It will go without saying that you already know what a drill is; you wouldn’t be looking for one if you didn’t! However, there are different kinds of drills available on the market – and a crucial distinction to be made, between two similar kinds of tool that achieve similar but ultimately different tasks.
What is a Driver?
You will already be familiar with the term ‘driver’ in its suffix form, referring to the screwdriver. Drivers, in essence, are tools that drive fixtures and fittings into materials. Powered drivers are designed specifically with the efficient and safe driving of fixtures in mind; another place where these are commonly found is in vehicle service garages and mechanics workshops, where impact drivers enable the swift removal and replacement of tight lug nuts with a high degree of torque.
What is a Drill?
A drill, simply put, is a tool that bores a hole in a given surface. It achieves this by turning a sharp ‘bit’ at high speeds, carving out the material in question and leaving space for a fitting. There are different kinds of drill for different applications, depending on the density or hardness of the material in question and the power required.
What Exactly is the Difference?
Here, a concession must be made. Powered drills and drivers operate on the same basic principles, and share much in the way of design. A drill can commonly act as a driver, with the right adapter or bit. However, conventional powered drill will be less effective at driving fittings; the speed and consistency at which the drill’s chuck rotates means that fixtures can be stripped and deformed during use.
As such, drivers are often designed with a hammer function that deploys force perpendicular to the drill bit, enabling controlled tightening or loosening. Drills tend to lack this functionality, but certain designs will incorporate a different kind of hammer design – one which applies force directly into the material, enabling more efficient penetration.
Picking the Right Tool for You
Before we get into specifics, it is important to note that tool quality should be a priority. Recently, there has been a marked increase in the production of low-quality, mass-manufactured power tools that are commonly available on online marketplaces like Amazon and Ali Baba. These are much more likely to fail than tools from a reputable supplier such as Milwaukee drills, or toolsets purchased from trusted household retailers.
With this in mind, what kind of tool do you need? For odd jobs and around-the-house work, there are hybrid drill-driver models available. These do not excel in either task, but will allow you to perform simple jobs like installing shelving or building stud walls. If you are going to be drilling into brickwork regularly, a masonry drills is what you need; likewise, if you’ll be spending much of your time assembling steel constructions or working on cars, an impact driver will suit you better.
