Impact driver or cordless drill

[henlan77]

I hope you'll excuse this post as it has been covered before, but the more I read the more I confused I get.

I need a cordless drill or an impact driver. I am fitting out a house and will be installing (but not manufacturing) kitchens, joinery etc, plywood ceilings, fittings and fixtures.

I have a power drill which, obviously, drills well but is average at screwing.

I understand the impact driver is great at building decks etc when screwing repeatedly into hardwood.

But what about for the more tame uses listed above? Is an impact driver OK at drilling (with a hex type drill bit)?

Can you turn the 'rattle' off on an impact driver?

Is an impact driver less versatile than a cordless drill (remembering I have a good power drill for heavy drilling)?

Thanks in advance.

[sol381]

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.

[henlan77]

Thanks Sol.

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

Cheers.

[Pops]

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

[sol381]

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.

[Dr - 307]

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 :D .

Cheers,
Dr - 307.

[Buggermedumplings]

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.

[Carry Pine]

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


CP

[henlan77]

Thanks for all the info. I've ordered the Panasonic drill/impact driver http://panasonic.com.au/products/details.cfm?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.

[henlan77]

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?

[Chipman]

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:no:

[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:?:?:?:?

[Dusty Dave]

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?

[Chris Parks]

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.

[Rossluck]

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.

[Chris Parks]

And for further confusion it is possible to buy a cordless impact driver to drive sockets etc, not the impulse driver wrongly referred to so often with a 1/4 drive for fasteners. All the major manufacturers sell them.

[shed108]

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 :D .

Cheers,
Dr - 307.

G'day I was just wondering where you bought the panasonic combo kit?

Thanks.

[Pusser]

US special is here http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=63002 $US 374 plus shipping. The United Tools stores have the combo for $AUS 680 at present and batteries for about $130 vs $235 normal price. ApparentlyPanasonic do a special annually. Gas Weld has them to but have moved them. The Canberra store moved 90 units according to the serving chap when I was in theri on Monday. The Aussi ones do not have a light and it comes in two plastic cases.

[shed108]

The one from the US, can the charger have the power plug changed to work in Aus, or is it not a universial input supply voltage.
United tools have another combo kit, in Victoria, that has an extra drill. A cordless hammer drill, so three drill/drivers and a torch, 2 batteries for $999. Still a bit pricie for me, but maybe this is a good price.
Does anyone reconmend another Lithim Ion powered drill/driver?

[Pusser]

The one from the US, can the charger have the power plug changed to work in Aus, or is it not a universial input supply voltage.


The US model number is EY0L80B. The plate says input voltage 110-120V 50-60Hz but that is in a US shopping site. My Australian one has a plate that says it is a EY0L80 and the plate says input voltage 220 - 240V 50-60Hz. They look identical except for the plate and plug. However I will not be the first to plug the US one in to see if it works.

[buzzy]

Damn. Today I had to buy a fourth driver - and just two weeks after buying the Makita 7.2v LI-ion. Love all my other Makitas, loved the tiny size, the high grunt for low volts, loved the slimness, the changeable handle and even the groovy case. Didn't love the high price, but hey, Makita and me are good buddies, so I forgive him. BUT the thing drove me CRAZY.:oo: Assembling cabinets, the slightest resistance and the impact kicks in, skipping out of the slot or driving so hard n fast, it over inters before the (non-adjustable) torque stops it. And for the size it 's a noisy bugger when that attatatat fires up. If only it had a no-impact option, it would probably rock. Now I've grabbed the $59 Ryobi 4v that Bunnings stock off and on in it's various incarnations. The switch (not the motor) crapped out on the one I bought a few months ago and Bunnings couldn't replace it because of the come-and-go special of this machine. I like this new version better so I'm kinda glad the last one died. So, now, I have a gutless though handy little 3.6v, a clumsier 7.2v, the infamous Makita (which'll be good for cladding and small roofing jobs and will last fovever probably) and I reckon this Ryobi cheapy will be Goldilocks' porridge.
Guess I've got my bases covered but I coulda done this a whoooole lot cheaper.:doh:

[henlan77]

Buzzy, your post reminds me why I bought the 14.4v Panasonic from the States.
It has 2 modes:
1) Normal drill/driver with 20 clutch settings
2) Impact driver with, as you describe, no clutch settings but excellent penetration into almost anything.

And I was lucky enough to sell the US voltage charger on Ebay and buy a 240v charger for the same money!

[buzzy]

Buzzy, your post reminds me why I bought the 14.4v Panasonic from the States.
It has 2 modes:
1) Normal drill/driver with 20 clutch settings
2) Impact driver with, as you describe, no clutch settings but excellent penetration into almost anything.

And I was lucky enough to sell the US voltage charger on Ebay and buy a 240v charger for the same money!

Thanks for the tip. I haven't looked at Panasonic for years. I had an electricians driver decades ago that cost $430. I remember because that was more money than anything I had ever bought at the time. My car had cost less. I couldn't believe I'd spent that much on .. well...a screwdriver! But it was great, although I think it spoilt my expectations for drivers for the rest of my life. And broke my heart. It was stolen..years later, but that made it worse. I was very attached. Not even a new one would have been the same, and once bitten I thought I'll never spend so much on something so, um, portable. Let's see someone slip my dropsaw in their pocket!. When you say 'lucky', are the US chargers hard to come by? If not I'll definitely check those out. I've already thrown so much dough at finding a favourite, why stop now. When you think about it, it's the one tool you'd use nearly every project, while some I've bought gather (saw)dust most of the year. Cheers Henlan.:wink:

[Chipman]

I am still not convinced about impact drivers, at least not the Ozito ones....they quote these really high torque values but my 18 volt Ryobi drill has more go in it. The first one was a $219 dud... so I bought another one...can't drive a batten screw into pine without a pilot hole and can't do as many screws as a cordless drill. I must check out a panasonic or something decent.

Chipman

[henlan77]

When you say 'lucky', are the US chargers hard to come by?

Well I had no use for the 110v US charger, so sold it and bought the 240v version. I just figured it was lucky that someone wanted the 110v version here in Australia!

As Pusser said in an earlier post, the US model number is EY0L80B and the Oz one is EY0L80. Maybe an electronics expert can pull one apart and tell is if it works on both voltages.