Hacker News Reader

Comment by jdietrich | Hacker News Reader

There's a reason why they sell philips bits in boxes of 25.

https://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-48-32-4604-Phillips-Shockwa...

The cheap ones, not the good ones. If there's a box of two bits for the same price right next to this one, I know which one I'd rather buy.

Good hardening is expensive.

No bit can survive for long if you're driving hundreds of screws with an impact driver. A very hard bit designed for hand tools will just shatter if you're hitting it with huge pulses of torque; sheared off wings are the usual failure mode for quality philips driver bits. Torx bits hold up better, but they're still a consumable item.

Who uses an impact driver with Philips screws? I guess maybe if you're driving huge screws for framing something heavy but even then I've never felt the need for an impact driver.

And I usually use torx anyway

Most people these days? Especially those in the trades. Impact drivers with adjustable torque are pretty standard piece of equipment. I have a Milwaukee drill and impact driver. The driver is WAAAAYYY less likely to strip screws than the drill is.

Used to work in the trades, almost never used impact drivers. Always thought they were primarily for heavier workloads like hex nuts/screws. But maybe I've just been missing out

You've been missing out.

At first blush it does seem stupid to use an impact driver in a wood screw, but they just don't strip or cam out.

They're the same size as drills now.

The Milwaukee is smaller and lighter than the drill, even. It's amazing. And it has adjustable torque, which means you can use it for drywall even without punching through the paper.

And putting in metal roofing or walls without hammering the rubber washer on the roofing screw is amazing. You don't even have to think. Set it to torque setting 1 and forget about it.

Seriously? I only own a Milwaukee impact driver and use it for everything.

I've worked in construction for years and we never used impact drivers for wood screws.

I could see some use cases for them with really large wood screws, but the Makita drill I used was beefy as shit and never had any trouble. Maybe it's better for big screws but I can't really see why you'd use them for small screws.

Ok you can make the case an impact driver isn’t the perfect tool for every job but if you only own one, it’s an amazing choice.

Oh whow, yeah I guess that makes a lot of sense. Around here people are still on bldc electric screwdrivers for the most part.

Impact drivers around here are pretty much for loosening metal bolts, and as a sign that your car dealership hates you. But I guess they're faster.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com