There is so much to do in the world power tools.
You’ll find dozens of tools for drilling holes and screwing at your local hardware store. It can be overwhelming for DIYers to decide on the right product, given all of the different styles, designs, manufacturers, and prices.
We hope you find this helpful.
In this article, well do a detailed head-to-head comparison between an impact driver and a hammer drill; whats the difference between the two, and what are some appropriate uses for each.
Do you need both in your garage? Read on, and find out for yourself.
Heres a good little video really showcasing the advantages and functionality of both the hammer drill and the impact driver.
Impact drivers are used to drive long, heavy screws into hard material like concrete/masonry, drywall, and studs. These impact drivers are more powerful than your regular cordless drill/driver.
Thousands of people a day probably get by just using a standard drill for these purposes, but weve all run into the problems faced when trying to do so: broken/burnt out drill bits, jammed screws, and stripped screw heads.
The impact driver and hammer drill serve valid purposes. If you decide to add one or both, you’ll be amazed at how you managed to do without a power drill.
Hammer Drill And Impact Driver: Key Differences
One of the major differences between an impact driver and a hammer drill is the types of bits theyll accept. Hammer drills have a 3-jaw chuck that will accept both round and hexagonal bits. This makes them more universal. The locking collet on impact drivers accepts only hex-shanked bits.
You may have run into problems from time to time with your standard drill (probably when trying to push it beyond its limits) where the chuck has lost its grip on the drill/driver bit, or even had it fall out entirely. An impact driver is not able to prevent this.
We will discuss differences in action in the next section.
Hammer Drill Action Vs. Impact Driver Action
We won’t get into the technical details of physics or engineering, but we will briefly discuss the differences between the impact driver and the hammer drill.
The standard electric drill spins the driver or drill around. There is no extra action.
With the hammer drill, the spinning action is combined with, you guessed it, a hammering action. The force applied is exactly the same as a hammer, and a bam-bam–bam–bam-bam-bam–bam force is applied along its axis. This forces the bit to spin while simultaneously grinding it.
Almost all hammer drills have a button or switch that you have to hit to turn on the hammering action maybe your cordless drill is actually a hammer drill, and youve never even realized it.
An impact driver’s action is, however, rotational. There is no top-to bottom force applied to the driver bit. The best way to describe the action of an impact driver is this: imagine youve got a wrench on a super-tight, locked-up nut that youre trying to loosen up. Youve about given yourself a hernia trying to break the nut free, but it wont budge.
You can use a hammer, a pipe or other heavy tool to hit the wrench. This will increase the rotational force being applied to it. This is whats happening with an impact driver; much greater rotational force is being applied to the screw head. This is why impact drivers can drive long screws through heavy-duty material without stripping the heads theyre much more powerful than a standard drill.
Summary: Uses For Each
A hammer drill can be used to drill holes in masonry (e.g. Concrete backer board anddrywall are two examples of hammer drills. Unless you just enjoy blowing out and breaking bits using your standard drill, its definitely a practical, functional tool certainly not a gimmick.
The impact driver is used for driving big screws into heavy duty material like studs and masonry. An impact driver is essential for many tasks, including hanging wall cabinets and driving into concrete backerboard. You can drive faster and more powerfully with an impact driver than standard cordless drills.
Another thing to consider is that unlike standard (or hammer) drills, impact drivers dont have a big, bulky internal clutch theyre more compact tools that are nice to handle in tight spaces. An impact driver’s additional torque is not transferred to your hand/wrist like a hammer drill. This can make it quite tiring to use for long periods of time.
Top Picks: Our Favorite Impact Drivers
DeWalt DCF887B 20-volt MAX
This is one of the most top-notch impact drivers on the market, with DeWalts renowned 20-volt MAX battery providing ample power for hours on end. This is our top-choice choice for an impact driver of decent quality at a fair price.
Makita DT03Z 12 Volt Cordless Impact Driver
This driver is more economical than the DeWalt, but it has a 12-volt battery. This is good tool if you dont want to splash the cash on a top-notch product, but still would like to keep an impact driver in the garage, just in case.
Milwaukee 2656-20 Li-Ion 18-volt Impact Driver
Another fantastic tool is a little bit of an intermediary between the Makita and the DeWalt. Milwaukee’s M18 series is able to hang on to the DeWalt MAX 20-volt batteries for quite a while, but not for as long.
Top Picks: Our Favorite Hammer Drills
DeWalt DCD996B 20-volt MAX 3-speed Hammer Drill
One of the best hammer drills on the market, as youd expect from DeWalts 20-volt MAX series. For those difficult jobs, a 3-mode LED light work light is available.
Bosch HDS181A-01 18-volt Compact Impact Driver
The 18-volt battery and charger make this one a little more expensive than the DeWalt. We think the DeWalt is just a bit more powerful (makes sense with 2-volts more power), but this is still a fine tool thatll get you through all the backer board and drywall you need.
If you want to have both the hammer drill as well as the impact driver in one package, these are some great options.
Bosch CLPK222-181 18-volt 2-tool Kit; Hammer Drill And Hex Impact Driver
DeWalt 20V MAXXR Brushless Impact Driver And Hammer Drill Combo Kit, Premium 4.0Ah. (DCK299M2)
Hitachi KC18DBFL 18-volt Li-Ion Hammer Drill/impact Driver Combo
Bottom Line
Tired of getting jammed-up with your standard cordless drill, burning out bits and stripping screws? You should consider getting an impact driver or a quality hammer drill. You’ll be amazed at how you managed to live with a standard drill, as we have said.
