The Edit — Home & Garden
Drill vs Impact Driver: Which One Do You Need?
A drill makes holes and drives small screws; an impact driver hammers long screws home with about 3 times the torque. Which one a first toolbox needs, and the 4 kits that settle it.
This guide is research-led: we have not handled these units ourselves. If you buy through our links we may earn a commission — it never changes a pick.Research-led, nothing handled. We may earn from links; it never changes a pick. How we choose
This page sets out how a drill and an impact driver differ, from the makers’ own specifications, and names 4 kits for each kind of buyer, chosen as How we choose describes. Nothing here was handled or tested.
Best for Light, overhead work
Watch for Small 1.5Ah batteries
Best for A first full kit
Watch for More than light jobs need
Best for A budget pair
Watch for 1 battery for 2 tools
Best for Adding to a DeWalt drill
Watch for Useless without a drill
A drill makes holes; an impact driver drives long screws
The 2 tools look alike and do different jobs. A drill grips round or hex bits in a 3-jaw chuck, usually 1/2 or 3/8 inch, and its clutch stops it before a screw strips. An impact driver takes only 1/4-inch hex bits, has no clutch, and adds rotational blows when a screw resists. Holes, small screws and mixing paint suit the drill; 3-inch deck screws and lag bolts suit the driver.
The impact driver hits the screw thousands of times a minute
The spec sheets show the gap. In the Makita CT225SYX kit, the drill is rated at 480 in-lbs of torque and the impact driver at 1,460 in-lbs, with up to 3,500 impacts per minute. The driver is shorter too: 5-3/8 inches long against the drill’s 7-1/4, and 2.8 lbs against 3.3 with battery, which matters inside a cabinet or between joists.
Makita CT225SYX 18V LXT Compact 2-Piece Combo Kit
A 480 in-lbs drill and a 1,460 in-lbs impact driver, weighing 3.3 and 2.8 lbs.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Drill torque | 480 in-lbs |
|---|---|
| Driver torque | 1,460 in-lbs |
| Driver blows | 0-3,500 per minute |
A light drill and driver pair, for overhead work and tight spaces.
Buy it if
- Overhead work, where weight matters
Don't buy it if
- Long sessions on small 1.5Ah batteries
Buy a drill first unless the job is decking
A drill does more of a household’s jobs, so it comes first. Hanging shelves, curtain rails and pictures, and assembling most flat-pack furniture, need holes and modest torque. An impact driver earns its place with the jobs that wear out wrists: a deck, a fence, a bed frame or a shed. The cordless drills guide covers single drills for the first case.
The DeWalt DCK240C2 combo is the safe way to buy both
A combo kit puts both tools on one battery platform, so either battery fits either tool. The DeWalt DCK240C2 pairs a drill with an impact driver rated at up to 1,400 in-lbs, and comes with 2 batteries, a charger and a bag. Both tools have LED lights with a 20-second delay. The Black+Decker BD2KITCDDI is the budget version: a 3/8-inch drill with an 11-position clutch and a 1,375 in-lbs driver, sharing 1 battery.
DEWALT 20V MAX Drill and Impact Driver Combo Kit (DCK240C2)
A drill and a 1,400 in-lbs impact driver with 2 batteries, a charger and a bag.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Driver torque | Up to 1,400 in-lbs |
|---|---|
| Batteries | 2 |
| Lights | LED, 20-second delay |
2 tools on 2 batteries, for a first toolbox that will build things.
Buy it if
- A first toolbox that will build a deck
Don't buy it if
- Someone who drills a few holes a year
BLACK+DECKER 20V MAX Drill and Impact Driver Combo Kit (BD2KITCDDI)
A 3/8 in drill and a 1,375 in-lbs impact driver that share 1 battery.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Drill chuck | 3/8 in |
|---|---|
| Driver torque | 1,375 in-lbs |
| Batteries | 1, shared |
A budget drill and driver on 1 battery, for flat-pack and a few deck screws.
Buy it if
- Flat-pack furniture and a few deck screws
Don't buy it if
- Using both tools at once: 1 battery
Already own a DeWalt drill? Buy the DCF787D1 alone
Battery platforms lock a buyer in, which helps here. The DeWalt DCF787D1 is a brushless 1/4-inch impact driver that runs on the same 20V MAX battery as DeWalt’s drills. The kit has the driver, a 2Ah battery, a charger and a belt hook, so a household with one DeWalt drill ends up with 2 batteries to swap.
DEWALT 20V MAX Impact Driver Kit, 1/4 in (DCF787D1)
A brushless DeWalt impact driver with a 2Ah battery, charger and belt hook.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Chuck | 1/4 in hex |
|---|---|
| Motor | Brushless |
| In the box | Driver, 2Ah battery, charger, belt hook |
A brushless driver on DeWalt’s 20V battery, for the drill you already own.
Buy it if
- An owner of a DeWalt 20V drill
Don't buy it if
- Anyone with no drill yet
| Job | Drill | Impact driver |
|---|---|---|
| Hanging shelves and pictures | Yes | Possible, too strong for small screws |
| Flat-pack furniture | Yes, with the clutch low | Risky: no clutch |
| Deck and fence screws | Slow, hard on the wrist | Yes |
| Holes in wood and metal | Yes | Only with hex-shank bits |
| Brick and concrete | Only a hammer drill | No |
What a hammer drill is, and why neither tool replaces it
A hammer drill adds a forward blow along the bit, which is what masonry needs. Neither a standard drill nor an impact driver does that, so a brick wall needs a third tool or a masonry setting on a hammer drill. For a small fix-it tool to carry alongside, multitools has its own guide.
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