What is an Impact Driver?

Impact drivers are tools that deliver high concussive rotational force. They are mainly used for driving screws; either insert or remove screws from work pieces that have harder density and require higher power to be drilled such as wood, metal, plaster, brick, and masonry.

Drill drivers and impact drivers are similar and have the same functioning concept. The main difference between the two devices lies in the power and rotational action. Drill drivers can also drive screws but not as effective as the impact drivers and it requires more force to be applied by the person using the drill driver. That is why drill drivers are better used to bore holes in work pieces rather than driving screws, while impact drivers produce higher torque output allowing them to drive the largest wood screws in seconds and without much effort put by the user. In addition, impact drivers are mostly lighter and more compact than drill drivers which makes the job of driving screws easier to handle for the user.

Modern impact drivers are mostly powered with a battery, these batteries mostly come in three sizes: 12, 18 and 20 volts, the high voltage batteries allow the impact drivers to deliver higher power and torque which is handy for large fasteners. The disadvantage of the higher voltage batteries is that they are heavier and that makes it more difficult to use for non-professionals.

What is an Impact Driver?

There are many brands that offer powerful impact drivers such as DeWalt, Milwaukee, Ryobi, and Bosch. An evaluation of the performance, price, comfort, and value of several popular devices was done based on users’ reviews, product managers and engineers’ reviews.

DeWalt Atomic Max:

The DeWalt atomic max has a power of 20-volt, 2800 RPM and a 1700 in.-lb. torque. The disadvantage of this model is that it has no advanced driving modes, yet it is powerful enough to do the job. In addition, it is easy to regulate the speed of this model because it has a variable speed trigger. It is a relatively affordable choice as compared to other powerful impact drivers. The best feature of this model is its lightning with three LEDs constructed around the chuck.

Milwaukee M18 Fuel Surge Hydraulic:

This model has a power of 18-volt, 3000 RPM, and a 450 in.-lb. torque. The best feature of this model is that it is quiet thanks to the metal-on-metal contact technology it has. It has three speed settings and a unique screw mode which prevents the screws from being removed. It has a LED to light up the working area.

Ryobi one+ HP:

This model has a power of 18-volt, 2900 RPM, and a 1700 in.-lb. torque. The best feature of this model that its kit also includes a drill driver which makes it a very useful and affordable kit. It is compact and accomplishes most jobs for non-professionals.

Bosch Max EC:

This model has a power of 12-volt, 2600 RPM, 975 in.-lb. torque. This model is compact and capable of accomplishing most jobs which makes it practical especially for random tasks for non-professionals. Due to the lower power, this model might struggle with challenging jobs.