Now THAT's what I'm talkin 'bout! (impact driver)

[Rich Engelhardt]

So...I had the latch on my wooden gate come off. The screws stripped out the threads where it screwed into the metal frame of the gate.
No biggie - I just drilled all the way though it with a 1/4" bit and stuck a stainless steel machine screw all the way through and put a nylon lock nut on.

I snugged it up with my 12 V Milwaukee impact driver.....it seemed nice and tight, but my gut feeling was it could use just a tiny bit more...

Since I had an 18V Makita set coming Fedex from Home Depot, I figured that would be a good test!

When the Makita arrived, I slapped in a fully charged battery and chucked up a Phillips head bit and headed outside to the gate.
BBBBBRRPPPP - then - nothing but the sound of the free spinning driver.
I looked at the bit and it was - - shattered! Not just broken, but, really, really, really shattered :) :) :) (Insert big, big grin here! )

How cool was that! This little bugger really has some oomph to it!

I stuck another Phillips bit in it and head upstairs to the computer room.

I had a door on a cabinet that I made to store stuff on that one of the glue joints has opened up on. I re-glued it and now it was time to screw the hinges back on.
BRRP - itsy bitsy feathered pull of the trigger....oops! Too much, spun the head right off the screw in an instant!

( :) :) :) Insert another big grin!!! ) How cool is that! A new implement of destruction!!!

Ok - so - know that I know what all the hype is about - - impact drivers (18 V and above) are really everything people here said they are!
In all honesty, the 12 V Milwaukee had been less than impressive. I 'd used it on a deck a couple/three years ago & it didn't even come up to my old NiCad powered 18 V DeWalt drill/driver.

But this 18 V Makita.....whoa yeah! :D :D

[Patrick Walsh]

I used to work with a guy that would use a impact driver to instal door hardware. Think flush mount pulls on pocket doors and itty bitty brass screws. Every dam hinge in every dam door in a whole house would have at least one stripped screw not to mention all the screw heads all ruined.

Same guy would then be found using a regular drill to sink 6” timberlocks becuase the impact driver was to far way lol.

In all seriousness the impact driver is one of those tools that invokes the thought “what did we do before these”....

[John K Jordan]

I used to work with a guy that would use a impact driver to instal door hardware. Think flush mount pulls on pocket doors and itty bitty brass screws. Every dam hinge in every dam door in a whole house would have at least one stripped screw not to mention all the screw heads all ruined.
Same guy would then be found using a regular drill to sink 6” timberlocks becuase the impact driver was to far way lol.
In all seriousness the impact driver is one of those tools that invokes the thought “what did we do before these”....

If I use an impact driver on screws on things like door hings and such, I drive until it's almost seated then turn the rest of the way by hand.

But for construction of shop, deck, around the farm, deck screws, big bolts, lag screws - there is no comparison. I first tried one when a friend brought them when we were roofing the barn. I bought one immediately. Then another. Then another - a set with a drill and impact driver makes a fantastic gift.

Rich - if your gonna "get down" on things check into impact rated sockets. I've got them in sizes from tiny to working-on-the-bobcat.

JKJ

[Jim Becker]

Impact drivers may require one to re-think what kind of fasteners are being used when you can rip the "basic" ones apart so easily. While screws were mentioned above, the same applies to bolts. One can easily strip the head off a "soft" bolt with an impact driver in a split second!

[Art Mann]

Many years ago when I was building decks, the invention of the impact driver changed everything. No more ring shank nails - and that is a good thing.

[Eric Sun]

We use 3-speed drivers in our machine shop to tighten fixture clamps. I first used 3-speed impacts about 6 years ago with the Milwaukee Fuel. Now they seem to be more prevalent. Just picked up a dozen Ridgid Gen 5X drivers to replace the aging single-speed drivers. They have a physical selector switch on top of the tool.

The "1" and "2" speeds give you plenty of control as to not strip wood screws. The "3" speed delivers 35 ft lbs at max impact.

[scott lipscomb]

Next, go look at the menu of torx head, structural screws available at your building supply store. Philips is obsolete, now. This whole system is a game changer in a lot of building. I do a lot of complex concrete forming, and the ability to put something together that is very strong, and then easily take it apart (we use the screws over and over), is really great.

[Andrew Seemann]

I have a pair of the 18v Makita impact drivers with the compact batteries, 15 minute charge times. They are the greatest thing since someone figured out how to get beer in the inside of a can. If you are gentle with the trigger, you can usually avoid stripping the fasteners in all but the softest woods.

The power to weight ratio is amazing, especially to those of us who remember the first generations of cordless drills.

[michael langman]

I just received the Bosch P41, 12 Volt impact driver and its's sister 12Volt drill driver for 99.00 delivered. Got 2, 2Ah batteries and a charger also. It's not the newer brushless driver and they must be clearing out old stock.
I had bought the hitachi 12V impact driver, drill kit last summer to drive 2 1/2" deck screws building my new deck. The little 12Volt impact driver did a good job with the deck screws without predrilling, and drove a couple dozen 6" structural screws after predrilling. The impact stopped working for some reason so sent it back for refund and finished the job with my older Makita 12V drill driver in low gear.
The little 12Volt impact driver got quite warm in use.
The bosch 12Volt will be good for working on the cars at times and will help save my body as I get older.

[Wayne Jolly]

I'm not arguing with anyone here, but I have a Hitachi impact driver and my son has the Makita. One day I had the opportunity to use both of them. The biggest difference is that the Makita is really a beast compared to the Hitachi and has quite a bit more power. And that is the very reason that IN GENERAL, I prefer my "little" Hitachi. It took me a while to finesse it so I could drive screws without snapping them off, or driving them in way too far, or stripping them, and even then I still wound up screwing up more than with my Hitachi. But the impact driver has made quite an impact on me. It is definitely my goto tool.

Wayne

[Bernie Kopfer]

I have both a Makita 18v and a Bosch 12v impact driver. One for small jobs and one for real work. Have not used a drill-driver to put in screws for years now. But have learned to only buy square head screws. Torx are great for construction work. Truly impact drivers are a wonderful invention.

[Dan Baginski]

Next, go look at the menu of torx head, structural screws available at your building supply store. Philips is obsolete, now. This whole system is a game changer in a lot of building. I do a lot of complex concrete forming, and the ability to put something together that is very strong, and then easily take it apart (we use the screws over and over), is really great.

Yes, I absolutely despise philips head for general work. Torx head the way. You have way more control too.

[Phillip Mitchell]

I work as a timber frame carpenter and an impact driver is one of my most used tools almost everyday. I've had a 3 speed brushless Makita 18v as my every day carry for many years now. I regularly use it to drive 3/8" diameter GRK structural screws (4'-18" long, T40 head) in Doug Fir, though I have a bigger Milwaukee 1/2" brushless driver specifically for that if I'm doing a bunch at a time. I recently picked up the subcompact 18v makita impact and drill combo. This is the perfect size, weight, and power for use in a woodworking shop. It has enough power to do all but the most power hungry screw driving in most carpentry as well.

I feel sorry for folks that aren't hip to impact drivers and still using drills to drive screws.

Someone mentioned it above, but just go ahead and pretend that Philips head screws don't exist and switch to the various Torx head sizes with an impact. You can get pretty much any size and length in Torx if you want.

[Jim Becker]

Yes, I absolutely despise philips head for general work. Torx head the way. You have way more control too.
I similarly avoid Phillips head unless there's no other option. While I"m "standard" on Robertson/Square drive, Torx/star is just fine by me, too.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Put a 6 or 9 amp hour FlexVolt battery on your 20 volt Dewalt 3 speed, and hang on. Those beasts will drive for days on one battery, and I have never stalled one out. Will easily drive a GRK 3 1/8" framing screw through a 2x if you set it that way. We've quit using all the others, makita, porter, older dewalts, and a ryobi that were around.

[Patrick Kane]

I’m odd man out with 20v dewalt, but driving screws or bolts into softwood is a guilty pleasure of mine. I shot about 800ish 3” deck screws when building a fence last year and I never got tired of seeing the screw disappear in a second or two.

With that said, driving screws into ash or hickory with an impact driver is for sadists. Even with careful pilot holes, I remember snapping tons of fasteners. I really don’t care to work with ash or hickory again in that capacity.

[Chris Parks]

Phillips head were designed to cam out, that is why Pozidrive were invented, the clue is in the name.

[Ole Anderson]

Yep, phillips is the new slotted head. Much better options.

[Ben Rivel]

I’m odd man out with 20v dewalt, but driving screws or bolts into softwood is a guilty pleasure of mine. I shot about 800ish 3” deck screws when building a fence last year and I never got tired of seeing the screw disappear in a second or two.

With that said, driving screws into ash or hickory with an impact driver is for sadists. Even with careful pilot holes, I remember snapping tons of fasteners. I really don’t care to work with ash or hickory again in that capacity.
I can do ya one better there, Im still rockin my 18v LiIon DeWalt impact driver! LOVE that thing. Sinks lag bolts into whatever in no time! Never needed more than it could handle thats for sure!

[Randall J Cox]

I wonder why it took so long to get impact drivers to us woodworkers? I'm 71 and I used an electric impact driver to run in lag bolts into hard rock maple bowling lanes when I was a young teenager around 13 or 14. Thought that gizmo was so cool at the time. Of course none of that stuff was battery powered until recently. Randy

[Dan Baginski]

For big jobs I still have my corded dewalt drill. 8 amps. It’s torquey.

[johnny means]

Phillips head were designed to cam out, that is why Pozidrive were invented, the clue is in the name.

Part of the point to an impact is that it never actually turns far enough to cam out.