today we're talking about the impact driver and asking the questions is it worth it and should you buy one for those of you who don't know what an impact driver is it's a drill that's specifically designed for driving fasteners like screws and lack bolts quickly and with little effort unlike a standard drill that just applies only rotational force the impact driver when needed can also apply rotational impact force creating a hammering effect that makes fast work for driving screws one of the most common misconceptions that the impact driver is always impacting but that's not the case the load on the impact driver has to cross a certain threshold before the spring and vil and hammer is activated for example while countersinking and installing this screw the impact driver never reaches that threshold but without any pre drilling or counter sinking that same screw driven directly into the wood triggers that well-known audible and physical hammering action of the driver to help you better answer the question is it worth it let me give you five things to consider number one unlike a drill that has a round chuck which accepts a wide variety of bits the impact driver can only accept quarter inch hex shank bits the hex shank does provide for a quick release as well as a more secure connection while putting this tool under serious strain fortunately there are plenty of options for hex shank bits and drivers on the market today number two the impact driver is quite loud significantly louder than a normal drill and for those beginners who are sensitive to loud power tools this may be a concern for you number three impact drivers can be used to drill holes but if you're needing precise perfectly round holes a standard drill is most likely the better option for you if you already own a standard drill bit set and would like to use drill bits in the impact driver you'll have to buy a new set specifically designed for impact drivers number four when it comes to the size of the impact driver it's noticeably smaller than a standard drill and ultimately easier to handle during certain operations because of its size there are a few other added benefits it can be used in tighter places it takes up less space to store especially if you travel with it and lastly contrary to popular belief the smaller size it actually produces more power which leads us to number five the impact driver does provide a lot more torque driving screws up to three times faster than a standard drill but even with that extra torque the impact driver doesn't put any extra strain on your wrists making it easier to use for longer periods of time now that you have all that information the question still remains should you buy one and ultimately that decisions up to you the value is definitely there but is the timing right for you I always encourage every new beginner carpenter woodworker or DIY er to go buy a good drill first and then by the impact driver next however sometimes buying the combo kit that comes with both the drill and the impact driver makes more financial sense especially if there's a good sale here's my final two cents before you buy an impact driver or any tool for that matter it's a good idea to ask yourself a few questions how much will I use this tool can I afford this right now do I really see myself continuing to learn and do more projects will this still save me time or make doing projects easier and lastly will this tool be able to pay for itself often times when you take on a project you ought to get paid for it or you don't have to pay somebody else to do it which means you're either making money or saving money and your tools and knowledge are responsible for that it's hard to comprehend exactly how much money a few tools and a few YouTube videos can save you over your lifetime it's definitely something to consider if you have any questions please leave them below in the comments section thank you so much for watching my videos see you next week
