Compact Design and Extreme Power Highlight the Flex 24V Brushless Impact Driver
With Flex 24V cordless tools at Lowe’s and other retailers, there are two impact drivers to choose from. The one we’re reviewing today is the Flex 24V Brushless Impact Driver with Quick Eject. It’s the higher-performing and more feature-rich of the two, though the standard brushless impact driver is nothing to shake a stick at.
Pros
- Monster 2500 in-lbs of torque
- Excellent performance in tough applications
- 3 standard speeds plus 2 self-tapping screw modes
- Quick Eject collet opens the collet without taking your hand off the handle
- Lifetime warranty available with registration by 12/31/22
Cons
- Heavy for its size
Flex 24V Brushless Impact Driver Performance
Flex pushes the performance envelope further than its competition with this brushless model. Topping out at 4000 RPM in high, it can produce 2500 in-lbs of torque. That’s top-tier speed combined with class-leading power.
To help you control that performance, you have three standard modes and two self-tapping screw modes. Between all of that, you should be able to find the right blend of speed and power for most fastening jobs.
To see how Flex dialed all that in, we put it to work in our RSS test to see how it handles large structural fasteners. Using 8-inch RSS screws from GRK Fasteners, we drove it into layered OSB subfloor. No, that’s not a “normal” application, but OSB is consistent so it makes a good material when you’re comparing tools the way we do.
Flex finished with a 5-test average of 6.13 seconds. Of the impact drivers we’ve tested so far, only Milwaukee’s Gen 3 M18 Fuel had a faster time (5.84 seconds). Aside from that, the third-place finisher was more than a second slower.
We also wanted to test it on our Inertia Torque impact torque tester. However, there’s so much power behind the hammer and anvil, that it just snapped our 1/2-inch square adapters like they were made of plastic.
Flex 24V Brushless Impact Driver Design Notes
Size and Weight
Looking at this tool, it’s clearly compact. From front to back, it measures 4.75 inches. It’s a bit wider than some of its premium competition as it’s right at 2.5 inches across.
For the size, the tool feels a bit heavier than we’re used to. Bare, it weighs 2.8 pounds and moves up to 4.1 pounds with a 2.5Ah battery and 4.9 pounds with a 5.0Ah pack. Part of the weight comes from working with a 6-cell battery system instead of 5 cells the way 18V and 20V Max tools do.
The other part is the construction itself. The impact driver feels like its weight has more to do with a quality build than anything else. With the 2.5Ah battery, it’s well-balanced and it’s the pack we prefer to use on it.
Handle Ergonomics
Flex spent some real time considering their handle ergonomics and it shows. The foundation has a nice curve to it that fits in your hand well, similar to the way DeWalt and Metabo HPT do. The overmold covering is pretty aggressive from a texture perspective. It helps channel away sweat and gives you a better grip when your hands are a little greasy.
Quick Eject Collet
While there’s no one-hand bit insertion or active spring ejection, the Flex 24V Brushless Impact Driver introduces a Quick Eject feature. Just above the trigger, there’s a button you press with your finger to push the collet forward to the open position.
You don’t have to move your hand from the handle to switch bits, making it a more convenient way to manage it. It’s especially helpful when you’re working at height or in areas where there’s no easy place to set the tool down.
Additional Features
- Foot-mounted LED light
- Belt hook (left-side mount only)
- Bright, bold 4-LED charge indicator on both sides of the battery
Flex 24V Brushless Impact Driver Price
You can get the Flex 24V Brushless Impact Driver with Quick Eject in a few different ways. As a bare tool, it’s $159.00. There are a couple of kits and combos it’s also a part of. Here’s the breakdown:
- Kit with 2.5Ah and 5.0Ah battery (FX1371A-2B): $249.00
- Kit with 6.0Ah Stacked Lithium battery (FX1371A-1H): $279.00
- Hammer drill and impact driver Stacked Lithium combo (FXM202-2G): $499.00
- Hammer drill, impact driver, circular saw, LED light Stacked Lithium combo (FXM403-2G): $649.00
The standard warranty is 5 years for both the battery and the tool. However, if you register the tool, battery, and charger, you get a lifetime warranty for all of them under the Flex Founders program.
The Bottom Line
We all wanted to know where Flex would fit in among the other cordless impact drivers currently on the market. After running it through our tests and taking a closer look at its design, it’s clear the Flex 24V Brushless Impact Driver with Quick Eject belongs in the premium professional class. Based on our experience, Flex is legit and the traditional powerhouses have some serious competition to consider.
Flex 24V Brushless Impact Driver Specifications
- Model: Flex FX1371A
- Power Source: Flex 24V battery
- No-Load Speed: 4000 RPM max
- Max Torque: 2500 in-lbs
- Impact Rate: 4450 IPM
- Length: 4.75 in
- Weight: 2.8 lbs bare, 4.1 lbs with 2.5Ah, 4.9 lbs with 5.0Ah
- Warranty: 5 years on tool and battery and lifetime with registration
