Why do people so badly want a Festool impact driver?

[bwehman]

Personally, I find those things way too loud to use without hearing protection, which is a pain to have around when simply screwing fasteners. I've never run into a fastener that the PDC 18 can't drive, so why the desire for an impact? Just curious if I'm missing something glaringly obvious.

 

[AlexThePalex]

I don't have an impact driver but I could seriously use one. Loud? Sure, but I constantly use hearing protection anyway with all my other tools, so this one would be no different.

An impact driver's main benefit is the way the force of the motor is transmitted to the screw, it is done with lots of small, but powerful impacts. Because there is a minute interval between each impact, the strain on your arm is very small but it still gives a lot of torque to the screw, more than is possible with a normal drill. So not only can you drive bigger screws, but it is more ergonomical also.

A normal drill on the other hands, exerts a constant force on the screw. And with the physics law of action = reaction, that means the force the screw gets, your hand also gets. So doing a lot of heavy screwing can get very tiring for you, but, sometimes it can even be quite painful. It doesn't happen often, but if a large screw binds, the drill can really hurt you by hitting or twisting your hand forcefully. Not so with an impact driver.

Now if you mainly use small screws up to 5 cm / 2'' long, you won't notice the difference so much, but you really do with the bigger ones.

 

[Vondawg]

Very well stated !  and yes 2” and  longer it’s practically a must have

 

[southrider]

I for one would like an impact with Festool quality batteries, as opposed to the pitiful batteries you get from Makita, etc. Love my Makita and DeWalt impacts to use, but not to keep buying batteries for.

 

[Slowlearner]

We want one so bad bc they dont make one lol

 

[demographic]

Its an obvious hole in the Festool lineup that means a lot of users go to another manufacturer. Marketing fail for a relatively easy to make tool. It doesn't have to be a world beater, just has to rattle screws and smallish bolts in.

I managed for years without an impact screwdriver and yes they are loud but so are the saws and an SDS drill isnt quiet either, I just wear earplugs a lot at work anyway. If you work in a workshop using a tablesaw you should be wearing ear protection also.
I bought my first rattle gun and thought I would hardly use it. Nowadays its out of the van far more than my drill.

I've heard so many carpenters say they hated rattle guns, then they use one for a few days and after that they fast change their ideas.

Dunno about anyone else but I don't just buy tools to impress people, they better make me money and rattle guns are a staple in our industry now. Not making one lets another manufacturer get a foothold with otherwise loyal buyers. Fail.

 

[Birdhunter]

I am lucky enough to own the Festool TI 15 model impact driver and a big SDS impact driver. I don’t find either really loud but I do find them great for driving lag screws and drilling concrete. I only use the TI 15 in its impact driver mode as I have a slew of other drills. I’m puzzled as to why Festool stopped selling the TI line.

 

[pixelated]

It may be worthwhile to note that impact drivers and SDS Rotary hammers are quite different beasts.
Both use a striking mechanism, but in impact drivers the impact motion is rotational, with rotary hammers it's inline with the bit or tool. They are not interchangeable.

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

Couldn’t be without our impact drivers, we use them constantly, from timber screws to brick and concrete fixings.
We also have a few oil impulse versions, for when we need to keep things quieter. They don’t have the power or torque of the traditional type though.

None of ours are Festool though but, we wouldn’t swap them for Festool or any other brand.

 

[Sanderxpander]

I have a little 12V Bosch impact screw driver that I use all the time, unless it's very finicky work. It's way faster, more powerful and easier on the wrist. I picked it up cheap second hand because I thought it would be handy to have in a pinch (I already had a 12V Flexiclick driver), I end up using it for most of my screwdriving jobs.

The noise doesn't bother me in the least, it's not nearly as loud as my chop saw, router, multimaster or tracksaw, and generally much shorter in duration.

Of course it doesn't tell the complete story, but to break it down in numbers;
A Festool T18 has a maximum torque of 50nm and a maximum speed of 1500RPM.
My cheap 12V Bosch has 105nm and 2600RPM.

 

[Sparktrician]

I would hate to go back to the days of turning screws in by hand, especially when mounting cabinets.  The impact driver makes things so much easier to be productive.  Like Birdhunter, I have the TI 15 and love it.  Must say, it really annoys me to see professionals that should know better over-drive screws with impact drivers, and in doing so, weaken the connection being created.  [sad]

 

[rst]

I love my Festool drivers, CSX,C-18 and PDC.  I also run Milwaukee 12 and 18v tools.  The Milwaukee 18v Surge hydraulic impact driver is fantastic, quiet and adjustable power. 

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

I would hate to go back to the days of turning screws in by hand, especially when mounting cabinets.  The impact driver makes things so much easier to be productive.  Like Birdhunter, I have the TI 15 and love it.  Must say, it really annoys me to see professionals that should know better over-drive screws with impact drivers, and in doing so, weaken the connection being created.  [sad]

You’re right about some over torquing screws, our impact drivers have various speed and torque settings to combat this happening.
We also have a few impact drivers that the impact facility can be switched off.
Sure beats the old days with a pump screwdriver!  [big grin]

 

[rst]

As someone that primarily installs steel and aluminum entrances and used to have to repair in floor door closers, I am especially fond of impact drivers.  Those old whack a mole drivers were pretty worthless.  I very seldom have to drill out screws that have been in for 40+ years thanks to my Milwaukee impactors.

 

[elfick]

I’m puzzled as to why Festool stopped selling the TI line.

I suspect it's the same reason you no longer see the C12 or C/T15 on their site. They likely wanted to focus on 18v. I'm just surprised they didn't offer an 18v version when they discontinued the 15v. I'd guess it had to be because of slow sales on the 15v version.

 

[AlexThePalex]

There wasn't a Ti Line, it was just one tool, they wanted to foray into new territory, but they experimented a bit too much and overstepped themselves.

As a driver it was just too weak compared to the standards everybody was used to. And the hybrid thingy to deactivate the impact and turn it into a normal drill was just a dumb idea, as it made the driver heavy and unbalanced.

So the Ti15 was not that good at what it was supposed to do, and it could do something, not good either, which nobody needed it to do anyway.

Fail.

Should have just concentrated on bringing one darn good and powerful impact driver to market. Hope they got the message for their new one.

 

[Paul G]

I love my Festool drivers, CSX,C-18 and PDC.  I also run Milwaukee 12 and 18v tools.  The Milwaukee 18v Surge hydraulic impact driver is fantastic, quiet and adjustable power.

That surge unit sounds interesting

 

[Sanderxpander]

It's easy to overtorque with an impact if you're used to relying on a clutch. But if you don't mind riding the trigger it's really easy to get the right depth as the driving speed is more constant than with a regular drill which somewhat relies on momentum.

 

[demographic]

It's easy to overtorque with an impact if you're used to relying on a clutch. But if you don't mind riding the trigger it's really easy to get the right depth as the driving speed is more constant than with a regular drill which somewhat relies on momentum.

Yeah, can't say I bother with any of the clutches or torque settings on drill drivers but with a little finesse it's not really needed when setting screws.
Some people are just plain numb and will over set any screw they get near but its not that hard to just go easy on small screws or when the head is just about to seat.

One thing about rattle guns is they dont cam out of a screw recess as much as the constant revs of a drill driver so are less prone ro destroying screw heads.

 

[Paul G]

Yeah, can't say I bother with any of the clutches or torque settings on drill drivers but with a little finesse it's not really needed when setting screws....

One task I really like using the screw clutch setting on my driver is with pocket screws and plywood. Too much force has made a mess of things and it happens quick.