Often on Holmes Inspection and This Old House, the workers use what appear to be hammer drills as electric screwdrivers, particularly for lag bolts or long screws. Are they really using hammer drills, or does it just sound like a hammer drill?
Impact driver. Yes, I suppose it is a bit like a hammer drill. I've not torn mine apart yet to see what is impacting, but they sure make Tapcons, lags, and Phillips screws work wonders.
Here is some information: type "impact driver" in google. These things are all the rage, but it would be the first tool I would replace if lost or dead.
If you were going to buy one tomorrow morning, which one would you buy? Impact makes more sense than hammer.
The hammer option could be turned off. On my drill you just slide a switch to get it to hammer. These days most drills have a hammer feature that can turn on or off
Also with drill clutches being plastic these days lots of wierd noises come from drills. You might be hearing an adjustable clutch tighten up or slip during fastening esp. with long lag bolts. For example my drill has 24 clutch settings and one extra setting where the clutch will NOT slip and the drill tries to keep drilling, sometimes injuring the holder's wrists from the ensuing torque.
I have a feeling you are hearing the drill's clutch and not the hammer but that's just a guess on my part.
Hammer drill provides a forward pulsating motion. It's used with masonary bits, to drill holes in cement. I've done that many times.
Impact driver uses the impact motion in a rotational direction. Helps loosen rusted on bolts, for example.
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If you were going to buy one tomorrow morning, which one would you buy? Impact makes more sense than hammer.
I've got a Millwakee 18v and love it
They're called "impact drivers". The "impact" is radial not on-axis, like a hammer drill. They're the greatest invention since the (female) bed warmer.
I have a Bosch 12V and an 18V. I use the 12V about 80% of the time. It's nice and light but will still drive a #9x4" screw if you ask it to. The 18V will drive 5/16" lag screws, though I don't very often (would rather use a ratchet wrench).
One caution. Impact drivers drive screws & such much more efficiently than a screwdriver-- but there is no way to set them to not strip things-- that is up to the operator.
FWIW- my screwdriver is a Milwaukee & my impact driver is a Bosch.
Jim
DanG wrote in news:jg5300$57p$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:
A "hammer" drill strikes the bit axially while rotating the bit,while an impact driver has only rotational strikes on the bit.
If I were dead, I'd want to crowbar, so I could get out of the casket.
I've used my Bosch hammer drill to drive lag bolts and it does a bang up job (no pun). ^_^
TDD
This is what I would recommend. It is the same one that commercial/ professional contractors use.
Way back when, I started my battery tool collection with commercial Black & Decker (before DeWalt). Once you have charger(s) and batteries it just seems to make sense to stay interchangeable and compatible. I sometimes wish I had started out with Milwaukee, yet, the DeWalt has proved durable. I'm sure others will laud other major brands.
Just not so. My full sized DeWalt impact gun is lighter and smaller than my DeWalt drill. The newer lighter weight impacts are almost half the size and weight and hit as hard or harder. I've not invested in the newer light weights because I'm waiting to wear out something I already own or develop a specific need.
You missed the "usually" in that? In any case I haven't bought any tools in over 20 years so i don't know what new ones weigh. I would assume (and yes I know) that if one is significantly lighter than they were, then the other probably is also.
Pedantry reigns supreme.
Harry K
DanG wrote in news:jg8j6j$3g0$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:
a hammer drill is intended for drilling concrete. How often do you do that? although,I guess you can disable the hammer function and use it as a drill- driver.
OTOH,an impact driver is intended for driving screws,bolts and nuts,with more torque than a regular drill-driver. I can see a lot of that sort of use. I don't see them as very good drills,however.
Since you can use a drill-driver for both drilling and driving,that would be my first priority. YMMV.
if you do a lot of deck screw or bolt/nut driving,then you need an impact driver more.
DanG wrote in news:jg8jcl$417$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:
an impact driver does not "hammer",it strikes in a ROTATIONAL direction. It has more torque than a drill-driver. a hammer drill strikes in the axial direction,while rotating the bit.
I have seen the impact style drills. They do have a lot of torque. A few weeks ago, I was at Ace, and they had the dual pack of DeWalt 18v. drill and driver, a charger, and two batteries, plus custom carrying case for $149. I grabbed it. The first project was to install a metal roof, using about 400 selftappers with sealer. The impact did a better job than the drill, as once it punched through, it used impact plus torque rather than just torque. For a lot of other fasteners where you need some oomph, the impact is great. Don't forget to buy only the bits and drivers that have the slot near the end so it is impossible for them to fall out. Faster than the keyless chuck to change bits, too. Plus, now I have a small masonry hammer drill for the small holes, and don't have to pull out the big monster, which is easy to break bits with and a whole lot harder to control.
Steve
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