Impact driver or just a cordless drill

G

Goldspoon

I have a good cordless drill.

My Bosch green 18V needs replacing (2 years old and batteries do not last very long).

I am thinking of buying an 18V impact drill rather than an 18V standard cordless.

90% of what I use the cordless for is screws.

Is this a good decision (have never used an impact driver as yet).

I am thinking of going for Ryobi 18V impact and two 2.4 li-ion batteries.
 
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i have the ryobi impact great bit off kit

i would not buy a impact driver if you plan on drilling holes in walls to any extent you need hex drive drill bits that are both expensive and a bit sloppy compared with a chuck

a hammer drill would be much more usefull you can drive a 4" no12 in with a hammer drill although the impact will do it quicker its very noisy
in general an impact wont benefit you untill your screw size gets above say 2"xno10

for larger screws you cant beat an impact driver

for versatility you cant beat a hammer drill
 
If there's nothing wrong with the drill then you just need new batteries. Or just buy another Bosch drill/tool that comes with a couple of 18v batts. Or buy the 18v Bosch impact driver ;)
 
Will the new/latest Bosch li-ion batteries fit my old drill?
 
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Very much doubt it from the pics I've seen, but the Nimh's will and are pretty good.
 
Impact driver for normal screwdriving is a waste of time ... and bits.

If you are coach-screwing blind into thick timber, then it has its use. Or removing the occasional rusty bolt.

Otherwise. Don't bother
 
If you use screws as part of your DIY work or Trade then you HAVE to have an Impact driver, end of subject, lock the thread :LOL:
 
got to agree, been a revelation since we started using them. i was so impressed i went out and bought another one so we had one each. no comparison when driving several thousand screws on a large deck
 
just done three ceilings with a borrowed impact driver , hitatchi it was absolute godsend highly reccomend them
 
I don't notice any difference with general screws, unless they are say 100mm or bigger, in which case an impact does have the edge
 
An impact driver is a bit more cumbersome and a savage and noisy to boot. If I am doing delicate screw driving then I wont reach for the impact driver, I normally go for my Makita 9.6v which seems to be doing about 70% of my screwdriving these days. Its so nimble and yet powerful enough for most screws. When laying decking or laying down ply etc then the impact driver gets a good workout, its about twice as fast as a cordless drill when driving in screws.
 
shame you didnt go for the 18v as theres 30 tools to fit the batteries ;) ;)
 
I did think long and hard - the price of the 12v was so low for four tools (twice the price for 18V) but also everything is very small and lightweight and I like that (if power is up to it but we'll see).

This plus my 18V Bosch drill and a few mains tools should be all I need.

If I need to start an 18V collection then so be it - the 12V are a good price :)
 

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