Thread: Impact driver or cordless drill

Once you use an impact driver you wont use anything else ... they are very light and more powerful than normal cordless drills. they are perfect for kitchen cabinetry, most cabinetmakers use them.. i even use mine for most batten screws and even screw all my roofs off with it.

as for turning off the rattle im afraid not.. it does only come on when under force so if you are screwing into chipboard for a cabinet then it wont normally kick in. under high stress like batten screws then yes.

you will of course need your cordless as impact drivers are not very good for drilling.

Thanks Sol.

So an impact driver and a corded power drill would be a good combination?

Cheers.

Hi Sol,

Don't want to hijack your thread Henlan but,.... Sol, what brand and model of impact driver do you have? It sounds like a very versatile drill.

Cheers
Pops

its and 18v dewalt. i already had 18v batteries for my cordless bradder so thats how i decided on the brand.. makita and milwaukee are also very good.

i got it off ebay as i do with a lot of my tools.

I had the same dilemma.
I bought the Pana Combo Kit - Cordless drill and Impact driver. Comes with 2 batteries and 1 charger but I bought an extra battery so I now have three which solves any flat battery issues. They are light weight and very comfortable to use. I still have a Makita power drill for bigger drilling jobs.
I was sceptical of 14.4v but the more I spoke to people the more I was convinced and Panasonic are the best batteries around who supply other brands. The charge up is ultra quick also with 1/2 charge = 30 mins and full charge from dead = 50 mins. Most importantly for me they are lightweight and ergonomically fantastic even for my big hands. I wouldn't want to be using an 18v Makita or Hitachi all day......my forearms are big enough already.
And by the way they are brushless motors.....need I say more.
And they are black & white in color.......one needs to stay loyal if you catch my drift .

Cheers,
Dr - 307.

I went the Makita 18v Li-Ion combo set. I looked at the Panasonic but I wanted a recipro saw too and Panasonic do not make one yet. I cannot speak highly enough of the little Makita impacter, 22min full charge, can put down 300+ decking screws and theres still charge left. Also have the hammer drill/driver which is great, no issues drilling into masonry, recipro saw and circular saw's are also fantastic. All came with a great Makita carry bag too.

Special on the makita 18v (non-lithium ion) at the moment.


CP

Thanks for all the info. I've ordered the Panasonic drill/impact driver http://panasonic.com.au/products/det...?objectID=4008 which is switchable between plain drill or impact driver. It is costing a tad under USD350 delivered. Will let you know how it goes.

Well the driver arrived this week and seems excellent. Haven't given it a thorough test yet but first impressions are very good.

Now I am looking for a set of metric drill bits to suit the quick change hex chuck. Does anyone have a good source for hex shank drills?

I have been using a cordless 18V drill for some building work I have been doing but the batteries finally died. When I went for a replacement, Bunnings suggested I get an impact driver for driving bulge headed batten screws into pine rafters. The old drill would handle this but the impact driver couldn't do the same job. I was using 100mm screws through 45mm battens with a 6.5mm pilot hole through the batten (but no pilot hole in the rafter). It only went part way in and sat there hammering away but the screw wouldn't turn. They sold me an Ozito 10.8V ($219)(There were no torque settings on it) that is supposed to generate about 90 Nm of torque as compared to the 32Nm for the drill!
In the end I took it straight back and got another cordless drill instead

What is going on here? Obviously some of you guys are using impact drivers driving screws into hardwood joists not soft pine like me.

Does anyone have any recommendations? Battery or 240V?

Looking forward to reading your answers,

Chipman

Please Ppl,
Set me right here.

When I hear "impact driver"

I am Thinking 1/2" Square Drive Rattle Gun;
Battery, 240V or Pneumatic;

Is it something else

They are similar, but with a standard hex drive.

They can do a bit of drilling for the odd pilot hole etc, but generally they are built for driving screws (esp self-drilling types) and do it well. If you ever have a lot of ceiling to fix you'll get sick of holding a DeWalt 18v hammer drill above your head soon enough!

I've used the Ozito Li-Ion tool (albeit briefly) and was quite impressed with it - sounds like Chipman may have got a dud. Anyone else used it?

Originally Posted by Ivan in Oz

Please Ppl,
Set me right here.

When I hear "impact driver"

I am Thinking 1/2" Square Drive Rattle Gun;
Battery, 240V or Pneumatic;

Is it something else

The name "impact driver" has been hi-jacked and wrongly used as sometimes happens. The cordless tools have a high frequency impulse the impact driver you know has a slow heavy impact. I have seen some attempt by manufacturers to label the cordless tools properly but no one is listening so I suspect we will continue to have confusion.

I didn't know about impact drivers until recently, but bought this one

http://www.justtools.com.au/prod4194.htm

And I'm very impressed with the power of these critters. I was showing it off the the neighbour and drove a self-tapping roofing screw into iron bark. Very impressive.