A compact, motorized fastening tool, comprising: a housing with a front, rear, top, bottom and sides; a fastener guide track disposed along the bottom of the housing; a striker at the front of the housing including an upper striker position above the track and a lower striker position in front of the track; a motor supported on the housing linked to a gear set (80, 81, 82, 83, 84) within the housing; a torque arm including a lever and a power spring having an applied torque, wherein the torque arm extends between the gear set (80, 81, 82, 83, 84) and the striker, and the torque is applied substantially rearward of the striker through a cantilever toward the striker, and wherein the torque arm is pivoted at a lateral axis near a same vertical position within the housing as the gear set (80, 81, 82, 83, 84) rotation axis and striker, the torque arm biased to apply a downward force to the striker; a front end of the lever and a front end of the power spring are adjacent and behind the striker, the respective front ends are proximate each other, and each of the lever and power spring are elongated to form the torque arm extending rearward from behind the striker, the lever and power spring front end pivot about a support structure of the housing to raise the striker, the support structure positioned entirely in front of the gear set (80, 81, 82, 83, 84) and entirely behind the striker; a final gear of the gear set (80, 81, 82, 83, 84) selectively linked to the torque arm to hold the torque arm in a rest condition against the bias in the torque arm, wherein the power spring stores energy to selectively drive the striker downward to produce an impact blow; and wherein the motor is controlled to stop as the final gear moves the torque arm to be near the rest position. a housing with a front, rear, top, bottom and sides; a fastener guide track disposed along the bottom of the housing; a striker at the front of the housing including an upper striker position above the track and a lower striker position in front of the track; a motor supported on the housing linked to a gear set (80, 81, 82, 83, 84) within the housing; a torque arm including a lever and a power spring having an applied torque, wherein the torque arm extends between the gear set (80, 81, 82, 83, 84) and the striker, and the torque is applied substantially rearward of the striker through a cantilever toward the striker, and wherein the torque arm is pivoted at a lateral axis near a same vertical position within the housing as the gear set (80, 81, 82, 83, 84) rotation axis and striker, the torque arm biased to apply a downward force to the striker; a front end of the lever and a front end of the power spring are adjacent and behind the striker, the respective front ends are proximate each other, and each of the lever and power spring are elongated to form the torque arm extending rearward from behind the striker, the lever and power spring front end pivot about a support structure of the housing to raise the striker, the support structure positioned entirely in front of the gear set (80, 81, 82, 83, 84) and entirely behind the striker; a final gear of the gear set (80, 81, 82, 83, 84) selectively linked to the torque arm to hold the torque arm in a rest condition against the bias in the torque arm, wherein the power spring stores energy to selectively drive the striker downward to produce an impact blow; and wherein the motor is controlled to stop as the final gear moves the torque arm to be near the rest position.