I've been using a cordless DeWalt drill for years to handle various household tasks like putting up pictures and assembling furniture. Lately, I've been considering switching to an impact driver because I like how compact they are. However, I have some reservations about whether it's a good idea to rely on an impact driver as my primary drill. What are the main differences in functionality? Can I still control the speed like I do with my regular drill? I've researched this a bit but still can't find clear answers.
3 Answers
I've been using an impact driver daily for various projects, and while it's powerful and compact, it can be tricky for precision work. You have to control the speed with the trigger alone, which can be challenging. If you need to do more delicate tasks like assembly work for furniture, a drill is definitely the way to go. In short, while the impact driver is great, it’s no substitute for a traditional drill in many situations.
I'd suggest having both tools if you can. Each is designed for different purposes. The impact driver is fantastic for driving screws efficiently, but it doesn’t offer the speed control and finesse that a regular drill does. If you’re just using one, though, I’d recommend going with the drill—it can tackle a wider range of tasks easily.
While you can use an impact driver for many tasks, it's not as versatile as a regular drill. Impact drivers mainly have a hex collet to hold hex bits and don’t have a chuck for standard drill bits like larger ones, so that can limit you. They excel at driving screws but lack the adjustable torque of a drill. If you're primarily drilling holes, especially larger ones, a traditional drill would be better since it can handle a variety of sizes and has more precise controls.