What's the difference between a hammer drill and an impact driver? (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between a hammer drill and an impact driver? ›

That's the direct force; it's why a hammer drill can feel almost like a jackhammer in your hands. In contrast, an impact driver has a special mechanism inside of it that pushes a small anvil against the rotating mechanism (on the inside) from the side.

A hammer drill basically pounds on the end of the drill bit, like a hammer drives a nail (hence the name.) An impact wrench applies force in a rotational direction, like hammering on the end of a wrench. The hand tool version helps understand the direction of force. A star bit , for drilling holes is like a chisel.

Yes, an impact driver can be used to drill holes in concrete. However, it is important to note that an impact driver is not specifically designed for drilling into concrete.

Hammer Drill vs.

Unlike an impact driver, you can turn its hammering feature off and use it as a regular drill. This gives the hammer drill more versatility than an impact drill but it's still not ideal for lighter tasks.

Hammer drills are not typically used for production construction drilling, but rather for occasional drilling of holes into concrete, masonry or stone. They are also used to drill holes in concrete footings to pin concrete wall forms and to drill holes in concrete floors to pin wall framing.

A hammer drill exerts greater force directly into the bit as it hits the material being drilled, while an impact driver increases the force being delivered perpendicular to the bit. If you're using a hammer drill, picture someone slamming the back of the drill harder into surface being drilled.

Impact drivers are typically much smaller, shorter and lighter than hammer drills, making them more useful in tight places or awkward spaces. Hammer drills often have speed and torque settings, whereas impact drivers have pressure-sensitive triggers to control speed.

Due to a hammer drill having a clutch and multiple (often mechanical) speed settings, it sports a much longer length. An impact driver, with its “one-size-fits-all” hex check, shaves off the length and presents as a much more compact tool to use.

Impact drivers can only be used with 1/4″ hex shank accessories, but that doesn't mean all hex shank drill bits are suitable for use with them. For example, you can find many flat drill bits with hex shanks but most of them weren't designed for drilling with impact drivers and doing so may cause them to shatter.

The main difference between a drill and an impact driver is the type of force they are using. Regular drills rotate faster into place, especially in soft materials, and make holes, but the impact driver has a different function, and it's not designed to make round holes. It is for the drive screw with high torque.

When would I need a hammer drill? ›

A hammer drill is designed to drill holes into brick, concrete, other masonry, and even rock. A hammer drill uses a particular type of drill bit designed specifically for these tough materials.

However, it's important to note that hammer drills are not the best tool for driving screws, as they can be too powerful and cause damage to the screw or the surface being drilled. For driving screws, it's usually better to use a regular drill or an impact driver, as they provide better control and precision.

The Impact Driver. The impact driver is the belle of the ball these days. Its not a hammer drill and its not a regular drill/driver. It even looks different with a small stubby profile and a hex socket in place of the chuck.

Hammer drills are generally overkill for drilling holes into wood but are ideal for making holes in concrete, brick, stone, and masonry.

An impact driver is used to drive screws, and it takes hex-shaped screw bits to do that. On the other hand, an impact wrench is used to tighten and loosen nuts, and it takes a square-shaped bit. An impact wrench would also have too much torque for driving screws.

The differences between the tool types are: A drill turns at a consistent speed to drill holes. A driver incorporates a clutch to drive fasteners at various torque settings. A hammer drill includes an option to hammer the chuck forward and into hard materials like masonry or concrete.

If you need a lot of driving power, a drill is no match for an impact driver. If you have to drive a lot of fasteners, overhead fasteners or otherwise hard-to-reach fasteners, an impact driver will make the operation quicker and easier.

A drill is primarily used for drilling and boring applications and typically is better than an impact driver for these tasks. In its most basic form, a drill is a motor connected to a chuck via a gearbox. A variable speed trigger is a common feature of most drills.

Hammer drills don't just bore holes into masonry, though. Most allow you to turn the hammer function off, so with standard drill bits you can use them for the same tasks as cordless drill/drivers.