corded Screw Driver

[Stytooner]

I used to brag how well my 18V Dewalt Cordless would drill long screws into 2 by's. That is until I bought a little 12 volt B&D impact driver to use when I worked at the beach. The batteries don't last as long of course, but it has better ability to do the job. It's like 18 volts of power in a 12 volt package.
You will be amazed.
For building decks and such, I typically use either a 3/8 Dewalt corded drill or a Hitachi that I just picked up to replace it.
The switch went bad on the Dewalt. Make certain they are variable speed and reversible. These little drills have plenty of power and won't need to be charged up, but there is a learning curve associated to using it. Also a little more muscle is needed with this type. The impact drivers however provide most of this muscle somehow.

[leehljp]

What others are recommending is true from my perspective too. A low/mid voltage mid quality impact driver will out drive a high end high volt cordless drill and drive better than a cordered drill too.

The problem is that the torq on a "drill" whether cordered or cordless somehow transfers energy vertically, requiring lots of pressure to keep it from torquing out or stripping the head.

An impact driver causes the force to be applied more circular, requireing less pressure to keep the driver bit in the screw head - which in the end means much less fatigue on the hand and arms and more screws driven without being stripped out.

About your concern about the batteries - I can't answer that. I have a great Porter Cable drill driver and love its heavy duty build. And, the batteries are going bad after 7 years. It will cost almost as much to replace the batteries as to get a new drill driver of the same quality. BUT with my impact drivers and a corded drill, I don't miss the PC that much.

[scorrpio]

So far, a corded Dewalt VS reversible drill I own since 1995 has been more than adequate - but I am also looking into getting an impact driver for several reasons.

Differense between drill and impact driver is like difference between pushing the nails in and hammering them in.
To push a nail in, you need to continuously apply a very strong force, and if the force needed is more than your weight, you have to brace against something. If at any moment the applied force direction misaligns, it will bend the nail. Same with drill - application of continuous torque means need for a more powerful, larger, juice-eating motor, continuous fighting with torque on operator end, and contunuous risk of stripping the head if the bit shifts out of perfect coupling with the screwhead.

Hammering a nail in, can be done with a fairly small hammer, by an operator of far lesser strength and weight. And if hammer construction is such that hammerhead is not ridgidly copled with the handle, there is no recoil to the operator. And since force direction needs to align with nail only during impact, it is much easier to achieve than in a continuous push. This is exactly how driver works - a compact, less power-hungry motor spins up a light rotary hammer, and then releases it to smash into a rotary anvil that is coupled to the bit - roughly 50 times a second. Impact drivers are also dual action - they drive using continuous motor torque when there is little resistance, switching to impact only when resistance reaches a certain threshold (with a drill, it would be the moment when operator would have to start fighting the torque).

This makes impact drivers ok for light duty drilling and hammer drilling, but not for drilling dense woods or metals - you need continuous cutting action, since impacts can tear wood fibers or shatter the brittle carbide.

With all above in mind, I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE batteries. I always forget to charge them - be it a cell phone, a laptop, or a tool - so when I need to use anything that's battery powered, 99% of the time I am greeted with 'low battery'. And it always seems like those batteries start losing their capacity rapidly from day one. But laptop, ipod, cell phone can all be connected to nearest available AC outlet. I mean, I got an old JVC video camera, its came with a battery charger that plugs into AC and can charge 2 batteries at once. But it also has this adapter that I can install into camera instead of a battery, and plug its cord into the charger, to run off AC power. Why can't a cordless tool come with an adapter that has battery interface on one end and plugs into a charger on the other? The theory I heard is that manufacturers do not want to offer it cause battery sales are a continued source of profit and ability to work off a nearby AC outlet would mean most people would have much less need to keep buying new batteries. So when they DO produce devices like that, they eithter make them very cumbersome, or poor-performing, or price them outrageously.

[Thom2]

But those dewalt and other brand screw guns actually have the same or even higher RPM than most drills, that's what make me confused. I do have two Ryobi 18V batteries, one is dying, it seems the battery life is kind of short, if I buy a AC power screw driver, I don't have to worry about battery anymore.

Here's an explanation, while it's geared towards drywall, the same principles apply:

How a Screwgun Works
A screwgun sets screws' bugle heads just below the drywall paper surface. The tools' positive clutches engage when pressure is applied to the Phillips bit and release when the pressure releases. You can adjust the screw bit depth and how deep it sets screws. As a screwgun sets each screw to the correct depth adjustment, the screw pulls the panel tight against the framing as pressure from the nosepiece pushes against the drywall. The screw head spins against the paper as it sinks, leaving a slight dimple and a clean, smooth edge around the head. When the screw reaches its proper depth, the clutch disengages.
To use a screwgun properly, hold the tool firmly as you drive each screw. That way, your hand and forearm absorb most of the stress. Your wrist should almost align with the nosepiece, and your thumb, index, and middle fingers ride along either side of the motor housing. Pull the trigger and push the tool forward with a punching motion. That engages the clutch, starts the screw rotating, sinks it, and disengages the clutch in a fraction of a second. If you don't maintain pressure on the tool after engaging the clutch, the screw won't set properly.

Because of the clutch setup, the bit stops when pressure is released, you can lock the motor in the 'on' position and drive screw after screw without ever touching the trigger.


I see all the ratings are really high RPM, I'm not sure that they're not rating the motor speed as I don't remember the bit turning that fast and I thought the whole front housing was a gear reduction setup. It may just be the amount of control that misleads me on this tho'.

[LinuxRandal]

I would strongly suggest getting an impact driver!!! The impact driver strong point is driving screws, long screws, without stripping the heads. I would also suggest getting one with a quick charge, it's one thing to have to wait 30 minutes for a recharge, it's another things to have to wait 8 hours.

I have the Ridgid 18V Impact Driver. I love it!!! Ridgid has a Limited Lifetime Warranty on it, it even covers the batteries!! The charger with charge a battery in 30 minutes.

Ric, are you sure it's a 18v? I have the 14.4 and have been considering getting the matching drill for interchangable batteries and such, but if they have an 18v, give me the model, I might just try to find a kit.

[TheRic]

Ric, are you sure it's a 18v? I have the 14.4 and have been considering getting the matching drill for interchangable batteries and such, but if they have an 18v, give me the model, I might just try to find a kit.

I got my 18V impact driver as a kit during a promotion around Christmas 2005. Actually I got two one came with the 4 piece kit (was actually a 5 piece kit with impact driver already included), and one I got when I sent in a form to get a impact driver with the 4 piece kit. I have not seen them separate, but have not really looked in the stores that hard since I already have 2.

The model numbers are R84230 & R84230B. Not sure what the B is for, it came with the kit, the one without the B I got in the mail as part of the promotion. I hope you have luck in finding it!!

[xli1]

I think I figure out a way to use the Ryobi impact driver. I have two ryobi 1-hr chargers, I can do a parallel connection of the line out from those two chargers to a dummy Ryobi 18V battery, then plug into the impact driver to use it as a corded impact driver. I believe the current from two quick chargers will be sufficient to operate the impact driver, I just need to use thicker wires to connect. Anybody has any thoughts about this?

[LCHIEN]

I don't recommend that approach.
The peak current from a charged battery is much higher than the sustained current put out by the charger, or even two.

[xli1]

I don't recommend that approach.
The pek current from a charged battery is much higher than the sustained current put out by the charger, or even two.

How about use one battery at the same time?

[Bob Bassett]

Look at Sears

I have a variable speed 3/8 drill from Sears that works great. And the are in the $25 to $30 price range!

[LCHIEN]

How about use one battery at the same time?

That would work better. Battery should be at the Tool, not on the charger.

[newood2]

I swore by my corded reversable vari-speed drill for driving screws for years until 2005 when I purchased the Makita 14.4V drill/impact driver kit. Wow!
Haven't seen my corded drill since.
The recommendations here are real. Impact drivers are the best. If possible stay away from the ones that use the old Ni-Cad battery(long charge time). NiMH or Lithium will charge quicker and hold longer.

Howie

[John Hunter]

I plan to build a deck in the back yard. There will be a lot of long screws to drive. My roybi 18V cordless drill won't be able to handle all the work, it will have to be charged quickly. I am wondering if anyone can recommend a corded screw driver that is reasonablely priced. Thanks!

I suggest getting the Ryobi 18 Volt Impact driver and a couple of spare batteries. The Impact driver is perfect for the job, much better than a drill driver. Plus with the cheap price of 18V Ryobi batteries you can not loose since you can use them with the drill you already have.

[movnup]

I've done a lot of screwing on my double decker deck (driving in deck screws not the other kind) project and bought the Makita impact driver versus using two drills (my Makita cordless drill for the pilot hole and a 1/2 corded for driving the screw in). With the impact driver you save a step as you don't need to predrill anything.

I use a magnetic sleeved bit holder that I bought for $5 and it goes much faster and working around open framing I feel it is safer not worrying about tripping over the cord somewhere. I also used square head dual thread colored / coated deck screws that are easily available at the BORG or Lowes.

[xli1]

With the option of using one battery on impact driver plus the power supply from two charger, I think I would not worry too much about recharging battery. I would definately go with Ryobi impact driver. I just got a $10 off $50 coupon from Lowes, guess what, I am going to use it toward the impact driver from homedepot. Thanks for all the suggestions.