"Ivan Vegvary" wrote in
:

Okay, I know the purpose of an impact wrench for automotive work. (I
have several). I also know the purpose of a Hammer-Drill, own one
small and one large one of those also.

What is the purpose of an "impact driver"? Are you guys driving
screws with an impact driver? (I use my 18 volt Lithium-Ion screw
gun). Do impact drivers make the job easier compared to a screw gun?
Is this something I should buy myself for father's day?

Please educate me.

Ivan Vegvary


Buy one and start using it for driving screws. You'll quickly find out
it's a better way. I've put in a 5# box worth of screws with a Phillips
head and have stripped maybe 5 of the heads. Since the impact force
pushes the bit into the screw, it's much less likely to strip out. Mine
doesn't begin impacting until a certain torque level is reached, which is
just about the time you really need it.

I've had several occasions where the impact driver has pulled boards
tight using fully threaded screws. It sure makes things easy.

If you can, get one that uses the same batteries as your drill/driver.
You'll probably wind up chucking a drill bit in the drill and a
screwdriver bit in the impact. One will inevitably die first, but you
can finish the project with the other.

If you're doing work where space is tight, the impact drivers usually
have a smaller size and will fit where the drill/drivers will not.

Puckdropper
--
Never teach your apprentice everything you know.