Drill driver vs Impact driver question...

[Terry Hatfield]

Is there a reason that I see all the DIY show guys using impact drivers to drive screws? I have the PC 18v combo kit and I keep feeling like I should buy the impact driver but can't really figure out why other than I'm addicted to watching Mike Holmes using his Dewalt to frame with. Is there a real reason to use the impact driver to drive screws? I see that it obviously has more torque but do I really need more torque than the 18v drill has to drive any size screw?

All of this thought process came up because I accidentally left my brand new drill out in the rain...for a few days. I dried out the drill and it works fine but that battery shows an error code when it's on the charger and won't hold a charge so I'm down to one battery for 4 tools. PC sells a 2 pack of batteries for like $60 but you can buy the whole stinkin' drill driver kit with the drill, 2 batteries and the charger for $99 at Lowes. I'm trying to decide if I want to buy the impact for $69 and add the 2 pack batteries which would be like $130 or just buy the drill kit instead.

TIA,

t

[tyler mckee]

I have a ryobi impact and i like it for the brute strength, and it never strips out long screws, you don't have to push with all your weight, it just goes. general construction projects, i like the impact. Woodworking projects, i like the my drill driver with a clutch.

[Tony Shea]

Once you use an impact driver to drive screws you will never go back to using a drill unless extreme delicate work is a must. I can't remember the last time I use my drill to drive a screw since buying an impact driver. They're one of the best damn inventions of late and can't imagine life without it. You will have to really struggle to ever strip out another screw once owning this tool.

[Doug W Swanson]

I just got an impact driver after using my drill for years. The impact driver makes a huge difference when driving long screws.

When I would use my drill on 2" or longer screws, sometimes it would strip the head out before completely driving the screw in. Then I would have to take the stripped screw out and use another one.

Using an impact driver has prevented this. The screws go in all the way the first time.

Like Tyler said, use the impact for heavier construction type projects and us your drill for smaller stuff.

JMO,
Doug

[Van Huskey]

Impact drivers are a tool that doen't make a lot of sense until you use one, then you will NEVER be without one again. Get an mpact driver, you will not regret it.

[Karl Card]

an impact with a square drive screw is about the perfect combination. impact will also help to get out screws that are semi stripped in the head.

[travis howe]

I have to agree w/ the consensus here, it's a heck of a tool. One of the things not mentioned here was the extended use of the tool vs drill driver. If I'm screwing in big screws or lags w/ the same battery just in the impact driver it'll last 3 or 4 times what I was getting out of a drill driver.

I have the Ryobi one+ (green) setup and I have to say for the buck it's REALLY tough to beat. I've been through dewalt and hitachi and I liked them both but so far no complaints on the new Ryobi.

[Matt Meiser]

I use the impact quite a bit but not for fine woodworking. For building stuff in the shop, for smaller nuts/bolts (with a 1/4 or 3/8 drive adapter), and for projects around the house. I tried living without for a while when my Dewalt burned up and that only lasted about 6 months.

Now I've got one of the little Bosch 12V impacts which I do use for woodworking because its got a lot more finesse.

[Terry Hatfield]

OK, I'm convinced. Only issue is PC says they have the 18v impact in a kit with 2 lithium batteries and the charger (PCL180IDK-2) but I can't find it anywhere. Grizzly shows it for $160 but when I talked to them they said that it had Nicad not lithium batteries. I suppose that is still a decent deal but would like the lithium batteries if I can get them. The only way Lowe's has it is the naked impact. No batteries or charger. As I said before, I already have the bigger 18v PC combo so I'd like to just add on and I obviously need more than one battery considering the number of tools that I have. Man, I wish I hadn't killed that battery!!!

[Paul Hendrickson]

I had the Nicad driver/drill as well as the Jig saw. After using a friends impact, I had to have one. I got the 199 lithium kit from Lowes with the drill/driver, impact and two batteries. Then I gave the Nicad drill to my father-in-law. I know that many are lamenting that the new porter cable stuff is not what it used to be, but for me it has done very well. No one else has all the cordless tools available that PC does. As a hobbyist, that versatility is worth a lot.

Anyway, if you spent 40 bucks more and got another drill, that might not be a bad thing.

[Vijay Kumar]

an impact with a square drive screw is about the perfect combination. impact will also help to get out screws that are semi stripped in the head.

Karl can you explain this? Are these slotted head screws, phillips head or square drive stripped heads that can be removed with an impact. I have always had a heck of a time removing stripped heads having had to resort to drilling the screw out. What is the right way to remove these stubborn screws.

VIjay

[scott vroom]

No question, get an impact driver for construction work....they drive screws faster, easier, and without stripping the slots. An amazing tool. I still use my old clutch drill for woodwork where I need the control.

[Craig Cee]

I've had my Makita LI 18V w/extended Battery for the last 5 years. Always reliable even up to 130 degree heat. +1 on impact vs drill. I also use Dewalt impact bits (Phillips/straight; no sq drv yet) which last longer and have never snapped on me before wearing out. If the budget allows this would be my recommendation. +1 on the falling quality of PC. Good luck on your new toy!

[Kelly Craig]

I bought the wife a Makita set (drill and impact) and watched her use it for a year. I kept using my Dewalt drill. We used these things almost daily. I couldn't understand why she thought the driver was so good, until, six months or more into the game, I borrowed it. I now have a Makita set for the road, a Panasonic (I like the variable impact settings) set for the shop, she's still got hers, and the Dewalt's been on vacation for a few years now. The other posters are right, you'll never go back. For me, it was a "what the hell was I thinking?" thing.

[Van Huskey]

I bought the wife a Makita set (drill and impact) and watched her use it for a year. I kept using my Dewalt drill. We used these things almost daily. I couldn't understand why she thought the driver was so good, until, six months or more into the game, I borrowed it. I now have a Makita set for the road, a Panasonic (I like the variable impact settings) set for the shop, she's still got hers, and the Dewalt's been on vacation for a few years now. The other posters are right, you'll never go back. For me, it was a "what the hell was I thinking?" thing.

Funny I had a similar lightbulb moment, I had bought a large multi tool set and the impact has set unused for several months while I slaved away driving with the drill, then one day I used someone elses impact driver when they handed it to me to drive a screw while they held something, I went home and plugged a battery in mine and haven't quit since.