Impact Driver - Necessity or Time Saver?

[oldschoolcraft]

I read through several older threads and am still unclear - for a hobbyist, is an impact driver a necessity, or it is just a time saver for pros who get flat rates per jobs?

Some posters said that it was just a time saver, but a handful of people said they've encountered rusted bolts that needed an impact driver to take off, because they were too rusted to take off by hand.

I ask because I'm trying to plan out my future cart needs and having duplicate sets of impact and chrome sockets takes up a lot of space. Also, I could use the same money to get a higher quality chrome socket, rather than also splitting my budget into impact sockets as well plus an electric impact driver (since I don't have a compressor).

So... does an impact driver let you do things otherwise impossible by hand, or is it just a time saver? I doubt I'll wind up using impacts enough over the course of a year to save anywhere near the amount of time/money that the cost would be. So the only reason I'd buy them is if they make the impossible possible.

 

[curtrnev]

If you don't plan on buying a compressor , start your cordless tool collection you will never look back.

 

[bcradio]

An impact driver is a lifesaver for putting in screws. I will say it is not necessary though.

 

[gdocktor3]

I use an impact driver more than any other power tool I own.

 

[tncatadjuster]

I use an impact driver more than any other power tool I own.

+1

 

[shanny19]

Necessity? Not at all.
But if you're in 2018 and driving lags, building a deck, putting in fence, working on modern vehicles, without one, you're going without a tool that almost defines tools....an advancement in hand held hardware that multiplies your human abilities a hundredfold.

 

[gregpack]

Are you referring to a hex impact driver or an impact wrench?

Either one, its a valuable time saver. If you place a dollar value on your time ( and IMO everyone should) then it's a worthwhile purchase. But many cars have been fixed without one, so I'm voting not necessary.

Many homes have been assembled without a nail gun, but who wants to in this day and age?

 

[Yarpo]

I don't want to be rude, but you have a TON of threads asking about pretty basic tools and tool recommendations so I just want to ask, what is your experience or what are you building this set of tools for?

I don't think any mechanic would want to work without an impact anymore. Can you do it? Sure, my 1/4" impact driver sees mostly light work that maybe could be accomplished with a ratchet or wrench, or nutdriver/screwdriver but...why? The impact driver is almost a cornerstone of every tool box from mechanics all the way to homeowners.

I'm glad you're here trying to get information and learn about tools, but everyones experience and projects will be different. That said I think you're trying almost to hard, you in most cases wont be able to replace deep or chrome sockets in any mechanics tool box, nor take away their impact driver. I would recommend buying high quality budget friendly tools so you can get everything instead of trying to cut corners.

 

[454ragtop]

Personally, if I were to start over right now, I wouldn't even buy chrome 1/2" drive sockets, and would have to give a lot of thought on 3/8" drive as well. Perfectly fine to use impact sockets on hand tools, the reverse is not recommended though.

 

[383 240z]

I'm thinking the OP is referring to an impact wrench. Yes, I consider them a must-have for working around cars. Suspension bolts would be a big reason. Some may call them a time saver, but I look at it more of a way to take some stress and strain off of my body.

As for the impact sockets, I just keep a cheap, Harbor Freights are actually pretty decent, set on my cart. Metric from 13-24mm I don't have much that has SAE fasteners anymore.

If the OP meant a hex impact. YES!!! Those are a must-have. I've got a Porter Cable 20v MAX drill and driver set. Not as nice as the new Milwaukee stuff, but reasonably priced and have served me well. Liked them so much I picked up the jigsaw and the cut off tools as well. The saws-all and oscillating tools are on my list.

 

[Bockscar]

Personally, if I were to start over right now, I wouldn't even buy chrome 1/2" drive sockets, and would have to give a lot of thought on 3/8" drive as well. Perfectly fine to use impact sockets on hand tools, the reverse is not recommended though.

The only downside is that sometimes impact sockets are too thick

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[laser3kw]

this is what I think of when I hear"impact driver"

 

[audioworks04]

I use an impact driver for everything I can from handing pictures to tightening 1/2in bolts. But there are things that a drill is necessary for, so if you can only have one or the other I would go with the drill and look for an impact as want not a need.


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[nbruno]

I have to say that I wouldn't give up my 1/2 or 3/8 chrome sockets under any circumstance. Impact sockets are great for their intended use but are bulky, heavy and oversized for many projects.
As for the OP, I have 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2" drive impacts in both air and cordless and multiples of the cordless. I love my hand tools but if you can save 15-20 seconds on every bolt and nut that you remove and 15-20 seconds putting them back that's 3mins on just 5 bolts.( I'm sure that's a conservative estimate.) not to mention the wear and tear on your body.

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[shanny19]

this is what I think of when I hear"impact driver"

Then you also need to buy an impact driver

 

[Voi]

I do think an impact driver is a necessity anymore. If I had to choose between my cordless impact driver and my cordless drill I'd pick the driver for sure. I have a hex drive keyless chuck I can use in my driver as well as a few hex shanked drill bits.

Reading this and your other thread about sockets I think you could consider an impact driver plus a set of the Grey Pneumatic Duo sockets. Impact rated sockets with walls about as thin as chrome sockets.

I'd rather spend my money on a mixture of shallow and deep sockets rather than a mix of drive sizes and a mix of chrome and impact. In this case I'd probably start with a 3/8" set.

Another thought is Bosch makes that hybrid impact driver/wrench which allows you to use 1/4" bits and 1/2" sockets without the use of an adapter.

This would allow you to use your current 1/2" ratchets and breakers. A Duo set in 1/2" and a mix of shallow and deep should cover a lot of bases.

For the record I don't own the Bosch hybrid impact nor do I own a set of Duo sockets. But I am like you that I prefer to streamline my tool choices when possible. I also have a 1/2" breaker bar and a 1/2" impact wrench so I might either do a 1/2" set of Duo sockets or do like the other poster said and just use 1/2" impact sockets on my breaker bar as needed.

 

[M6erfan]

Then you also need to buy an impact driver

+1^^^

Also, impact wrench is great. A 'necessity'? Maybe not, I mean you can do most anything with a breaker bar and ratchet, but why do you want to?

 

[plinker]

Sunex (and others likely) are about the same thickness as chrome sockets for the most part. That said I would not dump the chrome sockets I have or the manual impact driver.

I like my impact driver for long wood screws, If you're going to use it mainly with square drive tools you're better off with the correct impact as it likely has more torque behind it.

 

[Sine Swept]

Make sure to get some locking extensions for your impact sockets. The bonus of chrome sockets is using a flashlight to find one that has dropped somewhere in the engine bay, a black impact socket does not show up quite the same.

I have a 12 Volt Bosch hex impact and a corded Craftsman 1/2" impact. I wouldn't give up either.

 

[kb1982]

I have to say that I mostly use my 1/2" Sunex impact socket set most of the time. Usually for the simple fact that I am using the stubby impact, but when I run into a place that it won't fit, I'll just grab the 1/2 ratchet. If I was to start over, I would get a stubby impact, both SAE and Metric Sunex master impact socket sets, and chrome sockets in 1/4" drive.

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[Tonyuk]

I use my impact driver often for smaller screws and interior fixings, as well as under trays etc.. on its lowest setting.

An electric screwdriver is also good to have when your dealing with dash screws that you don't want much torque on. One of those hand impact drivers are ideal for dealing with rusted brake screws but unless you do a lot of brake work i wouldn't really bother, they need a fair bit of a wack with a hammer to be really effective, not suitable for a lot of screws.

A good 1/2" impact wrench is also very good to have, i like my Milwaukee 1/2" compact and use it pretty much every day, best on a 2.0 battery imo as it makes the tool light and balanced. I looked into a 3/8" impact but it was the same body just with a different anvil, so decided just to go with the 1/2" for a bit of extra power + i already had the sockets and extensions for it.

You wont be able to fit an impact in everywhere however especially if just working off the ground on jack stands, so don't forget a good breaker bar, id really reccomend looking into 12 point sockets at some point if your working on the ground since they can be real lifesavers due to having less of a turn to engage a fastener than a 6 point. The majority of my chromes are 12pt and as long as you get a decent set and apply common sense you'll be fine.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

this is what I think of when I hear"impact driver"

Me too, I don't use it often but when I do it is one of the best "cheap" tools I own. IMO a "must have".

I use an air impact wrench occasionally on vehicles, most commonly for rotating tires. If removing/reinstalling one wheel I use a cross style lug wrench. Could easily get by without it, actually if I had a cordless equivalent the air wrench would almost never get used.

My 1/4" hex electric impact gets a lot of use, mostly driving screws into wood, it's a must have. Occasionally I'll use it on a vehicle, for those situations I could easily get by without it.

 

[cmandp]

You can get by without an impact wrench when working on cars. But it makes rusty fasteners a lot easier and some rusty fasteners are just not removable without breakage turning by hand with a socket or wrench. A torch helps a lot for for stubborn bolts too, I wish I had a acetylene one a lot when working on rusty cars.

An impact driver (for screws) is not necessary either unless you are driving lots of screws. It lessens strain on your wrist and the bit is much less likely to slip out of the screw. The only problem I have with them is that they are quite loud compared to a drill.

 

[PhysicsDude]

I probably use my impact drivers more than any other tool I own. I would absolutely consider them a valuable "core" tool.

A hex impact driver is incredibly versatile. Most of them provide around 100 ft lbs of torque, pretty equivalent to most purpose-built 3/8" drive impact wrenches.

The one use impact drivers have to me other than time savings and convenience, is getting phillips head fasteners out without stripping them. I can put a lot more pressure on the head while using an impact driver, and they're much more controllable than using a drill.

 

[jonshonda]

I like to work a lot with wood but along the lines of rough framing more than finish work. Having a impact driver is awesome, and if you have a drill also it is very handy to have the drill chucked up with a pilot bit and the driver ready for screw insertion. It also saves your wrists big time.

 

[neuralsnafu]

Required? No. Time saver? Most definitely. I have a 1/4” hex impact, 3/8" and half inch.

Having the 3/8 saved me an hour or so pulling a timing cover on my s10.

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[nelstomlinson]

The impact tools are time savers. They will also do things that are harder or impossible without them. What will you be working on?

 

[JimNC]

FWIW, I’m a tinkerer and have avoided impact sockets because my hobby time is free and I dislike noise. However, I was building some shelving in the garage and needed to drive a lot of lag bolts. Bought a dewalt 20v impact driver (I guess, who knows what to call these things) and it turned out to be the cat’s meow. I used to use a drill and then finish with a ratchet if necessary, no more of that for me.

I have a set of Gray Pneumatic metric impact sockets in my Amazon cart now, just looking around for a better deal and mulling over the 3/8 vs 1/2 decision. Have a compressor, but will probably buy an electric impact gun of the appropriate size.

If I was just starting to build a tool kit I’d buy 1/4” in chrome and 3/8” in impact and then figure out what else I needed. Your hobby may be restoring antique fire trucks or working on computers, if so you’d probably make a different decision.

 

[crf450x]

The first time you have a 2+ inch long bolt that is tight all the way out, you'll decide an impact wrench is necessary. I can't imagine working on vehicles without one.

 

[neuralsnafu]

FWIW, I’m a tinkerer and have avoided impact sockets because my hobby time is free and I dislike noise. However, I was building some shelving in the garage and needed to drive a lot of lag bolts. Bought a dewalt 20v impact driver (I guess, who knows what to call these things) and it turned out to be the cat’s meow. I used to use a drill and then finish with a ratchet if necessary, no more of that for me.

I have a set of Gray Pneumatic metric impact sockets in my Amazon cart now, just looking around for a better deal and mulling over the 3/8 vs 1/2 decision. Have a compressor, but will probably buy an electric impact gun of the appropriate size.

If I was just starting to build a tool kit I’d buy 1/4” in chrome and 3/8” in impact and then figure out what else I needed. Your hobby may be restoring antique fire trucks or working on computers, if so you’d probably make a different decision.

I got the DeWalt 20v impact driver too along with the drill as a Christmas gift. Used it a hand full of times so far. Put 3" wood screws in some door frames like butter.

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[gearhead1]

Depends on what you work on. For example, I need some kind of impact to remove my bush hog blades, a plain wrench or socket ratchet isn’t going to work. Sure, I could get a 3/4” Drive breaker bar and use pipes to get a long lever. I’d also have to keep the bolt from spinning. By the time I do that, yes the impact is a time saver, but I’d say it’s a big enough time saver which makes it a necessity.

If you get a long enough lever, you can get mechanical advantage. So if you look purely from that point, an impact is a time saver. In an application where it’s not easy to keep the mating part from spinning, the impact is more of a necessity. In a situation where you can’t get a lever long enough, it’s more of a necessity.

To me, they’re worth it.

 

[mbshop]

Yea, impact driver came along near 20 to late in my career. I was thrilled to get a drill driver back then. Now my hand tools and bosch 12v drill driver does all I need. But for a working stiff, a impact driver is a must have.

 

[Tallpilot]

We still aren't sure if he meant an impact driver to drive screws or an impact wrench to turn bolts/nuts. Maybe he just wants a hand impact driver for brake rotor screws.

 

[TK-421]

I read through several older threads and am still unclear - for a hobbyist, is an impact driver a necessity, or it is just a time saver for pros who get flat rates per jobs?

Some posters said that it was just a time saver, but a handful of people said they've encountered rusted bolts that needed an impact driver to take off, because they were too rusted to take off by hand.

I ask because I'm trying to plan out my future cart needs and having duplicate sets of impact and chrome sockets takes up a lot of space. Also, I could use the same money to get a higher quality chrome socket, rather than also splitting my budget into impact sockets as well plus an electric impact driver (since I don't have a compressor).

So... does an impact driver let you do things otherwise impossible by hand, or is it just a time saver? I doubt I'll wind up using impacts enough over the course of a year to save anywhere near the amount of time/money that the cost would be. So the only reason I'd buy them is if they make the impossible possible.

Are you talking about an impact driver, or an impact wrench? They're two different tools, used for two different things, but both are useful depending on what you're wanting to do.

For cars I think an impact wrench would be more useful than an impact driver.

An impact wrench is extremely handy to have. I personally use Milwaukee Fuel cordless stuff, but you can use whatever you like to use. I've got a small little 3/8" 12v impact wrench which is useful for taking off small things and things that aren't tightened down too much.

Then I have a big honking 18v 1/2" impact wrench that's mainly good for lug nuts, but can be used to take off big nuts if you have the space for it.

Next I plan on getting Milwaukee's small 18v 3/8" impact wrench, as that was an extremely useful tool when I was helping my Uncle change out suspension stuff on his Excursion. Then I'll probably follow that up with their small 1/2" impact wrench just to round out the set.

An impact driver is just that, a driver, which is mainly used for driving in lag bolts and other such fasteners. It wouldn't be all that handy for working on a car, imo, though it could be used for some stuff.

 

[James-W]

That is kind of like asking if you should get a computer with a word processor or just continue using your old typewriter. No, a computer isn't something you HAVE to get in order to do a bunch of writing, but it sure works nice and it saves a lot of time when compared to a typewriter.

 

[Shadowdog500]

I read through several older threads and am still unclear - for a hobbyist, is an impact driver a necessity, or it is just a time saver for pros who get flat rates per jobs?

Some posters said that it was just a time saver, but a handful of people said they've encountered rusted bolts that needed an impact driver to take off, because they were too rusted to take off by hand.

I ask because I'm trying to plan out my future cart needs and having duplicate sets of impact and chrome sockets takes up a lot of space. Also, I could use the same money to get a higher quality chrome socket, rather than also splitting my budget into impact sockets as well plus an electric impact driver (since I don't have a compressor).

So... does an impact driver let you do things otherwise impossible by hand, or is it just a time saver? I doubt I'll wind up using impacts enough over the course of a year to save anywhere near the amount of time/money that the cost would be. So the only reason I'd buy them is if they make the impossible possible.

I see that you are wondering if buying impact sockets plus an electric impact driver(since you don't have a compressor) is worth it vs spending the money on better chrome sockets. This would leave me to believe that you are talking about an impact gun.

It's up to you, if you don't mind using a breaker bar for stubborn stuff then you can get by without an impact gun. Ive had a compressor and impact guns for decades and found that I mostly reach for mine for lug-nuts, and things that are really rusted tight. Most of the time today, I reach for an impacting aka "reactionless" air ratchet. I have a regular size earthquake ratchet and a mini impacting air ratchet. I would think tice about giving these up because they make a lot of things a lot easier. Could I get buy without them (yes) would I want to (hell no!)

Here is a video I made that shows my favorite mini impacting air ratchet which is now being sold as an ASTRO 1128 compared to another brand.

I love it and the earthquake.

Chris

 

[Bockscar]

Depends on what you work on. For example, I need some kind of impact to remove my bush hog blades, a plain wrench or socket ratchet isn’t going to work. Sure, I could get a 3/4” Drive breaker bar and use pipes to get a long lever. I’d also have to keep the bolt from spinning. By the time I do that, yes the impact is a time saver, but I’d say it’s a big enough time saver which makes it a necessity.

If you get a long enough lever, you can get mechanical advantage. So if you look purely from that point, an impact is a time saver. In an application where it’s not easy to keep the mating part from spinning, the impact is more of a necessity. In a situation where you can’t get a lever long enough, it’s more of a necessity.

To me, they’re worth it.

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With a long enough lever I can move the world.....or something like that

 

[jd_1138]

They're dirt cheap, may as well get one especially if you're going to buy into a cordless system and thus have the batteries and charger. I bought my Makita 1/4 impact driver for 59 on sale, and it came with a large lithium battery and charger.

The fact you're asking if they're necessary means you probably have never used one. Lol. They put out like 1,500 in lbs of torque. You can easily drive fasteners deep into any wood way easier than a regular drill. Or if you need a large hole, you can attach any size drill bit or spade bit. Does jobs a regular drill can't. Saves a lot of time over doing it manually.

If you work on your own stuff, then not having to pay a lot of money for a pro tradesperson leaves a lot of money for power tools.

 

[PreferredMotorsLLC]

I love my impact drivers. Screws or sockets, it gets most jobs done. Definitely wouldn't want to drive a bunch of screws into wood without one.

 

[The Tool Tyrant]

this is what I think of when I hear"impact driver"

^^^Me too

I don't use mine often, but when you run into an Allen head or Phillips head screw that wants to 'cam out' when removing it, the "Impact Driver" is a life saver.

Oh, and 'Impact Wrenches'...if you're a professional or a serious DIY'er...they're a must.