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.
We will be comparing the impact driver and the hammer drill head-to-head in this article. What is the difference? And what are the best uses of each?
Are you sure that you have both? Continue reading to find out.
This video demonstrates the benefits and functionality of the hammer drill as well as 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.
Many people can get by with a standard drill. However, thousands of people use it every day. We all have encountered the following problems when using a standard drill: jammed screws, broken drill bits and stripped 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 Are Two Key Differences
The types of bits that an impact driver will accept is one of the main differences to a hammer drilling machine. 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.
There have been times when your standard drill has had problems. This could be because you tried to push it beyond its limits. 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.
The hammer drill combines the spinning action with a hammering motion. 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.
Most hammer drills come with a button or switch to activate the hammering action.
An impact driver’s action is, however, rotational. There is no top-to bottom force applied to the driver bit. Imagine that you have a wrench attached to a tight, locked-up nut and are trying to loosen it. It’s almost like you have a hernia trying break the nut loose, but it won’t move.
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. An impact driver is able to apply a greater rotational force to the head of the screw. Impact drivers are able to drive long screws through heavy-duty materials without destroying the heads.
Summary: Each Use
A hammer drill can be used to drill holes in masonry (e.g. Concrete backer board anddrywall are two examples of hammer drills. It is not something you should do if you don’t enjoy drilling and removing bits with your standard drill.
An impact driver is used to drive large screws into heavy-duty material such as studs or 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.
Impact drivers, unlike hammer drills, don’t have an internal clutch. They are smaller tools that can be used 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 impact driver is among the best on the market. The 20-volt MAX DeWalt battery provides plenty of power for hours. 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 tool is great if you don’t want to spend a lot on a high-end product but still need an impact driver for your garage.
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
As you would expect from DeWalts 20 volt MAX series, this hammer drill is one of the most popular on the market. 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. The DeWalt is a little more powerful, which makes sense when you consider that it has 2-volts more power. However, this tool is still very good and will get you through any backer board or drywall you require.
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 Set; 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
Are you tired of being stuck with your cordless drill? Do you find yourself burning bits and ripping 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.
