Understanding Power Tools for Basic Home Use

here for deals on 06/06/2025 - 12:33

First time buying power tools and I need to make sure I understand these things.

I did not know the difference between drill driver and impact driver so I started my research.
Drill drivers —-> make holes in things such as concrete, wood etc
Impact drivers —-> put screws into things where the drill driver already made those holes needed. Is this correct?

Is a drill and drill driver the same thing? If not what is the difference?
Is a hammer drill same as drill driver but only used when drilling into brick or concrete?

Do I need to buy both impact driver and drill driver for home use? My use case is going to be assembling ikea furniture, nails on walls to hang photos and other small home improvement items. At the very best, the biggest project I will probably ever do is a DIY deck in our backyard (but that is in years to come).

I understand brushless type of motor is better for light home use it may not matter. I also understand more Ah in battery is better. Is there anything else I need to understand when buying power tools?

I found the below two combo kits (assuming I will need combo). Are these a good starting point?
https://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-pxc-18v-cordless-drill-and…
https://www.bunnings.com.au/ryobi-18v-one-hammer-drill-and-i…

Home & Garden Power Tool

Comments

  • MS Paint on 06/06/2025 - 12:37
    +1

    My use case is going to be assembling ikea furniture, nails on walls to hang photos

    Neither of these require a drill.

    • here for deals on 06/06/2025 - 12:40

      Thanks.
      How about mounting some security cameras on external wall at high level? Drilling into brick wall cannot be done by impact driver, correct? Or may be it can but damages the tool and the bits used?

      • MS Paint on 06/06/2025 - 13:14
        +3

        Definitely want a drill with a hammer function and proper masonry bits to drill into brick.

  • DashCam AKA Rolts on 06/06/2025 - 12:41
    +3

    Drill drivers —-> make holes in things such as wood, metal etc Correct
    Impact drivers —-> put screws into things where the drill driver already made those holes needed. Correct Can also drive self taping screws in without a pilot hole.

    Is a drill and drill driver the same thing? Correct although a drill driver may have more torque/speed control than a plain drill.
    Is a hammer drill same as drill driver but only used when drilling into brick or concrete? Correct, but some are switchable from hammer to plain drill.

    When building a deck I used a drill driver to pilot the screw holes, then an impact driver to screw in the deck screws. I used one of these to pilot the holes. Worked a treat. https://www.bunnings.com.au/macsim-10g-clever-tool-standard-…

    • JustinFR on 06/06/2025 - 14:15

      Just finished building a small 15sqm deck with treated pine decking and didn't need to drill pilot holes for the deck screws. Do you usually have to pilot deck screws on harder timber? Dang, can't imagine doubling up on the drilling!

      • DashCam AKA Rolts on 06/06/2025 - 15:05

        Used Merbau timber for the 35 sqm deck, the pilot holes just gave a better finish with the deck screws set at a uniform depth, with a neat pre-drilled countersink.

        • JustinFR on 06/06/2025 - 15:34

          Nice. The flush finish of the screws would look really clean. Funny, we ended up going with a Merbau stain, its got such a nice colour to it.

          • DashCam AKA Rolts on 06/06/2025 - 18:11

            @JustinFR: Very happy with the finished deck, ran a step around three sides that also serves as a massive bench seat.

  • boomramada on 06/06/2025 - 12:43

    Based on your questions, those two examples would be good future proof for you OP, not just the starting point, I got the Ryobi option and I do more than hanging photos on the wall.
    And keep in mind drill bits also an important thing, different material needs different bits :)

  • onetwothreefour on 06/06/2025 - 12:45
    +5

    It really depends on how much diy stuff you are going to do.

    Recommend that you start with a drill driver, hammer and a tape measure and then just buy more tools when you either have a big project coming up or you just feel like the tools you already have are not the best for the jobs you need to do.

    • DashCam AKA Rolts on 06/06/2025 - 12:48
      +2

      Strongly agree, buy as you need, otherwise you'll end up with tools that you may never use.

  • sumyungguy on 06/06/2025 - 12:45

    Drill drivers come with an adjustable chuck which accommodates drill bits; impact drivers have a quick release hex chuck which accepts driver bits. If you want to start out low-cost get an impact driver plus a drill chuck adapter or hex shank drill bits. For IKEA furniture you only need something like a TRIXIG. For masonry jobs get a corded hammer drill.

  • zonra on 06/06/2025 - 13:11

    For furniture assembly I'd strongly suggest an electric screwdriver, something like a Bosch IXO or Ozito equivalence.
    Yes, a drill driver will also work for this but a dedicated screwdriver is going to be a lot lighter and more ergonomic for the job.
    For other general drilling purpose just get a drill (or hammer drill) skin in a system that you like (can't go wrong with Ozito for value and availabilty).
    If you're drilling into walls all the time (probably not for non-trade) then a rotary hammer drill will make short work of all walls.
    For the future decking that you've mentioned you'd want an impact driver, but hold off until you actually need it or wait for 1/2 price sales when Bunnings price-match Aldi.
    (using impact driver for furniture assembly will likely wreck whatever you're assembling).

    As for brush vs brushless.
    Brushless is better in terms of power delivery, longevity and power consumption.
    I'd just spring for the brushless option on sales seeing as you're gonna keep it for years as a non-trade.
    One thing to consider (that I rarely see mentioned) is the size & weight differences.
    My Ozito brushed multifunction tool is noticably smaller and lighter than its brushless counterpart. And for general use it works just fine.
    So for most all cases I reach for it first.

  • jv on 06/06/2025 - 13:20
    +3

    https://www.bunnings.com.au/craftright-8mm-chuck-drill-hand_…

    Thread closed…

  • AustriaBargain on 06/06/2025 - 13:32
    -1

    Apparently the average drill is used for just 12 minutes across its entire lifetime, yet half of all households own one.

    • DashCam AKA Rolts on 06/06/2025 - 15:07

      average drill is used for just 12 minutes across its entire lifetime

      Owners not looking hard enough.

    • zonra on 06/06/2025 - 16:03

      I normally drill for much longer than that.

      • AustriaBargain on 06/06/2025 - 16:05

        People buy 15mm drill bits not for a desire for 15mm drill bits, but a desire for 15mm holes.

    • jacross on 07/06/2025 - 09:09

      The act of drilling a hole normally doesn't take too long so this seems a bit misleading BUT as a big advocate of tool libraries I do support your message.

      Everyone, investigate whether a tool library is in operation near you. I'm a member of one and it's fantastic. I save money and garage space.

    • skillet on 08/06/2025 - 01:02

      When I had my first corded drill, it wasn't as portable as today's cordless so it was only purely a hole making machine.

      Nowadays I use my cheap cordless drill for paint mixing, power brush cleaning, often a screw/hex nut driver if the other drill has a drill bit on it, a countersink tool, to run a drill powered pump, tig weld tungsten tip grinder with a cheap diamond hole saw. This is just me and I have seen plenty of drill attachment that turns the drill into all sorts of bastard tools that kinda works.

      Recently, I turned my Makita variable speed recip saw into a spraypaint can shaker by simply taping the spray can to the saw blade, it works nicely!! That's just another story, power tools are plenty fun.

      • AustriaBargain on 08/06/2025 - 03:49

        Dang, sounds like you use your cordless drill more than your hands and you should get your left hand surgically removed and replaced with a cordless drill.

      • Euphemistic on 08/06/2025 - 13:37

        Totally agree. Cordless drill is so handy you use it much more than a corded one. Plus lithium batteries are so much better than the (very) old school NiCad. Easy to charge, dont self discharge much and have near full power for the discharge cycle.

        I have 3 drills and an impact, bought cheap second hand in bundles other skins i wanted. Use them set up with different bits for one job a lot. The hammer drill is a bit heavier, so dont use it as much as the other two.

  • soan papdi on 06/06/2025 - 15:17

    I also understand more Ah in battery is better.

    For handheld tools (drill, scrubber, etc), smaller capacity batteries are better because they weigh less. For heavy duty work like lawn mowers, larger capacity is better. If you go down the Ryobi route, you will end up with multiple batteries at some point.

  • soan papdi on 06/06/2025 - 15:22
    +2

    Buy a cheap tool first and see how much you use it. If you use it often enough, then upgrade to the best one you can afford. No point getting the best if you only use them for a month and never again.

    I recommend these IKEA ones to start with: https://www.ikea.com/au/en/cat/tools-16293/

    • MrThing on 06/06/2025 - 18:34

      no gary no

      ozito yes gary yes

  • Euphemistic on 07/06/2025 - 10:14

    You mentioned drilling into external walls. Get the hammer drill. It will be slightly heavier than a regular drill, but more versatile.

    Impact driver is good for when screws are harder to drive in, a drill will work in most situations. They often use thebterm drill driver because they can operate at slow speeds with decent torque for driving in screws.

    Brushless is ostensibly better, but for infrequent home use, it may not be worth the extra expense. Ive been using a bunch of brushed drills for years and they are perfectly fine and have been used far more than the average diy drill.

  • varun17 on 07/06/2025 - 12:11

    One important thing to remember is to find an ecosystem for tools. Like ryobi, ozito, makita or Bosch. That way you don’t buy multiple batteries.

  • xylarr on 10/06/2025 - 09:29

    I have a Makita selectable drill driver (with hammer function) - use it all the time. Indeed I have been using it very recently while modifying IKEA PAX wardrobes. Also needed a new Ozito track saw, and my existing Ozito mitre saw.

    I have a Makita impact driver - its still in the box.

    I also have a proper SDS hammer drill - Ozito this time. Used it once when the drill driver wouldn't work. I like hammer drills, they say the number of joules each hammer hammers. I think mine is 3J. Quite interesting how they work. They literally hammer a hole out, they only really spin in order to remove the dust.

  • Munkeyalan on 19/06/2025 - 23:33

    I'm in a similar situation where my cheapish Dewalt drill has died and I'm considering getting an 18v hammer drill or a combo with the drill and an impact driver. I tend to do smallish jobs - mounting things on timber walls, occasional masonry drilling, assembling furniture, etc. Is an impact driver overkill for this?

    I've been eyeing off this combo which includes a bonus reciprocating saw https://www.bunnings.com.au/dewalt-18v-xr-2-piece-5-0ah-comp…. I think it's better value than the drill on its own but it wasted money if I don't use the extra tool.

    • here for deals on 20/06/2025 - 11:45

      To me, that Dewalt kit you linked is really expensive for household DIY.
      Are you locked to Dewalt battery system?

      This Ozito combo kit is much cheaper but only 2.5Ah batteries. I'm leaning towards Ozito as it seems to be cheaper and well regarded here on OzB

    • Euphemistic on 20/06/2025 - 13:02

      Unless you are using your drill 5 days oer week, why not go a more budget brand?

      You dont need an impact driver until you are doing a lot of screws. A drill is fine for occasional screwing.

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