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Debating impact drivers vs drills for sheet metal screws on the ramp
Last week I was swapping out a panel on a CRJ at the hangar in Dallas. I used my impact driver like always but my coworker swore I was gonna strip every hole. He says drills give you more control and impacts are for construction guys. But I've been using impacts for 3 years now and never had an issue, plus they're faster. He's been at this 20 years so I don't want to just blow him off. Who's right here? Do you guys use impacts on thin gauge or stick to a regular drill?
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blakefox16d ago
Why do older mechanics think torque control is some kind of magic spell only they can cast? I've noticed this same thing everywhere, not just in hangars. The guy at the hardware store told me I was crazy for using a cordless ratchet on transmission bolts. People get used to one way of doing something and act like any other method will cause the world to end. Thin gauge sheet metal on a CRJ is gonna strip no matter what tool you use if you're not paying attention. Your coworker has 20 years of doing it with a drill, so of course that feels right to him. But impacts have come a long way in the last decade. I'd say keep using your impact but take it easy on the trigger when you feel the screw bite in.
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ivangrant16d ago
Yeah, the "taking it easy on the trigger" part is key. I had a similar battle at my shop with a guy who swore by hand tools for everything. I just showed him one day on a scrap piece of metal that a modern impact can be feather-light on the trigger. He saw it work and stopped giving me a hard time about it.
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