How did I manage without!

[blackrodd]

There is a clutch, it dis-engages when the screw is fully tightened and will drive no further.

Ehhh... kind of. There is a clutch, but it doesn't disengage when the screw is "fully tightened" - like all such clutches, it disengages when the torque required to turn the screw further exceeds the threshold the clutch is set to. Which in my experience (I have what is presumably the same Makita 10.8V drill/impact-driver set as the OP) in a lot of softer woods is "never" because the impact driver will happily rip the fibres of the wood to shreds and leave the screw spinning in a ragged round hole and not engaging with anything.

I've found it useful for a very narrow range of tasks, and I bought it expecting to use it to finish boarding the attic, which I'm sure it'll be fine at. On the other hand, when we moved into our current house it had cracked face-plates on almost literally every light-switch and some of the power sockets because the previous owner seemed to be of the understanding that impact drivers were for everything! I've been putting together some quick utility stuff around the house recently (microwave-and-cat-food units in the utility room, removable shelves in the boiler cupboard) out of pine and pocket holes recently, though, and the adjustable clutch on the drill-driver of the pair is really the only option if I want them to stay together.



(I am very happy with the Makita set, though - and it's definitely nice to have the option of the impact driver for those times I do want the screw buried a centimetre into the timber. ;-)

You must have a different impact driver than I have.
When I use my impact, driving screws into hinges, brackets, or similar, mine stops driving when the screw is flush.
Obviously you could "spin" the screws if you hold it there long enough, should you choose to do so.
Granted, in timber fixing, it will drive screws in as deep as the bit is long and bury them.
Regards rodders

 

[Job and Knock]

I have to ask the question. Have any of the guys here complaining about impact drivers actually used one of the newer 3-speed models? (e.g. Panasonic, Makita, etc). On the softest impact/lowest speed setting you really can drive #6 screws into fire doors without mashing the screw heads - providing the screws aren't standard Chinese soft cheese stainless ones

 

[wide74]

Mainly a lot of problems are cheap screws........trust me they are not all the same.

I was fitting some stud walls and had two different makes of the same size screws in my box (4.5x60 mm IIRC) and found one make far easier to drive straight into timber without a pilot than another.

Call me sad but out of interest I went and bought one of every make of the same size from screwfix and tried a back to back test straight into old oak floor joists, of the type that are black in the middle they are so hard, with a Dewalt 18v impact driver on speed 2. The difference was amazing. My lads thought I was nuts until they tried it and even they had to agree there is a stark difference. Best two are Velocity and Fischer by far.......screwfix own are ok for softwood but that's it and only if they are short. You can drive a 6mmx200mm Velocity straight into hardwood with no pilot......try doing that by hand!


Oh and use the right size bit. ......I go mad when the lads start driving pz3 screws with a ph bit and the resulting noise that sounds like a hammer drill. ............que much blue language and thrown tools

 

[Graham Orm]

Mainly a lot of problems are cheap screws........trust me they are not all the same.

I was fitting some stud walls and had two different makes of the same size screws in my box (4.5x60 mm IIRC) and found one make far easier to drive straight into timber without a pilot than another.

Call me sad but out of interest I went and bought one of every make of the same size from screwfix and tried a back to back test straight into old oak floor joists, of the type that are black in the middle they are so hard, with a Dewalt 18v impact driver on speed 2. The difference was amazing. My lads thought I was nuts until they tried it and even they had to agree there is a stark difference. Best two are Velocity and Fischer by far.......screwfix own are ok for softwood but that's it and only if they are short. You can drive a 6mmx200mm Velocity straight into hardwood with no pilot......try doing that by hand!


Oh and use the right size bit. ......I go mad when the lads start driving pz3 screws with a ph bit and the resulting noise that sounds like a hammer drill. ............que much blue language and thrown tools

That's interesting info W74 I've always used Screwfix Turbogold. They will go straight through and out the other side of softwood. I don't put many screws into hardwood. Ditto the correct bit, it's essential.

 

[wide74]

Turbogold are fine for softwood but they just didn't do as well on the hard stuff. I found they snapped the head off once boring into the hardwood. The velocity on the other hand did like you on said and would have bored right through if I kept going! One thing is that the heads tend to be smaller on any given screw size than say Spax, Turbogold or Fischer which can be problem if you're trying to pull a bendy piece of softwood in line.

It comes down to use really. For finer jobs when you're countersinking it really makes little difference. It is mainly for the bigger, longer screws, on non pre drilled and hardwood jobs where your cash is better spent.

I'm boring myself now. .......I never wanted to be a screw knowitall I wanted to be a spaceman!

 

[KevM]

Thanks Wide74, useful info on the Velocity screw - it's always good to have a recommendation. I just looked them up on Screwfix - either somebody's been monkeying with their images or I'm having a really bad Sunday morning...

http://www.screwfix.com/p/timco-velocit ... -200/94979

 

[blackrodd]

I have to ask the question. Have any of the guys here complaining about impact drivers actually used one of the newer 3-speed models? (e.g. Panasonic, Makita, etc). On the softest impact/lowest speed setting you really can drive #6 screws into fire doors without mashing the screw heads - providing the screws aren't standard Chinese soft cheese stainless ones

Job and Knock, Tell me more,
Sounds interesting! Can you recommend a model please?
I'd like to read up on that.
Rodders