As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Links to Amazon on this page are affiliate links.
Drill/driver, hammer drill or impact driver: which one do you need?
Updated
Most homeowners need a drill/driver first. It drills holes and drives screws, and its clutch keeps you from stripping them. Add a hammer drill only if you drill into brick, block or concrete. Add an impact driver only if you drive a lot of long screws.
| Job | Tool | Pick here |
|---|---|---|
| Furniture, hinges, curtain rods | Drill/driver, 12 V class is enough | BOSCH PS31-2A or BLACK+DECKER LD120VA |
| Shelves into studs, pilot holes, general repairs | Drill/driver, 18 V / 20V MAX class | DEWALT DCD771C2, DEWALT DCD777D1 or Makita XFD131 |
| Anchors in brick, block or concrete | Hammer drill with masonry bits | CRAFTSMAN CMCD711C2 |
| Deck boards, fence pickets, lag screws | Impact driver, plus a drill for pilot holes | DEWALT DCK240C2 |
Drill/driver
It has a three-jaw chuck that grips round or hex bits, two speed ranges, and a numbered clutch collar. Set the clutch low and the chuck stops turning when the screw is snug. That is what saves soft wood and small screws. A plain drill/driver is the wrong tool for masonry. The DEWALT DCD771C2 listing says so itself: not suitable for drilling into concrete or masonry.
Hammer drill
A hammer drill is a drill/driver with one more mode. In that mode the chuck taps forward and back very fast while it spins, which chips at masonry so the bit can cut. CRAFTSMAN describes the CMCD711C2 as ready for concrete and masonry and claims 25,500 blows per minute. Switch the mode off and it works as a normal drill, only heavier. If you have many large holes to make in concrete, that is rotary hammer work, which is a bigger tool than anything on this site.
Masonry dust is a health matter. OSHA says respirable crystalline silica is created when drilling concrete, brick, block and mortar. Keep the dust down, do not breathe it, and clean up with a vacuum instead of a broom.
Impact driver
An impact driver has no chuck jaws and no clutch. It has a 1/4 inch hex collet, and when the screw gets hard to turn it adds fast rotary blows. That makes it good at long screws and poor at delicate ones. DEWALT's page for the DCK240C2 combo notes that the DCF885 impact driver takes 1/4 inch hex bits with one-handed loading. It will not hold a normal round drill bit, which is why the combo kit also includes a drill.
Whatever you pick
OSHA notes that thousands of people are blinded each year by work-related eye injuries that proper eye protection could have prevented. Drilling throws chips at face height. Wear safety glasses every time.
Match a kit to your jobs with the drill kit checker, or compare all seven picks on the roundup page.