Do I Really Need an Impact Driver?

Not to spoil the vido, but yes, you do need an impact driver, right away. Stop reading. Go to the store, buy an impact driver and thank me later. If you feel the need to understand why, read on.

Why Do I need an Impact Driver?

Impact drivers are creating a lot of buzz on the internet these days, and I’m sure a common debate is forming in thousands of households across the country –

“Honey, I could really use an impact driver for the shop…”

“Don’t you already have a big fancy cordless drill?”

“Yes, but these are different, and I can’t go on living without one.”

Impact Driver vs. Drill: What’s the Diff?

Let’s sort out the differences between traditional cordless drills and impact drivers so that woodworkers everywhere can prepare for this potential dialog in their own home.

Where Does an Impact Driver Fit in a Woodworking Shop?

Woodworkers use drills for a combination of drilling holes and driving fasteners. Some of the work is lightweight, and some require some brute force. Although I prefer building fine furniture with nearly invisible fasteners, I find myself driving long sheetrock screws on many projects in the shop, and that’s what the impact driver does best. For installing cabinets, building shop furniture, theater set construction, framing anything with dimensional lumber, or building a deck, the impact driver will be your new best friend.

Why Can’t an Impact Driver Replace My Drill?

Well, there are a couple reasons why.

1. Due to the extreme torque that is delivered by an impact driver vs. a drill, the impact drivers feature a hexagonal chuck design that doesn’t allow the shank to spin in the chuck when it is under load. This is a nice feature for driving fasteners, but I am not ready to discard the 200 or so round shank drill bits that I have accumulated over the years. So, if I want the ability to drive screws using my drill bit collection, and have the ability to drive fasteners without stripping the head or straining myself, I am going to need both. (You may have seen that coming.)

The Upside?

Your Best Buying Options

When I performed my search for an impact driver, I found quite a few options that seemed like good choices. Several manufacturers are offering “combo kits” that include an impact driver along with a traditional cordless drill, using the same Lithium Ion battery (as someone with a cabinet full of different chargers and batteries, I say battery standardization is a great thing).

When I compare the prices of these tools sold separately with the cost of the bundle, it is clear that the manufacturers are delivering significant value in the bundles. I like a good deal, and besides, the light, compact, fast charging Lithium Ion trumps my old Ni-cad batteries across the board, so I was sold on the upgrade. For applications that require pilot holes prior to driving fasteners (pretty common scenario), having a drill bit chucked up in the drill and a screw tip in the driver is a great approach. So, a combo kit it is.

DeWALT and Porter Cable

Based on features, value, and brand strength, I chose a combo kit from DeWALT for my shop and an impact driver from Porter Cable for use around the house as it will see a bit lighter use. I decided on 12V models rather than their 18V big brothers, because 12V delivers plenty of torque for woodworking and most DIY projects, and they are lighter and less expensive. If you are commonly driving massive lag bolts, or want to use it to remove the lug nuts from your truck, you might consider going with one of the beefier 18V models.

Not surprising, given that they are both from the same parent company, I found both the DeWALT and Porter Cable units to have a similar form factor and feature set. The DeWALT units are slightly lighter on paper, but not noticeably in my hand. All of these tools are so light compared to their NiCad cousins that a few ounces difference is negligible.

Since DeWALT is targeted mainly for extreme demands of the contractor crowd, and Porter Cable seems to target both the tradesman and DIY market, I suspect that if you cut one open (I couldn’t get myself to do it) you would find some additional durability built into the DeWALT design, but that is speculation on my part. I am a fan of both brands, and I think either of these tools would adequately meet my needs as a serious hobbyist woodworker, and occasional DIYer.

How About Alittle Light on the Subject?

Can They Drive 4″ Screws?

The Downsides?

I would like to have a clutch built into the impact driver but that feature was not readily available in this class of product. The combination of high torque and no clutch makes it less than ideal for driving lightweight fasteners.

Having said that, if I had the choice of getting a nice drill along with the impact driver or getting an impact driver with an integrated clutch, I would take the combo kit with the drill, and that is essentially what is being offered.

Also, I would like to see a third battery in the combo kit. With two tools and two batteries, I am down when a battery dies or sharing a battery which is no fun. But with a thirty-minute charge time and impressive run time on a charge, I admit this is a minor concern for a weekend warrior. Frankly, there is not much else that I find lacking in these tools. So far, my expectations have been surpassed, and now the only question is longevity. Based upon the solid construction I am reasonably confident that I won’t wear these out, and I anticipate only buying again when the batteries no longer hold a reasonable charge.

Conclusion

As I said in the opening paragraph, impact drivers are absolutely amazing, and you will be glad that you bought one. To review some of the points covered in this article, here is a table that summarizes some of the key differences between an impact driver and a traditional cordless drill:

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