Impact driver; what is the point??

[Susumu Mori]

Hi all,

I would appreciate you thought about impact drivers.
I've never owned one before, but heard so many good things about it.

I had an old DeWalt 14.4V driver/drill and when I bought a Milwaukee 12V driver, I was totally impressed. Light, strong, good clutch, nice control, oh, and even a small light! So, the heavy, unwieldy DeWalt happily retired.
For long time, I had my eye on the Milwaukee 12V impact driver, but didn't feel the necessity.

I have seen some demonstrations how easily an impact driver can drive big screws to frames, but my works are mostly furniture and I use only tiny screws.
But then, I decided to put some stud frames on the walls of my basement shop. So, I thought it is a good time to try an impact driver.

Well, I was completely puzzled, because this thing, just keep making incredibly loud noises forever while the screws are going so slow. This was for 2-inch screws, but it had hard time screwing even 1-inch screws; it gives good several seconds of loud impacts to drive them.

If I switch to my regular 12V driver, it has no problem driving them quietly and smoothly. So, I have no idea why I have to endure the sound while a regular driver can quietly get the job done and for demanding tasks, it just keeps hammering forever....

I'm also puzzled that the impact driver doesn't have any controls or adjustment mechanism for the impact action.

Maybe I'm missing something??

[Mike Henderson]

I have the 12V DeWalt impact driver and really like it. An impact driver is not like a drill that has a clutch so it takes a bit to get used to. I find that it drives screws faster and I break less with the impact driver than with a drill driver. You can control the impact pressure with the trigger, but if I'm working with a screw that I feel is fragile, such as brass screws, I'll stop before the screw is fully driven and use a screwdriver to finish it.

It's hard to describe in words - you really need to use one for a while. If you were close to me, I'd lend you my DeWalt for a week or so to allow you to get the feel if it.

Otherwise, buy someplace where they'll allow you to return it if you're not satisfied.

Mike

[mreza Salav]

From what you describe it's out of battery. There is no way (simply no way) you can drive a screw in with a drill but the impact driver fails. They are typically 2-3 times the torque of an equal size drill/driver.

[Vince Shriver]

Hi all,

Maybe I'm missing something??

Sounds like you pretty much got it. I have a 14.4v Makita drill motor and impact driver and would hate to loose either. I also have an 18v Dewalt impact wrench (like mechanics use for lug nuts), that has been invaluable in some instances. If you think the tool is a solution to a problem you don't have, or it's going to aggravate you unnecessarily, or it's just going to be collecting dust on a shelf - get rid of it.

[Frank Pratt]

I don't use my impact driver as much as my drill just because I hate the noise. One thing I've noticed with an impact driver is that there is far less tendancy for the bit to cam out when driving tough screws, such as TapCons into concrete.

[Roy Harding]

I have one - but I only use it for construction tasks, and I like it for that. I've just never thought to use it when making furniture, installing hardware and such.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I have a 12 V Milwaukee impact driver and a 12 V Milwaukee drill driver.
Truth be told, I like the drill driver a whole lot better.
I find there's more control than I have with the impact & it drives screws (for lack of a better term) "cleaner"....
by that I mean, ziiiiiiiiiiiiip (sound of clutch) & it's done.
While the impact is - AK AK AK AK AK AK-(stop, check depth) AK AK AK AK AK (stop check depth)AK AK AK AK AK AK AK.

IMHO - the 12V impact is an odd bird. Too little for some things, too much for some things & just right for a few things.

Recently, we had to redo a deck and put down 32 2X6X8's using 2.5" coated deck screws.
The 12 V impact driver about burned itself up doing a dozen of the boards.
My wife was using it while I used a regular old DeWalt 18V drill driver (NiCad).
I had to have her rest the impact while I finished up most with the 18V.

I'm doing some pocket screw face frames the next few days. I'll see how it does with them.
So far, I've been happy with the 12 V drill driver doing the pocket screws. I hate to switch when somethings working...

Anyhow - maybe a bigger impact driver would be better. The 12 V leaves me mostly cold too.

[Martin Wasner]

I bet it's been ten years since I last drove a fastener with a drill. Too little control, too inefficient with the batteries, too long of a tool for many places.

[Susumu Mori]

Thank you all and thanks Mike for the kind offer. Unfortunately, we are living in the other size of US :)

I guess my experience is closest to Rich's (even exactly the same driver).
I also do noticed that, with the impact driver, the bit tends to stay better than the regular driver, as Roy said. It is certainly a plus, but I think I want far more power, control, ease, or something that would compensate the loud noise, which I just can't see from this 12V. I feel the hammer starts to engage far too soon (engage even in a situation where a 12V driver can sail through) and the hammer action is too weak. Maybe there is only so much we can expect from this tiny impact driver. BTW, I checked that the battery was full.

[George Bokros]

I'm doing some pocket screw face frames the next few days. I'll see how it does with them.
.

My advice is do not use the impact for pocket hole screws. You will easily over drive them and split the face frames

[Kyle Iwamoto]

My advice is do not use the impact for pocket hole screws. You will easily over drive them and split the face frames

+1 to that......

My $0.02 on impact driver is if you want to drive a lot of long screws it's awesome. Small screws and short ones, as mentioned, no clutch etc. not a good choice. Yep they make a lot of noise, and no control. But if you drive a lot of screws, they're much faster and I think you can drive more screws faster than a regular drill driver on a charge. No eveidence or testing, but it seems that way. Oh, you can drive lag bolts with it.

[Charles Robertson]

Some people consider me a pro. Up for debate. You need a drill first. If you use it enough you will love a driver. Most times I predrill, then drive. For cabinet work small driver. Metal roofs, large driver-no predrill. Use of both is mainly common sense. Let the tools work, point them in the right direction. I love my drivers and with the new bits (driver acceptable) my drills get a much needed rest. Predrill deck boards and large lumber. Both unit's batteries will last much longer. Works for me, hope it helps. CAR-Red Whale Woodworks

[glenn bradley]

I won one for a tip to a WWing mag. I very seldom drive screws somewhere that an impact is usable so a lucky member on a forum got it gifted to him when his grew legs. They are great for those places where one drives screws without pilot holes; fences, framing, for anything slam-bang they're great. I just don't do enough of that to spare the room and I hate to see a good tool set in a drawer and rot. Win-win ;-)

[Von Bickley]

I love an impact driver. It is the one tool in my shop, that if it tears up to-day, I will replace it tomorrow.

[Chris Parks]

I don't use my impact driver as much as my drill just because I hate the noise. One thing I've noticed with an impact driver is that there is far less tendancy for the bit to cam out when driving tough screws, such as TapCons into concrete.

At least one other person dislikes the noise and the necessity to wear ear protection just to drive a screw. Any drill/driver will snap most screws that we use in woodworking but if doing construction or landscaping work it is another ball game. I have just finished building a very large deck and all the heavy fastening was done by air impact tools, mostly 1/2 inch drive with no pre-drilling, fast and appropriate for the job. I hate impact guns in a workshop with a passion and yes I do have one for confined space work where a big drill driver won't fit.

[Jack Lemley]

I use a Festool Ti15 and a Makita 18v impact. Both are variable speed and impact strength. I have used an impact almost exclusively when driving screws even pocket hole screws. The main reason I use an impact is near zero cam out in phillips and square drive screws. I use my Festool CXS when driving drawer slide screws and other small screws as the torque needed is light and cam out is rarely ever a problem with the small screws. I have used an impact to drive brass phillips screws 2 inches long and #10 screw with no cam out. I have been wood working as a hobby for 30 or so years. I will be 60 next month and appreciate impact drivers even more now than before because they require a lot less strength of operate.

Jack


My advice is do not use the impact for pocket hole screws. You will easily over drive them and split the face frames

[Brian Jarnell]

To be without an Impact driver is unthinkable.

No less than 18v though, whats the point of under powering?

[Chris Parks]

To be without an Impact driver is unthinkable.

No less than 18v though, whats the point of under powering?

Brian, do you use that on everything?

[Brian Jarnell]

Brian, do you use that on everything?
I do indeed Chris.

When making cupboards say, made of customwood I pre drill with normal electric drill, this stops splitting.

[Chris Parks]

Why use a noisy impact driver when a quite drill/driver will snap an 8 gauge screw with very little effort if not pre drilled and has not got clutch control as well. I must be missing something others see in impact drivers. Fair enough if the drill/driver hasn't got the power to drive the fastener, I get that but not driving the fasteners that we ordinarily use in fine woodworking. There is also a health issue with tools that vibrate, very few of us would use them that much but it does need to be noted for those that do. The tools cause a loss of sensation in the hands and it is permanent, I have never seen it but have heard of it.

[Curt Harms]

I have 3 Bosch cordless tools. 12 v. impact driver, 18 v. drill & 18 v. impact driver. The big advantage of the 12 v. impact driver IME is far less cam out. The 12 v. impact driver doesn't cut it for deck screws and the like. The 18 v. will drive 2 1/2" deck screw in the blink of an eye. I could not use the 18 v. for finer work though, it's too aggressive.

[Larry Frank]

I really like my Makita 18v impact driver. I use it for things that I do not have to worry about over driving and things where I drive long screws. It is great for outside projects with deck screws and a lot of other things.

I actually have a health issue with not using it. I have bad wrists and extensive surgery on one of mine. Driving screws with a drill can result in jerk when it seats the head even with the clutch. With the impact driver, there is no jerk or strong torque when driving the screws. It works for me but the great thing about woodworking is that there is no one way of doing things.

[Kent Adams]

Think of an impact driver as a diesel engine and a drill as a gas aspirated engine. Both are pulling a heavy load and one is naturally louder than the other. When going downhill, both perform the same. However, when going uphill, the diesel, because of its low end torque, moves up the hill with ease whereas the gas powered car struggles from lack of low end torque. If I were framing a deck, I'd never use the drill, because the impact driver is faster and doesn't need a pre-drill to sink through fresh treated timbers. It can do this easier than a drill because of low end torque. A 12v impact driver is really underpowered. I don't know why they are sold frankly.

[Jason Roehl]

18V Bosch impact at home, 18V Dewalt impact at work. I prefer the Bosch because it is lighter (and I think it's a bit more powerful, too, but I've never done a side-by-side comparison) due to having Li-ion batteries vs. the NiCad or NiMH the Dewalt has. I just used the Bosch this weekend after not using it for over a month, and the charge indicator on the battery showed full charge. Anyway, both will spin quietly and quickly at lower torque needs, and I don't have problems using them on smaller screws. You have to watch the fastener as it's going in, and have some trigger control--don't just bury the trigger with a death grip. For larger screws/lags, though, you can squeeze that trigger hard and ram that fastener in.

[lowell holmes]

I have one, , , I think.

I had forgotten about it. I have used it to drill holes in concrete, not much else.

[Jason Roehl]

I have one, , , I think.

I had forgotten about it. I have used it to drill holes in concrete, not much else.

That's probably a hammer drill. Impact drivers are a different animal and aren't really made for drilling, since most only have a 1/4" ball-detent hex chuck--part of what gives them their shorter length.

Impact drivers use a rotational impact, similar to a pneumatic impact wrench. Hammer drills (or rotary hammers) use more of an axial impact (though it may have a rotary impact component also) for chipping away at concrete as it's being drilled.

[Chris Parks]

Quality drivers do not cam out and well set clutches don't bother wrists or arms. I think impact drivers are/were a marketing exercise to sell tools when they ran out of ideas and obviously I never got the memo on why they are such a good thing.

[Kent Adams]

Quality drivers do not cam out and well set clutches don't bother wrists or arms. I think impact drivers are/were a marketing exercise to sell tools when they ran out of ideas and obviously I never got the memo on why they are such a good thing.

Any tool with a high torque value will break your wrist if you are not careful. Impact drivers use low end torque and if you have never used one that was 18v or higher, you may think as you do. However, I've nearly broken my wrist from using an impact driver. They are NOT a marketing exercise. http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/tools/reviews/a3119/cordless-drill-driver-vs-impact-driver-which-do-you-need-14583956/

Cam out has more to do with the screw material/design than it does the tool. I'm not aware of any hand held driver/impactor that doesn't experience cam out. Perhaps you know of a few which I'd be thankful if you shared with the forum.

[Jim Dwight]

I have a bunch of Ryobi 18V tools including an impact driver. I used it today. I am finishing up a nasty, messy, job, tearing out a woodstove chimney we didn't want in our kitchen. I needed to fasten some support for the subfloor at the ends of the hole in the floor. I took a drill with me into the crawl space but it was too tall for a few of the screws. So I used the impact. Worked great. Then I needed to fasten the subfloor down from the top. I had to put two layers, 1/2 and 3/4, to match the existing floor. I used the Ryobi brad nailer to tack the 1/2 in place and then the 3/4. Then the impact driver did the real work driving 2.5 inch screws through both layers of subfloor into the floor joists. No pilot hole. No problem. A drill would not have done this.

I usually use the drill for little screws when I want the clutch. But I've used the impact driver, often with the final tightening by hand.

I've used the Ryobi occasionally on car stuff but it isn't powerful enough to do the initial loosening of anything big but it is handy to spin things off and on. For heavier work, I have a HF 1/2 impact wrench that can put out over 200 ft lbs.

They are handy tools. Drill first but impact tool is useful, as is cordless circular saw, reciprocating saw, jig saw, light and brad nailer.

[John Donhowe]

One way that an impact driver is superior is in setting the final depth of a screw. Screwing in deck boards, for example, since a drill/driver turns the screw so quickly- even at the lower speed setting- it's all to easy for me to overshoot, and sink the screw head below the board surface. With an impact driver, turning more slowly and with discrete pulsatile motion, it's a lot easier to fine tune the final setting of the screw so I can drive it even with the board surface, and no further.

[John TenEyck]

I have a 12v Hitachi drill and impact driver and a Milwaukee 18v set. The 12v set is great for furniture related work, although that little impact driver will still drive a 3" screw into construction wood. The difference driving screws is night and day. The drill is hopeless, the driver up to nearly any task related to woodworking. The 18v impact driver will drive 6" Spax structural screws in PT beams without pre drilling. It is a beast.

I resisted getting an impact driver for far too long. I'd never won't to be without one again. If I had to have only 1 it would be the 18v Milwaukee. It's actually shorter than the little Hitachi, yet has 2x the torque.

John

[Eric Schmid]

It boils down to what is the right tool for the job and personal preference. There is no question that an impact driver exceeds the torque of a drill in the same class; just look at the torque specs on a 12V drill/driver (200-350 in lbs) vs. a 12V impact driver (800-1200 in lbs). Whether or not that translates to a good user experience and whether that makes it the right tool for the job are different questions.

I have been using impact drivers for a long time and have driven 10's of thousands of fasteners with them. I install several soft-wood & composite decks a year and each deck can have 1000-4000 screws. There is no question that the impact drivers outperform the drill/drivers in this application. There is near zero cam out, less feedback to the user, the user can apply much less pressure to the fasteners, and the tool is lighter and better balanced. When we do Ipe', however, everything has to be pre-drilled. The screws are being driven into softwood joists and the heads will not seat past the pre-drilled counter bore; they just spin in the softwood when over driven. In this application using an impact driver requires a lot more finesse, so the drill/drivers with their clutches are often used instead; especially in less skilled hands.

One of the biggest benefits of a good impact driver is the reduction in user fatigue, especially in non-ergonomic positions. There are probably more situations where this applies to construction than furniture making. At the end of the day spent in various contortions and positions, the noise is much less of a concern than how the rest of the body feels. Ear protection is easy enough to employ.

I own 12V, 14.4V and 18V drill/driver and impact driver combinations. Each have their place in the shop and on-site. The 14.4V Panasonic are the most versatile I have owned. Both the drill and impact are light, well balanced and powerful. The impact drivers are 3 speed and when combined with the trigger control offer the best combination of power, weight and control. They are still loud, but they have enough power to drive big lags and enough finesse to seat a pocket hole screw in particle board.

[mreza Salav]

Quality drivers do not cam out and well set clutches don't bother wrists or arms. I think impact drivers are/were a marketing exercise to sell tools when they ran out of ideas and obviously I never got the memo on why they are such a good thing.

That's not correct. A typical impact driver has 2-3 times the torque of an equivalent size driver and the amount of twist force it put on your wrist is way less than that of a driver. If you are in doubt, get a 400lb driver and a 1300lb impact and put the driver clutch on max and try to drive a 1/4" long bolt into wood with each. Then report back which one is twisting your arm. The way an impact driver works is very much like ABS system in cars, multiple (and frequent) impacts. It is like putting a wrench and then hammering the end of it vs trying to twist the wrench by hand.

[Brian Jarnell]

All I can say is, I learned about the compact driver here,tried it and it was a lover affair that lingers on.;)

[Gerry Grzadzinski]

Quality drivers do not cam out

With an impact tool, even low quality bits don't suffer cam out, and quality bits will last at least 5x longer.

[Chris Parks]

That's not correct. A typical impact driver has 2-3 times the torque of an equivalent size driver and the amount of twist force it put on your wrist is way less than that of a driver. If you are in doubt, get a 400lb driver and a 1300lb impact and put the driver clutch on max and try to drive a 1/4" long bolt into wood with each. Then report back which one is twisting your arm. The way an impact driver works is very much like ABS system in cars, multiple (and frequent) impacts. It is like putting a wrench and then hammering the end of it vs trying to twist the wrench by hand.

Don't put the clutch on max, put it in the setting to suit what you are driving. Sorry fellas, I haven't drunk the marketing kool aid and I am out of here as I will never be convinced that I need a battery impact driver for small work and I use air tools for big construction stuff.

[Martin Wasner]

I'm shocked anyone wouldn't like using an impact. I put it right up there with the castle machine and cell phone for things my business can't live without.

[J.R. Rutter]

I picked up a 12v Milwaukee drill / impact driver set a couple of years ago. My Impact driver has a clutch to limit torque and I use it for everything from changing carbide inserts on cutterheads to pocket screwing face frames. Not sure that would be a good idea on a model that didn't have the clutch. It doesn't really have enough power for lag screws or tougher nuts/bolts. The big 18v Milwaukee impact gun I use on my cars is a whole different animal - amazingly strong.

[Prashun Patel]

I'm really surprised so many people use impact drivers. I've tried a few times and I just can't get used to it. About the only thing I like them for is if I need to drive in close quarters (the nose tends to be shorter vs my drills) or when drilling deck-length screws and I don't want to pre-drill. Otherwise, that noise is just a non-starter for me.

I could understand if driving with a drill were a problem, but for most things it's just not. Especially, since I'm whipping out the drill for countersinking anyway.

And for ID's it feels like you need special bits. The normal bits I own all tend to fall out of the hex chuck of the ID's I own. At least for the drivers, they can be tightened into the chuck.

[mreza Salav]

I converted to using impact drivers a while back and I'm glad. I use them for many things, including drilling with spade bit (rough drilling) and it's amazing how fast it is. There is another thread going on about this.
For fine furniture making yes drill/driver is what I use but everything else impact driver wins hands down, my M12 Milwaukee is the go-to tool.

[Brian Jarnell]

My last word, I like the lack of effort required on the wrist, yes you have to be careful you don't overdrive, but that is what tradesmen can do.

[Jared Sankovich]

I would give up my table saw, before my impact driver. I use it for driving every single screw I encounter. My drills are only used to drill.

[Keith Westfall]

I've got a 12 volt Dewalt impact that is absolutely my go to tool. Light, compact and great for the shop. Sure it's a little under-powered for big screws, but I do have a Dewalt corded drill that has the jam for what I need.

Easy to control and certainly NOT load when being used. I would never be with out it...


And for ID's it feels like you need special bits.

Not so sure the special, just designed for the driver (plus you can use them in your drill if desired) and they DON'T fall out.

[brian noel]

I have a Milwaukee impact driver and I will never go back to assembling chairs that get screws with a drill. I was constantly breaking heads off screws using a drill during glue ups. True the noise is annoying, but I prefer them.

[Susumu Mori]

Thank you all for so many invaluable information! I really enjoyed all the responses from you.

I can see some consensus that impact drivers are very useful for tough tasks. Many love their big guns and they are often the only tool they rely on when it comes to big tasks.

For small furniture projects, there seems some mixed feeling about it. Of course, I guess nobody uses a 18V impacts for drawer screws. If proper guide holes are pre-drilled, choice of drills could be irrelevant for furniture making. However, occasionally, there are situations when we experience some stiff screws and cam out, where an impact driver could come handy.

As for 12V impacts, there are people who think it is under-powered and not useful (like my experience) while some people like them. If I look as Amazon review of the 12V Milwaukee impact, more than 60% gave 5 stars, but there are users who reported the same problem as mine (the regular 12V driver is stronger!!).

So, I came to one possibility; there are few bad copies in the market. I'm debating if I should test this possibility by asking for a replacement or simply return it. I would be feel very bad if I need to return it, but the loud impact that is weaker than a regular driver sounds almost a joke for me....

[mreza Salav]

When I was doing cabinets in our house I went through over 3000 screws in all the boxes (GRK screws, 2" long) and I used my 12V ID.
I am repeating myself but even that little tool has 850in-lb of torque:
http://www.milwaukeetool.com/power-tools/cordless/2450-22

A typical 18V drill/driver has a maximum in the range of around 500in-lb:
http://www.milwaukeetool.ca/power-tools/cordless/2701-20

so unless there is something wrong, your typical ID shouldn't be underpowered for what you think your drill/driver is capable of doing.
In fact, you should be careful not to over tighten things with ID's as typically they don't have a clutch system.

[glenn bradley]

All I can say is, I learned about the compact driver here,tried it and it was a lover affair that lingers on.;)

I thought this thread would get interesting :). Impacts for fine furniture seems to be as polarizing as the need for a RAS. All good conversation. Keep it coming.


Well, I was completely puzzled, because this thing, just keep making incredibly loud noises forever while the screws are going so slow. This was for 2-inch screws, but it had hard time screwing even 1-inch screws; it gives good several seconds of loud impacts to drive them.

Pretty safe to say that unit is defective. The 12v Bosch I gave away would drive a screw faster than you could get your finger off the trigger.

[Rich Engelhardt]

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/misc/quote_icon.png Originally Posted by Susumu Mori http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/buttons/viewpost-right.png (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=2464218#post2464218)
Well, I was completely puzzled, because this thing, just keep making incredibly loud noises forever while the screws are going so slow. This was for 2-inch screws, but it had hard time screwing even 1-inch screws; it gives good several seconds of loud impacts to drive them.




Pretty safe to say that unit is defective. The 12v Bosch I gave away would drive a screw faster than you could get your finger off the trigger.I dunno,,,,my Milwaukee 12 V does the exact same thing. The screws go in real slow and noisy - a lot of the time.
For reasons known only to the wood gods, sometimes long (3 inch) deck screws go in lightning fast & with a satisfying 'squish" of juice around the screw head!

FWIW - I tried the ID today on some pocket screws. It was - ok, but, I still think I like the 12 V drill/driver w/it's clutch better.

[Brent VanFossen]

I use my Makita 18V impact driver for almost all my screw chores from tiny #4 screws up to removing the 5/16" rusty bolts holding the dull blades on my wood chipper (this weekend's project). It doesn't bang or make any significant noise until the required torque is very high. For normal jobs, it doesn't bang until the end of the drive, if at all; it is as quiet as my drill. When I need the extra umph, it has all I have ever needed. When I need a lot of finesse, I can control it with the pressure I put on the trigger. For very sensitive jobs, I will finish with a screwdriver. I use it in pocket holes to assemble face frames - I don't think I've ever split one.

I use my drill for drilling. I use my impact driver for driving screws and nuts and bolts. I have two of each. I love them both, but for different jobs.

[Michael Stein]

I dunno,,,,my Milwaukee 12 V does the exact same thing. The screws go in real slow and noisy - a lot of the time.
For reasons known only to the wood gods, sometimes long (3 inch) deck screws go in lightning fast & with a satisfying 'squish" of juice around the screw head!

FWIW - I tried the ID today on some pocket screws. It was - ok, but, I still think I like the 12 V drill/driver w/it's clutch better.

This happens to me on occasion. I have found it to be directly related to an almost dead battery. Next time you have a trouble screw, switch the battery and give it a shot.

Personally, I have owned impacts for probably 8 or so years now, first was a craftsman, and they are great. I just got a little 12v Milwaukee impact, pretty nice to around have being so light and relatively small.

[Susumu Mori]

Hi all,

I did some testing and want to share the results with you. I think I got some understanding but not completely yet, though.

I drove 3-inch screws into 2x4 softwood as well as a block of soft maple (contrary to the name, it's rather hard).

1: The little 12v Milwaukee has no problem to sink the screws into the 2x4. Not much resistance to my wrist either. It just goes.

2: The 12v Milwaukee ID drove the screws up to 2/3 of the length and the impact action kicked in. Once it's in this mode, the speed went down because the rotation happened intermittently. Eventually, the screws went in but I have to endure the noise and the slow progression with no reason. So, my lesson here is, if the task can be easily done by a regular driver, I don't see a point to use an ID. In my opinion, the impact action starts to engage way to early and without a control to change the threshold, there is not much I can do about it. One potential issue is, my ID is defective in terms of the threshold to start the impact action, but I can't test this possibility now.

3: To my surprise, the regular drive had no problem to drive the screws into the maple, although I had to set the clutch to the maximum setting ("14"). Then it can drove them up to the head of the screw without problem. The ID start to engage the impact action from the half way and, although slow, I DID confirm that it had much more torque because it didn't hesitate to drive the screw heads deep into the maple. So, it is much more powerful than the regular driver, for sure. As for my wrist, I didn't feel much problem with the regular driver. Yes, I felt more torque and strain to my wrist with the regular driver, but the impact action is not pleasant either.

4: The big difference to my wrist came when I tried to unscrew them. The initial rotation with a fair amount of torque attacked your wrist directly with the regular driver, while the impact action of the ID gives the same amount of strain in all situations, including unscrewing the firmly held screws.

5: One important issue I didn't test is the claim that ID has less cam out. Because all the screws I tested had a square head, cam out was not that of a big issue. If they were Philips, maybe ID shone more.

So, in conclusion, asides from a remote potential that my ID is defective in terms of the threshold for the impact action, I start to see where my ID should live. Yes, I can use it as an almighty driver for all situations, but, as I'm overly sensitive to noise and vibration, I would prefer to use the little 12v driver for most of my furniture making. It's quiet, smooth, and faster. I would reach to the ID only when I expect a tougher situation, although I still don't know exactly what is "tough" unless I start to build a deck or something. One thing for sure is, when I try to unscrew a tough one, I would definitely use the ID.

I will post again after doing some more testing with Philips screws.

[Gerry Grzadzinski]

Of course, I guess nobody uses a 18V impacts for drawer screws.
In our cabinet shop, they are used for just about every screw, including around 10,000 thousand drawer slide screws per year.