Impact driver vs. Drill driver

[Larry Browning]

I recently picked the Makita LCT 18v drill/Impact driver kit. I have never owned an impact driver before, but have heard good things about them. I really like the set, but was quite surprised that the impact driver did not have a clutch and the "variable speed" control trigger was very hard to control (difficult to get it to go slow) I was pretty unimpressed while using it to do woodworking. It is hard to set a 1 1/4 screw without driving it too deep. However I have gotten better with it, but still....
Anyway, I recently had an "opportunity" to help a friend put up a wall and used the impact driver to drive 3" screws into 2x4s and man o man! was I ever impressed with that thing. My friend was using his drill to do the same thing and I was driving them almost effortlessly while he struggled with every screw. After that experence, I am thinking the an impact driver is really more of a construction type tool meant for hard to drive screws, while a drill driver is more suitable for light fiance type work.
What's your take on this? Or am I just missing something on how to use an impact driver?

[David Duke]

Larry, I tend to agree with you on the use of the impact. It is possible to drive/set shorter screws but takes some getting use to but it excels at driving longer/larger screws. I haven't used my for this purpose yet but would suspect that it would work very well in hanging drywall using one of the "dimpler" drivers, come to think of it using one of these drivers may be one option in driving shorter screws but I use square drive screws almost all the time and haven't seen the "dimpler" drivers for these.

[Prashun Patel]

I totally agree with yr assessment. I drivers have too much torque for finesse work. They excel at driving long screws into hard things. There's also some theory about them being less prone to split because of the impact action. That would elim the need for predrilling on stuff like walls or decks.

I never understood why that'd be true, though.

The only time I like the idriver for delicate work is for tight areas where a regular driver can't get into.

[Jeff Duncan]

That's the reason why you need both, otherwise you could get by with just having either one. Though I do know of 1 woodworker who uses the impact on everything, then again most of his practices leave something to be desired:rolleyes:
good luck,
JeffD

[michael osadchuk]

I have the makita 18v/1.5am btd142 impact driver (in a combo pack w/ the bdf542 driver drill).......
..... my experience with the impact driver is similar to others here and follows what a toolsofthetrade.net review of 18v. impact drivers said: there is a learning curve in dealing with the high torque they produce, with the different practice being that you feather or pulse the trigger to not shear off the top of the screw (if driven into really hard wood) and toward the end of the fastening so as not to bury the top of the screw... that same review said that there are some impact drivers with 2 or even 3 speed level controlled by switch so that you can lower the torque (and learning curve) but the trade off here is fiddle around with speed control buttons and the toolsofthetrade review stated that all of their tradespeople testers preferred feathering over fiddling with speed switches....



good luck

michael

[Michael O'Sullivan]

here's a dumb question -- is there a difference between an impact driver and a hammer drill?

[Ryan Baker]

here's a dumb question -- is there a difference between an impact driver and a hammer drill?

An impact driver is a rotary hammering motion. A hammer drill is a reciprocal (in-line with the bit) hammering motion while spinning. It's a very different thing.

[Mike OMelia]

Larry, can you not turn the impact feature on and off? I too am looking at a cordless upgrade, and I want the impact feature.

Mike

[Steve Clardy]

I haven't seen a need for a impact drill in my shop.

[Don Morris]

Steve,

Where in your shop do you use a drill/driver?

[Larry Browning]

Larry, can you not turn the impact feature on and off? I too am looking at a cordless upgrade, and I want the impact feature.

Mike
not that I am aware of. The only switch/adjustment I can find is the fwd/rev switch. (and the trigger of course)

[Larry Browning]

Where in your shop do you use a drill/driver?

I usually am at the workbench or assembly table. How about you?

[Bob Aquino]

I use the impact driver exclusively for driving screws now. I don't know about the Makita version, but my Bosch's trigger allows me to vary the speed quite nicely from just a few rpm to max. I can just touch the trigger lightly and the screws go down without a problem, even if they are smaller than say a standard deck screw. Where the impactor shines is in driving things like deck screws where it sinks them pretty effortlessly. It also works nicely with lag screws where it takes a bit of torque to flush them up.

[Matt Day]

I've had the same set now for over 2 years and love it! I got a spare battery with my kit and bought the light for like $15 on sale - which lasts forever on a single charge.

Anyway, I agree with most of what you said but I have no trouble varying the speed of the impact driver. Even so, I don't use it for furniture assembly or fine work because it can get away from you - a little too much and it'll strip the wood and you'll loose all the grab in the screw, or it will break the head off.

For fine work I use the drill/driver so I can set the speed exactly and use the clutch.

The impact driver is hands down the winner when it comes to general handyman/contruction type work. I use it quite a bit (no pun intended) with my socket set to for all types of stuff - car work, bike work, house stuff, etc.

[Ed Labadie]

The usefullness of the impact driver in a woodshop depends on the size of the tool.
I use my little 12v Bosch quite a bit in the shop. Wouldn't be without it! My dad has an 18v Milwaukee impact, works great for taking the lugnuts off a car or breaking 1/4 bolts, no so good for pocket screws.

Ed

[Prashun Patel]

here's a dumb question -- is there a difference between an impact driver and a hammer drill?

To add...

An impact driver is designed for driving screws. It twists the bit and when it encounters resistance, it hammers rotationally to overcome that resistance. When driving, you'll notice they start out sounding like normal drills on high speed. Then 1/2 way through, they start sounding like a mini-jackhammer. Because there's a lot of force when it hammers, you gotta use quality screws and quality driver bits, else y'll be ripping occasional heads off.

A hammer drill is usually corded, and primarily used for boring through concrete. It's designed to use with a drill bit - not a driver bit. If you tried to use a driver bit, you'd have a hard time keeping it in the screw bkz the jackhammer action is in-out, not rotational, which helps get thru concrete quickly vis-a-vis a regular twist drill.

[Russ Kay]

I've got the Makita 18v impact driver and the 18v drill. I find it handy to have them both at hand, the former set up for driving screws and the latter for drilling. But if I need something quick, I reach for the impact driver almost all the time. And most of the rest I use a little 3.6v LiIon Black and Decker screwdriver for the simplest screwing chores. Result: I hardly ever use the drill, but I need it at hand for when I don't have a hex-shank bit (lots of drill sizes, including my forstners).

[Jim Rimmer]

not that I am aware of. The only switch/adjustment I can find is the fwd/rev switch. (and the trigger of course)
Don't know about your drill but I bought a Ryobi 18V Impact driver a couple of yeara ago and it has a twist control behind the chuck that converts to a regular drill if you don't need the impact feature.

[Larry Browning]

Don't know about your drill but I bought a Ryobi 18V Impact driver a couple of yeara ago and it has a twist control behind the chuck that converts to a regular drill if you don't need the impact feature.
I am pretty sure the Makita ID does not have that feature.(at least I can't find it) But it does have a built in led light that come in real handy for my eyes. I really thought this was just a marketing gimmick at first, but it has turned into one of my favorite features of both the drill and the ID.

[Larry Browning]

Does anybody know why these impact drivers do not have a clutch? Seems to me it would be a nice feature.

[Prashun Patel]

Because a clutch is designed to STOP the bit when resistance is encountered.

The I driver is designed to HAMMER the bit when resistance is encountered.

I think the concepts are in conflict.

I do wish they made a lowspeed I Driver, though. But most are designed for brute force and speed, so highspeed seems more inline with what the user'd typically require.

[Steve Clardy]

Steve,

Where in your shop do you use a drill/driver?



Making, assembling cabinets

[rick carpenter]

Larry, I tend to agree with you on the use of the impact. It is possible to drive/set shorter screws but takes some getting use to but it excels at driving longer/larger screws. I haven't used my for this purpose yet but would suspect that it would work very well in hanging drywall using one of the "dimpler" drivers, come to think of it using one of these drivers may be one option in driving shorter screws but I use square drive screws almost all the time and haven't seen the "dimpler" drivers for these.

I have a Senco unit for drywall. It uses collated screws, depth control, very easy. The only downside is you have to apply pressure exactly inline with the screw: in inexperienced hands or up too deeply in a corner the bit can disengage and then dull and burn very quickly. That's a horrible sound to hear when someone is borrowing/using this tool, because usually the tendency is to press harder thus burning the bit even faster. Been there, done that, bought new bits. Used correctly, it's a dream.

[Larry Browning]

Because a clutch is designed to STOP the bit when resistance is encountered.

The I driver is designed to HAMMER the bit when resistance is encountered.

I think the concepts are in conflict.


These don't seem to be in conflict to me. It would make since to me that there could be 2 adjustable resistance levels. One could vary the resistance of the hammer action(impact) (maybe this would just be on/off) and another could vary the stop action(clutch). As it is there is no adjustment for either action.

[Chris Tsutsui]

I've developed my own take after using a Makita drill/driver and an impact driver that uses the same Li-ion battery.

If I'm putting screws into furniture that go in easy, I will grab the drill/driver 90% of the time. The reason is it's so much quieter to use, especially inside of cabinets or kitchens. It works great for screws that don't require much torque such as short pre-drilled screws, or screws into soft woods. The problem I've found is that when a drill/driver struggles to get screws in, the battery drains like crazy.

An impact driver uses small hammer impacts in a rotating direction to help drive a difficult screw in, without using as much battery power. The downside is it's loud if you're working some place where noise can be an issue. But if you've got to drive a 2" screw and need some good torque, well the impacts really get that screw in there pretty fast.

[James Carmichael]

I absolutely love my little DW 12v impact driver, it's the one cordless I could not live without, but they are a little on the brutish side for fine woodworking.

Impact drivers are awesome for driving heavy lag or cabinet screws, or, with a socket adapter, securing nut/bolt combos fast & tight. They also give way more torque than a drill-driver in a much lighter tool that won't twist your wrist. A 10.8v impact driver gives almost 2x the torque of the best 18v drill-drivers.

A 14.4 combo (drill-driver/impact driver) would be about the perfect compromise, IMO.