Which cordless impact driver gear should you use?
Which cordless impact driver gearshould you use? |
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There is no easy way to answer this, as the gear you need will vary depending on the task at hand. It would be impossible to list all the screwdriving and drilling tasks and the gears to match them! | |||
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As well as this, the power each gear offers can vary between different makes and models of cordless impact driver. So the lowest gear of one tool may not provide the same power as the lowest gear of another. | |||
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Lower gears |
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Lower gears provide the least speed and torque and so they should be used for screwdriving or drilling applications that require less power. Generally, working with smaller screws and softer materials (e.g. softwoods) requires less power. | |||
Higher gears |
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Higher gears provide the greatest amount of torque and speed so they should be used for screwdriving and drilling applications that require a lot of power. Generally, working with larger screws or drilling large holes in tougher materials (e.g. hardwoods, non ferrous metals etc.) requires more power. | |||
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Working in a higher gear produces more speed, and is ideal for tasks that involve the repetitive driving of screws (such as laying decking or installing drywall). | |||
Match the gear to the task |
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Selecting the right gear for the task means you don’t use more battery power than you need to, and means you are less likely to drive the screw too far into the material or strip the head. | |||
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Remember!Always remember that even in a low gear, a cordless impact driver is likely to be more powerful than a standard cordless screwdriver or drill driver of the same voltage. Therefore, if you are unsure of how much power you are going to need, start by squeezing the trigger lightly and then increase the pressure if you need to. |
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