Comparison of Cordless Screwdriver and (Impact-) Drill

Behind the inconspicuous term cordless screwdriver, various devices are often summarized prematurely: But is it now a cordless screwdriver, a drill or an impact drill? What's what? What are their applications? And which one do you need?
Here you get an overview of the different devices. Furthermore, we answer the following questions: What is a torque? How does a torque limit work? And which battery is the right one for cordless screwdriver and Co.?

The Cordless Screwdriver

As the name suggests, the "real" cordless screwdriver is purely a device for screwing. As a rule, cordless screwdrivers therefore have no drill chuck and only one gear. This is also quite sufficient since a pure cordless screwdriver is usually used only in smaller applications, e.g. in the assembly of furniture, where he replaces the classic screwdriver. For this purpose, the cordless screwdriver is ideal: it is small, light, handy and can therefore be used in the cramped space of a drawer to be mounted.

The Drill or Cordless Drill

Again, the name provides information about the functions: the (cordless) drill combines drilling and screwing in one device and is thus probably the most widely used tool of a DIY enthusiast. Nevertheless, it is still used in everyday life under the term "cordless screwdriver". In contrast to the pure cordless screwdriver, however, the cordless drill has a drill chuck and two gears to distinguish between drilling and screwdriving. Which gear is used for what and why will be explained again in detail below.

In addition to the cordless screwdriver, such a device can in many cases also replace the conventional drilling machine (without impact!). The drilling machine is a wired device created to drill in a variety of materials. A cordless drill is more flexible and easier to use thanks to battery operation, but often has less power. Here it is helpful to compare the watt specifications of the devices. For normal home use, so for example for drilling in wood and metal, the cordless drill is usually completely sufficient. For harder materials, e.g. in order to mount a lamp on the reinforced concrete ceiling, however, it is necessary to reach for the impact drill or the hammer drill.

The Cordless Impact Drill

The cordless impact drill is the all-rounder in the workshop: in addition to the two functions of screwing and drilling of the cordless drill, the impact drill has an adjustable impact function when drilling. Here, the drill is placed in addition to the drilling movement with a mechanical percussion in a vibratory motion. This makes it suitable for drilling in concrete and masonry with the right accessories. When the impact function is deactivated, it can be used like a normal drill. Since the weight and handling of the impact drill does not differ much from the simple drill, many do-it-yourselfers prefer the rather cumbersome impact drilling machine.

The impact function in a cordless impact drill is axially aligned. This means the force is directed forward to be able to penetrate with a corresponding drill in harder materials. For example, to attract a nut requires a radial direction impact force (force action along the radius), like a cordless impact driver has.

If you want to drill mainly in stone and concrete and possibly also want to do chisel work, then you should use the hammer drill. We have dedicated the difference between hammer drill and impact drilling machine an own contribution.

The Torque

The Torque is a physical measure that describes the rotational effect of a force on a body. The more torque acting on a body (in our case, for example, a screw), the higher this body is inclined to turn. The unit of torque is Newton meters (Nm). Cordless screwdriver (here I include in the following explanations also drill and impact drill) with a higher torque have accordingly more power.

The Torque Limit

Sometimes, however, the power has to be limited: The torque limit or shutdown is a handy feature of modern cordless screwdrivers, which limits the power of the device in filigree screwing in soft materials. When screwing in wood, for example, it can happen quickly that a screw is screwed in too deep. In the worst case, the screw head can split the wood even in half. With a torque limit, the slip clutch engages and prevents more force being exerted on the screw as soon as the preset torque value is exceeded. If I want to put a screw flush with the wood, I start with little torque and then increase it until the desired result is achieved. Simply turn the slewing ring all the way down and turn it up piece by piece until you're where you want to go. This is not necessary for drilling. Here I turn to the drill function (the drill shown on the slewing ring). Nevertheless, one must also exercise caution when drilling: here, however, the speed must be adapted to the material. With the switch, the speed can be dosed. In addition to the material, especially the diameter of the drill plays a decisive role. As a rule of thumb, the higher the diameter, the lower the speed.