How To Choose A Screwdriver For Home Use

Izhevsk blog It is difficult to do without tools during repair work, when it becomes necessary to unscrew old screws, screw in new ones.

Rechargeable or electric?

There are several options for screwdrivers:

• Run on their own battery;
• From the electrical cord.

The cordless tool is mobile and lightweight and can work autonomously.

The electrical device has a solid weight, it cannot work without the presence of outlets. Long distance use depends on the length of the cord and the availability of electricity.

Choose the right battery

In order for the work to argue and give pleasure, you need to take a responsible attitude to the choice of a battery unit. There will be no difficulties here, get a powerful device with a spare battery included. Recharging the battery of a professional tool will take an average of 60 minutes, an amateur one needs about seven hours.

Battery type

To operate the screwdriver, three types of batteries are used:

• Nickel metal hydride;
• Nickel-cadmium;
• Lithium-ion.

Nickel-metal hydride batteries are the most in demand today. New models of screwdrivers are equipped with environmentally friendly Ni-MH chargers.

They are small in size, but they also have disadvantages:

• Are afraid of electricity overload;
• Cold temperatures.

The number of recharges reaches 1500 times. They should not be discharged. If long-term storage is required, they need to be charged. The price is slightly higher.

Nickel-cadmium batteries are more toxic, have twice the number of charges in the first option. The model is equipped with a Ni-Cd charger.

Reasonable price, resistant to cold temperatures. Such a tool is suitable for use in the climatic conditions of Russia.

It is quite rare to insert lithium-ion batteries into screwdrivers. They have little power and are afraid of frost.

You can recharge up to 3000 times. Self-discharge resistant, high cost. Great for home use.

Memory effect

The memory effect is the ability to lose capacity. The battery must be completely discharged before charging. A charged device stored without use will lose its charge, it is completely discharged before being sent to storage.

For a household tool, parameters are needed:

• Several operating modes (drilling and twisting).
• Reverse function.
• Torque: 400.500 rpm, from 10 Newton meters.
• Rechargeable. Voltage: 10.14.4 V.
• Battery type: Nickel-metal hydride or Nickel-cadmium.
• Ampere / hour the more the better.

Pay attention to the ratio of amperage to operating time. Batteries with the same voltage may have different amperes / hour values.

Professional or household tool

Make your choice based on the type of work you are planning.

If you rarely use it, then a battery-powered household model is sufficient. It is lighter than a professional tool and has a lower price range. The model has all the necessary functions. Excellent for drilling soft materials. Such devices are suitable for solving everyday tasks, such as assembling furniture, installing various interior items.

In case of frequent use, if you need to twist or assemble an object, pay attention not to a cheap tool, but to a powerful model for real craftsmen. The screwdriver, in most cases, works from the mains, has a larger size, in contrast to an amateur device. Indeed, with frequent use of the tool, it will have to withstand a heavy load. They are equipped with powerful batteries, are able to drill in concrete and work 6 hours a day without losing performance.

How to choose the right screwdriver

Before purchasing a tool, study the passport of the model you like. Pay attention not to its cost, but to the technical characteristics of the tool. When choosing a screwdriver, specify:

• How fast it rotates;
• Torque;
• Permissible load;
• Battery type.

Choosing a screwdriver

In this article, we would like to touch on the topic of choosing a screwdriver, take a closer look at their types and, of course, technical characteristics that you should pay attention to when buying this type of tool in order to fully answer a question that has recently arisen more and more often, namely. How to choose a screwdriver for home, cottage or work.

Applications of the screwdriver

• Twisting / unscrewing screws, screws, bolts and other fasteners;
• Drilling holes in wood, metal and brick.

• Stirring building mixtures and paints;
• Drilling holes for winter ice fishing.

There are a huge number of screwdrivers on the market, different in parameters and manufacturers. They are divided into professional and household, depending on the nutrient, cartridge size, power, a number of additional functions, delivery set and price. This division, however, is inherent in almost any instrument.

To begin with, let’s analyze the division by nutrient. Two types can be distinguished: rechargeable (Li-Ion, Ni-Cd, Ni-Mh) and electric, we will talk more about each of them below.

The most modern and most common, today, type of rechargeable batteries, not only in screwdrivers, but also in many other tools (as well as in portable devices that we all use). Modern Li-Ion batteries are designed for three thousand charge-discharge cycles. The rechargeable battery is lightweight and fast enough to charge; moreover, it has no memory to charge.

The main disadvantages are: battery life, which is three years, the need for constant use to get the most out of it, and significant cost.

They appeared on the market for a long time, they are used in many tools, not only in screwdrivers. Designed for one and a half thousand charge-discharge cycles. The shelf life of such batteries is five years, there is also the possibility of working in the cold, at temperatures up to 15 degrees and it is very important for the average buyer, the lowest price of all types of batteries.

The negative aspects of this type of battery are the rather long charging process (at best an hour), the presence of memory for a charge and the significant weight of the battery.

At its core, it is a cross between Li-Ion and Ni-Cd batteries. Found in screwdrivers much less frequently than the types of batteries described above. The number of charge-discharge cycles varies about a thousand. It has practically no memory for a charge, and has the lowest self-discharge among all types of batteries. Of the minuses, one cannot but note the weight.

All batteries differ in capacity and battery voltage.

Capacity is measured in amperes per hour (Ah). The higher this indicator, the more the battery is capable of carrying a charge, respectively, more work will be done on a fully charged battery.

Battery voltage is measured in V (Volts). This indicator determines the power that can be obtained from a screwdriver operating on these batteries. Simply put, battery voltage directly affects the maximum possible performance of soft and hard torque, which we will talk about below.

Very similar to drills (don’t miss also the article “How to choose a drill”), the main difference is the torque control. Models of this type of screwdriver are represented by only a few manufacturers of household tools. Renowned manufacturers focus on professional drywall screwdrivers, the cartridge of which begins to rotate the bit only after “drowning” it into the material.

Corded screwdrivers are suitable for one-time work around the house or for professional use in repair and construction. Based on the situation, the absence of the need for charging can be considered a plus. Constraints created by the need for an electrical network, low mobility and tangled wires are definitely the main disadvantages of this tool.

Chucks and reducers

Screwdrivers come with either a quick-release three-jaw chuck (clamping range of the tooling from 0.5 to 13 mm), and with a hexagonal tool seat with a 1/4 inch shank. The keyless chuck is more practical and allows you to use any tool of a suitable diameter. Of course, the larger the chuck diameter, the more versatile the screwdriver is.

The hexagonal chuck is convenient when you need to change equipment frequently and when working in hard-to-reach places. To drill with such a screwdriver, you must use drills with a hex shank. It is possible to install a conventional chuck with a hex shank.

Rotation from the engine to the chuck is transmitted through a gearbox. The gears inside the gearbox can be made of metal or plastic. Metal gears are most common in powerful professional screwdriver models.

They reflect two parameters, measured in Nm (Newtonometer), these are soft and hard torques:

• Soft torque is an indicator of the maximum force of a screwdriver in terms of twisting / unscrewing, the rotational speed in this mode for most screwdrivers varies from 0 to 350 rpm.
• The hard torque, in turn, reflects the maximum force in the drilling mode, in this case the rotational speed is usually calculated from 0 to 1000 or more rpm.

The more these parameters are, the more powerful, productive and practical the screwdriver is. For example, a screwdriver with a torque of 25 to 30 Nm can easily screw a self-tapping screw up to 70 mm long into a tree. To tighten self-tapping screws from 70 to 100 mm, a torque of 40 Nm is required. Longer self-tapping screws require pre-drilling the hole.

Additional features of some screwdrivers:

• The presence of the hammer mechanism is without a doubt quite a useful feature, especially when working with socket heads or when drilling holes in brick and stone.
• The presence of an impulse, periodically increased torque, is useful for easier drowning of fasteners into the material, when unscrewing a stuck self-tapping screw or even a drill if the hammer drill fails. It is especially useful when there is no way to rest in order to press the screwdriver tightly.
• The presence of 3 speeds will make it possible to fully replace the power drill at home, since the rotation speed of the chuck in this mode can be more than 3000 rpm, and the first speed will give out a decent torque.
• The presence of backlighting is very important when working in hard-to-reach places or with poor, or even completely absent lighting. The most successful version of the location of the backlight above the battery pack, there are models with a backlight located above the start button, which is less effective in most cases.

Summing up all of the above, I would like to note that it is impossible to advise a universal screwdriver for everyone, because many components of the choice depend on your goals and tasks that you are going to carry out with this tool, but in the end, I will still share my opinion about the choice, some examples.

Home / cottage screwdriver

For the most part, the network version will be sufficient, due to the availability, light weight and lack of the need for special mobility. If we consider rechargeable versions, then it is worth paying attention to Ni-Cd and Ni-Mh, if you do not plan to use them often, this way you will save money and get a longer battery life.

In cases where frequent use is planned requiring continuous workflow, there is no doubt that choosing a Li-Ion battery will pay off 100%. Why don’t I advise taking more modern batteries for rare jobs? Everything is very simple, they are more expensive and are designed for stable use, do not forget that their shelf life is 2 years less, and therefore, there will be much more missed opportunities in this case.

For domestic needs, the maximum torque of 25-35 Nm will be quite enough, of course you can take a more powerful one, it all depends on your desire and financial capabilities. Battery capacity is not so important for occasional use at home, so 1.5-2 Ah will be just right.

Professional screwdriver

When working in hard-to-reach places, it will be logical to choose a more compact model. The features of frequent and long-term continuous use in many cases justifiably lead to the purchase of a Li-Ion screwdriver with a maximum torque of 40 Nm and higher, depending on the type of materials with which to work in the future.

Li-Ion batteries, in this case, are relevant because of the continuity of the workflow provided by fast charging of batteries, and they are simply lighter, which is important for your hand during prolonged use.

The choice of additional features of the screwdriver directly depends on your needs. Try to clearly define for what needs you will use it, decide on a budget. Last but not least, if you have other tools, like a drill or a hammer drill, with rare use, these points will allow you to weed out unnecessary functions and highlight those that are clearly necessary.

In conclusion, I would like to note that the screwdriver market is full of various variations and choosing exactly what suits you will not be difficult. We hope we were able to help you decide on the choice of a screwdriver. We wish you the maximum return from the instrument and more positive emotions!

How to choose a screwdriver for home use

• How to choose a screwdriver for home use
• How to choose a screwdriver
• How to choose cordless screwdrivers

What are screwdrivers and what are they for

Like any other power tool, screwdrivers come in both professional and home use. Of course, the difference between these types of screwdrivers is not only in price. They have different characteristics and a “set” of different functions.

Such a tool is “twist-boring”. Therefore, with its help you can:
– fasten;
– drill;
– turn out.

Many men know what it is. Using a screwdriver to screw plastic skirting boards throughout the apartment or to assemble furniture by hand. This is a rather long and tedious process. In addition, it often turns out that the screw was screwed in “obliquely”, since it is more difficult to maintain the vertical position of a screwdriver than a screwdriver. In addition, usually some screws have a flared head when screwing in / out. And then you have to start all over again.

Most often it interferes with the process of disassembling something. Anyone who has tried what it feels like to unscrew a rusted screw, especially a small one, perfectly understands that this is far from easy. A screwdriver greatly simplifies this task. He is also capable of performing other “work”. With this tool you can drill any material no worse than using an electric drill.