What's the difference between drill/driver/wrench?

[TheOtherLeft]

I'm researching into buying a new cordless impact drill and now getting a little confused in the terminology.

What's the difference between a impact drill, driver and wrench? They all look the same, but with the drill, driver having normal 1/4" internal hexagon tool holder for the standard drill bits and the wrench seems to have either a 3/8" or 1/2" socket tool holder.

Can wrenches (with the 3/8" or 1/2" socket tool holder) still take standard drill bits? Is there an attachment for it?

[tehekho]

Impact driver will either be a rattlegun (Air Powered) or a manual impact driver powered by a hammer

[TheOtherLeft]

Sorry, I'm referring to cordless impact drills/drivers/wrenches.

[bazzle]

Sorry, I'm referring to cordless impact drills/drivers/wrenches.

Same thing. They use a rotary hammer to add torque.
Drill is a direct motor drive.

Bazzle

[dad]

The impact Wrench, is basically a battery powered 1/2 inch rattle gun. Accepts 1/2 inch sockets only. Awesome for doing up and undoing nuts and bolts 10 - 19mm, not really quite enough for wheelnuts though.

The impact driver is essentially the same tool but it accepts the small hexagonal bits. Bits are expensive but you can get drill sets, tekky bits, etc. Very good for tek screws, and good with a 3/8 or 1/2 drive adapter too.

The impact drill is Just a cordless drill with a normal chuck (not sds) and you will probably find has a hammer function that wont be much good for anything harder than very soft bricks.

The last one is the one you want if you want to put drill bits in it and make holes in stuff (other than masonry).

Nic

[dad]

Can wrenches (with the 3/8" or 1/2" socket tool holder) still take standard drill bits? Is there an attachment for it?

I have never seen a 1/2" or 3/8" to chuck attachment before.
You can buy drill bits with the hex base but they are deer as poison.

[V.W.Dave]

Can wrenches (with the 3/8" or 1/2" socket tool holder) still take standard drill bits? Is there an attachment for it?

I have never seen a 1/2" or 3/8" to chuck attachment before.
You can buy drill bits with the hex base but they are deer as poison.

I have I see them every day in the back of my truck. And in my tool box. In fact you have used them before.

[TheOtherLeft]

The impact Wrench, is basically a battery powered 1/2 inch rattle gun. Accepts 1/2 inch sockets only. Awesome for doing up and undoing nuts and bolts 10 - 19mm, not really quite enough for wheelnuts though.

The impact driver is essentially the same tool but it accepts the small hexagonal bits. Bits are expensive but you can get drill sets, tekky bits, etc. Very good for tek screws, and good with a 3/8 or 1/2 drive adapter too.

The impact drill is Just a cordless drill with a normal chuck (not sds) and you will probably find has a hammer function that wont be much good for anything harder than very soft bricks.

The last one is the one you want if you want to put drill bits in it and make holes in stuff (other than masonry).

Nic

Thanks for the info.

I already have a corded AEG hammer drill which does the job for masonary but I need something for drilling/screwing into wood.

How come an impact wrench can't undo wheelnuts? Some of the drivers are approaching 160Nm and my most wheelnuts are only around 100Nm. Is there something I'm missing?

[GBC]

I use my little panasonic impact driver on my wheels nuts. Obviously it wouldn't last long in a workshop, but it does the business for domestic stuff.
As others have said there are adaptors to go up and down in any sized square drive, or adapt hex to square drive so you can use sockets etc on them.
For drilling in wood use a straight up cordless drill - you can drill easily with an impact driver but it'll drive you nuts - noisy.
For screwing use either an impact driver or drill.
Best off doing what the rest of us tradies do and get a combo drill/driver kit. Once you own an impact driver you'll wonder how the hell you got by without one.

[love ke70]

what GBC said.

get a standard normal cordless drill, and an impact wrench with the 1/2" driver. usually the ones with the 1/2" driver have more torque than the ones that come with the GFB end on them. i use hitachi myself and love it, and it does my wheel nuts, except the super tight ones, but my air powered rattle gun cant get them either...

you can get a 1/2" to GFB adaptor (thats all those driver bits that have that hex end on them, like philips bits, tec bits etc) and as someone else said, apparently you can get one to a chuck aswell, but you dont need it if you have a normal drill.