Impact Driver: What It Is and How to Use It

The impact driver is an indispensable tool in the workshop that allows you to tighten or loosen bolts, screws, bolts and prisoners in rapid times. But above all, thanks to this practical and easy-to-use tool, you can achieve a unique torque force.

Perhaps you have already used a standard electric screwdriver. Sure, it's convenient and useful in many occasions; you can easily carry it with you in your tool bag. But you know well that it doesn't always meet the needs of an intense work for an entire day of operations.

In other words, if you just need to tighten a screw, choose a manual tool; for repetitive activities (and for drilling simple structures) you can use a linear screwdriver. But to get the maximum choose an impact driver. Why is this power tool so important? And what are the features but also the differences with other similar tools?

What is an impact driver, definition

The impact driver is a type of tool powered by electrical energy, usually battery-powered, that allows you to tighten or loosen any threaded element. This happens thanks to the ability to change inserts, using sockets of different sizes and shapes.

Now, you will surely have noticed that this description matches almost perfectly with that of any cordless drill driver. In reality what makes the difference is the mechanism at the base of the impact model. In this case, in fact, we can note the presence of an impact mechanism - electrical or pneumatic - to generate high-torque impulses in rapid succession.

What is an impact driver used for?

In summary, why should you have this tool in the workshop? Simple, it is the ideal solution for tightening and loosening with high fastening parameters. That is, to tighten bolts and nuts with a certain force. We can say that an impact driver with impulses is a fundamental tool to obtain an important torque couple. So it is used mainly for demanding work.

How many Nm must an impact driver have?

The Nm metric indicates the moment of force, specifically we are talking about Newton meters. Consequently, it is the ideal parameter to define the force to apply when using an impact driver. Well, professional mid-range products start from 250 and reach about 400 Nm. Higher choices imply very specific uses, there are models that go up to 1000 Nm

But it is right to remember that these solutions are only suitable for industrial uses. Also pay attention to the maximum number of revolutions, around 3,500 for a good product to be used on all occasions. Battery options satisfy these needs but for higher activities compressed air solutions are preferred.

Which model to choose and which inserts to use

Use an impact driver capable of guaranteeing reliability and power, also evaluating some technical and practical aspects. First of all the weight: you must seek a good compromise between lightness, robustness and power. Usually we aim around 2 Kg.

These battery-powered tools may have to be used for a long time in awkward positions and poor usability can cause concrete problems to the work. Moreover, in addition to power and revolutions per minute, there is a technical trick: let's make sure the machine is with brushless motor, more reliable and performant but also with the ability to reduce maintenance.

And the inserts? Which to choose? An impact driver with striking mass has a great advantage over a standard tool: it can express a higher force. For this reason you must choose quality inserts, those that allow the force to transmit as and where it needs to. In these cases you can easily point to the products from LTI by Krino, a reference point for impact drivers.

These inserts are capable of withstanding intense stresses and important efforts. Much higher than a standard insert, also thanks to the use of chromium molybdenum vanadium steel that allow to guarantee maximum tensile and torsional strength.

What is the difference with a standard screwdriver?

The answer is clear: the electric screwdriver is less powerful than the one with impacts which is perfect for more intense activities and that require a higher torque. Also, the impact driver can only be used for tightening and loosening while the electric screwdriver also has the function to drill less demanding materials. But hardly can you use it to drill in concrete.

To better understand the difference between impact driver and electric screwdriver, it suffices to think that in the first case we are talking about an average power of 460 Nm for a medium product while those that are standard basically reach 90 Nm.