Impact Driver

The design of the impact driver has replaced the chuck used on drills with a collet. The collet, similar to ones found on air compressors, allows for quick interchanges of bits but only accepts a hex shank. The industry standard size for the shank is ¼ inch. Some manufacturers have created a converter/adapter keyless chuck with a hex head shank which allows hex drive power tools to use conventional drill bits. Unlike a drill, impact drivers use a hammer and anvil action to create a concussive force which is transferred through the drill head to drive the screw or bolt. Our research has shown that one huge difference in the performance of the impact driver is the Ah size of the battery. Larger-sized batteries can transfer more power from the battery to the drill head which in turn gives you more torque and driving power.

DeWalt is by far the most popular impact driver. There are many offerings of this tool in stand-alone tool only option, an option with a battery and charger, and combo kits where it is offered alongside other popular tools like a drill or circular saw. Some of the options only have a 1.5 Ah battery so you may need to buy additional, batteries or use larger ones that you already own.

Makita, Bosch, Black+Decker, Ryobi, and almost every other major tool Manufacturer make an impact drill for their tool lineup. As we mentioned, the larger the Ah size of the battery the better the performance will be. Many of the tools on the market currently come with a 1.5 Ah. However, choosing an impact driver that can be used with an interchangeable battery system, such as with DeWalt and Ryobi for example is probably a safer bet if you are looking to maximize the potential of your impact driver.

Because of the vast amount of impact drivers on the market, including the cheap Chinese knock-offs, we haven’t tested or reviewed every one of them. If you have an experience with an impact drill we would like to hear about it! You can submit your feedback through the form at the bottom of the page.