Got the uppers painted and installed.
Time to find some MDF for the face frame, drawer fronts, and shelves. Which reminds me, I need a router bit for the integrated drawer pulls she wants.
Got the uppers painted and installed.
Time to find some MDF for the face frame, drawer fronts, and shelves. Which reminds me, I need a router bit for the integrated drawer pulls she wants.
Great question! The answer here is all opinion.
The blue drill is old. Maybe 20 years old. It’s from a time before lithium batteries. From before actually good battery powered impact drivers (I had a nice ½in. air wrench). I guess I got lucky because Ryobi still uses the same battery connection and voltage.
The things I like are 1: the adjustable clutch, so I can slowly approach the maximum force when I have a sensitive piece I’m screwing into; 2: the spirit levels that work vertically and horizontally; and 3: a second tool so I don’t need to switch between drill bits and driver bits.
The green impact driver has a ¼in. quick release hex chuck, so it would be silly to drill with it (maybe there’s a universal bit chuck for it, but I’ve never gone looking). It’s also fairly low powered, so I’m not overly concerned about driving through the plywood. It would be nearly useless on high torque situations like wheel nuts.
If I were looking to buy new now and have only 1 too, I’d go for an 18V to 20V ½in. compact brushless drill from a reliable brand just because it can do both things well. I’d add the impact driver for the system later.
I will add: If you are sinking 2" (50mm) screws into wood, a little 1/4" speed chuck impact like that green ryobi is perfect. Every brand will have one so choose your quality/price balance and get one. Impacts are more forgiving about camming out on screws, they don’t jerk your wrist like a drill, and they are not as hard on batteries.
Do impact screwdrivers give comparable torque to battery drills before activating the impact function? I’d imagine having the tool work in impact mode wouldn’t be good for drilling wood or metal.
For driving fasteners impacts are better. For drilling drills are better. Impacts can drive fasteners that would stall a drill, but drilling metal with an impact would make a dog’s dinner of the bit and piece.
edit: the impact engages at a mid-low torque. That is the point. They drive with the impacts, not direct drive. The ryobi will start impacting about a quarter though a 2" deck screw.