It’s time to re-up my wireless tools and I have noticed a set of compact drill and impact driver in almost every line of tools. I can see the benefit of having a drill with a drill bit and a separate driver with a screw bit for some projects, but why do I need an ‘impact’ driver to drive that screw into wood? It would seem like a drill and non-impact driver would be better for that (or just 2 drills).
So why impact with a tool that is made for wood?
I really don’t mind as I can use that with a socket adapter, and partly why I got it, but what is the benefit for a wood tool? It just seems to slow it down a bit and add a complicated process for what should be simple.
They are nice and you can use it drive a screw into wood a lot faster and deeper or into harder wood in one shot instead of taking multiple runs at it or drilling pilot holes. They’re nice to have around, but they’re hardly necessary. Also, they’re kinda loud. If I’m using mine on a project where I’ll be driving dozens of screws into something, I’ll usually throw on some ear protection (but my ears are oddly sensitive to that kind of noise).
Look at it like this. You know when you’re driving a screw into a piece of wood and it goes almost all the way in but the drill just doesn’t have the umph to get it that last quarter inch. The impact driver will get it all the way down and even counter sink it, without breaking a sweat.
They also come in really handy when trying to back off a nut or bolt that’s really tight/stuck/rusted on. Those ones where you need to use a ratchet with an extension/cheater bar. They do a good job of rattling them loose.
Also, since they typically don’t have a standard drill chuck but rather quick connect or square drive (like ratchet), it’s a lot faster to get a bit on and off. Not really a deal breaker one way or the other, but it is nice. But also means, without an adapter, you can only use bits with 1/4" hex.
My Rigid impact driver is by far my favorite tool.
Smaller, lighter, and way more powerful than my drill/driver (same manufacturer, so I can interchange battery packs), easy to switch bits, useful for both woodworking and auto repair.
It’s a wonderful tool.
But - they can’t perform miracles. I tried to sink a long, square-drive stainless screw into an old door (for extra hinge security), and when it slowed down towards the end, I just kept the trigger down, and it snapped the shank of the screw effortlessly.
I love my impact driver. See, power tools aren’t sized well for women’s hands and our musculature is a little different so we have a harder time putting our weight behind the drill so we’re more likely to strip out the heads of screws than most guys, even if we’re experienced. Impact driver takes that musculature factor out of the equation so hey presto, no more stripped out heads. Especially Phillip’s head, those really love to get fucked up while you’re driving them. And pilot holes are a complete pain in the ass when you’re doing something like fence repair with those 3.5" deck screws at weird angles. Impact drivers are the gift of the gods. No, you may not borrow mine.
If you can afford one (they’re not very expensive) there’s no reason not to get an impact driver. Once you experience driving fasteners with an impact over a drill, you won’t go back. Better yet: now you have separate tools for pre-drilling screw holes and driving in the screw. No bit-swapping for large projects.
Getting a cordless impact driver is what convinced me to update all my power tools. It’s amazing. As my stepdaughter put it, it’s almost like the wood is sucking the screw in.
I think one big advantage is that every impact also gives the driver a chance to resettle itself into the drive recess on the screw. It’s way, way easier to drive a big long screw all the way home without caming out of the drive recess, whether square or torx or whatever. Now I can drive a 4" #10 screw all the way with my left hand at arm’s length from the top of a ladder.
Ok thanks. I went with the Ryobi line compact brushless drill/impact driver driver set as I had some older Ryobi tools that are compatible with that battery (the old royal blue tools) that I still use on their old feeble NiCd batteries from perhaps 20 years ago. I wanted the compact line as I do quite of car work and being able to get a driver in a tight space is helpful. I have also run into that space issue with around the house projects, so smaller seems better, and the tool seems to have plenty of power.
I have to say I am impressed with their power, would have liked a bit holder but will glue a magnet to the base. And I’m sure after these glowing comments that I will learn to appreciate the impact driver in around the house projects the near future.
We do a bit of crating/uncrating at my job and the newer impact drivers are like magic. We’ll sometimes have to make a skid for something big using 5/8" plywood and pressure treated 4x4" sections and these little tools are basically a treat to use. Rat-a-tat-tat, it’s done.
Interesting thread. My wife gave me a gift of a dewalt battery powered drill & impact driver a number of years ago. I’ve used both a lot but the drill for screws and the impact for bolts/nuts etc. Never did it occur to me to try the impact on wood screws!
Yes. I am a DIY’er who tried a carpentry project last year and had neverending issues with my cordless drill / screwdriver. Heavy, bulky, stripped the phillips headed screws. Now, if only I had known of the existence of impact drivers before then…
Right? It’s really hard with a standard drill to try to control the speed of the drill so it’s going fast enough to get the screw going but not enough to overwhelm the head and strip it. Impact does the work for you, whoever thought those things up needs to be filthy rich off the idea.
If you’re curious about how impact drivers work, here’s an article with a cool slow motion video of a impact driver working. The driver is cut away so you can see the mechanism. The important part is it’s not just a motor turning the shaft; there’s a “hammer” that repeatedly strikes the rotating part.
You can also check out AvE’s youtube page. He’s taken apart a lot of hammer drills and impact drivers over the years. While comparing the minutia of the molding and circuitry between a DeWalt and Ryobi might not be of interest to a lot of people, once you get down to the business end, you’ll get a really good understanding of how they work.
Also, NSFW warning, as he tends to swear a lot.
Get a drill driver and an impact wrench. I have a set that came together. Put a bit in the drill driver for pilot holes and then drive the screws with the impact wrench. You’ll be done in no time and you won’t drain your battery driving screws with the drill driver. Use a countersink bit in the screwdriver where appropriate.
If I may add a nitpick, impact wrench is generally what one calls the pneumatic version used by car mechanics. An impact driver is the battery-driven one more appropriate for household DIY tasks. They work basically the same way, though.
It’s a valid nitpick. Impact wrenches are generally used on nuts and bolts using hex sockets, not wood screws. The common battery impact driver usually has a 1/4" hex socket to accept common bits instead of 1/2" or larger square socket shaft on impact wrenches. The wrenches may be electric (solenoid or cam), or even manually impacted by a hammer as well, pneumatic is not the only choice.
Though an impact wrench used to be almost always pneumatic and what we used to think of them, an impact wrench has an anvil (typically 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 or 3/4 inch square) that goes into sockets, an impact driver has a hex bit to accept bits. It is now common to mean a/c plug in electric, battery or pneumatic when talking about impact wrenches.
I am really interested in this thread as post-retirement I’ve been doing a lot of restoration work on the house, much of which involves drilling pilot holes for wood screws (think: oak stair treads, decking). I already have Ryobi One+ tools, how do I figure out which one is enough without being absurdly overpowered? I was looking at this one, for example, which seems to be middle of the line - there are cheaper & more expensive ones as well.
It also eliminates the torque on your hand when driving stubborn screws or lag bolts. With a drill, you have to apply torque to prevent the drill from spinning around. A heavy drill that can drive a lag bolt you need to really grip it so it doesn’t twist YOU around.
