Replies

1. 
   Danusan11 | May 28, 2006 04:50am | #1

   Buy it your life will never be the same

1. 
   joelk | May 28, 2006 05:35am | #2

   I solicited advice on this forum about impact drivers, bought one, and it's truly amazing! I second the "buy" call.

2. 
   NickNukeEm | May 28, 2006 05:52am | #3

   An impact driver for deck screws is the best thing you will do for your wrists.  I have several impact drivers, a Panasonic and a Makita, and when installing decking, I alternate drivers with the chargers cooking the batteries.

   It will more than pay for itself the first deck.

    

   "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul."  Invictus, by Henley.

3. 
   RW | May 28, 2006 06:01am | #4

   Abso friggin loutely. You will be pleasantly surprised at how little grip you need to have on the tool. And it will all but eliminate camming out on phillips heads. Just keep a couple extra bits around. They shatter from time to time.

   "Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think -- there are no little things" - Bruce Barton

4. 
   Pigsooie | May 28, 2006 06:03am | #5

   Get the Quikdrive and you won't be hunkering over. THAT'S a quality of life issue.

1. 
   pebble | May 28, 2006 06:14am | #6

   Could someone clarify something for me? Is an impact driver different than an impact wrench? The Milwaukee V28 impact wrench is not something one would use for deck screws or is it?Handyman, painter, wood floor refinisher, property maintenance in Tulsa, OK

1. 
   cap | May 28, 2006 07:23am | #7

   The difference is the chuck or driver end, and the torque they deliver.

   An impact driver has a quick-release chuck in 1/4" hex drive, for power bits.

   An impact wrench has a 3/8" or 1/2" square drive, for socket wrenches.

   Impact drivers usually deliver less torque than impact wrenches.  This makes sense, as hex drive bits aren't designed to take the force that an impact socket can.  I've recently seen advertised hex drive bits designed for impact driver use.  At a cost of several times what a standard hex bit costs.

   My Makita 12V impact driver usually just chews up the phillips driver bit, I've never had one shatter.  Had a few screw shanks snap, though.

   As an aside, I've found that the torx recess (also called star drive) screws are the best with the impact driver.  No cam-out at all.

   Cliff  

1. 
   zak | May 28, 2006 07:44am | #8

   Cliff-

   Do you prefer torx to square drive for the impacts?  I've shattered some torx bits, but not square drive, and that's just with a drill/driver.  I guess they were small bits though, for trim head screws.

   Either way, they're better than phillips most of the time.zak

   "so it goes"

1. 
   IMERC | May 28, 2006 07:58am | #10

   I have a better track record with the square drive over the Torx...Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->

   WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->

   Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

2. 
   cap | May 28, 2006 03:35pm | #14

   zak,

   I've had good luck with square drive as well as the torx.  Never had either knind of  bit blow up on me.  Then again, I'm not building decks.

   Cliff

3. 
   basswood | May 28, 2006 04:24pm | #15

   I used to snap T-10 bits on a regular basis, running trimhead screws into hardwood. Making a very small coutersink for the head of the trimhead screws had made all the difference.I use an Irwin Unibit (stepped drill bit for this). Makes coutersinks that perfectly match the size and shape of the trimheads.

   
4. 
   jimblodgett | May 28, 2006 05:52pm | #17

   You have a depth colar(s) for that Unibit, or how do you regulate your depth?Tipi, Tipi, Tipi!

   http://www.asmallwoodworkingcompany.com

5. 
   butch | May 28, 2006 05:56pm | #18

   If you've never used one, they are very easy to controlthe depth, you just figure what size step you wantand count each step as you drilledited to add, that works on sheet metal, but I don't knowabout wood as Ive' never used it there before, but I'd like totry it.

   Edited 5/28/2006 10:58 am ET by butch

6. 
   basswood | May 28, 2006 06:30pm | #19

   As Butch said, the distance between steps makes it easy to control. I go up 2 steps for the #8 screws and up 3 steps for the #9's (with that Unibit).I like being able to use the same bit to make both sizes of countersinks.

5. 
   IMERC | May 28, 2006 07:56am | #9

   life made easier... in one fell swoop...

   buy it...

   Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming

   WOW!!! What a Ride!

   Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

6. 
   toolbear | May 28, 2006 08:02am | #11

   I like the impact drivers. I use them a lot.  I would buy one before a standard drill...

   However, on one job in '04 our crew was replacing a deck.  I had my Bosch Impactor  and the guy next to me had a 110v deck gun for screws.  He was much faster than I was.  His gun would just zip them in while mine was impacting and beating them in.

   I bought a DeWalt DW 257 deck/drywall screwdriver. 

   That fixed the problem, because I haven't seen a deck since. 

   You decide.

   The ToolBear

   "Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.

1. 
   IMERC | May 28, 2006 08:06am | #12

   wonder if an impactor can be married up to one of those entened auto feed 3' long deck gun gizzmos... Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->

   WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->

   Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

1. 
   Sphere | May 28, 2006 01:41pm | #13

   Get the hex shank drill and countersink combo too, talk about drilling a hole FAST. The impact mode doesn't really kick in, just spins the bit about 2000 rpm.

   I use mine for rivet holes in copper usually on a roof, the lite weight and dual use is a big plus, we only pull out the Drill for masonry drilling for tapcons.

   Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

   There is no cure for stupid. R. White.

2. 
   toolbear | May 29, 2006 03:57am | #26

   Don't think I would go there.  Those things are normally mated to screwguns and they work fine.  Assume they have the torque and gearing for the work.  The Simpson QuikDrive offers you a choice of DW or Makita screwguns.

   This is one of those jobs where battery power is not an asset.  Just plug in and screw away.  The ToolBear

   "Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.

1. 
   IMERC | May 29, 2006 05:43am | #27

   just thinking like Tim...Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->

   WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->

   Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

7. 
   CJD | May 28, 2006 05:23pm | #16

   Got a Bosch 14.4 impacter. Couldn't believe how great it was and bought a second one.

1. 
   IMERC | May 28, 2006 07:23pm | #22

   I got the 18v...

   been a life and death struggle holding on to it...

    

   seems everybody that uses it really "likes" it and wants to "borrow" it... Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->

   WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->

   Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

8. 
   danski0224 | May 28, 2006 06:40pm | #20

   The impact driver hammers it in as it spins. Almost no torque is transmitted back through your wrist. The hammering also helps to keep the screw driving bit locked to the screw.

   I have a Makita 12v version, and it will drive 3" deck screws without a problem. Will it drive thousands of them 3 inchers in reasonably quick succession? Got me. Keeping the batteries fresh is a must. I recently spent the money on the Makita fast charger- some of the best money I have spent on a cordless accessory. Mine is not good for drilling holes much bigger than 1/4".

   Just like an automotive impact wrench, the longer the drive tool/extension, the more torque is absorbed by the shaft of the tool. Keep the bit length as short as possible.

   If you will be doing more than one large deck project, consider the new Makita LI-Ion tools- 18v power with 12v weight.

1. 
   mikerooney | May 28, 2006 07:17pm | #21

   The real deal.

   http://www.makita.com/menu.php?pg=product_det&tag=6952

    

   View Image''Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.'' Plato

    

1. 
   rez | May 28, 2006 07:25pm | #23

   The Roon has spoken.

   half of good living is staying out of bad situations

2. 
   danski0224 | May 28, 2006 07:40pm | #25

   That should do the trick for decks. I was wondering if they made a corded one....

   My cordless is fine for me, though :)

    

2. 
   Notchman | May 28, 2006 07:29pm | #24

   While I use cordless tools when it makes sense to do so (in my mind, anyway), I regard them as an expensive tool, compared to their corded brethren. 

   And while I'll agree that the cordless impact driver is a great innovation  (I have three, two Makitas and a Panasonic),  I've gotten away from using them for driving decking screws.  Instead, I use a deck driver (mine has a Makita corded driver).

   What concerned me, aside from the cordless impact driver being slow, IMO, was that when driving Trapeze screws through Trex, or 3" X #8 SS deck screws through cedar, the cordless developed a lot of heat (regardless of brand).

   The longevity of the tool is also important.

   With the deck driver, I can screw down a large deck faster and while standing upright and the driver unit cost just a wee bit more than than any one of my cordless.

   I use mostly square drives for decks and for laying subfloor...and phillips don't last long in a cordless Impact driver.