Impact drills - which one?

[LeadFarmer]

Im considering buying an impact drill to remove some stubborn screws/bolts that are holding my door hinges on. Ive broken two normal screwdrivers up to now. Im sure the drill will come in handy in the future.

My budget is about £200. Should I choose an 18v drill over a 14v drill, or are there other features I should be considering such as variable speed, metal gearing etc

Ive heard the Dewalt DIY range arent that good, and Ive also heard the Panasonic models are well made.

Any suggestions please?

 

[Thermo]

hitachi 18v is my recomendation. Used mine day in day out for 2 years and knocks the dewalt stuff into a cocked hat. I take it youre talking about an impact driver rather than a drill?

(there are some cheaper options to get the screws off by the way!)

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

panasonic are not that bad, could be a little over your budget though, 220 ish

 

[LeadFarmer]

hitachi 18v is my recomendation. Used mine day in day out for 2 years and knocks the dewalt stuff into a cocked hat. I take it youre talking about an impact driver rather than a drill?

(there are some cheaper options to get the screws off by the way!)

I just need it to remove a few screws that refuse to budge. I dont mind the expense as I like to own decent power tools, and this seems a good excuse to buy one.

I didnt know there was a difference between driver and drill. I assume then that you cant put drill bits into a driver, or screwdriver bits into a drill?

 

[big-all]

you have
drivers hex drive --screws and not much else
driver--chuck screws and drill smallish holes
drill driver--screws drill into wood metal but not masonery
hammer drill--all the above plus masonery
impact driver hex drive--mainly screws [large screw sizes a speciality]can do drilling via hex drive drill bits but not the best tool for larger drills wood and possibly soft metal only not masonry

 

[crank39]

If you have nuts and bolts to remove then surely you'll need an impact wrench....so you can fit sockets on to!

 

[neds]

If you want a dedicated impact driver only then may I suggest a Trend Snappy T50. An excellent tool at a great price. ~£100.

I would however go for a good bundle (Driver and impact) like one from Makita or Bosch. You can pick a decent setup within your budget...

 

[seaangler]

try the durofix 18v impact driver , smaller and lighter than the bosch or makita and a lot more powerfull than either , plus it can take 1/2" or 3/8" drive sockets

and its cheaper

 

[Thermo]

If you have nuts and bolts to remove then surely you'll need an impact wrench....so you can fit sockets on to!

you can fit sockets on an impact driver, you cant fit any other bits on a impact wrench though!

 

[crank39]

I understand that but the OP said he had stubborn nuts and bolts so maybe the hex chuck wouldn't be man enough or maybe the inner workings arent designed for that type of use.

I can take off wheel nuts with my 18v wrench with a 3/8" drive, i doubt very much that and impact driver would do this, you'll need a hex to square drive adaptor and then a socket all of which are a loose fit, the adaptor certainly would be in the chuck so im sure you'd lose some power there

 

[LeadFarmer]

Having done a little research, I realise now that my initial posting may not fully explain what I need to do. I realise now that it is an impacr driver that I need.

I need to remove the door hinges off my Landrover Defender. You can see from the following picture the type of screw head that they have (posi?)..

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/thebear843/106.jpg

I have 32 of these screws to remove and they are known to be difficult to loosen. I see it as a good excuse to add to my power tool collection

 

[crank39]

Then i'll retract my suggestion of an impact wrench, a driver with a good fitting bit and may i suggest WERA for bits along with a good quality holder like the bi-torsion from WERA too. If you like your tools then those two are worth getting, especially if your going to put lots of torque through them

 

[LeadFarmer]

Thanks crank

I see that Screwfix sell this

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/38206...era-BiTorsion-Pozi-Impact-Driver-Bit-Set-10Pc

 

[crank39]

Thats the babies, see what i mean.....£30 for 9 bits and a holder.

You will guard each bit with your life though and wont leave them lying around , seriously though you need good bits for an impact and wera are the dogs

 

[big-all]

being a vehicle [automotive seem to prefer phillips]you want to check it dosnt use ph phillips screws as as a pz bit wont fit a ph bit properly