How to use a screwdriver ratchet, why is it needed at all? How to choose a cordless screwdriver - professional and for home use? Torque to screw diameter ratio

Repair is a permanent state, and a screwdriver will become a good and necessary assistant in it. There are also almost everyday things in which the help of modern technology is useful. For example, how often do you drive or remove screws? I think often. Buy a screwdriver, you will do it even more often, but faster, easier and better.

And if there is a desire to independently or its elements (shelves, whatnots), evenly attach decorations and paintings to the wall, then it will not be easy without a screwdriver. Try, for example, without exact (up to a millimeter) drawings, to assemble and fit the details of a multi-level bookcase, a folding sofa, while alternately tightening and unscrewing the screws, transferring them to a new place. Of course, as they say, measure seven times ... But help handy tool it won't bother you anyway. And there will be no damaged screws and additional corns.

In other words, screwdrivers are designed to drive screws and self-tapping screws without pre-training holes. They allow you to save energy, quickly and easily perform labor-intensive tasks. manual work improve its quality. - this is one of the three important tasks of a man. And, having built it, equip it with beautiful and comfortable furniture, decorate it with paintings and enclose it with an attractive picket fence. In all this reliable assistant will be a screwdriver.

The device and principle of operation of a screwdriver

The principle of operation of a screwdriver is the same as that of a drill, but there is a difference - a torque limiter. Directly behind the chuck, the screwdriver has an adjusting ring that allows you to set the required torque: as soon as the screw is tightened, the chuck stops. while the engine continues to run. This prevents the slot on the screw from breaking off, its “leaving” into the depth of the surface and wear of the screwdriver bit. The number of adjustment steps is usually from 5-7 to 22, and if the screwdriver can work as a drill, then there is also a special position - “without limitation”, i.e. all torque is transmitted to the drill. It depends on the limiter how accurately you wrap the screw and whether its cap remains on the surface.

Fix a lot of small, but the right details this tool will help the interior, it simply does not know fatigue

But what about the drill?

In principle, you can also tighten the screws. Now they often do just that, but a lot depends on the hands of the master: by setting the torque of the drill first to a small position, you can control the accuracy of the process and not deviate from the markup. By adapting, you can determine the necessary speed to continue working. At the same time, the drill must have a smooth speed control and an upper limiter. But it's rude anyway. Let's just say, unprofessional. This approach is suitable for draft installation work. It will be easy and convenient to do everything beautifully and clearly, it will be easy and convenient only with a screwdriver, and it is advisable to still make a preliminary hole with a drill, and only then wrap the self-tapping screw into it, but this, of course, depends on the material into which the self-tapping screw is screwed.

What screwdriver is needed for the home?

Like all tools, screwdrivers are professional and amateur. As has been repeatedly written, professional ones are designed for continuous, uninterrupted, constant work and have a large resource, are made from more expensive materials and, of course, cost more. And amateur tools involve a smaller scope of work, a smaller resource and a lower price.

Family contract - modern screwdrivers, even in graceful female hands, will be obedient and useful

Often people hunt for a serviceable motor tool to extend its life. But in a good amateur screwdriver, even with a maintenance-free engine, the resource is at least 150 hours of clean work, and there are tools that have 1500 hours of resource. How much it will be in thousands of twisted screws is not difficult to calculate. There are corded screwdrivers, these are professional and very powerful tools. But more often there are cordless screwdrivers on sale, and it is these tools that are offered for the home user.

Assembly of furniture is the main application of screwdrivers. No matter how many screws, you will tighten them quickly and efficiently

What are the advantages of a cordless screwdriver?

It is safer, more mobile (the wire does not interfere, and you can safely work, for example, on the stairs). A cordless screwdriver is indispensable in the country and just on the street. , more ergonomic, lighter, which means that when working with it, you will get much less tired.

What is the best screwdriver battery?

Theoretically, a nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) battery is better. For environmental reasons, all of Europe is switching to such batteries, since nickel-cadmium batteries (Ni-Cd) contain cadmium, which is considered an allergen. But so far our choice is limited, and Ni-Cd batteries are the most common. By the way, they have their pros and cons. Ni-MH batteries are smaller, but less able to withstand high currents, and a tool with a Ni-Cd battery is best not to be used in conditions negative temperatures. Finally, Ni-MH batteries have a higher capacity, but also a higher price.

An important point is the capacity of the battery. The larger it is, the longer it will not need to be charged. Many models often have two batteries: you work with one, you charge the other. With this configuration, the difference of 0.5 Ah may not be noticed.

And the main disadvantage of household models compared to professional ones is that charging them usually takes 1-2 hours, and few models can boast a half-hour charge.

Very small household models due to their size are very convenient when working in corners and other hard-to-reach places

Screwdriver torque and speed

We have already talked about the limiter, but now we’ll clarify what numerical parameters you should look at when choosing a screwdriver. For screwdrivers, the torque is most often limited to 5-10 Nm. This is enough to tighten the most "serious" screws, and the engine does not suffer from overloads. The impressive numbers in front of the letters Nm (there are models up to 30 Nm) are useful when screwing screws into hard materials, such as steel, hard rocks wood - beech, hornbeam, oak, as well as when using a screwdriver as a drill - for drilling holes large diameter. But do not forget that the maximum drilling diameter for screwdrivers is still limited, because the drilling function is only auxiliary.

In general, high torque screwdrivers can be called universal: they are equally convenient for screwing screws and drilling any materials. Less "strong" screwdrivers are best used only for assembly work.

Much more important is how the engine performs under load, whether it keeps revs well and whether it produces enough power when the battery is discharging. True, this can only be found out experimentally. Another serious indicator is the maximum turnover. For tightening screws, 500 rpm is enough, but for drilling, 1200-1300 rpm is already needed. More high speed rotation is needed only for specific tasks.

By the way, modern models are equipped with a powerful cooling system with increased air flow, which protects the tool from overheating at low speeds.

Powerful models of screwdrivers will cope with a large amount of work, for example, with the installation of the roof of a house or floor details

Screwdriver selection and proper care

When choosing models, it is necessary to compare their main technical characteristics: rated power, speed idle move, maximum diameter of screws, maximum diameter of drilling in steel and wood, torque, weight - all this is evaluated from the point of view of practical necessity. And of course, on the choice specific model screwdriver should be influenced by the quality of tools, the level of service and maintenance time, the price / performance ratio of power tools and spare parts.

The construction market now has enough wide choose drills and screwdrivers from various manufacturers. The differences between the models of different companies are manifested mainly in the ease and convenience of working with them, in the presence of additional functions and equipment.

And in conclusion, it is worth adding the following: like any power tool, screwdrivers require careful handling, right conditions storage and operation (dry place, no direct contact with sun rays, temperature range from 10 to 25°C). Leaving a screwdriver idle for a long time, especially in a discharged state, is harmful to its battery, so periodically give it at least some work. Or, disconnect the battery for storage. And batteries with a “memory effect” will have to be “driven away” before work, that is, repeat the charge / discharge cycle several times.

For some jobs, you have to tighten a lot of screws. You can, of course, do this manually with a screwdriver, but this requires considerable effort and takes a lot of time. To speed up the process, you need to choose a screwdriver. There are very 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 no coincidence. They are made with a large margin of safety, for which better and more expensive materials are used. In addition, they have more power, which makes it possible to drive longer self-tapping screws and / or work with harder materials.

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

Battery or mains

Having decided on the class, you will need to decide whether you need a cordless or cordless screwdriver. The disadvantages and advantages of both are obvious: the battery has higher mobility and the cord does not interfere with work, but it weighs more. The network does not depend on the presence of a battery charge, but not all construction sites have power supply. IN general choice difficult. The decisive moment may be that a cordless screwdriver with a good battery is decently more expensive than a similar model powered by the mains. The difference is formed due to the presence of a battery - good options are not cheap.

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

To choose the right screwdriver on batteries, you need to pay attention to the type of battery. This determines the duration of work on a single charge, as well as the order of storage.

• Lithium-ion (Li-lon). Holds a charge for a long time, charges quickly, has a large number of recharges, almost does not discharge during storage. All in all, a good option but expensive. Because, probably, it is more common on professional models, where the duration of work on a single charge is important. The disadvantages include the fear of cold, which is important in our country.

  

• Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH). This type batteries environmentally friendly, have small size and mass, average price. Disadvantages - they also do not like low temperatures, they have a short service life - about 3 years. But it is easier to work with such a tool - the hand is not so tired. When laying in storage, the battery is fully charged; discharged batteries cannot be stored. During storage, they are discharged, but moderately.

  

• Nickel-cadmium (Ni-CD). The main advantages are low price and a 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 - takes a long time to charge (it takes twice as long to charge batteries of other types), has a "charge memory". Charge memory is a nasty thing. If you charge a battery that is not fully discharged, then the total capacity of the battery will decrease. It will become less just by the value from which the charge began. Therefore, it is necessary to work with such a tool 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. Store fully discharged for storage, otherwise the capacity will decrease again.

  

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

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

Cartridge type

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

The same operation with a key cartridge requires a special key. It is inserted into a special socket, rotated until the nozzle is released. After replacement, the key is turned in the opposite direction. The disadvantage is obvious: you need to have this key on hand.

By structure, keyless chucks can have one or two clutches. If there are two clutches, one of them fixes the cartridge, the second - the shaft. If there is only one clutch, then there is a shaft lock button on the body.

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

Technical specifications

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

Rotation 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. Because 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 made in the form of a movable ring, which is located behind the chuck.

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

Many models of screwdrivers can work in two modes: the actual tightening of fasteners and drilling. Such models are called a screwdriver-drill, but they are now the majority. To switch to the drill mode, the switch is set to its extreme position (having previously replaced the nozzle). This turns on the maximum speed, which allows you to drill even fairly hard materials.

Screwdriver power

Both the torque and the speed of rotation are a consequence of the power of the electric motor. Therefore, you need to look at this parameter as well. But here it is necessary to monitor three quantities 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 above-mentioned famous brands. In order to be able to compare the main characteristics and price of models of approximately the same power, but different brands, we will summarize them in a table.

It is worth saying a few more words about the number of speeds of work. Do not confuse 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 self-tapping screws or drilling large holes, a lower one.

Battery Options

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

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

Additional functions

As usual, these features are optional, but they greatly improve usability. Some prices, if they raise, are 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, of course, are useful, but are more suitable for professionals.

Reverse or reverse

The presence of this option allows you to unscrew a screw or a drill stuck in the material. The direction of rotation is changed by changing the polarity of the power supply, which is carried out through a special button. It is usually installed close to the trigger lever.

Most often, the travel direction switch button has three positions: on average, the tool is blocked. This increases safety: if you accidentally hit the lever, the screwdriver will simply stop and not immediately start to rotate in the opposite direction.

Illumination of the working area

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

Illumination of the work area - useful additional function screwdriver

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

If you decide to opt for 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 case. If it is green, the charge is full; if it is red, it is almost empty.

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 store-bought. This option is useful for professionals, especially those who work with drywall, where fasteners need to be placed in small increments. Self-tapping screws are attached to special tape, refuel in guides, are automatically fed to the holder.

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

Every man who has ever made at home has a screwdriver or wants to buy one. Surely, without having this tool, it will be difficult to carry out repairs in the house, regardless of whether it is a minor or a major repair, but it’s not worth talking about building a house at all - without it, it’s like without hands. Below we will figure out how to choose a screwdriver that will best suit your ideas. In parallel, we will analyze the golden mean according to the price-quality criterion, and also look at available options On the market.

Structural elements

So, let's start the story by taking a closer look at the elements that a cordless screwdriver has in its design:

• Electric motor. It drives and rotates at a certain speed, which will be discussed below.
• Planetary type gearbox. Carries out the transfer of rotational force to the spindle on which the clamping chuck sits.
• Regulating clutch. Attached to the gearbox and adjusts the torque.
• Clamping cartridge. Serves for fixing working nozzles - the so-called bits.
• Control system. Includes tool start button and forward/reverse switch.
• The power source is a battery. cordless screwdriver is convenient to use in places where there are no outlets or the carrying cord is not reachable.

Now a few obvious, but necessary for mentioning, types of work in which it will be convenient to use this tool, influencing the choice of a screwdriver for the home:

• Screwing in and unscrewing various fasteners such as bolts, self-tapping screws, screws and screws.
• During installation work, you can tighten the anchors or dowels harder.
• Works great in wood, both soft and hard.
• You can also drill metal surfaces.
• With the appropriate nozzle (tap), it will turn out to cut the thread.

Eliminate errors during selection

When to choose good screwdriver for home, when you come to the store, you do not immediately need to focus solely on the price of the tool. When deciding how to choose a good screwdriver, it is advisable to read the passports with the characteristics of the models you like. The passport must indicate all the main technical specifications devices. So when studying, you need to pay attention to the rotation speed, torque, if this is a battery device, then with which battery it is. According to the study of these data, you need to make a decision on the acquisition.

Household or professional?

Before going to the store, well, or on the way to it, consider for which repair or construction works you need this tool. And already based on your conclusions, you need to make a choice of a screwdriver according to the parameters. If you are not keen House master and you will need to get the device only a few times a month, then why do you need to buy a professional model, which will cost several times more. After all, you must admit that an amateur model that runs on battery power will be enough for you. It will have all the necessary functions, and the household model will weigh much less than the professional one.

However, when you almost daily need to twist, build or assemble something, then you already need to pay attention not to cheap household models, but to more expensive, but extremely powerful models for professionals. They, most often, are powered by the mains, and also have a greater weight and size. It makes sense to buy such corded drill screwdrivers for those who have large amounts of work with increased loads on the tool. And how to choose a screwdriver of a network design also needs to be studied.

Rotation speed and torque

To understand how to choose the right screwdriver, you need to study the concept of torque. He is responsible for the force with which the screwdriver will tighten the fasteners to be screwed, or with what force it will resist the applied load. For example, for a domestic version, the torque is 10-15 Newton meters. For professional models, it can be up to 130 Nm, so they are able to drill even hard materials. With a similar torque, the motor shaft develops 1200-1300 rpm, while for household models this parameter is 400-500 rpm.

The torque determines the length of the screwed fastener and its diameter. Simply put, professional models will be able to tighten longer and thicker screws or self-tapping screws. In addition, this option can be safely applied to hard materials without worrying about breaking it.

Another point that you need to understand in order to figure out how to choose a good screwdriver is torque. It, unlike other power tools, can be adjusted. For these purposes, there is a simple device - a limiter. In fact, it is a ring that is behind chuck. With the setting of the limiter, you can achieve a certain force, after which the fasteners will no longer be twisted. That is, it looks like this - they twisted the hardware and the cartridge immediately stopped, with the engine spinning. With such a restriction, the sound of a ratchet is always heard. The presence of such a limiter saves the tool from many problems - disruption of the slot of self-tapping screws, wear of bits, as well as from excessive recession of fasteners into the surface to be treated.

A ratchet mounted on the motor coupling protects it from overload, thereby allowing the torque shaft to rotate freely. So, for example, if you set the maximum torque, then it will be enough to unscrew the tightest screw, and not overload the engine. In order to enable the simple drilling mode, the clutch must be rotated to the minimum value. This removes all torque restrictions, and the tool starts to work in the mode of a conventional drill.

This, by the way, is another characteristic for figuring out which screwdriver to choose for homework. There are two modes of operation: the first allows you to simply drill, and the second - to tighten the fasteners.

To understand which screwdriver is better to choose, you need to consider a few more nuances. It is necessary to clarify how stable the electric motor of the device works under load, and whether the frequency of its rotation is maintained. An important point is the quality of the battery, i.e. preservation of charge and residual power of the device with a dead power supply.

Mains or battery?

Naturally, it will not be a discovery that there are 2 versions - those with a battery and working from the mains. Network devices have a sensitive weight, but, of course, they can only work near sockets, or use extension cords. Devices with batteries are much lighter and have a significant advantage - autonomy. Therefore, it is also necessary to find out how to choose a cordless screwdriver for the home.

It is not always necessary to work where there are sockets for connection, which is why battery models, of course, will be preferable. You will surely agree that it will not be a great pleasure to move meters of wires with you, and even less will be unraveling these wires. At a height, working with a network model is generally problematic, because in addition to long wires, they are also heavy. That is why we will consider battery models. In this context, it will be important to select its type.

How to choose the right battery

In order to work comfortably, and not constantly run and charge it, you need to carefully consider the choice of battery. There are no particular difficulties in which screwdriver to choose for the home - you just need to take the tool as powerfully as possible. A spare battery will also be useful in further work, if it is included in the kit.

With regards to the duration of recharging, professional models are charged for about 1 hour, while household ones can be delayed up to 7 hours. Everything will depend on the charger.

All screwdrivers use three types of batteries:

• Lithium-ion;
• Nickel-cadmium;
• Nickel-metal-hybrid;

Nickel-metal hybrid batteries

Nickel-Metal-Hybrid (Ni-MH) batteries are gaining popularity. Almost all European manufacturers of screwdrivers switch to them. They are light and small with no memory effect. They have only two drawbacks:

• They do not like overcurrent and frost;
• The cost is still high.

However, despite this, they have 1500 recharges with a constant capacity. In order to properly store such batteries, they must be fully charged. Discharged storage is not permitted. They don't have as much memory effect as nickel-cadmium ones, but they are more powerful.

Nickel-cadmium batteries

These batteries are more toxic, but they have twice the number of recharges than the previous ones. That is why the devices currently on the construction market mainly have power supplies based on nickel-cadmium elements. They also do not have a high price, and they are not afraid of frost. And this is better than you can imagine for domestic climatic conditions. However, such batteries have a significant self-discharge and memory effect, which cannot add to their merits. In order to store them, they must be completely discharged. Otherwise, you may end up with a battery with a lower capacity.

Li-ion batteries

Batteries of this type are not as common as the previous ones. They are even more sensitive to low temperatures than Ni-MH, and their power is not too high. The number of recharges reaches 3000 times, they practically do not undergo self-discharge, and there is no memory effect. However, the high capacity of the battery does not make up for the excessively high cost. According to the conditions of use in everyday life, they are very convenient, but their cost will not please at all.

In order to understand how to choose a cordless screwdriver for the home, you should not spare your time spent on selecting a battery. After all, more than half of the cost of the device is the price of the battery, and to be more precise, it is 60-70%. When choosing, compare the following characteristics available in the factory passport:

• Battery capacity;
• Battery voltage;
• Whether or not self-loading is present;
• Whether or not there is a memory effect.

The battery is a removable element. Structurally, it is made of a certain number of batteries combined in one housing. All of them are fastened with plates. The output voltage of the sources is summed up and can be 10, 12, 14.4, 18 or 24 volts. It is this parameter that will determine the duration of continuous operation, as well as the power of the screwdriver.

The capacity of the battery will depend on what elements the battery consists of. It will also determine the number of recharges, as well as the duration of work. Keep in mind that capacity will decrease over time.

Now a few words about the memory effect of the charge - this is the ability of the battery to lose total capacity when it is not discharged, and then fully charged. In other words, before charging it should be completely discharged. When a charged battery is idle, it will still lose its charge. Therefore, if you plan to store a nickel-cadmium battery, it must be completely discharged.

Let's give one more piece of advice regarding batteries. Do not look only at the output voltage of the device. It is also necessary to pay attention to the ratio of current strength to operating time.

Types of cartridges

To figure out which is better to buy a screwdriver for domestic use, you need to study the clamping element. Chucks for fixing parts can be of 2 types - key and quick-clamping. The key requires a special toothed key for clamping. And if a keyless chuck is installed, then everything is simpler - the clamping occurs by simply pulling it up with your hands.

In turn, the cartridges that are clamped with a key may have either one or two clutches. When a single clutch is used, there is a mechanism to block the shaft while changing the nozzles. When there are two clutches, there is no blockage, and the cartridge is held by one of the clutches. The second will clamp the cartridge.

Reverse

The return stroke is usually called a reverse. It usually uses an electronic motor pole changer. For the greatest convenience, the button for switching the reverse stroke is installed near the start button. The switch has 2 positions, respectively, forward and backward. In the middle position, the device will be blocked. This is done in order to take the tool out of work for a while.

Design and ergonomics

Thinking about how to choose a screwdriver for the home, you do not need to limit yourself to just studying the information on the sites. After all, after all, you will need to work with the tool, so it’s worth holding it in your hands, checking how the buttons are pressed, how they switch. It is worth feeling the center of gravity, which should be located in the area of ​​​​the handle. With a similar center of gravity, the hand will be less tired during operation. Behind the cartridge there must be a torque regulator, which we have already mentioned above.

A small screwdriver is useful, for example, when you need to assemble furniture

The classic model containing all the basic functions.

Complete set of screwdrivers can also be different. Choosing an inexpensive screwdriver is not difficult. The ideal option there will be the presence of not only the tool itself, but also the necessary nozzles. This will enable you to save your time on finding the right items, and save money, because. retail they will be more expensive anyway.

Conclusion

After looking at all the necessary parameters in this article, write down the most optimal ones that will suit your needs, and feel free to go to the stores to study which company is better.

For household tool optimal parameters may be the following:

• The torque is from 10 Newton meters;
• Rotation speed 400-500 rpm;
• Two modes of operation - drilling and twisting;
• Reverse device;
• The presence of a battery;
• Battery type - nickel-metal-hybrid or nickel-cadmium;
• Output voltage from 10 to 14.4 Volts;
• The value of ampere / hours will be, the more the better. So, for example, when two batteries you like have the same voltage, and one has a higher ampere / hour value, then it is better to take it.

For greater clarity, you can study the video in which you can understand which one to choose and look at a kind of rating of currently available models.

The choice of a screwdriver (cordless screwdriver) is a completely solvable task. To do this, you need to know what characteristics you need to pay attention to when choosing. First, we determine whether a household or professional model is needed. If you buy a screwdriver for small jobs around the house, for work in the country, etc., then your choice is a household screwdriver. If the screwdriver is supposed to be used intensively for a long time, then you need a professional screwdriver. This material will tell you how to choose a screwdriver.

Let's return to the main characteristics that you need to know when choosing a cordless screwdriver:

Motor voltage screwdriver. Modern models screwdrivers have a motor voltage of 7.2V to 24V (Volt). The higher the voltage, the less current is needed to obtain the desired power. Accordingly, it is easier to get more power in a screwdriver with an 18V motor, and not 12V or 7.2V. It is worth clarifying that the most popular screwdrivers with a 12V, 14V and 18V motor.

Torque screwdriver. Torque is measured in Nm (Newton per meter). In simple terms, torque is the force with which your screwdriver screws screws. The more torque, the more options the screwdriver has. In modern household screwdrivers, as a rule, the torque is 10-28Nm. This is quite enough for housework. With a torque of 28-30Nm, a screwdriver can screw in 100mm self-tapping screws and drill wood with metal. Speaking of drilling in wood and metal, modern household models are capable of drilling holes up to 20mm in wood and up to 13mm in metal. In professional screwdrivers, the torque reaches 70-140Nm.

Most screwdrivers have a function torque adjustment. It is used where more control is required when performing certain jobs. Adjustment occurs by switching the ring located on the body of the screwdriver, at the base of the cartridge. On the ring there are numbers indicating the modes in the torque setting. The "drill" icon after the maximum number on the ring indicates the drilling mode.

Using the example of tightening self-tapping screws, the function is used as follows:

When screwing screws of different lengths, one torque is not needed. For smaller screws, a smaller tightening force is sufficient, and for longer screws, a correspondingly greater tightening force is sufficient. Most likely, everyone who twisted a screw into a tree at least once, but sunk it into the material. And where it is necessary that the surface be even and smooth, dents are not allowed. When the so-called “ratchet” is triggered, and this happens when the set torque is too high, the screwdriver stops turning the screw. This allows more precise control over the process. This function also protects the motor from overload.

Accumulator battery screwdriver. It is the battery that allows you to work mobile and not depend on the length of the cord. Screwdrivers use three types of batteries:

NiCd(nickel-cadmium) - such batteries are the most affordable, but the characteristics are simpler than those presented below. The capacity of such batteries is from 1.2 or 1.5 A / h (Amp hour). A screwdriver with a capacity of 2.0A / h under the same conditions is able to work longer than a screwdriver with a battery capacity of 1.2A / h. Capacities of 1.2-1.5A / h are enough for home use. And considering today's battery charging time is 1 hour, you will always have a "fresh" battery at hand. Of the minuses: require a complete discharge.

NiMh(nickel-metal hydride) - these batteries are more expensive, but their capacity is higher from 1.5 to 2.6A / h. Suitable for home use, as well as for more complex and prolonged use. Does not require full discharge.

Li-Ion(lithium-ion) - batteries are the most expensive, have a high capacity, which is higher than 3.0A / h. Another advantage of Li-Ion batteries is their light weight. The difference in weight can be up to 40%. Li-Ion batteries do not have a memory effect, which allows you not to wait until the battery is completely discharged.

It is worth saying that the warranty does not cover batteries, as they often fail due to the fault of the buyer. If you leave the battery at a low temperature at least overnight, you may not be able to use such batteries. Store batteries in a warm environment.

Speed screwdriver. For different kind jobs need different speeds. For drilling, higher revolutions of 1000-1300 rpm are needed. For tightening screws, 400-550 rpm is enough. Screwdrivers come in single speed, two speed and three speed. Switching speeds allows you to work with the speed you need to solve various problems.

So. If you choose a screwdriver for the home, then a 12-14V screwdriver with a battery capacity of 1.2-1.5A / h and a torque of 15-26Nm is suitable here. Such a screwdriver can handle almost any job around the house. There are household screwdrivers with such characteristics from 1300 to 3000 rubles. You should not chase a low price, as a rule, the price tag for a screwdriver below 900 rubles indicates that such a screwdriver will not work for a long time. When choosing, pay attention to the recognition of the manufacturer, the terms of the guarantee, the quantity. Well, the screwdriver itself should be held in your hand, turned, pressed, etc.

For a long time, screwdrivers have come to replace screwdrivers. If earlier these devices had a rather high price, today almost everyone can afford to buy such a tool at home or at work. But since choosing a cordless screwdriver is not as easy as it might seem at first glance, you need to contact professionals for advice.

What should every consumer know?

This power tool is simply indispensable for repair and construction work. The question arises: "But what about screwdrivers?" If modern construction organizations used such equipment, the construction or repair of the facility would be delayed for a long time. As for use in everyday life, for a more comfortable twisting or unscrewing of screws, it is necessary to use just such equipment. As you already understood, the screwdriver works in a narrow direction, or more precisely, with fasteners such as screws, self-tapping screws and dowels. But it was like that before, today, for an additional fee, you can purchase several nozzles, and the tool can partially replace the drill. Let's take a closer look at how to choose a cordless screwdriver, and what you need to pay attention to first.

Mains and cordless tools

A mains powered screwdriver can be used where there is an outlet. In the absence of it, you are unlikely to be able to twist or unscrew something. This is where the battery comes in. It is safe to say that such a solution gives more opportunities to its owner. For example, it makes no sense to buy a battery-operated hammer drill, but the situation is different with screwdrivers. Of course, the battery needs to be recharged periodically, but most often you get two batteries in the kit, so this should not be any problem. Whether there is an outlet or not - it will not matter to you, since you simply do not need it. Of course, over time, the battery will hold a charge worse and worse, but, most likely, by this time you will already have time to change the tool to a similar one, but more powerful and functional.

How to choose a drill driver? Step-by-step instruction

There are a number of parameters that you should pay attention to in the first place. The main one is power. It is worth noting that 500-700 W is enough for domestic use, but about 1,300 W will be needed to perform construction work. There are special drills for working in hard-to-reach places, their power is slightly less, about 400 watts. The number of revolutions is another important indicator. If 3,000 rpm is enough for work at home, then 4,000-4,500 rpm is needed for construction work. Regardless of the goals, it is advisable to give preference to a model with the ability to adjust the speed, so you can adjust to the specifics of the work, because for various materials need different speed. Don't forget that powerful tool rotates the drill faster, but the price rises in direct proportion. However, this is not all that can be said about how to choose a drill driver, so let's deal with the issue to the end.

More about making the right choice

When buying, it is always necessary to specify the diameter of the holes that the tool can make. But here you need to understand that for each hole this indicator will be different, so focus more on what you will work with. If you want to get a hole of such a diameter that the drill is not designed to work with, you risk damaging the unit. Depending on your preferences, choose the type of cartridge. Now gear (fixed with a key) and quick-clamping (fixed by hand) cartridges are produced. There are practically no fundamental differences. Now you know what a cordless drill/driver is. We figured out how to choose a device, so let's go ahead and talk about the batteries used.

About Li-ion batteries

It's safe to say that battery type plays a huge role. Currently, this type of battery is one of the most popular and widespread. The lithium-ion battery is used not only in screwdrivers or drills, but also in other construction tools, as well as in portable devices (laptop, mobile phone etc.) From this we can draw a simple conclusion that there are many advantages. One of them is durability. At correct operation The lithium-ion battery is rated for 3,000 charges/discharges. The maximum shelf life is approximately 3 years. It is difficult to say whether this is good or bad, but as practice shows, this is quite enough. How to choose the right cordless screwdriver? It's simple: buy good battery with a large capacity - and you will be happy. But do not forget that normal operation requires constant use of the device, so you need to use a screwdriver from time to time, at least for prevention. But there are other types of batteries, which we will talk about now.

How to choose a screwdriver battery? Ni-Cd

Nickel-cadmium battery is the most budget solution that can be. The number of charges / discharges is half that of a lithium-ion battery, and is about 1.5 thousand, but the service life is slightly longer - about 5 years. The main advantage of the Ni-Cd battery is that it works great with sub-zero temperatures, so you can safely operate the device until the mark on the thermometer drops below -15 degrees Celsius. But there are many downsides as well. For example, long time charging. Although in some cases this can not be called a disadvantage. This is due to the fact that when buying a screwdriver with such a battery in the kit, you will receive 2 batteries. Therefore, while one is on charge, the second can be used. But even despite the low cost, it is necessary to follow some rules: keep the battery only charged, as well as fully charge and discharge it. This is due to the fact that the nickel-cadmium battery has a memory effect.

Ni-Mh: advantages and disadvantages

Ni-Mh (nickel-metal hydride) batteries are quite rare in today's screwdrivers. At its core, this is something in between the two above-described batteries. Among the shortcomings, it is worth highlighting the large weight and a small number of charge / discharge cycles (1,000). The term of work is on average 4 years. As for the advantages, this is the absence of the memory effect and the minimum self-discharge during storage. However, despite this, it is recommended to fully charge and then discharge the battery before first use. Do not forget to pay attention to the capacity, which is measured in Ah (Amp-hours). The higher the indicator, the longer the battery will perform its immediate task. In order to understand how to choose the right drill driver, you need to decide on the type of battery. If you do everything right, you will not experience any problems.

What to choose for industrial purposes?

And now let's talk a little about how to choose a professional screwdriver. The fact is that it is important to pay attention not only to the power and type of battery, but also to the presence of useful additional features, and there are plenty of them in modern models. Often this should be a lightweight model that can easily work in hard-to-reach places, while the worker will not get tired too quickly due to the large weight of the tool. By the way, as for the type of battery, it is definitely lithium-ion. In construction, a percussion mechanism will be very useful. This feature is extremely relevant when drilling stone or brick. Professional builders or repairers are often faced with the fact that there is no way to rest well to make a hole. Even worse - it happens that the self-tapping screw will get stuck in place and neither here nor there. You have to start everything from the very beginning. In order not to experience this kind of discomfort, an impulse is needed. This function temporarily increases the torque, which allows you to get out of a difficult situation. Work at poor lighting is poor performance and low accuracy. To solve this issue, buy a tool with a backlight. Well, that's all that can be said about how to choose a cordless screwdriver for professional use.

About chucks and gearboxes

Today on the market there are screwdrivers with the following types of cartridges:

• Quick-release (three-jaw with a clamping range of not more than 1.3 centimeters).
• Hexagonal. In this case, it is possible to work with a large ¼ inch shank.

Quick-release chucks are more common due to their practicality. No problem, you can use any tool that is suitable in diameter. If you buy a cartridge with large diameter, then the screwdriver will have more opportunities. As for the hexagon options, this is good decision for professional tools where frequent tool changes are required and there is a need to work in hard-to-reach places. In principle, from the foregoing, a completely logical conclusion can be drawn: a quick-release chuck is suitable for the home, and a hexagonal chuck for professional use. As for the gearbox, then everything is quite simple. Gears come in two varieties: plastic and metal. Today, plastic alloys are quite durable and not so expensive. The question may arise as to how to choose a screwdriver for the home according to this parameter. Plastic is perfect for household purposes, and you won’t have to overpay. The metal gear will withstand a much greater load, so it is better for prof. tool.

Soft and hard torque

In this article, a little has already been said about the power of a screwdriver. I would like to add this information. The point is that there is a soft torque. It affects the twisting / twisting forces. Often on given parameter do not pay special attention, but in vain. Insufficient force can lead to the fact that the self-tapping screw will not be completely twisted, and you will have to get it out at the final stage with your hands. Modern models have a fairly large spread in the range of 0-350 Nm. For domestic purposes, 30-150 Nm is quite enough, for professional purposes - everything above. The hard torque is responsible for the RPM during drilling. As a rule, this indicator fluctuates in the range of 1,000-4,000 rpm. Let's look at everything with an example. A screwdriver with a torque of 35 Nm is able to screw a 70 mm self-tapping screw into wood, and for a 100 mm self-tapping screw, a force of 50 Nm is required. After that, it should be very clear to you how to choose a cordless screwdriver.

Conclusion

As you can see, there is nothing complicated here. The most important thing is to highlight the main parameters for yourself, such as power, torque, battery type, capacity, etc. After carefully analyzing all this, you can easily make a thoughtful and most importantly - right choice. Do not forget that tools for home and professional use differ in many ways, so often experts prefer more powerful and functional models. From this article, you learned about what a cordless drill/driver is, how to choose a tool and not make a mistake. Currently the best manufacturers the following companies are considered: Bosch, Skil, DeWALT, etc. A screwdriver with the inscription of one of these companies on the case will cost a lot, but in return you will get high quality, excellent ergonomics and simple good tool. That, perhaps, is all that can be said about how to choose a good screwdriver.