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Impact driver vs drill

Updated: 2026-10-23

The listing prints 165 Nm, and it is tempting to treat that as the better drill. On the Stanley kit, 165 Nm is the impact driver, and the hammer drill beside it is the 50 Nm bullet. Impact driver vs drill is a chuck and a clutch you set, against a 1/4 inch hex collet that strikes in rotation. If you buy one tool, buy the drill or the combi. Buy the impact driver when the screws get long. The ten listings are on the [cordless drill driver comparison](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/cordless-drill-driver). Products Compared read those listings and UK guides from Toolstation, Toolpicker, Homebuilding and Wonkee Donkee, not a lab. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The listing prints 165 Nm, and it is tempting to treat that as the better drill. On the Stanley kit, 165 Nm is the impact driver, and the hammer drill beside it is the 50 Nm bullet.

Our top picks

Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40 cordless combi drill

Best overall

Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40 cordless combi drill
9.3/10about £64.97
View offer
BLACK+DECKER BLACK+DECKER 18V cordless drill driver BCD001C1-GB

Best value

BLACK+DECKER BLACK+DECKER 18V cordless drill driver BCD001C1-GB
9.2/10about £35.00
View offer
Stanley Stanley FATMAX V20 hammer drill and impact driver kit

Alternative

Stanley Stanley FATMAX V20 hammer drill and impact driver kit
3.3/10about £140.00
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Two different blows
  2. 2.Clutch versus raw torque
  3. 3.The Stanley kit in this set
  4. 4.One tool or both

Two different blows

A combi’s hammer, where stated, is a short blow along the bit into brick. An impact driver’s blow is rotational, so a long screw keeps moving. Toolstation calls it a hex driving tool and a poor choice for delicate screws. The collet is 1/4 inch hex. Round bits need a hex shank or an adaptor, and Wonkee Donkee says ordinary bits can shatter in an adaptor. A large Newton-metre number does not make it a masonry drill. Brick stays on the cordless drill for brick page, and the collar on the how to use a cordless drill page. One tool means the combi if brick is possible, and a drill driver if the work stays in timber. The impact driver is the second tool.

Clutch versus raw torque

The clutch is why small screws survive flat-pack. You set a number, the chuck slips, and the cam lock is not torn out of the chipboard. A typical impact driver has no clutch. It delivers blows until you release the trigger, which is what you want on a long screw into a joist and what strips a short screw in a wardrobe side. The BLACK+DECKER at £35.00 lists ten clutch positions, 37 Nm and one speed, and it does not state hammer mode. The Terratek lists 16 settings plus drill, at 18 Nm, and says it is not for masonry. Both EasyImpact combis list 20 torque levels and do state hammer mode. Those clutch counts are steps, not torque figures. Long screws and repetitive decking boards are where the hex tool earns the second slot. Holes still need the drill. Flat-pack does not need that second tool.
Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40 cordless combi drill

Testsieger

Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40 cordless combi drill
9.3/10about £64.97
View offer

The Stanley kit in this set

The Stanley FATMAX V20 kit, SFMCK465D2S-GB, is the only pair here, at £140.00 with 3.9 from nine reviews: a hammer drill, an impact driver, two 2.0 Ah batteries and a charger, on 18 V branded V20. The hammer drill is 50 Nm, up to 1,500 rpm and 25,000 bpm. The impact driver is 165 Nm, up to 2,800 rpm and 3,100 bpm. The bullet also claims 24 clutch settings, which a typical impact driver does not have. One UK reviewer says the tool received was brushed. It is a poor way to buy the highest Newton-metre drill in the table.

One tool or both

Buy one tool first. If a wall might be brick, that tool is a combi with hammer stated and, unless you own the packs, a battery in the box: the EasyImpact 18V-40 or 18V-38. For flat-pack and timber, the BLACK+DECKER is the best value line. Chuck and platform sit on the cordless drill driver buying guide. Add an impact driver when the screws are long and repeated, as on decking. Keep the drill for holes and for any screw that should slip the clutch. The Stanley kit is both tools at once if you accept nine reviews and keep 50 Nm and 165 Nm on the correct tool.

Common questions

If I buy one tool, which is it?
A combi if the wall might be brick, and a drill driver if the work stays in timber, board and light metal. The impact driver is the second tool, for long screws. In this set the EasyImpact kits are the combis with a battery in the box. The BLACK+DECKER is the drill driver at £35.00 when brick is off the list.
Can an impact driver drill brick?
No. It is a 1/4 inch hex driver. It does not hold a round masonry bit, and it does not provide the axial hammer a combi uses on brick. Wonkee Donkee treats an adaptor for round bits as a compromise, with a risk that ordinary bits shatter. Brick still needs a stated hammer drill or, past a light plug, an SDS.
Why do small screws strip in an impact driver?
A typical impact driver has no clutch, so it keeps hitting until you release the trigger. That strips short screws and cam locks in chipboard. Use the numbered clutch on a drill for flat-pack. The Stanley bullet claims 24 clutch settings on its impact driver, which is this listing’s claim, not the usual tool. Nine reviews are not a test of those settings.
What is the 165 Nm on the Stanley kit?
It is the impact driver: up to 2,800 rpm, 3,100 bpm and 165 Nm. The hammer drill in the same box is 50 Nm, up to 1,500 rpm and 25,000 bpm. The kit costs £140.00 with two 2.0 Ah batteries. Do not compare 165 Nm with a combi’s 40 Nm as if both numbers described a chuck.
Do I need both for flat-pack furniture?
No. Flat-pack is a clutch job. A drill or combi on a low clutch number seats the screw and slips before the board tears. An impact driver is the tool that overshoots those fixings. Keep a driver bit that actually fits the head. You do not need the Stanley’s second tool for a wardrobe.
Do I need both for decking?
You need the drill for pilots and for any hole, and an impact driver helps once the screws are long and there are a lot of them. Hex-shank, impact-rated bits belong in the collet. The drill does not retire. If the posts meet masonry, that hole is still a combi or an SDS, not the impact driver.

Related pages

Best cordless drill driver

Cordless drill driver

Cordless drill driver buying guide for chuck and battery

Cordless drill for brick, plugs and concrete lintels

How to use a cordless drill without tearing screws

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file.

  1. Toolstation drill buying guide (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. Homebuilding: types of drill (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. UK Tool Store: how to choose a cordless drill (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. Gtech: how to choose a cordless drill (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK: Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. BSI: BS EN 62841-2-1:2018+A12:2022 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. HSE: Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. HSE: indicative vibration magnitudes (retrieved 22 October 2026)