Impact drivers

[transatlantic]

I picked up an impact driver from Lidl a while back and have just got around to using it to make a decking project. Whilst I was really impressed with how powerfull and fast you can drive screws. Due to how fast it is, I kept finding myself either under shooting or over shooting. I find that I don't seem to have that control I get with a normal cordless drill with torque settings.

I quite like the fact that with a normal drill driver and the correct torque setting, you can pull the trigger without thinking about it so much. The tool tells you when you've driven far enough due to the torque release.

Where as with the impact driver, it's so damn powerful I really had to think about letting go of the trigger at the right time, else it drives that screw right into the wood, way past my countersink hole and compressing damaging the surround surface.

What are your thoughts? am I just being a whining inexperienced fool?

 

[wcndave]

I found that impact drivers are powerful, but quite slow, and therefore it is very easy to let go at the right moment, or just before, and then give a very short burst to get it to the right place.

I tend to only use it where my drill driver can't manage, ie very big screws that would end up stripping with a drill driver. That's mainly cos it's so loud.

Does yours have a speed setting?

 

[transatlantic]

I was driving 42mm screws, so quite short. It took what felt like a fraction of a second to drive them in, which is why I found it difficult to time it just so. I found it far too easy to get the timing ever so slightly wrong which meant the screw going in much further than expected.

Where as the normal drill driver would be much slower and have the torque setting, so it's difficult to mess up.

Also. No speed setting

 

[Wuffles]

You'll get used to stopping it in time, but never try and use an impact driver where finesse is required.

 

[transatlantic]

You'll get used to stopping it in time, but never try and use an impact driver where finesse is required.

Yeah, this was only for decking.

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Also. No speed setting

Do you mean that there's no trigger to control the speed? If so, that would be a nightmare as you shouldn't be driving at full speed.

 

[transatlantic]

woops sorry. It does have variable speed on the trigger. For some reason I was thinking of a torque control

 

[owsnap]

you will just get used to it with more practice..as for finesse, you can still do it with an impact driver

 

[Wuffles]

you will just get used to it with more practice..as for finesse, you can still do it with an impact driver

I bet you love long thin brass screws.

 

[owsnap]

you will just get used to it with more practice..as for finesse, you can still do it with an impact driver

I bet you love long thin brass screws.

I see your point