Impact driver vs drill driver difference - WOW!

[leehljp]

I have been using an Impact Driver for driving screws for so long (3 to 4 years) that I forgot just how much BETTER an impact driver is at driving screws versus a drill driver. I have a right angle drill (cheap but with VS and forward/reverse switch) and needed something for tight spaces!

I am attaching some board backers (to the base and top base of a book case project) for attaching shaped crown type of moldings. I am glueing them up but also using screws to pull the outside spacer boards up tight until the glue sets. The space inside the bottom base and and top base do not allow for the Impact driver so I pulled out my right angle drill.

IMMEDIATELY, I remembered former problems with drill drivers as the bit driver wanted to jump out and spin. So, like riding a bike, I remembered what I had to do with drill drivers that I don't have to do with IDs - I gripped tight, added lots of pressure to the head . . . and still had a little bit of spin out.

Then I discovered if I used only one of those very short bits that fits inside of a magnetic extension, the ID would fit once the screws were within 1/8 inch of seating. MAN, what a difference the Impact Driver does over a Drill Driver.

Now if I can only find a right angle cordless ID!

[Uncle Cracker]

That's probably because a drill/driver hammers the bit into the work, whereas the impact driver's hammering is rotational. I consider my Bosch driver one of my most useful tools, and am also impressed by the Milwaukee unit, which has considerably more torque, but leaves a bigger footprint.

Now if I can only find a right angle cordless ID!

Rigid and Hitachi both have them, but I think I'd lean to the Hitachi, as the Rigid has, as I recall, some less-than-impressive reviews...

[annunaki]

Ridgid Right Angle Impact Driver

Toolguy1000 mentioned this-

Ridgid 12 Volt Right-Angle Impact Driver Kit
the above item is being clearanced for $59 (originally $129). here are the specs:

http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/12-Volt-...r/EN/index.htm

had one for years and highly recommed it, especially for tight quarters.

[leehljp]

Thanks for the tips! I was unaware of the right angle impact driver. Been here too long!

I will get me one when I am back in the States in April/May. I will certainly need it for disassembling quite a few items this Nov/Dec for moving back to the States.

[Knottscott]

"Wow!" was my 1st response to using an impact driver. The 2nd response was "why did I wait so long to get one?".

[Whaler]

Toolguy1000 mentioned this-

Ridgid 12 Volt Right-Angle Impact Driver Kit
the above item is being clearanced for $59 (originally $129). here are the specs:

http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/12-Volt-...r/EN/index.htm

had one for years and highly recommed it, especially for tight quarters.

The link doesn't work for me but on the HD site the Ridgid angle driver is listed for $129.00, no clearance.

[THyman]

The link doesn't work for me but on the HD site the Ridgid angle driver is listed for $129.00, no clearance.

Look at the Bargain Alert forum under the HD sale. It's $59 nationwide!

[billfrommich]

I have a Bosch that I use all the time and I agree it's great. However, lately I've been wondering about what effects it MIGHT be having on the strength and durability of the fasteners. Does anyone know if the repeated high torque impulses applied to the fasteners is acceptable? It seems like it is - I have yet to twist off a screw head for instance, and there seems to be less of a "reaction torque" on my hand. But then again, unlike drill drivers there is no "protective" clutch (I've always assumed the clutch was to protect the fastener - maybe it's there to protect the driver?).

[aggrex]

You might be on to something about impact damage to fasteners but since the bolts/screws go into the wood so quick and effortlessly that the stress and head damage appear to be minimal IMO. My wrist/joints don't miss the torque twists from drills and that is a good thing

[annunaki]

HD Today

Got the last one, got 10% Vet Disc. , tried it, Love It!!!

[dkerfoot]

Dang it! Up until this morning I was perfectly happy with my Craftsman 19.2V C3 Drill. Now you have me checking out the impact driver....

One beef I have with these systems is that in order to buy a kit - they all include a drill. It would be great if they bundled other tools together for thos of us that already have the drill/battery/charger etc.

On the plus side, I love that Sears added a Lithium battery for the existing C3 line. What a huge improvement!

[phi1l]

Dang it! Up until this morning I was perfectly happy with my Craftsman 19.2V C3 Drill. Now you have me checking out the impact driver....

One beef I have with these systems is that in order to buy a kit - they all include a drill. It would be great if they bundled other tools together for thos of us that already have the drill/battery/charger etc.

On the plus side, I love that Sears added a Lithium battery for the existing C3 line. What a huge improvement!

Well, ... if you need justification, you know it is bet to have 2 drills, one for a drill bit. Not having to change back & forth between the 2 greatly improves productivity

[leehljp]

I personally have had noticeably less problems with broken heads with IDs in the past 4 years than with DDs over the previous 15 years of using DDs.

Impact drivers, IMO, put less stress on the screws than do DDs. DD's have constant torq continually with no relief in torq pressure, and the most pressure/stress is centered in the head/neck itself. IDs put stress in very small amounts hundreds of times - which seems to me that the stress is relieved hundreds of times per drive - and is similar to the analogy of the heart resting between beats, albeit only 1/10th of a second.

This is just theory on my part and I certainly am no engineer - To my way of thinking - impacts jolt a force (similar to an earthquake or hammer to nail blow) that travels through the length of the screw and disperses minute' forces fairly equally over the whole length. On DD's however the deeper that screws go, the more the force and torq pressure moves upward into the head of the screw, consequently more broken heads from my experience.

These two principles Impact jolts versus continuous torq seem to be the reason that I can drive a 3 or 4 inch screw "head" well below the surface of 4 inch pine with an ID, but the screw head snaps off more often just as it seats with a Drill D.

Clutch: I do use my clutched drill drivers on thin and delicate material where I want precise and flush screw heads - where esthetics is essential. The ID will drive the head all the way through and has less control in those situations. I rarely use an ID for driving screws in sheet metal.

[leehljp]

My wrist/joints don't miss the torque twists from drills and that is a good thing

Me neither! I had two 8? / 9? volt Makitas that I used from '90 to '00 regularly. Then in 2000, I bought a 14.4V PC that weighed a ton compared to the Makitas. The first thing I did after charging was put a socket driver on and tried to remove a stuck 5/8 bolt. The instant I hit the trigger, the 400+ inch/pounds of torque sprained my wrist.

I have built several storage sheds and I use screws almost exclusively instead of nails. The torque did get to me, but the IDs really really changed all of that!

[chopnhack]

Does anyone have any experience with this type of impact driver?

http://www.amazon.com/Makita-6952-2-...782167&sr=8-15

I have been in situations where cordless would have been a blessing, but batteries are just not in my finances to have to replace every couple of years.