Jump to content

Impact driver or Combi drill?


Benthejockey
 Share

Recommended Posts

As above what’s everyone’s preference. Got around £100 to spend, not looking to be doing tonnes of work, mainly screwing - easy ditchy it’s only Monday. But would also like to droll the odd hole if and when the need arises. Will an impact driver do both? I’m expanding my DIYing from ‘hit it with a hammer’. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, jonny long shanks said:

You can get the 10.8v Makita drill driver and impact driver for about £120. If you're not going to use them often then I would store them indoors out of the cold. 

I don't know what the new Makita 10.8v are like, but i have the previous 10.8v model and there are excellent! Cant recommend them enough. I have two sets and we have used them for everything from 100 x 6mm screws to plasterboard screws. They are used nearly everyday, all day (have spare batteries!) One of the impacts has just finished putting 3000 screws in on a job! Bosch are supposed to be good, but i would avoid Dewalt!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Impact driver is purely for screwdriving really, should only get one alongside/after a combi drill. 

For a diy’er take a look at the Erbauer screwfix range, i’d buy a 14 or 18v combi drill as it will still have enough power to drill holes in masonry but do the job of a screwdriver too! They do a twin pack 18v combi drill/impact driver brushless for £150 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Aldi are selling 18v drills for around £30 with a three year warranty. I have one, plus Stanley Fatmax, plus Guild and Dewalt. Stanley is the best all rounder.

I have a Guild drill and also an impact driver (Homebase), which I used at my son's recently - building an extra room, which involved many, many screws. It made short work of 4" and 5" screws.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, millrace said:

Just buy a combi drill....all noisey rackety drivers should be banned from site....hate the sound of them do your head in.....for what it's worth can't go wrong with Bosch....

My lads would be laughing at this comment. You sound like me :) . I hate the things except for big screws in studding but then I use the gun. 

I use makita for everything but my lads have Bosch any its a great bit of kit. The back up was excellent when it broke and he had a new drill within 3 days.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, Wilts#Dave said:

Impact driver is purely for screwdriving really, should only get one alongside/after a combi drill. 

For a diy’er take a look at the Erbauer screwfix range, i’d buy a 14 or 18v combi drill as it will still have enough power to drill holes in masonry but do the job of a screwdriver too! They do a twin pack 18v combi drill/impact driver brushless for £150 

I have to say the erbauer range has really impressed me . I use the router cutters and they are excellent and definitely better than trend. Crazy I know 

2 minutes ago, silver pigeon69 said:

HaHa, i thought of you when i read it!! suppose your gun is silenced is it?? and you use  rubber hammers!!😂😂

I just hate the ratchet noise where a gun goes bang and it’s over . I don’t do much site work tho ,Only installing my own work. I think what drives me mad is people using them for 6x1” or into rawl plugs . How do they know if it’s tight or spinning :/ . 

I have a rubber mallet if that counts lol 😂 :) 

Edited by team tractor
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, team tractor said:

I have to say the erbauer range has really impressed me . I use the router cutters and they are excellent and definitely better than trend. Crazy I know 

I just hate the ratchet noise where a gun goes bang and it’s over . I don’t do much site work tho ,Only installing my own work. I think what drives me mad is people using them for 6x1” or into rawl plugs . How do they know if it’s tight or spinning  . 

I have a rubber mallet if that counts lol 😂  

Thanks for the heads up, I'll give them a try! 👍

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, team tractor said:

I have to say the erbauer range has really impressed me . I use the router cutters and they are excellent and definitely better than trend. Crazy I know 

I just hate the ratchet noise where a gun goes bang and it’s over . I don’t do much site work tho ,Only installing my own work. I think what drives me mad is people using them for 6x1” or into rawl plugs . How do they know if it’s tight or spinning  . 

I have a rubber mallet if that counts lol 😂  

Erbauer multi tool blades are surprisingly good for the price. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do quite a lot of DIY and never felt the need to buy the impact driver as normally the combi drill is up to the job.

For the money you cant go wrong with the Makita LXT range. My last one lasted around 5 years and i am sure it would have lasted longer if i hadnt used it for drilling big holes in thick metal when rebuilding my miniature traction engine. I now have the a bigger one which i am sure will handle pretty much everything i will throw at it.

For the sake of £40-50 its worth buying a mains power SDS drill for the tool kit, no hammer drill comes close to even cheaper SDS performance and it makes drilling holes in brick walls a very easy job.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bought a Makita set, just a cheap one from B&Q.

I have used several makes of combi drill over the years for many thousands of screws and I found that once I had the impact driver, there was absolutely no comparison.

The impact driver is so easy. Very little pressure required and much less cam-out. I find them a real pleasure to use.

So much so, that since I have had the set, I have not used a combi drill for screws since.

If you do go down the impact driver route, make sure you get the proper impact driver bits. The standard screwdriver bit are not up to the job and will eventually shatter.

When funds allow, I will be upgrading to a Milwaukee set.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

went into my local screwfix this morning , there was a erbauer impact driver and drill boxed set on sale, was either £58 or £68, didn't pay that much close attention

 

I bought a Guild 18v drill driver with 2 batteries from argos for less than £50, over 3 years ago, must say have been impressed with what tough jobs it can handle, 

Edited by itchy trigger
forgot about my guild drill
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've used the Makita 18v range for years. Best bit, when the motor is knackered you can simply replace, if you're a tiny bit handy, for peanuts. I burnt out the motor on a drill/driver building an extension roof and loft conversion. Cost £12.99 to replace the motor. The impact drivers are a beast, still going strong years later.

Edited by mick miller
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have both Makita impact driver and drill. If you’re only doing general DIY i doubt you’ll need anything more than the drill. I used my impact driver for fixing structural timber frames together. The drill would do it also, but the impact driver was perfect for such heavy work. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, winnie&bezza said:

It makes you think how the hell did anyone manage before they were invented! 

I have often wondered at how labour intensive building a house ( or even a barn ) must have been before the advent of what we now call hand held power tools. We can erect a fully insulated structurally sound, waterproof three bedroomed house in a day. PASSIV in less than a day. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, winnie&bezza said:

It makes you think how the hell did anyone manage before they were invented! 

that's why some of us have arthritis in the wrists:lol:

I had the hilti rep out not so long back, their new 22v combi drill has a cut out safety system if the drill snags and twists now, all I can say is I wish someone had invented that 30 yrs ago.

i'm known to be a bit of a tart when it comes to tools, so I wont comment on the likes of erbauer, but I picked up a bosch twin pack in a kit bag for a friends birthday present from screwfix for £150 last year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I buy far more kit than I should.

I pretty much set up most of the guys that work for me. 2 reasons really- firstly I was fed up of poor excuses about why not being able to do jobs (properly) as they didn't have kit and secondly (mainly) because I like tools!

I still have one van full of dewalt xrp 18v stuff and it's great. Heavy but even after all the abuse of probably 15 years it's still going strong. Most of the more modern dewalt is not so good and I think I've binned more of their drills and drivers than I have anything else.

Now it's pretty much milwaukee for everything, i reckon there must be 25+ batteries in the vans. Although I do like the look of the dewalt 54v chopsaw . 

The milwaukee is not cheap and it's pretty bulky but it's as good as anything else that I've tried and there is a massive range. 

Have a look at SGS engineering as they often have milwaukee kits on offer.

Buy cheap buy twice.

And now, to completely contradict myself! ....I've been impressed with the erbauer stuff when I've seen other people's and the tool station own brand looks pretty good too with good options to add bare tools at sensible prices.

Try to get both the drill driver and an impact.

 

Edd

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, team tractor said:

Using a Yankee 😂

Beyond comprehension 😂

12 hours ago, Scully said:

I have often wondered at how labour intensive building a house ( or even a barn ) must have been before the advent of what we now call hand held power tools. We can erect a fully insulated structurally sound, waterproof three bedroomed house in a day. PASSIV in less than a day. 

Proper tradesman though. Using adzes, axes and drawknives. I did a little bit of it when I was an apprentice and was interesting. 

House in a day 😱 crazy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...