Help with impact driver

[Louis Brandt]

Hello,
I’m in the market for a good impact driver. From what I’ve read on this forum, many of you say that an impact driver will drive a screw better than a cordless drill/driver. If so, that’s what I want, and I have a few questions.
First, do most impact drivers have variable torque settings (like cordless drills) or are they limited to a single setting?
Second, has anyone seen the two tool Craftsman 19.2 volt impact driver and cordless drill pair that Sears is selling for $99 which includes batteries and charger? According to the specs on the box, the impact driver has about 980 inch pounds of torque? Is that enough?
Should I go with something like the Makita (which many of you have recommended)?
Louis

[Michael Fross]

In my experience, impacts do not have clutches. However, once I got used to the variable speed trigger, I've not really missed this feature.

Michael

[josh bjork]

I don't think you need to worry about power. They have too much and are overkill for screw driving operations. It is a lot like driving screws with a low rpm drill except you don't get the hand torque.

[Tim Morton]

I don't think you need to worry about power. They have too much and are overkill for screw driving operations. It is a lot like driving screws with a low rpm drill except you don't get the hand torque.

I might clarify this a litle if I may. Impact drivers do have a TON of power when needed. But I do not think it is overkill for driving screws like you think of a high torque scrw gun. The biggest advantage of an impact driver is that the bit will generally not spin out of the screw head. So in that vain it kind of has an automatic clutch. I am not sure how it works, but it seem that the more resistance the drill senses the more power it supplies.

cliff notes...Buy one:D

[Brian Jarnell]

This is the one I fancy and would look at if I lived in USA.....


http://www.toolbarn.com/product/panasonic/EY7202GQW/

I mean how can you do without a digital clutch?:)

[Richard McComas]

The Panasonic EY7202GQW posted by Brian is the cats Meow of the impact drivers (IMHO). I tried one out at a woodworking show and immediately new I had to have one. Unfortunately about 3 weeks I prior to the woodworking show I purchased a Makita 12 volt. The Makita is a good impact driver but I still think of the Panasonic evey time I pick up the Makita. I'm still going to get the Panasonic EY7202GQW someday.

[Christopher Stahl]

Tim has it correct, it's more like an auto clutch. They have a rheostat type trigger so you control the torque, and you won't be stripping out screws. I now have two impact drivers, a 14.4V Bosch I purchased last year and the new 18V LXT Lithium Ion Makita. The LI batteries a super light and run longer. I couldn't help but purchase it after trying one out. So not only are the impact drivers smaller, they are lighter to, more so with the LI batteries.

[Charles McKinley]

Hi Louis,

Do you have a good cordless tool already? If so buy the impact to match so you get extra batteries that work in all of your tools. If not the panasonic sure looks sweet. I think I would look at ridgid over Craftsman due to the warrenty from Ridgid. Craftsman is notorious for changing battery styles so you can't interchange on tools built at different times.

I bought the DeWalt 18v to match my other stuff and it is big heavy and a torque monster but gave me another charger and 2 batteries that work in all my other tools.

[Del Williams]

I have the Panasonic EY7202GQW and it is indeed a top notch tool. I've used it for both general construction and furniture and the control over driving force is very good. The ability to set it to do a "snug up" or single turn is pretty useful for fragile stock.

[Brian Jarnell]

I have the Panasonic EY7202GQW and it is indeed a top notch tool. I've used it for both general construction and furniture and the control over driving force is very good. The ability to set it to do a "snug up" or single turn is pretty useful for fragile stock.
I was never envious,till now.;)

[Dave Falkenstein]

I use the Dewalt 12 volt impact driver. It has plenty of power to drive 3" screws for building decks. In fact it will drive a screw way into a 2X member if you are not paying attention. I bought the Dewalt 12 volt mainly because it is relatively light in weight and easy to handle. In addition I have several other Dewalt 12 volt tools, so I added 2 batteries and a charger essentially free.

[Jim DeLaney]

I've got the DeWalt 14.4v driver.

Last Summer I used it to build a small barn. I used screws instead of nails wherever I could. I used deck screws for the flooring, the framing, and to put the sheathing on the walls and roof. Overall, I went through about 25 pounds od deck screws, ranging from 1½" thru 3½".

The DeWalt driver worked great throughout the job. It even drove some 3/8" lag bolts on the ledger board for the entrance ramp. I kept three batteries going, on two chargers, and switched out throughout the day(s).

You can use it for smaller 'finer touch' jobs like cabinet framing, etc., but since it has no clutch, you need to be careful not to sink the screws too deep.

[Anthony Anderson]

I have the Craftsman 14.4v impact and 19.2v impact. They work great. I have all 19.2v Craftsman. Three Drills, Impact, Angle drill, Recip, saw, and they all work great for me. I purchased some separately, so I have enough batteries, and extra chargers in case one goes bad. The 14.4v is smaller and is comfortable to work with when driving screws. The 19.2 will drive anchor bolts and such, in addition to the screws. Keep in mind that I am a hobbyist, and don't use them everyday. They are inexpensive and I can replace them without breaking the bank. If you are a contractor then go for the Makita, Dewalt, Bosch. But if you use them occassionally, then the Craftsman will serve you well. HTH. Regards, Bill

[John Schreiber]

I've never used an impact driver and I'm not quite sure what they are. I guess they are based on the same idea as a hand impact driver, where you hit the top with a hammer and that force turns the bit while pushing the screw down.

Is it possible to reverse them, can you back a screw out?

Do they make a huge racket?

Based on people's descriptions, I'm guessing they don't vibrate in your hands, but I can't figure out why not.

[Dave Falkenstein]

I've never used an impact driver and I'm not quite sure what they are. I guess they are based on the same idea as a hand impact driver, where you hit the top with a hammer and that force turns the bit while pushing the screw down.

Is it possible to reverse them, can you back a screw out?

Do they make a huge racket?

Based on people's descriptions, I'm guessing they don't vibrate in your hands, but I can't figure out why not.

An impact driver is the same concept as an impact wrench that mechanics use on cars, except that it is fitted with a collet that accepts hex drive accessories. Yes, the driver is reversible. They are a bit noisy, but not obnoxious. The chatter of the impact mechanism does not transfer much to the operator, and you do not need to put much pressure on the screw to drive it, as you would with a drill/driver.

[Brian Jarnell]

What might be of interest is the torque numbers,

A 14.4 volt cordless drill might have say 30 nm of torque,
A 14.4 volt impact drive would have about 135nm of torque.
So you can see what a difference there is!