Milwaukee has come out with a new Shockwave impact-rated right angle bit adapter, model 48-32-2390.
The concept is nothing new – we posted about a similar Dewalt right angle drill adapter more than 6 years ago. Still, the new Shockwave right angle adapter is worth mentioning.
Advertisement
The right angle adapter features a 1.4″ profile, for easier access into tight spaces. It has a 1/4″ hex shank and works with both drills and impact drivers.
Additional features include magnetic bit retention, a rubber overmold for comfort and grip, and it comes with a Phillips #2 bit.
Milwaukee says that its gears are hardened for higher torque transfer and added durability.
Price: $20
Buy Now(via Acme Tools)
Buy Now(via Ohio Power Tools)
Buy Now(via Tool Nut)
Compare(Dewalt Adapter via Amazon)
Discussion
Basically, this Milwaukee Shockwave right angle bit adapter lets you reach into tight or awkward spaces using your regular impact driver or drill/driver.
Advertisement
Adapters like this one are well-suited for infrequent or even occasional use, but very frequent users might benefit from picking up a right angle drill or driver instead.
Reviews on some other products (such as Milescraft’s and also Rockwell’s) complain about gears stripping out with use, and sometimes quite fast. Milwaukee’s new adapter is presumably (or at least hopefully) a lot stronger and capable of handling the higher power and torque that modern cordless drills and impact drivers can deliver. So, while it’s not a new concept, I have some optimistic faith that Milwaukee designed it to be robust than most other currently available solutions.
If you give the new adapter a try, please let us know how well it works out for you!
Scott K
I’ve had the dewalt version on my amazon wishlist for a few years. I just haven’t needed it enough to pull the trigger. Nice to see another option- pricing seems to be the same. DeWalt’s always hovers around $20
Steve
I picked the Dewalt up for $15 when my local HD was clearing them out.
Aaron
Haha I picked that DeWalt up on the same sale I think.
Nate
Home depot and lowes sell different versions of dewalts right angle adapter……I blew out the lowes version fairly quick.
Alex
If it didn’t spin around all the time or if I had three hands, it would work great!
Daniel
Would love to see a lighter weight version of the quick-release version with the adjustable handle that retails around 50-60 bucks.
I don’t trust my step bits with the magnetic retention system. Would be nice to not have that boat anchor in my tool backpack anymore.
Brian M
Looks more like the Milescraft impact rated Drive90Plus right-angle adapter than Dewalt. The one(Milescraft) you listed isn’t impact rated and is complete garbage, mine broke using a bit holding screwdriver.
https://www.amazon.com/Milescraft-1303-Drive90PLUS-Impact-Attachment/dp/B01HZWTLUK
Stuart
Thanks, I didn’t know they came out with a new one!
Brian M
You’re welcome, the one90Plus is MUCH better. Very simple design, three bevel gears and a long 1/4″ hex shaft and grease.
Hans
I doubt very much that it is possible to loosen a well tightened or rusty Phillips screw with this angle bit adapter. The bit will cam-out, but for Allen, Torx or Robertson screws it will work as intended.
MichaelHammer
With the DeWalt version cam-out is certainly an issue, but that is the case with any right angle device. The reason for using it is for tight spaces and in a tight space one cannot get sufficient force over the fastener. They’re frustrating to use, no doubt, but still necessary to have.
I’m still not buying into the “impact rated” nonsense. When impacts first came out there was no such thing as impact rated anything. It took years for that sort of thing to hit the market and in those years I had no issues. I still have no issues with the standard, quality bits. It seems as though they’re trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. What’s the experience of you all readers? Do you really see a difference?
Hans
On well and correctly designed machinery and equipment all fasteners shall be accessible with standard hand tools. If screws are unavoidable in hard to reach areas countersunk Phillips screws MUST be avoided. Unfortunately this is seldom the case due to inexperienced designers.
Hexagon head, Allen or Torx screws are much preferable.
Rob
I think this all started with sockets. The ones with the black oxide finish were heat treated to a lower hardness to make them softer but more resistant to shatter vs the chrome sockets we’d use on a manual ratchet.
I think the impact-rated black oxide sockets were also historically made of more expensive cr-mo while that shiny chrome set of craftsman sockets was less expensive cr-v.
There was absolutely no reason we couldn’t be using the black sockets for every day use, but…. Shiny! So we got used to having two complete sets of sockets.
Why not use that as a basis to sell us multiple sets of all bits, impact vs everyday use? We’re used to it in sockets.
The thing is, with modern material science, we should be demanding bits that are both hard and tough. No reason they couldn’t be used in both an impact driver as well as a manual bit handle.
I’ve had all kinds and brands of bits fail due to breakage (low toughness) and fail to round over (low hardness). I admit though, am a little interested in those milwaukee matrix carbide bits to see if their marketing holds up to reality.
fred
It used to be that impact sockets all seemed to be very thick walled and often could not fit into tight spaces. But now they (folks like Sunex, Grey Pneumatic and others) seem to make “impact” sockets in all sorts of configurations including “thin walled” , universal joint and magnetic:
https://www.amazon.com/Grey-Pneumatic-GRE9712UMG-Magnetic-Universal/dp/B01N7JKWW6
https://www.amazon.com/Grey-Pneumatic-2146DT-Extra-Thin-Socket/dp/B002YKK6QW/
Jon Strong
Another consideration beyond “shiny” is that the good quality chrome finishes tend to be more corrosion resistant over time than the black / less hardened Cr-V and Cr-M impact rated sockets with equal levels of effort devoted to maintenance. But chrome is hard and brittle, so it’s a no-go for impact sockets. In the end, though, it *does* seem a bit ludicrous that I have a giant set of chrome sockets, and another 80 impact sockets mostly covering the same sizes. 🙁
Bruce
Most hand sockets tend to be much thinner wall than impact rated sockets. If I could get impact rated sockets into all the nooks and crannies on my truck, I wouldn’t have a chrome set around. Of course I’m also not afraid of destroying a chrome socket with my impact if it gets the job done today…. 🙂
A W
Milwaukee already has a smaller version, rated to 100 in lbs.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-1-4-in-Hex-Offset-Drive-Adapter-48-32-2100/100097677
It’s fantastic for those projects where you really need to be able to reach in and get tight to a corner.
Hans
This Milwaukee rirght angle bit driver is using 1/4″ bits, a Phillips bit is provided . There are smaller bit drivers for use in difficult to access areas like the Anex low profile bit ratchet . The Anex is a fantastic little tool. Anex is now owned by Snap-on.
fred
I took a look at Anex’s web page – part of Kaneko Mfg. Corp. – and could not find a anything about a Snapon takeover.
fred
I guess it is still possible that Snapon had acquired Anex. The last acquisition that I head about was their buying Power Hawk in the Spring of this year.
Maybe – the purchase of a small Japanese tool company is too trivial to make the news – or to be listed as one of the family of brands.
But its also possible that Anex – Kaneka is just the OEM that SnapOn contracted with for some tools.
Hans
Fred,
I may be wrong. I just checked Anex in ToolGuyd’s section Brands. There was a post from 2014 about Snap-on/Anex ultra low profile screw drivers. I took for granted that S-O had aquired Anex. Maybe they just bought in and rebranded the Anex drivers. Anyway, the Anex bit ratchet drivers are very good tools. Also their small ultra low profile screw drivers could be used in lieu of the Milwaukee angle driver.
Brian M
I’m fairly sure that is the correct answer, they rebrand it. It’s not unheard of, there are several items Snap-on rebrands.
The What?
I remember when Milwaukee first tried to make one of these. It was an awful POS to say the least. It was not only heavy due to all metal construction but the functionality of it was atrocious. It had this thumb tab collar thing that didn’t help when trying to keep it still & the angle was offset to something like 75 degrees which made it awkward to use. But I remember specifically that the gears started to chip the day I bought it and it was toast in less than a week. Dewalt came out with theirs a little while before or after that which I still use to this day along with the other one I bought with the magnetic retention. I’ve never had any problems with the gears stripping on the Dewalt and I’ve been using them for years doing both automotive repairs (extremely handy) and construction tasks ranging from heavy to light duty work. In fact the hex drive shaft came out of it due to excessive use which resulted in the metal getting so hot that it melted the plastic housing that held it in place but the gears never chipped. I’ve since repaired it and it still works perfectly. So I can attest that these (the Dewalt adapter) are capable of doing several of the same tasks that a 90 degree drill can do. However I’m skeptical about the quality of this Milwaukee adapter due to the experience of the one I bought years ago.
JoeM
I have the DeWALT version of this… Embarrassed to say this, but the Facebook team ran a contest that was never claimed, so since I was so active there at the time, they just messaged me and said “Want a prize pack?” and I’ve had the thing ever since.
I DO use it. And the Milescraft one, as well as a probably-Chinese short one from Lee Valley. I also have a few flex shafts from the same sources. My point here being, some are Drill/Driver ready, and others are Impact ready. The Milescraft and the Chinese one from Lee Valley, those are most definitely NOT Impact Ready. They don’t claim to be, they don’t need to be, and frankly? I prefer it that way. Having a set dedicated to the Impact Driver side of this kind of thing is very handy, and frankly… I only find right-angles to be handy when the place you’re working on the fastener just fights your hands from fitting in to reach the fastener.
Flat Heads cam out. You can’t fight that. I wish with all I can manage, that they would discontinue making flat heads, but that will likely never come true. So we just gotta deal with it. I prefer pretty much any fastener that ISN’T a flat head. and I would never use an Impact Driver on a Flat Head anyways… so there’s no point in using an Impact Rated angle adaptor to do so. Probably the best part of these impact rated ones, is that you can still hand-turn them with ease. You can hold them to the fastener, turn them with your hand until it locks in, then hit it with your Impact Driver, and it’s done. You can still use these in rapid succession, but if a fastener is being stubborn, it’s good these can still be used by hand to get it right.
My DeWALT one refuses to quit when I need it, so I don’t think I’ll NEED the Milwaukee one.. but I’m kinda glad they’re at least releasing one. Milescraft does some nicely designed items that I wish the tool companies made themselves, but I’m under no delusion that Milescraft makes anything of real quality. They’re able to make things cheap enough to see if you need one, but buy a better one later if it turns out the thing breaks too easy (and it will) and you really need to step up. Only difference I’ve found so far is the Milescraft Straight Edge Guide for Saws. If there’s a slot for an edge guide, theirs WILL fit. Comes with multiple different sized guides to do so, and it does the job nicely. Just… You still have to buy the edge guide from your own manufacturer to get the tightening screw for it.
Good to see Milwaukee taking the time to try and get this right… err… CORRECT… I really didn’t want to end that with a pun.
fred
Flat head screws do have their uses in things like reproduction furniture. If you are making a piece made in say colonial style – you would not want to couple reproduction brasses with Robertson head screws (invented in 1908) or Phillips head screws invented even later. The same might be true for using wire nails versus cut nails – or using metal fasteners at all versus using pegs and other wood to wood joinery if you were reproducing Elizabethan furniture.
JoeM
Oh, I TOTALLY agree with period-correct fasteners. If you’re going to do something, do it RIGHT. And I’m aware the first “Screws” were always made with a slot, because that was the easiest to forge into them. But for modern day stuff? Even for sockets and electrical covers, the flat heads bug me. No matter how straight you keep the driver, they cam out. I also would never trust an impact driver on Flat Head Screws… that cam out problem borders on dangerous if it’s at high enough torque.
If I wanted to replicate old techniques, I would use the old tools as well. Dovetail Joinery is something I haven’t mastered yet, but I’ve had extremely little use for it, so I haven’t really tried much. I absolutely love the old-school trades, like Blacksmithing, Glass Blowing, and honest-to-goodness woodworking. Like in Sea Chests, and Boat Building (Though, I have an inner-ear issue, so I don’t go on water-born vessels of any sort. I could build them, just never ask me to set foot on one. When I step OFF again, I will be pinned to the ground, unable to walk from Vertigo.) and it probably shocks no one that I am a fan of Knife Making by hand.
And y’know what? As a kid I was really into the Transformers, and had a thing for Devastator… so I’ve had this secret desire to learn the operations of heavy machinery for fun. I get migraines from sunlight, and my PTSD limits how long I can handle groups of people greater than 5 in number… so I could never do it as a career, but I genuinely would love to try it. I guess I have both Modern AND Old-Fashioned building interests.
I have always wondered if there are schools that teach RECREATIONAL Trade Crafts, like Welding, Dovetail Construction, and all that stuff. Where they don’t make getting a job in the field a requirement, or joining a union an end point. I don’t mind Unions, but I don’t plan on making a career out of these things. I just want to be able to build something myself, if given the chance.
Oh well. Just me musing about my life again. But I really respect you, fred. I can’t help but bring this up when we’re talking to eachother. You have some of the greatest advice on these things. Plus you often inspire others to share THEIR advice, and that is always helpful to me.