Yes, You Need a Cordless Impact Driver
These compact, high-torque tools leave cordless drills in the dust for most any drilling or driving application.
Synopsis: In this tool review, builder and designer Michael Maines assesses the current crop of cordless impact drivers. These versatile tools can be used for everything from light-duty work (installing switch plates) to heavy-duty applications (driving screws through sill plates). He outlines features available on cordless drivers, and a series of illustrations shows how a cordless impact driver gets its work done.
I picked up my first cordless impact driver a few years ago. I had gotten into the habit of using two cordless drills for many carpentry and cabinetry tasks: one to drill, one to drive. For reasons that escape me now — maybe the batteries had died, maybe a friend had borrowed my drills — I grabbed a coworker’s 18v DeWalt impact driver. It seemed awfully small even with the large battery hanging off the handle. As I recall, the task involved driving a bunch of 3-in. screws…
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