jamie
New Member
Posts: 1
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Post by jamie on Nov 17, 2008 22:37:43 GMT
I suppose I,ve hankered after an impact driver ever since one of the rags reviewed one and reckoned it was brilliant. At £150, though, a bit steep.
I saw one in B&Q this week (Pro or Performance) for £40, 14.4V with 2 batteries so I bought it.
I drove a 2" 10 guage screw into softwood and found that as soon as it meets with some resistance the 'ratchet' bangs in. This was extremely noisy and very slow (exactly like an air powered driver used to apply wheelnuts in the tyre shops). My 14.4V Makita drill/driver pushes the same screw through the same wood faster and quieter.
The only advantage I can see is that the impact driver is a bit smaller, but no lighter. The disadvantages are noise, speed and a total lack of 'feel' as to how much torque is being applied.
I took the impact driver back for a refund.
Can anyone tell me what the point of them is? Is my disappointment just because I was using a budget version?
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Post by mrgrimsdale on Nov 17, 2008 22:57:40 GMT
I've got a hand one. You twist it up tight in the direction you want the screw to turn and hit the end with a lump hammer. The point is; as you hit it, it also turns due to a cam action and won't slip out of the slot at the moment of maximum torque. Useful for tight screws but easily breaks them.
I guess the power ones do the same - hit and turn at the same instant.
The ratchet action of the torque adjustment on my ordinary bosch screwdriver works in a similar way - you put your weight on it in a difficult screw and the ratchet taps it round without slipping out. In theory.
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Post by promhandicam on Nov 17, 2008 22:58:33 GMT
Hi Jamie and welcome. I've got a 12v Hilti impact driver and it is one of the best cordless tools I have. it is a lot lighter than my cordless drill and smaller too so can get into tighter spaces. It also has 3 led's near the chuck which are very useful when working in cupboards etc. yes it is a bit noisier than the cordless but I find it more controllable and the bit's don't seem to cam out as much as when using the cordless drill. It also works just as well taking out screws which can be a problem with a drill as the drill tends to turn rather than the screw. Like all these things it depends on how much you are planning on using it as to how much it is worth spending, but I wouldn't be without mine.
Steve
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Post by gazza on Nov 17, 2008 22:59:16 GMT
hiya Jamie, welcome to the forum ;D I think you have answered your own question, makita vs performance pro  Buy yourself the equivalent makita and then see if you want to take it back  Yes they are noisey but i wouldnt be without my dewalts (i have two) One with a screwdriver bit and the other for snappy bits. I find i dont really use the cordless drills any more except for holesaws and such. HTH Cheers, Gazza. |
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Post by jfc on Nov 17, 2008 23:51:38 GMT
Cant see the point myself but maybe i wasnt paying attention when i used one . My first thought was ... this is driving the screw in too fast and not allowing it to cut a thread .
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Post by colincott on Nov 18, 2008 1:28:09 GMT
I have one and like the others, I will not be without one too I have a makita one (14v ) and still have an old B&Q one somewhere. i used the B&Q one when dooing some frames for a church I was helping on ( it was a 12v or 14v ) and a friend was using an 18v drill driver and I was putting in 3 screws to his 2 and he was still doing up his second I also find if you are doing up a frame and using a cordless, if it is not tight, the screw will sometime push the two bit apart but with an impact driver. When the screw head hits the wood it keeps on pulling to two parts together. I have used mine for small screws too ( 4's ) You will have to take mine out of my cold dead hands  |
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Post by Keith on Nov 18, 2008 7:50:34 GMT
I have a 12V DeWalt and will buy another the instant it dies, fantastic piece of kit. I would say more suited to joinery, especially when up on a roof or the like, as it doesn't cam out.
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Post by scraper on Nov 18, 2008 8:48:08 GMT
We've got the 12v Dewalt (5 years of great service and still going strong) the Makita 12v and the new small Bosch 10.8v one here: www.bosch-pt.co.uk/boptocs2-uk/Product.jsp;jsessionid=A7EFDBFE8B37D5403BDEAFA87CBC0665?country=GB&lang=en&division=gw&ccat_id=119043&object_id=11765As others have said they are a huge improvement over drill/drivers especially on the larger screws. And used with flat woodbits they are great for boring large holes. I purchased a large quantity of surplus Torx screws at a bargain price but you don't half go through Torx bits on the impact drivers!! Probably cost what I saved on the screws!  For pozis I use the Wera impact bits from Screwfix. I once saw a guy 'trying' to plasterboard a ceiling with one. First time he had used it and every screw was sent straight through the boards!! |
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Post by mailee on Nov 18, 2008 14:53:40 GMT
Yes it is definitely a case of cheap driver there. I have the Makita 12V impact driver and it is the dogs danglies for general joinery work. Mine will drive 8g screws through solid Oak without a pilot hole!  Would certainly buy another when this one bites the dust. |
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Post by lumbley on Nov 18, 2008 15:58:53 GMT
Not to mention that in your example you were doing a task that your drill/driver could handle with ease. An impact driver comes into its own in circumstances where the drill/driver *can't* do it with ease. I recently had to bang a load of heavy duty wall anchors in to hold up a heavily laden bracket, the drill driver was great at getting them started, but lacked the oomph to finish the anchors off - the impact driver on the other hand, whilst noisy, did the job with ease.
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For pozis I use the Wera impact bits from Screwfix.
Would certainly buy another when this one bites the dust.