# Can Someone Explain The Whole Drill/Driver Thing? Impact Driver As well Please?



## iminaquagmire (Jul 10, 2010)

A drill uses a chuck that holds drill bits and is used for well, drilling. It simply twists whatever but you put into it. A hammer drill is useful for drilling through masonry. It makes it much quicker and easier. It exerts as the name says a hammering force along with the twisting motion.

An impact driver imparts again an impact force along with a twisting force, though not the same. Impact drivers have collets which hold hex bits like screwdriver bits and nut driver bits as that is what they are used for, driving screws and bolts.

Now you can put hex shank drill bits in an impact driver, but the uses are limited. And you can chuck a screwdriver bit in a drill and it will work. But neither will do the others job as well as its own.


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## A Squared (Dec 19, 2005)

With an impact driver, the impact is a rotational impact. The impact is helping to turn whatever you're turning. it's like a battery operated version of air powered impact wrenches used to loosen and tighten lug nuts in a tire place. One of the things an impact driver really excels at is driving long screws, like deck screws. The hammering action in the direction of turning helps to jolt the screw into turning. I've screwed in 3/8 inch lag screws easily with an inpact driver which would have been much harder to sink with a drill.. It's also good at loosening difficult to turn nuts and bolts. 

The hammer drill , like iminaquagmire said, puts an impact along the drill, like you were hitting the back of it with a hammer as the bit was turning. About the only thing this is good for is drilling masonry (bricks, concrete, stone, etc) a masonry bit is really just a rotating chisel, and it doesn't do much unless there's some hammering action. That doesn't man that the hammer drill is useless for anything else. Every one I've ever seen has a way to turn the hemmer action off, then it's just like a regular drill.


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## Mort (Nov 26, 2008)

1. A drill/driver is like a Corvette. Great at going fast, but also has a trunk in case you need to get groceries. A drill/driver is great at drilling holes, and can be used to drive screws if you only have the one tool. 

2. An impact driver is only good at driving screws. Ever have a stubborn bolt that you give your wrench a little tap with a hammer to try to break it loose? That's basically what an impact driver does. 

3. They're packaged together because they compliment one another. Next time you build a deck, you can use the drill/driver to drill pilot holes while another dude comes behind you with the impact driver driving the screws. Or you can do it by yourself without changing bits 10,000,000 times. 

4. Hammer drill is like trying to remove that same bolt, but hitting the head of it with your hammer instead of the wrench.


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## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

Ever have a drill or screw lock up on you and the drill/driver almost twist your wrist off, or slam your hand into something ?

An Impact driver does not transmit torque forces to the wrist like a drill/driver does. 

It also has a lot more power. You need to be careful that you don't overdrive things. 
A drill driver with a good clutch is better for more delicate work.

The two tools compliment each other.


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

Machines advertised as drill/drivers also have a clutch that adjusts to slip at a certain amount of torque to prevent stripping out screws. Usually a collar behind the chuck with a number scale on it. At one position the clutch locks solid for drilling.


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## Sean Price (Dec 17, 2011)

Mort said:


> 1. A drill/driver is like a Corvette. Great at going fast, but also has a trunk in case you need to get groceries. A drill/driver is great at drilling holes, and can be used to drive screws if you only have the one tool.
> 
> 2. An impact driver is only good at driving screws. Ever have a stubborn bolt that you give your wrench a little tap with a hammer to try to break it loose? That's basically what an impact driver does.
> 
> ...


My man, you hit it square in the head, this is exactly what i was looking for!!! THank You, THANK YOU!! This breakdown is what this laymen needed.. I got it now!!

I bought the Porter Set similar(if not the exact same one) as above.. $145 at my Local Farm&Fleet!! 


oNe

P.S. Also big thank you to everyone else as well, google is [email protected] good but ALL of yall broke it down in plain english that I got it now!!


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## shaydu (Apr 8, 2013)

I picked up an kobalt 18 v lithium ion combot kit for 100 bucks at lowes. I used it for the first time today to build bleacher style display tables. The impact driver was awesome!!! It drove the screws in effortlessly. I can't believe I got such a good deal.


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

I use my impact drivers more than the drills. I even take one along camping to run the leveling jacks up and down on the camper.


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## Sean Price (Dec 17, 2011)

Maintenance 6 said:


> I use my impact drivers more than the drills. I even take one along camping to run the leveling jacks up and down on the camper.


Interesting... 

Thats part of how I was so confused, because in my limited understanding it just seemed that the impact wrench with a drill/driver was kind of redundant as in they essentially do the same thing...

wow!


oNe


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

A drill is designed to make holes. It is not particularly good at driving screws, but does so because it is a source of torque. An impact driver is specifically designed to drive screws and uses an impact device to amplify torque.


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## DexterII (Jul 14, 2010)

A lot of interchangability, but each tool has its' place, and you definitely won't regret having the set, particularly for tasks that require pilot holes, etc. No more switching back and forth, chucking, drilling, unchucking, chucking, driving, unchucking, ... between a drill bit and screw bit.


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## landfillwizard (Feb 21, 2014)

Most drill/drivers have an adjustment to change the torque to help set screws at different heights compared to the impact driver that just screws them in till they stop. Drill drivers work good for setting screw into dry wall or small screws that may snap off.


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## Mort (Nov 26, 2008)

landfillwizard said:


> Drill drivers work good for setting screw into dry wall or small screws that may snap off.


That's a good point, I snap off a screw head with the impact driver every once in a while if I'm not careful.


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## bauerbach (Feb 24, 2014)

Ive yet to meet the screw that my dewalt 985 hammer drill cant drive in with ease. Infact, some beefy lag bolts were the first time I even had to kick it down into low gear. deck screws and the like are nothing to it.

Id suggest they package the 2 because they get a little bit more money, where 99% of home DIYers would be fine with just a drill and would never come back to buy the impact gun.

perhaps an impact gun would be more useful if I did more automotive work where I might encounter more nuts and bolts, particularly seized ones.

YMMV.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

A drill driver in the number 1 position you can drill holes as it is fast.
Number 2 position slows it down and increases torque so you can drive small to medium screws, stir things like paint.
Impact driver= big screws, lag bolts. No stirring, no drilling, loads of torque.


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## Honest Bob (Mar 13, 2014)

The first time you put a 2" screw into wood with an impact gun you will wonder why you didnt buy one sooner.


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## Rango (Dec 13, 2013)

Honest Bob said:


> The first time you put a 2" screw into wood with an impact gun you will wonder why you didnt buy one sooner.


That's the God's honest truth. You drive much more, much faster, much longer and with greater control, except for the delicate jobs, as mentioned.

I bought the corded Porter Cable similar to the cordless one posted to complement my cordless set for the bigger jobs and save battery life.


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## walked (Mar 20, 2014)

I've never had an issue with my hammer drill for everything.


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## JustinK (Oct 4, 2009)

I never jumped on the impact gun bandwagon. Never had a problem with drill. I used one a couple times I wasn't impressed and the knocking noise is annoying. 

Dewalts Cordless hammerdrill will do everything but it is just to heavy for me unless i need it.


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

You must not drive many screws. I can pretty much say for sure that if we started side by side, each with a box of 3" deck screws, me with an impact driver and you with a regular drill, I'd be done and have my first beer down waiting for you to catch up. And if they're phillips heads, I'll have 2 beers down while you change bits and replace screws that cammed out.


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## A Squared (Dec 19, 2005)

Maintenance 6 said:


> You must not drive many screws. I can pretty much say for sure that if we started side by side, each with a box of 3" deck screws, me with an impact driver and you with a regular drill, I'd be done and have my first beer down waiting for you to catch up. And if they're phillips heads, I'll have 2 beers down while you change bits and replace screws that cammed out.


That's kind of my take on it. I was an impact driver skeptic also. I have various screw driving tools including dedicated screw guns and a pretty high powered corded half inch drill. SO I figured that impact drivers were just a gimmick. Until I tried one. Had to revise my opinion of them. They really do work better. I assume that it's the impact action (what else would it be?) which drives screws better than a constant torque, much like an impact wrench loosens rusty fasteners better than applying constant torque with a wrench. 

And I agree that an impact driver seems to have a lot less tendency to cam the bit out of the screw than a drill/driver does

The other factor not mentioned, is the size. Impact drivers are very compact compared to the driving power they deliver. You may have a drill that drives screws as quickly as an impact driver, but I guarantee you that you're not going to find a drill driver as compact as an impact driver that drives screws as fast as a impact driver. 




JustinK said:


> Dewalts Cordless hammerdrill will do everything _*but it is just to heavy for me unless i need it.*_


Exactly. 

Not to knock anyone who prefers a drill/driver over an impact driver, use whatever works for you. But, there are real advantages to the impact driver. It ain't just marketing.


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## JustinK (Oct 4, 2009)

Maintenance 6 said:


> You must not drive many screws. I can pretty much say for sure that if we started side by side, each with a box of 3" deck screws, me with an impact driver and you with a regular drill, I'd be done and have my first beer down waiting for you to catch up. And if they're phillips heads, I'll have 2 beers down while you change bits and replace screws that cammed out.


I have screwed down many decks. A dewalt xps 18v on speed 3 puts a 2.5 inch screw in a second and I like that the last 1/8" it looses some torque and speed so I don't over drive it. Anything over 2" I don't use philips. They probably do work better with philips cause they dont work good on drill. I think its more the noise than anything that I dont like about impact.


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## JustinK (Oct 4, 2009)

Impact did work a little better on composite decking but i havent screwed down composite is years everyone wants hidden fastener now.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

Are these cordless impacts strong enough to remove car/truck lugnuts?


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

If you attempt to remove a screw with a drill that's been forced in with an impact you're probably SCREWED.


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

r0ckstarr said:


> Are these cordless impacts strong enough to remove car/truck lugnuts?


 I changed the wheels on my golf cart with mine (standard lug nuts). Also ran 1/2x2-1/2 lag bolts without a problem. Never tried it on regular car or truck lugs.


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

r0ckstarr said:


> Are these cordless impacts strong enough to remove car/truck lugnuts?


Not if the lug nut was tightened properly.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

beenthere said:


> Not if the lug nut was tightened properly.


Dang! I taught my gf how to change her own oil, pack wheel bearings, and other things on her truck. The one thing she can't do is get the lug nuts off unless I break them loose first.


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## JustinK (Oct 4, 2009)

You would need something like this 









get a 3' breaker bar or a pipe to fit over wrench your using.


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## landfillwizard (Feb 21, 2014)

My neighbor has a Ryobi ½" drive cordless impact and just to see if it worked on my PU (dodge ram) and it torque the nuts up to 100# which is the proper torque. Now I have to get me one!


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## A Squared (Dec 19, 2005)

beenthere said:


> Not if the lug nut was tightened properly.


I wouldn't be so sure. For a lot of people "tightened properly" means hammering in it with an air impact wrench, which is usually way over tightened. If you took the rust off of your lugs with a wire brush and some elbow grease, then tightened the lug nuts to the manufacturers specs wih a torque wrench, you'd be surprised how easy they are to remove with just a lug wrench. The manufacturer's specs for my pickup are 78 ft lb, which isn't a lot of torque.


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

DeWalt lists several impact drivers (not impact Wrenches) up past 100 ft lbs. of torque even in the 12v models.


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## landfillwizard (Feb 21, 2014)

Why I know it was 100# is because I checked it with my torque wrench. Which is the torque for my Dodge Ram.


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

A Squared said:


> I wouldn't be so sure. For a lot of people "tightened properly" means hammering in it with an air impact wrench, which is usually way over tightened.
> 
> There is only one properly. I didn't say tighten by opinion of tight enough.
> 
> If you took the rust off of your lugs with a wire brush and some elbow grease, then tightened the lug nuts to the manufacturers specs wih a torque wrench, you'd be surprised how easy they are to remove with just a lug wrench. The manufacturer's specs for my pickup are 78 ft lb, which isn't a lot of torque.


So you think the impact shown in the OP is going to do 78 ft lbs.


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## JustinK (Oct 4, 2009)

I was suprised to see how widely torque rating varied between vehicles. from 50lbs on a bentley to 200+ on hd trucks. Even same model chances vastly for different years. 

http://www.discounttire.com/infoCenter/infoWheelTorque.html

The porter cable manufacture rates it at 1450 inch/pounds which is 120 foot/pounds.


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

JustinK said:


> I was suprised to see how widely torque rating varied between vehicles. from 50lbs on a bentley to 200+ on hd trucks. Even same model chances vastly for different years.
> 
> http://www.discounttire.com/infoCenter/infoWheelTorque.html
> 
> The porter cable manufacture rates it at 1450 inch/pounds which is 120 foot/pounds.


okay, more then I thought it had.


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## JustinK (Oct 4, 2009)

Its hard to believe a 1/4" shaft could ever transfer than much torque without snapping.


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## A Squared (Dec 19, 2005)

beenthere said:


> So you think the impact shown in the OP is going to do 78 ft lbs.


Yep, sure do Just by coincidence, today was my biannual tire swapping day. WIth this thread in mind, I tried out my impact driver. It's noting special, an 18 V Dewalt DC825. FWIW, my impact driver has a lower torque rating than the one shown in the OP. It loosened the lugs pretty handily. Not as smartly as a good sized pneumatic impact wrench. I was also changing tires on a buddy's car. He subscribes more to the "tighter then down good" philoisophy, so no idea what they were torqued to, but they were tighter than the mine. My impact driver took those of also.


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

A Squared said:


> Yep, sure do Just by coincidence, today was my biannual tire swapping day. WIth this thread in mind, I tried out my impact driver. It's noting special, an 18 V Dewalt DC825. FWIW, my impact driver has a lower torque rating than the one shown in the OP. It loosened the lugs pretty handily. Not as smartly as a good sized pneumatic impact wrench. I was also changing tires on a buddy's car. He subscribes more to the "tighter then down good" philoisophy, so no idea what they were torqued to, but they were tighter than the mine. My impact driver took those of also.


Thanks for the info.


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## landfillwizard (Feb 21, 2014)

The one I use is ½" drive with a rating of 200 ft. lbs. It is 18V and it uses the same battery as my drill/driver.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

Well, I'm sold. I'll be finding an 18V 1/2" Dewalt since I already have a bunch of 18V tools and batteries.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

I believe I am responsible for derailing this thread. Here's my attempt to get it back on track. When someone asked about the cordless impacts, they were referring to the 1/4" drive for screws and small bolts. Something that most people use a cordless drill for. 

At the time, I just saw "impact" and the first thing I thought of was the pneumatic impact tools for working on cars. I didn't know the difference and asked if I could pull lugnuts off with one. 

After doing some reading, I have found that this thread started out asking about Impact Drivers. What I was looking for was an Impact Wrench. There is a difference. 

Impact drivers usually have a quick change bit on them, and the power it delivers is measured in in/lbs. 

Impact wrenches come in standard ratchet sizes (3/8", 1/2", 3/4"). They create more torque, which is measured in ft/lbs. 

Another way to think about it is this: The driver is for bolts. The wrench is for nuts. The thread was asking about bolts, and I was looking for nuts.

But, I did find what I was looking for.



I used it to rotate the tires on my truck. I had all 5 lugnuts off of the first wheel in the time it would have taken me to get 1 of them off with a 4-way, and they were torqued on with a pneumatic impact from the local tire shop. It took me longer to get the truck up on jack stands, than it did to rotate all 4 wheels. I look forward to wearing this tool out.

Now, my gf gets to learn how to change brakes on her truck. She goes through a set of pads twice as fast as I do. :yes:



landfillwizard said:


> My neighbor has a Ryobi ½" drive cordless impact and just to see if it worked on my PU (dodge ram) and it torque the nuts up to 100# which is the proper torque. Now I have to get me one!


The only thing that stopped me from getting the Ryobi was that the DeWalt was stronger.

Ryobi = 200 ft. lbs. of torque 
DeWalt = 300 ft. lb. of torque


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

A cordless impact driver uses 1/4" hex drive bits, while an impact wrench has a square drive and uses sockets. I've used a socket adapter in my impact driver to run some pretty hefty lag screws and it worked fine. I used it to change the wheels on my golf cart too, but I don't know if it's got the ooomf to loosen the lugs on my truck. That impact wrench is on my "need to own" list.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

The 3 things they can engineer into 1 driver - the drill, the hammer drill, and the screw driver. The clutch (for the screw driver) is fairly easy to add. The drill is just having the clutch completely off. The hammer drill (for pounding bits into concrete) is usually a separate drill but it works with the flip of a button.

The impact driver is too different of a mechanism to fit into the save tool. But who knows? Maybe someday you'll see a single driver that can do all of that.

If you've ever tried to drive in a difficult screw with an impact driver, you'll never go back to using a regular drill driver to do it. It's just so powerful. It can take a screw and just go straight through the piece of wood without stopping. If your bit is long enough, you could drive it in a foot and right out the other side.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

r0ckstarr said:


> Another way to think about it is this: The driver is for bolts. The wrench is for nuts.


The driver is for screws primarily.


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