I see these in the Screwfix catalogue, Impact Drivers. Anyone know what that is? Does the drill hammer? Is it just a drill/driver without a chuck? What is the advantage? Also, Drywall Drivers, also in Screwfix, what do they do over a drill/driver? If a tool can save me time, effort and produces a better quality job, then I am always interested.
As I understand it, an impact driver is a drill driver that uses impact in the rotary sense to increase torque, that is, it does hammer, but not back & forth.
Dave
An impact driver is usually a screwdriver which can take a variety of bits or sockets and has a cam mechanism within. It's purely mechanical. You engage it on the screw or nut and whack it with a hammer. Most commonly used on cars rather than houses.
Of course Screwfix may mean something else - if so a reference would help.
If it looks like a miniature grease gun, its a thing you put a bit of some sort in the front, hold firmly over a nut or screw and whack very hard with a hammer on the large end.
The wack is converted into rotary motion and combined with the force of the whack, frees the nut/screw. ( you hope)
It's the equivalent of hitting a spanner with a hammer to shock a fitting loose (or tight). When the nut/bolt is loose it spins to drive it, when it's tight it hammers. You've probably seen an air-powered version being used in KwikFit. The manual version is used with a hammer
- when you hit it on the end some of the force drives the bit against the screwhead and some is converted to rotation to turn the screw slightly.
Drywall drivers have a depth stop that activates a clutch so you can't drive screws too far and split the paper facing on plasterboard. The cheapo version is just a bit with a fixed collar that makes it slip out of the screw head at a certain depth.
Would you believe it, Richard Cranium hasn't a clue as usual. An impact driver in this sense, is a drill/driver that has a "rotational" hammer action. When no resistance to the screw it spins, resistance, and then the hammer action comes in. The action cannot be turned off, like in hammers dills. A 12v impact driver can outperform a 18 or 24v drill/driver in driving screws. They cam be used as drills too, but are primarily designed to drive. An 18V impact driver can run in a 6" screw without any pilot hole. Even smaller voltages can do the same. They also don't chew up screws as much as normal drill/drivers. They are
They are purely professional tools that is why you don't see them in the DIY sheds. Wickes, who are a professional outlet don't even sell them yet. They have not been around long and are very expensive with over £200 the normal price. The cheapest is the 18v Ryobi at £70 with the battery extra (the one battery fits all system). Two batteries and a charger would be about £60, making the cheapest around £130, or even cheaper using just one battery. Because of the hammer action they do not take a lot out of the battery compared to a drill/driver. They tend not to have a chuck just a
1/4" hex socket for driver bits and drills. Some versions have a detachable chuck. In the US there is an angled version available, made by Ridgid.They take a little bit of getting used to but are brilliant when you have the knack. Stretching out from a ladder, a screw can be driven in with no problems. If doing a lot of driving, they are the business. I prefer one of these with a detachable chuck to a normal drill/driver. When the price drops and the cheaper DIY makes start making them, then the price will drop.
Impact screwdrivers are the business, there are now cheap ones available, but I haven't tried a cheapy, my one is an ELU that machine mart were selling so cheap it was ridiculous, I wish I had bought several, but at the time I didn't realise really what they did!
You need one if you do more than a very occasional diy job.
mrcheerful
[snip misleading rubbish]
Didn't expect you'd know what one is. Look at the other posts, dribble. If Screwfix decide to hijack the name for something else, take it up with them.
Richard here is snipping info he never knew.
Richard Cranium, the OP mentioned Screwfix, and a drill and things. You don't have a clue what an impact driver is.
A review. One Panasonic model is a drill./driver and an impact driver, but around £450 in the UK. This test rates the Ryobi, which is well priced.
Someone may have called such a thing an 'impact driver'. But the purely mechanical ones have been around a long time. I bought one 40 years ago and still use it; it lives in a box (that it came in) with 'Impact Driver' printed on it.
So there.
Impact drivers, purely mechanical, have been around for many years. Take a look at the picture, Drivel.
That is exactly what I would have said an impact driver was. Probabley the very first tool that I ever bought 40 years ago as it was absolutely essential to get the very tight screws of a motorcycle engine.
Kevin
The OP mentioned impact driver and drill. Quite clear.
I know all about mechanical drivers. The OP mentioned drills.
See
up a ladder or anywhere else.
-
B&Q have the Makita ones.....
Hmmmm.......
The larger cordless ones are over £200. Whether that is expensive is a matter of opinion. There are smaller ones at about £160
Ridgid is the Home Depot brand and is made by the Chinese Techtronic Industries company, just like Ryobi.
Brother!
Embraces long-lost Kevin!
:))
I haven't noticed
Probably Kress don't have one yet. They are so expensive with a limited market, that is takes some thinking about before spending on R&D for a company like Kress. Their drill/driver/angle drill is high torque and can "most" of what the impact drivers can do. To buy an impact driver you really need to need it. They also make a racket.
The beefier 18v Ryobi is the better option at that price. After all you need power with these things. They are primarily design to drive. The Ryobi gets good reports.
[snip more crap]
I doubt you know a decent tool shop, but if you find one ask for an impact driver and see what you get. That you didn't know what one was just shows you've never used anything other than a hacksaw - everyone else here is perfectly clear what they are.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.