Drills

[harry_]

      Well I was a little tongue in cheek with that, and i wouldn't say the Robertson is the end all in fasteners,and i certainly wouldn't start waving a flag about it, but given the choice between that and a Phillips , its no contest,infact i usually throw out any Phillips that come supplied with any fixture and use my own .

Funny, that's what I do with square drives. Maybe we should work out a fastener swap program  [embarassed]

 

[tbellemare]

The phillips heads were designed to cam out rather than break the screw before good clutches were common.

It would be a lot easier to break a screw with a square drive if everything else was equal. There are a lot of lousy phillips head screws around though. I think there are fewer lousy Robertsons.

Tom

 

[GhostFist]

There's lousy everything.
Do prefer Robbie over Phil for what it's worth.

 

[terrystouf]

I would like to recant my position on the uselessness of cam-ing out the driver tip (with the advent of torque limiting clutches),it works well when achieving a preset depth on drywall.There is still nothing worse than getting a screw half driven in and spinning out the drive, damaging both pieces, your still screwed .I think the Phillips was instrumental in the need for an impacting driver, and I  hope Festool will have success in their rumored development of a silent impact driver.There has to be some use for the laser ??
Can anyone comment on the fit of hex drive drill bits with the Festool drills ? I have tried them(hex drive bits) with the blue drills , and found the slop in the fit would cause small drillbits to snap quite easily compared to a chucked bit ...

 

[GhostFist]

Impact drivers, I hate them...... Somebody sell me on these. I hear people say that they're "better" for driving long screws and I still fail to see how it's better. The only use I've found for them is driving lag bolts but there are guy who use them for everything. i had an impactor when they first came out and liked the compact design to them, they felt more maneuverable and a lot lighter than a standard 18v. However there's a wide array of compact drills on the market now so I don't see there being a use for them when i'm in the shop. What am I missing???

 

[harry_]

I have one of the small Bosch impact drivers. Have had it for about 2 years or so, I guess. To measure it by usage, it is almost brand new. It is in a box,............. someplace.

It does what it was sold to do. The crap in my head rattles enough without having to listen to that thing too!

 

[terrystouf]

Impact drivers, I hate them...... Somebody sell me on these

They do make a Lot of noise,and are unnecessary for small fasteners. But  for ,say, 3" +  deck screws, take a well used bit (Robertson here) start it in a piece of wood , and notice that you only need a slight push to follow the screw in, and  notice how it wont twist your wrist off when it gets tight.I built a large deck when i first got one , and used one driver bit, that was not new.Before the driver, any slip meant throw the bit away and get another , and always push like a son of a b-  gun.
    Now think how with one hand ,and an automotive type impact gun , you can tighten a wheel nut to over 100ft lbs torque , try that with a drill.Same concept.
    But,  I really wish you could adjust the torque required to start the impacting mechanism, they start hammering way too early,and have ear plugs...

 

[fdengel]

Impact drivers can make certain driving tasks go much faster.  If you can handle the noise, they can be very nice for driving tapcons into concrete, or as previously mentioned, for handling large or stubborn screws/bolts...

 

[Alan m]

i have a dewalt 18 volt impact.
i love it . i hate the noise. it is way easier than the non impact 18volt drill.  the battery lasts way longer with the impact.
there is very little effort to drive a 4 inch screw. the non impact would strugle to drive a 3 inch screw. you can drive screws in hard to reach areas where you can barely reach easily.
i use it to drive 60 mm dry wall screws into an insulated slab on the ceiling with no effort. the clutch allows you to get the depth just right , the non impact would  drive them through the slab.

 

[GhostFist]

My problem with impact drivers is people seem to be using them for everything. Tapcons and lags are one thing but every day screws it's uncalled for. Here's an example of my work environment, about 50 carps mostly driving 1 1/2" screws into pine, why do 20 of them need impact guns??? We do use Tapcons on set at certain stages and I can excuse them when there's a need for them but these guys are using them all day everyday.

 

[awdriven]

Easier on the wrist, but not the ears. If you're driving screws all day, maybe there's a fatigue issue. With an impact you can also use a smaller, lighter tool like a 10.8/12v.

I don't advocate blanket use of impacts, but they're helpful for some things.

I would go out of my mind listening to 15 people using them, though.

 

[fdengel]

I can excuse them when there's a need for them but these guys are using them all day everyday.

I used mine a lot more heavily until I got my C12.

 

[Jesse Cloud]

..... There are a lot of lousy phillips head screws around though. I think there are fewer lousy Robertsons.

Tom

Not anymore.  Home Depot Disappointment is selling Robbies now.

 

[builderbob]

..... There are a lot of lousy phillips head screws around though. I think there are fewer lousy Robertsons.

Tom

Not anymore.  Home Depot Disappointment is selling Robbies now.

I've become a big fan of Torx drive screws. GRK, Spax & Screw Products...although I've backed off of Screw Products fasteners...they tend to snap more often then I like.

Bob