#Hammer drill vs impact driver reddit drivers

#Hammer drill vs impact driver reddit drivers

For a broad look at the category, see our cordless drills and impact drivers buying guide. And check out our roundup of the best cordless drills to expand your collection of power tools. Read on for reviews of four of our top-rated impact drivers, listed in alphabetical order. Last, we measure sound in decibels at the user’s ear to get a score for noise. Impact drivers tend to generate more noise than their cordless drill cousins, and as it turns out, all the models we tested require hearing protection for safe use. We also run tests to see how long it takes to fully charge the battery.ĬR’s experts use each impact driver to drive screws just as you would, taking note of attributes such as the balance and feel of the tool. We also look at the handle size and weight of the unit to determine an overall handling score. To assess run time, we measure how long a single battery can run the unit under a standardized load. We also look at how quickly it can drive wood screws in practice. This test is a reflection of how effective it is at driving fasteners into wood or other materials. To calculate an impact driver’s power score, we measure both the torque it can generate and number of impacts per minute. Best Overall DEWALT 20V MAX Impact Driver Kit, 1/4-Inch SEE IT Best Budget Ryobi P235A 18V One+ Impact Driver SEE IT Best All-Purpose BLACK+DECKER 20V MAX POWERCONNECT ¼ in. We put impact drivers through their paces in our lab.

“For any job involving driving more than a few screws, you really can’t beat the power and speed of an impact driver,” says Misha Kollontai, CR’s test engineer for impact drivers and cordless drills.

An impact driver can even drill into brick or concrete block. But this extremely versatile, cordless power tool drives screws more efficiently into wood, metal, and cement than traditional cordless drills can, making it a popular choice for heavy-duty home improvement jobs like building a deck or a fence. To the untrained eye, an impact driver may seem like just another drill.

The next power tool you should add to your home’s tool kit is an impact driver.