Harbor Freight "Impact Driver"

[Louis Brandt]

Hello,
Has anyone had a chance to look at the so-called impact driver that Harbor Freight is currently selling for $29.99? I’d never seen an impact driver at Harbor Freight until now, and I was curious when I got the circular in the mail. When I went into the store to look at it, I was even more confused. On the box, it has the words “Impact Wrench“, not “Impact Driver“, and only when you remove it from the box do you see the words “Impact Driver“ stamped on the side of the unit.
But that’s not all. Sitting right next to these boxes are other boxes also labeled “Impact Driver”, but with a different item number, and when I opened one of those boxes, I found what looked exactly like the unit in the other box, except that this one had a square 1/2 inch head on it, whereas the other one had a 1/4 inch chuck. Both boxes showed the exact same specs on the outside, 0-1600 rpm, 1044 inch pounds of torque, and battery and charger included.
What I’m wondering is this: Could Harbor Freight have simply changed the head/chuck on what they’ve been marketing as an impact wrench and started marketing the exact same unit, with the same mechanism/gearing etc., but now calling it an impact driver? Don’t the internal mechanisms of impact wrenches have to be different from those of impact drivers, or are they both the same thing, depending on what the chuck looks like?
Now I know that Harbor Freight isn't noted for selling quality power tools, but my curiousity was aroused by this "Impact wrench" versus "Impact Driver" thing.
Louis

[Kent Fitzgerald]

Don’t the internal mechanisms of impact wrenches have to be different from those of impact drivers, or are they both the same thing,
Usually an impact "wrench" is bigger an more powerful than an impact "driver," but the operating principle is the same for both: basically a repetitive hammering action translated into rotation. Note that a hammer drill or rotary hammer is quite different.

[Louis Brandt]

Kent,
Ok, so you're saying that the two units could both be "legit" and that the one that they're marketing as an "impact driver" could truly be an impact driver.
Louis

[Dale Lesak]

The impact wrench will have a square drive. to fit 1/4, 3/8 or 1/2 drive sockets The impact driver will have a 1/4 hex driver to fit the slip in bits and tips other than that they could be the same :)

[Greg Crawford]

You might also want to check out Grizzly. Their stuff may be made in the same Chinese factory, not sure. They have quite a selection of air tools and a wide price range. I know for sure their customer service is great.

[Louis Brandt]

Greg,
This isn't an air tool, it's a cordless tool. Sorry if I didn't make that clear in my post.
Louis

[Kent Fitzgerald]

Kent,
Ok, so you're saying that the two units could both be "legit" and that the one that they're marketing as an "impact driver" could truly be an impact driver.
Louis
Yup, I think the impact driver does have an impact mechanism, and I expect it will legitimately drive screws. I'm somewhat more skeptical on the impact wrench, just because 87 ft lbs (1044 in lbs sounds much more impressive, doesn't it?) is pretty light for mechanical work. It's an impact wrench, but not much of an impact wrench.

Would I buy the HF impact driver? Not sure. I'm not allergic to HF, and I have a number of their tools that have served me well for occasional use. I bought a couple of $10 cordless drills as spares / loaners, and they work fine, but the battery life is limited and the manual 5 hour charger is a drag. I've found a cordless impact driver to be a very useful tool and I'm glad I spent the money for a good one (Makita).