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| How to pick a power tool; impact driver | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 23 2010, 08:02 AM (367 Views) | |
| Axtremus | Nov 23 2010, 08:02 AM Post #1 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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OK, I have been thinking about getting a cordless impact driver. Primarily to drive screws into vertical surfaces (most likely directly into wood, or through dry wall or aluminum cladding into wood). Saw some deals on older models powered by NiCd batteries, then when I'm in the store, I saw that NiCd is on its way out, and Li-ion seems to the standard going forward. I suppose that's why the NiCd stuff are "on sale" now. There are 12V system and 18V system, with the 18V stuff being more expensive in general. What's the big difference between the two? Does it really matter for a guy who just wants to do a small project at home every now and then? Then there are a myriad of brands, BOSCH and DeWalt seems to be the most expensive, then Milwaukee and Makita and Ryobi and Hitachi and Ridgit and such in the middle, then Black & Decker and Porter Cable at the cheapest price points. All the contractors I hired seem to use DeWalt, except the garage door installer who used Makita. When I ask one of them why he uses all DeWalt tools, the answer wasn't that DeWalt was somehow "the best," but that he got started with a DeWalt early on and just kept buying DeWalt so he can reuse/share the common DeWalt batteries and chargers across different tools. The "share the battery" rationale makes sense since the batteries aren't cheap. I may want to get only an impact driver now, but may also want to get some other tools (say, a reciprocal saw) in the future. As far as preference go, I suppose the whole point of "power tool" is to let the tools do the work and relieve the arms/hands as much as possible, so a lighter tool would be preferable to a heavier one that does the same thing. Right now, I don't really have any cordless power tool. But assuming I'm going to slowly build up a collection (starting with an impact driver), what should I standardize on? 12V or 18V battery? Any particular brand or line of products that, in your experience, have been more reliable, more "maintenance-free" than others? |
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| jon-nyc | Nov 23 2010, 09:37 AM Post #2 |
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Cheers
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6V. (sorry, I couldn't help myself) |
| In my defense, I was left unsupervised. | |
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| Mark | Nov 23 2010, 09:41 AM Post #3 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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jon! ![]() My only bit of advice is this; Tools, You get what you pay for. |
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___.___ (_]===* o 0 When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells | |
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| Axtremus | Sep 5 2011, 01:30 PM Post #4 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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Finally pulled the trigger, literally ... Installed some stuff over the week-end and drove screws through aluminum, dry wall, wood, vinyl, etc. The 18V Lithium-Ion Makita cordless compact impact driver worked like a charm. Small, light-weight, ergonomic, ... it's intuitive to operate and works well in tight spaces. Nice set of features too: reversible, variable speed (trigger controlled), with an LED work light, and the charger charged the battery fully in 15 minutes. Everything seems sturdy and well thought-out. Given this experience, I think I would feel very comfortable building out the rest of my cordless power tool collection with Makita equipment. ![]() As an aside, I also picked out a couple of caulking tools thinking that I could use them and keep my fingers clean. No go ... those tools don't work well at all; the human fingers remain the best caulking tool as far as I'm concerned.
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| Jolly | Sep 5 2011, 02:10 PM Post #5 |
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Geaux Tigers!
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Why would you need an impact driver? Are you drilling holes in concrete? |
| The main obstacle to a stable and just world order is the United States.- George Soros | |
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| Larry | Sep 5 2011, 02:33 PM Post #6 |
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Mmmmmmm, pie!
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I wondered the same thing. |
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Of the Pokatwat Tribe | |
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| Steve Miller | Sep 5 2011, 03:52 PM Post #7 |
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Bull-Carp
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That's a roto-hammer or a hammer drill. An impact driver is a screwdriver that goes to impact function when the torque level hits a certain point. They work much better than drills for driving screws and reliably drive in screws that would either strip out or break when trying to install them with a drill. Check one out the next time you get a chance. You'll want one. |
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Wag more Bark less | |
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| CTPianotech | Sep 5 2011, 03:53 PM Post #8 |
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Fulla-Carp
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They're not so much for drilling, as they are for driving screws and other fasteners in. Compared to a regular cordless drill, they fit in tighter spaces, tend to be lighter, and the impacting action can work great to take out screws where the heads are already partially rounded over. |
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| Axtremus | Sep 5 2011, 05:19 PM Post #9 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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No need to drive anything through concrete this time. But I may need to drive a few screws into concrete sometime in the future. Hopefully the impact driver would still be sufficient. If not, I'll go pick up a roto-hammer or hammer drill when the time comes.
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| Kincaid | Sep 6 2011, 09:56 AM Post #10 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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Late to the thread but I recently purchased a Li-ion driver to replace my old and large Black and Decker 12v NiCad driver. The impact drivers seemed to be a large price jump so I stuck with a regular driver. I decided to ditch the NiCad after my third battery died. Frankly, I just don't use it enough and the Li-ion is supposed to hold a charge for 6 months or so. I think I had the former drill/driver for over 10 years. Originally bought a second battery so that one could charge while I was using the other. Anyway, the new drill is much lighter and much smaller. I can get into tighter places which is very cool. I never noticed much of an issue of torque or power with the old one so when I found a Black and Decker 12v Li-ion driver for barely over $50 bucks I got it. Seemed like the premium for an 18v or more (or impact driver or Makita/DeWalt/Milwaukie) was too steep to justify for the limited needs I have. When I need to use a drill/driver all day, I have my trusty Craftsman corded drill. Edited by Kincaid, Sep 6 2011, 09:58 AM.
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| Kincaid - disgusted Republican Partisan since 2006. | |
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| KlavierBauer | Sep 7 2011, 09:24 AM Post #11 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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Good buy Ax. DeWalt is rugged stuff, and it's super pricey, but I don't own any. I know it's good, but I haven't seen it to be worth the extra cost in my limited application. I like Ryobi as a not-too-expensive alternative, and I really like Makita and Milwaukee power tools. I've had multiple of all three of those brands, and have never had a problem. As Mark said - you get what you pay for with tools. I've been looking at mitre saws the last year or so, and when I pull the trigger it very well could be on a DeWalt, or something similar, because I've had cheap saws before and would like to keep all my fingers. I've been spoiled being brought up in Pop's wood shop / rebuilding facility with lots of commercial-grade toolery. |
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"I realize you want him to touch you all over and give you babies, but his handling of the PR side really did screw the pooch." - Ivory Thumper "He said sleepily: "Don't worry mom, my dick is like hot logs in the morning." - Apple | |
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| blondie | Sep 7 2011, 04:52 PM Post #12 |
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Bull-Carp
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Man, I've never had a problem buying power tools. I just smile and chat to the nice contractor guys shopping at the tool store. Occasionally they even come over to do the job for me. |
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| Luke's Dad | Sep 8 2011, 10:49 AM Post #13 |
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Emperor Pengin
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I shouldn't have read this thread immediately after reading apple's post about her son in the other thread. |
| The problem with having an open mind is that people keep trying to put things in it. | |
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