Impact screw drivers?

[IslandTractor]

Well it sure isn't the Aerospace Rockwell Industries I made electronic components for back in the 80's an 90's...at least not any more

A little online research leads me to understand that Rockwell was originally Delta a true American company but the name been so passed around it kind was lost in the shuffle. B&D had it for a while but is now owned by a Chinese Company and of course the manufacturing is over there right along with other brands.

Some banter on this forum says Rockwell USA is now headquartered in South Carolina and some engineering people from some of the other tool companies changed over with the new ownership


https://www.rockwelltools.com/en-US/Default.aspx

But with the "seen on TV marketing" kind of tacky hey! :shocked:


Global marketing to America is like change a few knobs and make it a different color and we will call it a new brand. So much stuff is so similar today because only a few holding companies own most all the trademarked names its like the future is going be only one item..in your choice of color :laughing:

My grandmother always said "you can have any flavor ice cream you want as long as its vanilla" I think she was ahead of her time she should have been in marketing

That is my impression of Rockwell too. They seem to have nice products (I own their JawHorse) but I rather doubt they are doing more than slapping their name, color scheme and a few modifications on to products designed (?co-designed) and manufactured by a variety of Chinese companies. Nothing wrong with that but it doesn't inspire confidence in how long they will be around and implies that spare parts and perhaps even batteries may be difficult to acquire sometime in the (near) future. No such concern with Makita, Bosch, DeWalt, Milwaukee, Fein etc.

I recall buying a full set of battery powered tools from Costco labelled "Kawasaki" or some such recognizable name. Clearly not the Kawasaki of motorcycle fame. Parts and batteries were essentially unavailable as was technical support. Although I do believe that Rockwell is a step or two above that sort of "slap a famous name on it" type of marketing I'm not sure they offer any real advantage other than pricing over the established manufacturers. Anyone want to buy a Westinghouse, Sylvania, or RCA product these days???.

 

[BKBoiss]

My father in law bought me a small really light impact driver (10.8v I think) when my wife and I were first married and I have never gone back to a drill since. Only time I use my drill is for pre-drilling holes. I bought myself a larger corded one for big projects but it's a lot heavier so it only comes out when it's going to be used all day.

 

[DFB]

I recall buying a full set of battery powered tools from Costco labelled "Kawasaki" or some such recognizable name. Clearly not the Kawasaki of motorcycle fame.

They have the green Kawasaski tools in the Tractor Supply store nearest to me

But can I have a BLUE Yamaha one??? Puhleeze!!!

 

[DFB]

Normally used in one hand, Don't need 2, don't need your knee to hold it up like a big impact.. etc etc.

James I got a good chuckle out of that. Now when I pick up the old NiMh powered 18V Makita I'm thinking there should have been a tripod mount for it :laughing:

 

[rd_macgregor]

I used the impact function on my drill/driver when I pre-drilled holes in a concrete wall for Tapcons and it seemed to make the drilling go a lot faster/smoother...also, I didn't go through as many concrete bits as I expected to.

 

[Cord]

I use an 18v Makita that is 4 yrs. old now. Have driven 3/8" lag bolts with it and thousands of screws. Bored 1 1/4" holes in joist for wiring.
The variable speed is great. Batteries last a very long time. No issues with it. Don't use a drill very often.

Love my Makita 18v. Not the fastest driver, but very controllable and has reasonable power. It'll handle screws all day long but starts to struggle on the larger 3/8" timber fasteners. Plus the weight and lack of fastener cam-out can't be beat.

 

[deerseeker001]

I also have the 20 volt Dewalt Impact and love it,very powerful.

At work we have the 18V DeWalt hammer drills and impact drivers. I was so impressed I bought the newer 20V version of each and LOVE them. The impact driver gets used a ton, and has way more power than I ever expected. My neighbor was trying to remove 12" long 1/2" diameter hex cap screws holding down the boards on his bridge....couldn't get them to budge with his corded large hammer drill. My 20V impact driver got most of them out, and the ones that wouldn't budge we used a long breaker bar to start them....his hammer drill still wouldn't move them, but my impact driver would.

 

[zing]

I used the impact function on my drill/driver when I pre-drilled holes in a concrete wall for Tapcons and it seemed to make the drilling go a lot faster/smoother...also, I didn't go through as many concrete bits as I expected to.

I think you are confusing a hammer drill with an impact drill. Not at all the same thing. Different motion and different purpose.
- A hammer drill pushes the bit out and in while spinning, in order to pound its way into concrete. It is kind of like a small jackhammer that also spins.
- An impact drill spins like a regular drill until it encounters sufficient backpressure and then it starts to put out a bunch of impacts in the same direction the drill is spinning in order to increase the torque of the spin. It is sort of like when your cordless drill clutch slips, except that instead of slipping and decreasing the torque, it is impacting to increase the torque.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

They have the green Kawasaski tools in the Tractor Supply store nearest to me

But can I have a BLUE Yamaha one??? Puhleeze!!!

Kawasaki Heavy Industries, like Mitsubishi and Hitachi, is one of those companies whose storied past gave us WWII. Think of them like a Japanese General Electric. Kawasaki got into motorcycles as a way to demonstrate their technical abilities. Kawasaki makes industrial robots, aerospace stuff, ships, trains, and zillion other things. Check it out:

Products & Services | Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. KHI

They also make heavy construction stuff.

Here is their 81 ton wheel loader.

http://www.khi.co.jp/kenki/english/products/catalog/zv2/c13552ee01.pdf

and of course, they do make motorcycles.

 

[DFB]

and of course, they do make motorcycles.

I can remember a time in my life when a KZ1000 was the fastest bike on the road.

Kawasaki Kz1000 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia