What to buy a screwdriver

For some work, you have to tighten a lot of screws. You can, of course, do this manually with a screwdriver, but this requires considerable effort and time. To speed up the process, you need to choose a screwdriver. There are quite inexpensive models - household ones - which, nevertheless, greatly facilitate the installation and dismantling of screws. And some can work in drill mode.

Household or professional

As you know, professional screwdrivers are more expensive, but this is not accidental. They are made with a large margin of safety, for which higher quality and more expensive materials are used. In addition, they have more power, which makes it possible to screw in longer screws and / or work with tougher materials.

Difference between professional and household screwdriver in resource

To decide a household or professional screwdriver you need, estimate the amount of work that will need to be done. If you are starting a construction or major renovation, you probably need a professional or semi-professional model. If the tool will be needed periodically - to twist / twist something from time to time, everyday life is more than enough. With such work, the resource of a professional tool will simply not be in demand. So choosing a screwdriver by this criterion is not very difficult.

Rechargeable or mains

Having decided on the class, you will need to decide whether you need a network screwdriver or a cordless one. The disadvantages and advantages of both are obvious: the battery pack has higher mobility and the cord does not interfere with work, but it weighs more. The network does not depend on the availability of battery power, but not all construction sites have power supply. In general, the choice is not easy. The decisive moment can be that a cordless screwdriver with a good battery costs decently more than a similar model powered by a network. The difference comes from having a rechargeable battery - good options are not cheap.

With a power screwdriver, the length of the cord is important

If you decide to choose a cordless screwdriver, pay attention to the cable length. The longer it is, the more convenient it will be to work - you don't have to carry a carrier.

To choose the right battery-powered screwdriver, you need to pay attention to the type of battery. The duration of work on one charge depends on this, as well as the order of storage.

• Lithium-ion (Li-lon). Holds a charge for a long time, quickly charges, has a large number of recharges, almost never discharges during storage. In general, a good option, but expensive. Therefore, it is probably more common on professional models, where the duration of work on one charge is important. The disadvantages include the fear of cold, which is important in our country.
  

  Lithium-ion batteries are long-lasting, not self-discharge, but expensive

• Nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH). This type of rechargeable batteries is environmentally friendly, small in size and weight, average price. Disadvantages - they also do not like low temperatures, they have a short service life - about 3 years. But working with such a tool is easier - the hand does not get so tired. When storing the battery, it is fully charged; discharged batteries cannot be stored. During storage, they are discharged, but in moderation.
  

  Nickel-metal hydride batteries are not a bad option, but they do not have a very long life.

• Nickel cadmium (Ni-CD). The main advantages are the low price and the service life of 5 years (the number of charges is about 3000), it is not afraid of frost, that is, you can work outside in winter.Disadvantages - it takes a long time to charge (it takes twice as long as it takes to charge other types of batteries), has a "charge memory". Charge memory is an unpleasant thing. If you put an incompletely discharged battery on charge, the total battery capacity will decrease. It will become less just by the value from which the charge began. Therefore, such a tool must be used until the battery is completely discharged, which is far from always convenient: it cannot always "tighten" the screw, you have to help with your hands or tighten it with a "fresh" battery. Put in storage completely discharged, otherwise the capacity will again decrease.
  

  The cheapest type of batteries is nickel-cadmium, but they have a "charge memory"

So, if you choose a cordless screwdriver for periodic work, a nickel-cadmium battery will also work. If used carefully, it will last a long time. If you start large-scale jobs, it is better to use other batteries - there will be less downtime, work will move faster.

Chuck type

The chuck of the screwdriver is of two types: key and keyless. The quick-release (usually has three petals) allows you to change the nozzles in a matter of seconds - the cartridge is turned a little by hand, the nozzle is changed, after which it is again slightly turned in the opposite direction. In addition, there is one more positive point: in such a holder it is fashionable to install a nozzle of any thickness. The main thing is that the shank fits into the holder.

Types of chuck for screwdriver

The same operation with a key chuck requires a special key. It is inserted into a special socket, turned until the nozzle is free. After replacement, the key turns in the opposite direction. The disadvantage is obvious: you must have this key handy.

By structure, keyless chucks can have one or two couplings. If there are two couplings, one of them fixes the chuck, the second - the shaft. If there is only one coupling, then there is a shaft locking button on the body.

It is not difficult to choose a screwdriver by this parameter - usually everyone converges on quick-clamping ones. They allow you to fix nozzles of large sizes, although they are a little more expensive, all other things being equal.

Technical specifications

After you have decided on the type of screwdriver and power supply, you need to focus on the technical specifications. They determine which screws and what material you can screw into.

An example of the technical characteristics of a screwdriver

Rotational speed and torque

The force with which a screwdriver can turn a screw is determined by the torque. It can be quite small for household models - 10-15 Nm, and can reach 130-140 Nm for professional ones. Therefore, pro screwdrivers can easily and quickly tighten large self-tapping screws and work with hard materials.

But a large torque is not always necessary and not with all materials; therefore, screwdrivers provide the ability to adjust the applied force. There is a limiter for this. It is designed as a movable ring, which is located behind the chuck.

The higher the RPM, the stronger the torque

There is a mark on the ring, having set it opposite a certain number, you set the maximum force that the tool can develop. Upon reaching this value, the chuck will scroll to idle - the screw will no longer be tightened. The achievement of this value can be clearly tracked - the ratchet is turned on.

Many models of screwdrivers can work in two modes: actually tightening the fasteners and drilling. Such models are called a screwdriver-drill, but they are now the majority. To switch to drill mode, the switch is set to the extreme position (after replacing the nozzle first). At the same time, the maximum speed is turned on, which allows you to drill even rather hard materials.

Screwdriver power

And the boiling moment and rotation speed are a consequence of the power of the electric motor. Therefore, we must also look at this parameter.But here it is necessary to track three values ​​at once: so that the power of the screwdriver corresponds to the speed parameters. Powerful models with good parameters can be found from many manufacturers, but such as Metabo (Metabo), Bosch (Bosch) and Makita (Makita) and other well-known prices for them are very high. There are other brands with similar characteristics, but more reasonable prices. For example, RYOBI (Ryobi). The brand is still little-known, but according to reviews, it is no worse than the aforementioned famous brands. In order to be able to compare the main characteristics and the price of models of approximately the same power, but different brands, we will summarize them in a table.

A few more words should be said about the number of work speeds. Not to be confused with the number of rotation speeds. These are two modes of operation that are used when working with different sizes of screws or drills. When working with small screws / drills, you can select a higher speed, when screwing in large screws or drilling large holes, a lower one.

Battery parameters

In order to choose the right screwdriver with batteries, in addition to the type of batteries, you must select their operating parameters:

• Capacity. Reflects the amount of energy that can be stored. It is clear that the larger this parameter, the better (but also more expensive).
• Voltage. There is a rechargeable battery for a screwdriver for 10 V, 12 V, 14.4 V. Household models usually go with such parameters. A more serious tool works with 18 V and 24 V.
  

  What characteristics to choose a screwdriver with?

• The ratio of the current strength to the charging time (A / hour). The higher this indicator, the longer the battery will last before discharge.

To choose a screwdriver for home or professional use and not regret, you must view these parameters. If you have picked up several models, compare them according to these characteristics, because it depends on them how long the interval between the charges of the screwdriver batteries will be.

Additional functions

As usual, these functions are optional, but they greatly improve the usability. Some even raise the price, it is not at all significant, and some are quite noticeable. To choose the most inexpensive screwdriver, you can get by with a minimum - reverse and the presence of illumination of the place of work. The rest are useful, of course, but more suitable for professionals.

Some additional features are very useful

Reverse or reverse

This option allows you to unscrew a screw or a drill stuck in the material. The change in the direction of rotation occurs when the polarity of the power supply is changed, which is carried out through a special button. It is usually installed near the trigger.

Examples of the location of the backstop button in a screwdriver

Most often, the button for switching the direction of travel has three positions: on average, the tool is locked. This increases safety: if you accidentally hit the lever, the screwdriver will simply stop and not immediately start rotating in the opposite direction.

Illumination of the working area

A very convenient option that does not really affect the price of the screwdriver is the illumination of the place of work. In good light it is much easier to control the instrument.

Work area lighting is a useful additional feature of the screwdriver

An LED is built into the handle or the body of the tool near the chuck, which lights up when the start button is pressed. If you want to choose a screwdriver that is comfortable to work with, see that there is a backlight of the place of work.

Battery indicator

If you decide to choose a cordless screwdriver, it would be nice to have a battery indicator. These are LEDs of different colors - green, yellow, red, which are located on the body. If it is green, the charge is full, if it is red, it is almost discharged.

Battery indicator

The location of the indicator depends on the company, but is usually located on the thickening of the handle, in the same place as the backlight LED, or in the upper part of the case.

Automatic feeding of self-tapping screws

Such screwdrivers are also called shop. This option is useful for professionals, especially those who work with drywall, where fasteners need to be installed in small increments. Self-tapping screws are attached to a special tape, tucked into the guides, and automatically fed to the holder.

Screwdrivers with automatic fastener feed

This option can be implemented in two ways: there are exactly shop screwdrivers (in the photo on the left) and there are nozzles for a regular screwdriver.For home use, the second option is preferable, since the tool can work as a drill or in reverse. A shop screwdriver is a highly specialized equipment for professional use.