The question, impact driver vs drill: which one do you actually need, is answered by the job rather than by which tool looks more powerful. A drill covers holes and everyday screws, and it is the sensible single tool for occasional home repair. Add an impact driver for long screws, lag bolts and repetitive timber fixings: decks and cabinets are the kind of work where owning both is justified.
Key takeaways
- A drill makes holes and drives smaller screws with a clutch you can set. An impact driver drives fasteners hard, with far less twist in the wrist.
- Both can turn a screw, but the mechanism and the main job differ.
- Occasional DIY needs a drill. Regular long screws, decks or cabinets mean planning on both.
- If you buy only one tool, start with a drill. It accepts the widest range of bits.
- Brick and concrete need a hammer drill. Wheel nuts and heavy bolts need an impact wrench.
Impact driver vs drill: which one do you actually need?
A drill and an impact driver often share a battery and a similar shape, which is why they get treated as the same tool. Toolstation makes the split: both use rotational force to drive screws and to drill, yet each is built for a different main job.
Power Tool Insider calls them the most commonly confused power tools. A drill on a long structural screw can stall and tire your wrist. An impact driver works differently from a drill, and sources note that torque control is the drill’s strength, so a drill/driver is the better choice when a screw must stop at a set depth or when you need a clean, accurate hole.
Decide from the job in front of you: mostly holes, mostly long fasteners, or a mixture of the two.
What “combi” means on the box
In UK shops the versatile drill is usually sold as a combi. Toolstation uses that name for a drill that can drive fasteners and bore holes. It is not another name for an impact driver. If the listing does not mention an impact mechanism or a hex collet, you are looking at a drill.
How a drill applies force, and why the clutch matters
A standard drill applies continuous rotational force. What Is This Tool describes what follows when resistance rises, for instance a screw hitting a knot or dense timber: torque climbs, you feel it in the wrist, and the head can strip.
It is still the most versatile first tool in a small workshop. ToolRecon notes that the three-jaw chuck takes round-shank bits, including twist bits, spade bits, hole saws, driver bits and mixing paddles. One drill can bore a pilot hole, drive a screw and mix paint, thinset or joint compound.
The clutch is the control. Set a low number and the chuck slips at that torque. ToolRecon links this to screws that do not disappear into plasterboard or drywall, and to fewer snapped heads in hardwood. Pilot holes, which help stop timber splitting, smaller screws around #6 to #10 in softwood, and any fixing with a set depth all sit on the drill. Toolstation describes the combi drill as offering the most versatility among drill types, since both drilling and driving sit within its remit.
Clutch settings vary between models, so treat the numbers as a starting point rather than an exact torque value you can transfer to another brand. Test the setting on a scrap of the same material before you commit to the finished face.
How an impact driver drives long screws
An impact driver adds rapid rotational strikes, not smooth twist alone. ToolRecon cites a typical 1,500 to 3,800 impacts per minute. The blows move screws through material a drill labours in, and the mechanism absorbs most of the kick, so your wrist takes far less torque.
That suits deck screws of 3 inches and longer in pressure-treated timber, lag bolts (coach screws), and repetitive fixing. What Is This Tool draws the same line between smaller, precise screws and long fasteners. Power Tool Insider’s plain advice, when the job is simply driving screws into wood, is to pick the impact driver.
The same ToolRecon guide says an impact driver offers about three times the torque of a drill. Treat that as their general comparison, and read the newton-metre figure on the model you buy, because brands and voltages differ.
An impact driver uses a hex collet, normally 1/4 inch, rather than a three-jaw chuck. Hex driver bits belong in it. Round-shank bits, large hole saws and mixing paddles belong in the drill. Use impact-rated bits, because ordinary ones can snap under the blows. The drill remains the better choice when depth has to be precise: most drills add a clutch and a slower gear that an impact driver does not have.
Which jobs belong to the drill, and which to the impact driver?
Split the task by mechanism, following the job lists in those three guides.
Use the drill for:
- Pilot holes, clearance holes and shelf-pin holes
- Shorter screws in softwood, furniture and fittings, with the clutch setting the depth
- Plasterboard on a low clutch number, so the screw stays visible
- Hole saws, spade bits and paddle mixers
Use the impact driver for:
- Deck screws around 3 inches, including treated or dense timber
- Long runs of the same screw, where wrist fatigue is the real cost
- Lag bolts and coach screws that stall a drill
- Removing stubborn screws, inside the driver’s rated torque
For a softwood planter, drill the pilot holes and drive the short screws on a modest clutch. Move to the impact driver only for long structural screws in thicker stock. Even then, drill a pilot near the end of a board or in hardwood: ToolRecon lists pilot holes as a way to reduce splitting, and the impact mechanism does not remove that risk. A batten into brick is neither tool’s job. Power Tool Insider says masonry needs a hammer drill.
When one tool is enough, and when to buy both
You do not need both on day one. What Is This Tool fits a hobby workshop: a drill covers occasional repair, and an impact driver joins it for decks, cabinets, or screws over about 2 inches driven regularly.
ToolRecon says start with a drill if you buy one tool, and keep both if you build often. A shared battery platform makes the second tool a smaller purchase. Power Tool Insider backs a combo kit once drilling and heavy screwdriving are weekly jobs.
If you are choosing between drivers, compare size as well as brand. See the Atomic compact impact driver versus XR comparison, the wider Atomic compact guide against XR and competitors, and the DeWalt 18V impact driver overview.
Run this checklist before you spend:
- List the next three real projects. Holes and flat-pack work mean a drill first.
- Note screw length. Mostly under about 2 inches: the clutch is what you will use. Often 3 inches, or lag bolts: add an impact driver.
- Note the shank. Round bits and hole saws need a chuck. Hex bits suit an impact driver.
- Note the material. Timber and board: a drill, plus an impact driver for long screws. Masonry: hammer action. Lug nuts: an impact wrench.
- Stay on the battery system you already own, and use that model’s torque figure rather than a generic multiple.
How do hammer drills and impact wrenches differ?
A hammer drill, including the hammer mode on many combi drills, pulses along the bit while it spins. Power Tool Insider says that axial action is what gets through concrete, brick or stone efficiently. An impact driver strikes in rotation. Those blows help a screw. They do not replace a masonry bit in a hard wall.
An impact wrench is a heavier, separate tool for cars and equipment, aimed at lug nuts and large bolts. An impact driver is built for screws and smaller fasteners, and Power Tool Insider describes the impact wrench as the tool for lug nuts and large bolts that no other tool can budge. Buy the wrench only if that work is actually yours.
FAQ
Can an impact driver drill holes?
Both tools can drill holes, so a rough hole is possible with an impact driver, but drilling is not what it is built for. Accurate holes, hole saws and mixing paddles belong on a drill. Toolstation notes that both tools can drill, yet drilling is not why you buy an impact driver.
Can an impact driver still strip a screw head?
Yes, if the bit does not fit or you keep driving after the head is home. Match the recess, whether that is Pozi, Phillips, Torx or square, seat the bit fully, and ease off as the head lands. The driver’s advantage is the other failure: a drill stalling and jumping out of a long screw.
Is a combi drill the same as an impact driver?
No. A combi adds screwdriving, rotary drilling and often a hammer mode to a drill. An impact driver is a separate mechanism built around rotational impacts. Similar outline, different job: that is the distinction Toolstation draws.
What should a beginner buy first?
A drill, if the budget covers one tool. That matches ToolRecon’s buying order, and it matches What Is This Tool on occasional repair. Add the impact driver when long or repetitive screws become a normal part of your projects.
Do both tools have to be the same brand?
They should share a battery platform, which usually means one brand or a system that states it is compatible. They need not be the dearest model in the range. Match size and the stated torque to the screws you actually drive.
Decide from the next project, not the shelf
Buy the drill for holes, furniture, fittings and ordinary screws. Add an impact driver when long screws, lag bolts or long fixing lists are regular. Use a hammer mode for masonry, and an impact wrench only when heavy bolts are really the work.
Write down screw lengths and material for the next project, then use the checklist above. If the list is mostly driving, compare a compact driver and a full-size one on the battery system you already have, using the guides linked above, and buy the drill, the driver, or both.
Sources
- Combi Drill VS Impact Driver | Toolstation
- Impact Driver vs Drill: Which to Buy – Power Tool Insider
- Impact Driver vs. Drill: Which Do You Actually Need? (2026)
- Drill vs Impact Driver: Which Do You Actually Need? (2026 Guide) | ToolRecon
