Impact screw drivers?

[Beltzington]

110-115 ft-lbs. of torque is quite a lot of work. It's well worth a bit of noise. I've said it before. I wouldn't be without mine. If it were stolen tomorrow, I'd order another right away.

How many wood screws require >100 ft-lbs of torque? We buy what we can afford, just think this love fest is a bit ingenious.

 

[IslandTractor]

Buyer痴 Remorse - You're Guilty
Spent way too much on a screwdriver and need to justify the purchase. Same argument's heard in any beauty parlor in NJ. Just took out my M18 impact driver to see what all the giddiness is about. No joy, the noise alone is enough to throw it in the trash. Unless you are driving thousands of screws/year I am afraid the old electric drill trumps the 妬mpact driver all day long.

Wear earplugs.

I use both a 12v Bosch and an 18v Makita impact driver. I find the noise far more tolerable than the cursing that occurs when I strip Phillips head screws with a power drill.

 

[xring100]

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.

Bingo lags and 3 1/2" screws are where the impacts Excell. I use a 20v max dewalt brushless. The driver is also more compact than the drill. To bad its so loud

 

[xring100]

Does anyone have experience driving self tapping screws into heavy sheet metal with impact driver?

We have a project in the works that will use self tapping screws. Last time, using battery drill, had poor experience trying to use ST screws so, ended up pre-drilling holes for them.

Thanks!

Yes i installed a metal roof this year no problems doesnt hit the impact stage untill its already through the sheet metal and clamping up the joint

 

[lostcreekranch]

Yes i installed a metal roof this year no problems doesnt hit the impact stage untill its already through the sheet metal and clamping up the joint

Xring;

Thanks for the input.

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

 

[xring100]

No problem what gauge thickness are they using i belive the roofing was 0.016" or roughly 27 gauge. Would not have had any problem going through more.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I use mine to remove my mower blades, so much easier with impact than a wrench. And it will drive screws in wood that a drill just doesn't have the ability to do.

 

[ray66v]

Try driving something, where it's difficult to push the tool into the work, like those long aluminum screws made for replacing the nails that hold gutters on.

When you are on a ladder, trying to drive them with a drill, you will either have to grab the gutter and pull yourself in, or push so hard, that you will practically fall off the ladder.

With an impact, they will go in with one hand, and not much effort.

And, unlike with the drill, they won't be stripped out, so you can remove them just as well.

Then, try both screwing 1/2" Hardie board down with a drill, and try it with an impact. No contest there either. If your sub floor is solid, you will have difficulty getting the heads flush, or below the surface of the cement board, without stripping them out, using a drill. But, the impact will do it easily.

Last fall, I worked with four guys unscrewing 600 square ft. of deck boards. The impacts were getting the screws out better, and faster than the drills, regardless of which guys were suing them.

I use impacts for any screws, and bolts.

Drills, are for drilling

 

[ray66v]

How many wood screws require >100 ft-lbs of torque?

Lag screws.

I can run them in, without pre-drilling if I want, using an impact.

You will end up with something broken, (probably you), trying to do that with a drill. And, even if you pre-drill, you are going to be cranking them by hand, before they bottom out.

 

[dstig1]

Oh there is no contest.. I have a few of both, and for driving screws/lags/RSS screws the impact is so much better/faster/easier is is not even a discussion. Belztington, you are off your rocker here, sorry! If you tried it, either the driver you were using was weak or not working, or you are the type that hates anything new. Impact drivers are one of the greatest inventions in tools in the past 20 yrs.

 

[Coyote machine]

What you are saying is that companies use "lifetime warranties" as a marketing device and that they cover themselves with fine print to avoid having to pay out when a customer returns. I appreciate that is exactly what "lifetime" warranties are all about but because that is such a dishonest marketing technique, I think customers should create as much hassle as they can for companies that try to weasel out of repairs/replacements. Slimy marketing practices deserve to be called out.

It's called caveat emptor ~ buyer beware. It the buyer's responsibility to READ the fine print, and if they don't like the deal, then don't buy the product. Surely you're not so naive as to think manufacturers and marketing departments do things for the consumer's benefit alone?!:confused2:
They act in their own best interest because that's where the money is. Dishonesty comes in the form of bogus products, mostly made in China, that are cheap knockoffs of better products made elsewhere with brand name reliability, or at least better overall product quality. Almost nothing made today is guaranteed to even work right out of the box. Hardly matters what name is on the box, everything from TVs to computers, appliances, etc. Limiting liability on product returns is what allows many mfgs. to remain in business. You can either deal with the reality of what is or make efforts to change the status quo. Good luck with that.:thumbsup:

 

[Coyote machine]

Buyer痴 Remorse - You're Guilty
Spent way too much on a screwdriver and need to justify the purchase. Same argument's heard in any beauty parlor in NJ. Just took out my M18 impact driver to see what all the giddiness is about. No joy, the noise alone is enough to throw it in the trash. Unless you are driving thousands of screws/year I am afraid the old electric drill trumps the 妬mpact driver all day long.

Trash it in my direction, along with any noisy circular saws, table saws, or other louder than a toaster oven, construction tools you hate for doing the job they were intended to do. Impact tools make construction work faster, easier and safer. Home owners, DIYers have adapted the technology into their wheelhouse due to price point, availability, and marketing of package deals, etc.
Wear ear protection, or don't, but don't slam the tool for doing it's job well even though it might not be suited to your specific sensibilities.
Drills; good for drilling. Impact drivers are excellent at driving, screws/lags, etc. Apples to oranges, similar but different. Chose what works for you. And don't forget your hand saw next time you construct something like a deck.

 

[s219]

Buyerç—´ Remorse - You're Guilty
Spent way too much on a screwdriver and need to justify the purchase. Same argument's heard in any beauty parlor in NJ. Just took out my M18 impact driver to see what all the giddiness is about. No joy, the noise alone is enough to throw it in the trash. Unless you are driving thousands of screws/year I am afraid the old electric drill trumps the 妬mpact driver all day long.

I've never been concerned with the noise, and that says a lot here since I am often working when a baby is napping. My last two major projects -- stairs down 40' to water, then pier and boat house -- each used thousands of 3", 3.5", and 4" star drive wood screws (bought them by the bucket). Those kind of projects are where impacts shine, both in terms of productivity and battery life. If you're only driving a few dozen screws a year, or just short screws, it won't be such a revelation, but would still be an improvement over a drill.

The real benefit comes with newer screws intended for impacts, like the #10 star drive wood screws with the fluted self-drilling tip and counter-sinking cutters on the head. The impact punches 4" star drives in with less effort than I can drive a 2" #8 phillips screw with a drill. It's just no contest.

The other place where impacts really shine is when snugging down warped or twisted wood. Drills usually can't do that without pre-clamping the wood. An impact can sock it down though. That is a plus when working with pressure treated wood, which often gets a little out of whack as it dries out.

 

[GManBart]

Trash it in my direction, along with any noisy circular saws, table saws, or other louder than a toaster oven, construction tools you hate for doing the job they were intended to do. Impact tools make construction work faster, easier and safer. Home owners, DIYers have adapted the technology into their wheelhouse due to price point, availability, and marketing of package deals, etc.
Wear ear protection, or don't, but don't slam the tool for doing it's job well even though it might not be suited to your specific sensibilities.
Drills; good for drilling. Impact drivers are excellent at driving, screws/lags, etc. Apples to oranges, similar but different. Chose what works for you. And don't forget your hand saw next time you construct something like a deck.

Yep, and the impact driver doesn't really get noisy until the last little bit with most bolts and screws, so I can't see how it would bother most folks.

 

[k0ua]

Yep, and the impact driver doesn't really get noisy until the last little bit with most bolts and screws, so I can't see how it would bother most folks.

All I know is after using one to build a deck with I was "grinning like a possum eating persimmons"

 

[IslandTractor]

Another nice feature of the 18v impact drivers compared to drills is that they typically are more compact and lighter. Having the tip closer to your hand makes it easier to engage it too.

 

[Beltzington]

Easy there folks, just having a little fun. Truthfully though I was very disappointed with the racket these things make compared to the nice quite hum of a cordless drill. Maybe due to my tinnitus I am more sensitive than most but having to wear ear protection using a 1/4" drive tool seems a bit silly to me. We should be able to agree to disagree on this, I have been using screw guns for 30+ years and I have sunk 1'000s of screws and just don't see this new tool as that innovative. Maybe when I go completely deaf I will see what I am missing.

 

[ray66v]

Easy there folks, just having a little fun. Truthfully though I was very disappointed with the racket these things make compared to the nice quite hum of a cordless drill. Maybe due to my tinnitus I am more sensitive than most but having to wear ear protection using a 1/4" drive tool seems a bit silly to me. We should be able to agree to disagree on this, I have been using screw guns for 30+ years and I have sunk 1'000s of screws and just don't see this new tool as that innovative. Maybe when I go completely deaf I will see what I am missing.

Noise levels can of course, vary based on what you are working with. My 1/4 impact has never come close to the threshold of needing hearing protection. :confused3:

I have been repairing, and testing impacts up to 1.5", Based on the OSHA training, I have received, I have not heard one yet, that was loud enough to require hearing protection.

To be dangerous, it has to be either loud, or continuous, or both. Annoying, or disappointing, does not necessarily qualify.

For comparison, I do wear ear protection for any circular saw, (including my cordless one), chop saw, power hammer, grinder, air chisel, power planer, most power sanders, and, even a framing nailer, when in close quarters.

I have several drywall screw guns that are somewhat loud. Much louder than my impact, but they do not require hearing protection.

 

[GManBart]

Easy there folks, just having a little fun. Truthfully though I was very disappointed with the racket these things make compared to the nice quite hum of a cordless drill. Maybe due to my tinnitus I am more sensitive than most but having to wear ear protection using a 1/4" drive tool seems a bit silly to me. We should be able to agree to disagree on this, I have been using screw guns for 30+ years and I have sunk 1'000s of screws and just don't see this new tool as that innovative. Maybe when I go completely deaf I will see what I am missing.

I have 18V DeWalt impact drivers at work, and the 20V version at home, and I can't imagine needing hearing protection to use them.

I'm a competitive shooter, firearms instructor, former military, have some tinnitus, a touch of high frequency hearing loss, and have a family history of hearing problems on my father's side, so I'm very, very careful about my hearing now (for years actually). I wear ear protection when I'm doing anything that might remotely cause a problem, and an impact driver has never been loud enough for me to even think of it.

I'm so used to wearing hearing protection that I often forget I'm wearing them long after I've stopped doing whatever it was I put them on for (usually electronic noise canceling sets so I can still hear normal stuff), so if they were as loud as you're describing, I think I'd have noticed it...maybe mine are just quieter than some others.

 

[ray66v]

You want loud? I often test rivet busters like this: Object reference not set to an instance of an object., chipping hammers, as well as 30, 60 and 90 lb. jackhammers, indoors. Oh yeah, forgot rock drills.

The rivet cutters are tested on a piece of 1" steel plate, which sits on the floor. They chip chunks out of it, with each blow. It's like a jack hammer, in your hands. There is no debate, as to whether or not hearing protection is necessary.

The owner of the company is so hard of hearing from doing it his whole life, it's like talking to Thomas Edison.