Drill driver or impact driver? That’s the question we’ll answer in this article. You see, both are pretty different from one other and serve different functions. While drill drivers are lighter and easier to handle, impact drivers are heavier and with more torque. And that’s not all that sets them apart. So which is better? Drills or impacts? We will discuss that in this article!
What is a drill driver?
A drill driver is a powerful tool that usually resembles a cordless screwdriver and allows the user to drive screws in hard-to-reach places by harnessing the torque of a drill. The device can be used anywhere from construction sites to your workshop at home. Some drill drivers are light in weight, while others are heavy.
When looking for a drill driver, it is essential to consider the importance of the product. You need to avoid buying a heavy drill driver because you may have difficulty keeping it in your hands for as long as you are working on your construction project. It is also good to look at the safety features that come with the tool. You want to buy a drill driver with an auxiliary handle to control the power tool’s movement.
What is an Impact Driver?
Impact drivers are a type of specialized drill that provides the user with several innovative and powerful features. You can use them for various applications such as construction or carpentry projects, assembly work, and socket screw driving. This type of drill has also been incorporated into some other equipment to create all-in-one solutions. One great feature of impact drivers is that they can provide a lot more torque than regular drills. In addition, unlike drill drivers, impact drivers do not have a chuck.
What is the drill driver used for?
A drill driver is a cordless machine that uses rotation to drill, drive, and remove screws. It can replace your screwdriver to make tasks more convenient.
A drill driver has a chuck attached to the end of an electric motor that can handle different sizes of drill bits. Thus, you can use it for drilling holes in wood, walls, etc.
What is an impact driver used for?
Impact drivers are one of the most valuable tools in my kit. They are powerful, portable, and can handle some of the most challenging jobs you might need to tackle while working with wood. In addition, impact drivers are more powerful than drill drivers and are easier to use.
You can drive screws into various materials and drive long lag bolts and tube nails with impact drivers. The impact driver uses an internal hammer which is activated when the trigger is pulled. Electrical impacts can vary depending on the make and model, from 800 to 1500 to RPMs. This high RPM makes it able to drive in screws quicker than other drills.
The main difference between Drill Driver vs Impact Driver
- Impact drivers are primarily great for hard materials, while drill drivers do the best work in soft materials.
- Impact driver lacks clutch, so you do the tasks at your strength and accuracy. However, drill drivers have a clutch.
Pros and cons of drill driver
Pros
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- You can use it to drill holes in wood, soft wall, and metal other than iron or steel. for example aluminum
- It uses continuous and smooth rotating power
- It is comparatively cheap to buy
- It is best when you require high accuracy in tasks
- You can rotate finishing bits
- It has a slip clutch allowing you to modify torque, respectively
- It is best to drill holes in soft material
- It accepts drill bits of many different sizes to drive screws.
- It is helpful to insert and remove tiny fasteners like screws.
- You can use it when sanding bits.
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Cons
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- You cannot Loosen or tighten heavy-duty nuts and screws
- It is not possible to insert and remove larger screws like lag screws.
- You cannot operate fasteners and fixings, for example, in metal or concrete.
- Sometimes screws strip easily, making it harder to do the tasks.
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Pros and cons of an impact driver
Pros
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- It is more powerful than drill drivers. Thus you can do more work with an impact driver in less time.
- You can fit it in tight spaces because of its compact size.
- It is easy to drive screws even in uncomfortable places.
- Impact drivers make it easier to drive the long screw without much effort.
- It is best if you want to work on strongly fitted or stuck bolts and also to drive fasteners with a wide diameter.
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Cons
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- Unless you’re using a drill bit or hex-shanked driver, the impact driver will not work.
- It is extreme to handle sensitive and more definite jobs
- It makes more noise compared to drill driver
- Even though it can drill holes, it is not as efficient as the drill driver.
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How does a drill driver work?
Drill drivers are another type of cordless power tool used for driving in screws and drilling holes in wood, plastic, and metal. In comparison with impact drivers, drill drivers usually feature multi-speed transmissions. The tool uses a reversing switch, a clutch, or both to control torque.
It has a clutch that you can’t find in the impact driver. The different clutch settings of the drill correspond to selective torque settings. This, in turn, ensures that driving stops at equivalent torque levels.
How does Impact driver work?
An impact driver applies strong “torques” (rotational forces) to a mechanical device. The tool provides tremendous rotational power in tasks, helping drive bolts in metal, cement, hardwood, etc.
Features of an impact driver
Chuck
Chuck helps to hold drill bits and screwdrivers safely. The impact driver has been specifically designed to complement most drivers – on the road and off. The unique design of this tool allows drivers to secure their tools with a chuck while allowing the total leverage of the driver to secure the bits.
Forward/Reverse Switch
You can use both switches to interchange in the direction in which the chuck turns. This feature is handy when working on the tasks as it makes the drilling and screwdriver easy.
Led Light
Impact drivers have a built-in led light that makes it easy to work in dark places. It can be seen from a fair distance and provides steady illumination when needed.
Vibration Protection
Impact drivers have vibration protection which helps decrease the amount of vibration from the tool. However, it is not possible to fully eliminate the vibration.
Charge gauges
There are two kinds of impact drivers. They are corded and cordless. And cordless impact drivers feature charge gauges that tell you the power in the driver so you can know when to charge the battery.
Conclusion
Both impact driver and drill driver have lots of similarities as they both work on a similar mechanism. However, they also have lots of differences in power, torques, and other things. If you have read the blog thoroughly, you should already have an idea about what is best suitable for you. Depending on your needs you can choose either drill driver or impact driver for your tasks.
