How Does Hyper Tough's Hydraulic Impact Fare Against Milwaukee? This Test Has The Answer

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TTI-owned Milwaukee has a reputation for making high-quality power tools, but that quality comes at a cost — literally. The brand's tools don't come cheap, and can set you back hundreds of dollars. A great example is the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Surge Impact Driver, which currently retails for $199 on its own. 

Thankfully, there are many cheaper alternatives to the big names. One of these is Walmart's Hyper Tough brand, which sells the $65 Hyper Tough 20V Brushless Hydraulic Impact Driver. Given the price gap, you'd expect the Milwaukee to outclass the Hyper Tough. And, while the Milwaukee does perform better, the cheaper impact driver gave a good account of itself when YouTuber Torque Test Channel put the Hyper Tough up against two generations of Milwaukee's hydraulic impact driver.

In a 5-second working torque test, the second-gen Milwaukee made 53 lb-ft of torque compared to the Hyper Tough's 35 lb-ft — which, it's worth noting, compares favorably to the first-gen Milwaukee driver's 39 lb-ft. In reverse, the Hyper Tough managed 43 lb-ft, lower than the first and second generations of the Milwaukee, which posted numbers of 71 and 61 lb-ft, respectively. Not as good as the pricey Milwaukee, but still decent numbers, especially considering the price.

So the Hyper Tough can't quite compete with the Milwaukee in normal torque tests; that's not a huge surprise, given the Hyper Tough's price and the fact that Milwaukee is among the best impact driver brands currently on the market. However, Torque Test Channel also performed other tests, including a 10-second maximum-torque run, some of which were more favorable for the cheap upstart.

In the maximum-torque test, the Hyper Tough impact driver's 55 lb-ft of torque was better than the first-gen Milwaukee Surge's 49 lb-ft and came reasonably close to the newer Milwaukee Surge's 67 lb-ft. Walmart's Hyper Tough impact driver's best performance likely came in the channel's nut driving test, which it completed in 13.9 seconds. The cheap tool was only 0.9 seconds behind the second-gen Milwaukee Surge and significantly faster than the 20.7 seconds that the first version took.

Overall, then, the Hyper Tough cordless impact driver seems like a decent enough product, trailing in some tests but almost equaling the Milwaukee in others. While Torque Test Channel did note some build-quality concerns, such as a somewhat wobbly collet, the Hyper Tough driver has all the makings of another great budget-friendly tool worth buying from Walmart.

Despite being a very cheap tool, Walmart backs the Hyper Tough hydraulic impact driver with a decent 2-year limited warranty. It also comes as a kit, with a single 2.0Ah battery and a charger, so you're ready to go out of the box. Milwaukee, for its part, offers a 5-year warranty for its M18 Surge impact driver, which is a welcome increase to go along with the higher price. On the flip side, the $199 we mentioned is only for the tool, without battery or charger. You do get some extras, sure, but they're just a ¼-inch hex driver and a belt clip.

In reality, then, if you're not already invested in Milwaukee's M18 tool system, the price difference between the two products is even larger than the $130 or so that the basic numbers suggest. The Milwaukee M18 Fuel Surge impact driver kit, for example, which includes two 5.0Ah batteries and a charger, costs $349. 

Now, while you are getting a better product with the Milwaukee, the test doesn't necessarily indicate that it's $285 better. Thus, we wouldn't fault anyone for going for the Hyper Tough impact driver and saving a decent chunk of change.