Impact driver vs drill driver difference - WOW!

Late to the party but.. I purchased a Makita 10.8 cordless palm combo kit just after I used one to assemble 40 WW'ing machines at IWF in 2008. I rarely use the drill-driver but the palm impact driver gets used in my shop almost daily. It ranks up there as one of the most used and versatile tools in my shop. I only wish I could have had one 30 years ago...

Impact drivers.. fantastic tools!

Will it work for cabinets?

I work for a home remodeling company,and we are moving into a phase where will will be starting to assembly the cabinets for our customers, for the sake of cost effectiveness. I have been authorized to get some power tools for this express purpose,and and wondering what to go with. I would prefer to stick with Makita,but am open to any ideas you all might have. Thanks!

[dkerfoot]

Unfortunately, there isn't a "real" Sears for about 40 miles from me. It is odd because we have every other popular store here, but the Sears is a very small privately owned one that carries very few tools.

I like the look of the laminate router, but I have a different (corded) tool that will do that job that I already don't use...

If you check your local Sears stores, they're clearancing the older C3 impact driver (the one that says 900 lbs torque) for $50, because they brought out a new model. I picked one up about two weeks back, and have decided I will never put a driver bit in my C3 drill again.

BTW - do you have a C3 Laminate Router in your collection? I believe they're discontinued now - but I found one on Ebay a while back (and still see them now and again), and BOY is this thing going to be handy for light free-hand router applications.

[leehljp]

Hank, if you think that is something...you need to try an electric impact wrench
on some lag bolts! That will really amaze you at what it can do...and fast, too!
If you do any heavy outdoor projects, like wooden deck supports, ramps
etc. give them a try!

I will have to give that a try, but I will have to wait until I get my shop set up in the States - starting about this time next year. I know I could use the power for some working on a garden tractor and lawn mowers.


While out in DT Nagoya today, I stopped by my favorite tool place and they had the Hitachi right angle ID for about the same price I could find online in the States, except I only get one battery here and two in the States. When I wanted to buy it they said that they were out except for the display, but would have them in later this week. They took my name and phone and promised to call when they come in. This is a late BD present for me! I can certainly use it almost immediately in some more tight spots.

[Bill in Buena Park]

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....!

Doug,
If you check your local Sears stores, they're clearancing the older C3 impact driver (the one that says 900 lbs torque) for $50, because they brought out a new model. I picked one up about two weeks back, and have decided I will never put a driver bit in my C3 drill again.

BTW - do you have a C3 Laminate Router in your collection? I believe they're discontinued now - but I found one on Ebay a while back (and still see them now and again), and BOY is this thing going to be handy for light free-hand router applications.

[eezlock]

impact driver vs drill driver

Hank, if you think that is something...you need to try an electric impact wrench
on some lag bolts! That will really amaze you at what it can do...and fast, too!
If you do any heavy outdoor projects, like wooden deck supports, ramps
etc. give them a try!

[aggrex]

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.

Amazon's price is 193.98 for that corded Makita which is more than I spent for my Ridgid cordless drill+impact+saw+light kit this week. Typical 18V cordless impacts are rated 1200-1400 in-lbs torque versus 1062 in-lbs for the corded Makita. Ridgid power tool kits cover tools/battery 3yr/LLSA check it out

[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.

[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!

[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.

[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

[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!

[annunaki]

HD Today

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

[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

[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?).