Drills and Impact Drivers: Which is Best?

Although cordless drills and cordless impact drivers each enjoy different purposes, they conjointly have several similarities. In truth, for most jobs you'll substitute one for the other and find the job done. However, in these situations typically one will work better than the opposite - it all hinges on the job, your experience, and personal preferences.

How they work

A powered drill operates with a easy electric motor. By squeezing the trigger switch, the electric motor turns on and rotates the bit. Current day drills possess variable-speed triggers, that basically means that the more you pull the faster the motor runs. Some have settings allowing you to change the maximum speed and customize for the present task.

Powered impact drivers also enjoy an electric motor that is used to spin the bits. The electrical motor is smaller with lower power, though it commonly spins more quickly. But an impact driver contains further components - called a hammer and anvil - that engage when a lot of power is required. The components add a lot of extra power to the driver.

The hammers are rotated at a very high speed within the motor. When they are whirling fast enough, they strike the anvil. This provides a noisy banging sound to the impact driver, along with increased power. The method also leads to lower back-torque on the operator's arm and hand making it simpler to operate.

Which driver works better?

Each tool possesses totally different strong points. Unsurprisingly, for drilling holes you would in all probability choose a drill. Most battery powered drills possess better control at low speeds, allowing you to more exactly start holes. In addition, to use an impact driver for drilling you either need a set of hex-shafted drill bits or a drill-bit chuck attachment.

A powered driver will be the right tool in certain drilling tasks, on the other hand. When creating massive holes using a spade-bit, for instance, the high power and the inner mechanism can let it drill through with ease while not wearing down the battery as fast as a cordless drill.

If the task is driving fasteners, a drill using a screwdriver bit can work fine a lot of of the time. For small screws, a drill is preferred because of the fine control - a battery powered driver is so effective, you could over tighten or even rip the screw head right off.

For most fastening tasks, though, the simplest choice may be an impact driver. The quick impact force means the power is delivered to the screw so fast that even in hard situations, the bit doesn't have time to pop out of the screw head. So, the screw is not damaged, and no need for a lot of downward force on the screw. Additionally, because there is little to no back torque, you can screw long, long screws into hard woods simply - maybe one handed, if you need to.

When it involves nuts or bolts, once more the impact driver wins easily. An 18v impact can repeatedly drive in long lags while not wearing down the battery, unlike a drill which can begin to weaken after just one hard bolt.

The victor
If you simply want to drill lots of holes, or you would like tons of precision, then a drill is the simplest alternative. However if you intend on using the tool mainly as a screw-driver, then a cordless impact driver is certainly the best.

Get answers to your questions about impact drivers, or check out some impact driver reviews!