My husband has been hinting about wanting an impact driver. He claims there are many uses for it around the house. I wonder if he’s trying to pull the wool over my eyes and just get another expensive toy. What’s your feeling about this tool that just looks like a drill to me? — Melanie H., Apple Valley, Calif.
I can understand your skepticism. Some people just want every new shiny object that hits the marketplace. This disease afflicts both women and men equally, I feel.
The good news is that your husband is hankering for something that’s more than just moderately useful. I own more than one impact driver, and this tool is absolutely one of the top five power tools the average homeowner should own. I only wish they were available decades ago, when I was still building 60 hours a week. My productivity would have gone through the roof!
Advertisement
If you’ve never used or held an impact driver, the best way to picture one is to think about the tool that auto mechanics use to remove the lug nuts from a car wheel. Have you ever heard that high-pitched whiz and rat-a-tat-tat as the lug nut spins off or is tightened by the air-powered impact driver? This reliable technology, which has been around for years, was transferred to the pro and DIY power-tool marketplace not too long ago.
These marvelous tools can be used for so many things, as long as you get the right one. Even though many look the same, there are significant differences between some of these tools. I prefer the cordless impact drivers, because they’re so versatile. Who wants to drag around a power cord if it’s not needed?
My favorite impact driver is made by Milwaukee. It’s got a brushless motor, a 1/4-inch hex drive and three torque settings, the latter of which range from 200 to 1,600 inch-pounds of torque. Believe me, that’s more than enough to drive giant 3/8-inch long lag screws into hard yellow pine!
Advertisement
Different voltages are available for cordless power tools. I happen to be a fan of 18-volt devices, but I probably expect more out of my tools than a casual weekend warrior. There are 12-volt impact drivers that deliver plenty of punch and will drive or remove many fasteners with just one charge of the lithium-ion battery.
Share this articleShareHere’s a partial list of some of the jobs this tool will accomplish. I recently used mine to remove screws that held a deck railing in place. The tool also did a remarkable job of removing large lag bolts that held the railing posts in place. And I used the driver to install giant five-inch-long timber screws in solid lumber.
My impact driver works well for smaller fasteners, too. When you need extreme control to drive small hidden fasteners between expensive composite decking, then come and borrow my impact driver. I just finished driving hundreds of tiny stainless-steel screws that are part of the hidden fastening system for my Trex decking. Using the No. 2 torque setting delivered the perfect amount of torque so as not to snap the screws.
Advertisement
The hex drive system allows you to use the tool with any number of fasteners. Imagine if you need to drive Phillips-head screws. How about hex-head screws? Do you have to drive Torx screws or square-drive fasteners? Each of these can be expertly driven into wood, steel or any other material with precision using a high-quality impact driver and an assortment of hex-shaft bits.
Don’t try to compare an impact driver with a screw gun. The inner mechanics of each are radically different. Impact drivers deliver tiny bursts of power that make a much bigger difference in trying both to drive and remove fasteners.
When using an impact driver, it’s really important that the bit you’re using is a perfect match for the fastener. If there’s the smallest amount of slop in the fit, either the bit or the fastener will almost always get rounded and ruined as the tool spins rapidly while the fastener doesn’t.
Advertisement
If your husband has not used an impact driver, I feel it’s best to have him practice driving different fasteners in scrap lumber to really get a feel for how the tool works. It’s important not to over-drive certain fasteners. He’ll also discover that when driving into wood, the wood species makes a big difference, as harder woods can cause fasteners to snap with little warning.
I urge you to try the tool, too. I believe once you see how amazing an impact driver is, you’ll be glad you approved the purchase. It saves so much work and takes so much stress off your wrists and hands. Keep in mind that the more-expensive impact drivers usually have better parts, better engineering and can last for generations if cared for.
Need an answer? All of Tim’s past columns are archived for free at www.AsktheBuilder.com. You can also watch hundreds of videos, download Quick Start Guides and more.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZLumw9JorqGdopp6uLGMpaCvnV%2BsvXB%2Bj2ptaGlgZH11e9ahsGaZnmK2rrzAnKtmnKKew6a%2BjKyfqK2cmXqjsYyapKiml2LGsMHRZquoqF2btrexjK2mqKSjZA%3D%3D