953
- Power Source: Milwaukee M18 battery
- No-Load Speed: 0 – 3900 RPM
- Impact Rate: 0 – 4400 IPM
- Max Torque: 2000 in-lbs
- One-Key support (2957-20)
- Length: 4.47 inches
- Weight: 2.2 pounds bare
Discover more at Milwaukee’s website.
