Which Screw Gun Works Best for Me?
A screw gun is a versatile tool that no homeowner, DIY amateur or woodworking expert should be without. Used for drilling, driving and screwing materials of all sorts, screw guns come in a wide variety of styles that can be confusing if you don’t know what they are used for. Use this guide to screw guns and buy the right tool for the job.
Cordless vs. Corded
When we think of a screw gun nowadays, we often think of a cordless style screw gun. Driven by a battery power supply versus a cord that hooks up to your 110 volt power supply, cordless drivers offer an anywhere you want to go tool that can hold a charge for hours at a time. Cordless drills and screw guns have one disadvantage over corded drivers in that they just don’t have the power that a corded drill has.
Hammer Drill
Hammer drills work best in high power situations. Because the hammer drill bounces and hammers the drill bit into the work surface, they work excellent for drilling into hard woods and concrete surfaces. Most hammer drills use a ½” style chuck, but smaller and cheaper hammer drills use a 3/8″ style bit. Invest in the larger ½” hammer drill for more power and a wider variety of uses.
Impact Wrench
When the torque of a smaller handheld drill just won’t tighten that bolt or drive that screw, you need an impact wrench. By employing a ratchet drive system, these super small but powerful drivers work to force even the most stubborn of fasteners into the toughest of surfaces. Cordless impact drivers work just as well as corded models because of their ratchet style drive system.
Drill and Driver Combos
Probably the most common of the cordless screw guns, a drill and driver combo can both drill using a variety of drill bits as well as screw in fasteners with ease. Drill and driver combos come with a switchable drive system that slows down the chuck for a more powerful screw driving tools or speeds up to be used as a drill. A handheld chuck doesn’t require tools to tighten the bits in place. Many drill and driver combo cordless screw guns also come with other multiuse tools. By using the battery in your drill to power flashlights, mini circular saws and reciprocating saws, you can easily switch between tools with the flip of your wrist.
