How to choose a screwdriver for the home: characteristics and applications (video)

The choice of the screwdriver is not easy and quite responsible. There are many brands on the market today, and almost everyone has a wide range of products ranging from budget to professional devices. In order to decide how to choose a screwdriver for a particular case, you must first familiarize yourself with the main characteristics of this tool. All screwdrivers are conventionally divided into household and professional. As a rule, professional have more functions, but at the same time they are more dimensional and expensive.

Power and cordless screwdrivers

When choosing a screwdriver, one of the main criteria is the presence of a battery. Thus, it is possible to divide all screwdrivers into mains and cordless. Both types have their advantages and disadvantages, as well as different areas of application. The main advantages of network screwdrivers are:

• good price-to-power ratio;
• no need to constantly charge the battery;
• able to use at extremely high and low temperatures;
• unlimited work time.

But at the same time, the only and significant drawback is the fact that the radius of use of such screwdrivers is limited by the length of the wire.

Based on this drawback, you can easily determine the main advantage of cordless screwdrivers. They can be used anywhere, just enough to charge the battery. But at the same time, such devices have several disadvantages that cannot be ignored:

1. The cost of the device increases significantly due to the battery.
2. Relatively low power screwdriver.
3. Some types of batteries are very vulnerable to low and high temperatures, which limits their scope.
4. If the battery has a memory effect, then to continue work, you will need to wait until the device is fully charged. Otherwise, you can harm the battery.

Based on the advantages and disadvantages, you can easily determine the scope of application of each type of screwdriver. Network most often used during the work in rooms and with strong materials. Professional models can be applied even during construction work. Battery models are ideal for working on the street (for example, in the country) or for non-labor-intensive work. With their help, you can assemble furniture, twist and unscrew screws or drill soft materials (for example, wood).

Types of batteries

If you stopped at a cordless screwdriver, then the functionality of the tool largely depends on the choice of the type of battery. There are 3 main types of batteries for screwdrivers:

• metal-hybrid (Ni-Mh),
• nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd);
• lithium-ion (Li-Ion).

The first 2 types have approximately the same characteristics. Their main disadvantage is the "memory effect", due to which the battery capacity can be significantly reduced in a short time.

The most common are Ni-Cd batteries. They appeared on the market among the first and still have some advantages over competitors. Their main advantages are:

• low price;
• long shelf life (up to 5 years);
• a large number of recharge cycles (more than 1.5 thousand);
• high frost resistance (can withstand up to -15 ° C).

But this type of battery has a number of noticeable flaws:

• a very noticeable memory effect;
• a relatively large weight;
• long charging time.

Thanks to frost resistance, this type of screwdriver is widespread in the northern regions. One of its undocumented, but often used possibilities is the drilling of holes for winter fishing. But nevertheless, when working with them, it should be taken into account that the battery must always be fully charged before operation, and discharged before recharging. If the screwdriver is not used for a long time, the nickel-cadmium battery should be completely discharged.

Another common type of battery is Li-Ion. This is the most modern type of battery, they are almost not afraid of the memory effect, so the screwdriver with such a battery will always be ready to work. The main advantages of lithium-ion batteries are:

• small size and weight;
• a huge number of recharge cycles (up to 4 thousand);
• no memory effect;
• maximum power among all batteries.

But these batteries have drawbacks that dumbly limit their use:

• low frost resistance (at temperatures below 0, this type of battery should not be used);
• high cost;
• relatively short life span (about 3 years).

It is worth noting that despite the lack of a memory effect, lithium-ion batteries are afraid of "downtime." Therefore, screwdrivers with such a battery should be chosen only for intensive use. More power will allow you to use a screwdriver for complex tasks. Also, before using it is desirable to spend 3 full charge-discharge cycles This will allow the battery to be used as efficiently as possible.

Metal-hybrid batteries are much less common than the 2 types described above, but they have their advantages:

• the ability to be charged for a long time;
• almost imperceptible effect memory (it is enough not to store the battery in a fully discharged state);
• resistance to negative temperatures.

Among the shortcomings are the following:

• large weight and size;
• a relatively small number of recharge cycles (about 1000).

If you want to choose the right screwdriver for domestic use, which will only be needed from time to time, then a device with a metal-hybrid battery will be an excellent choice.

Power and capacity

In addition to the type of battery, you should pay attention to its capacity and power. In modern screwdrivers capacity ranges from 0.3 to 4 Amp-hours (Ah). Most screwdrivers on the market have a capacity of 1.5-3 Ah. The higher the capacity, the longer the battery life of the device. But at the same time, with its capacity, the weight of the device also grows, so the optimal volume for each will be different.

Battery power directly affects the performance of the screwdriver. Screwdrivers with capacities ranging from 3.6 to 40 V are on the market. For home conditions, 14-15 V are usually enough. More powerful screwdrivers require more capacious batteries, which significantly increases their weight and size. Devices with a capacity of more than 25 V, are usually professional.

An important characteristic of both network and cordless screwdrivers is torque. This characteristic is directly dependent on power. There are 2 types of torque: soft and hard. Soft torque determines the number of revolutions per minute when twisting / unscrewing the screws. Usually this indicator does not exceed 350 rpm. Hard torque is responsible for the number of revolutions during drilling. The maximum rate in this case is about 1000 rpm.

In the screwdriver specifications, torque is displayed in Newton meters (Nm). If you do not know how to choose the right screwdriver based on these figures, then you need to focus on its intended use. For example, for tightening a self-tapping screw with a length of about 10 cm you will need a screwdriver with a torque of about 40 Nm.

Additional features

An important characteristic of a screwdriver is the type of chuck. There are 2 types of cartridges - three-cam and hex. The first is distinguished by its versatility; you can insert any nozzles into it, which fit the diameter. Hexagonal supports special drill bit with a hexagonal tail. In the presence of a set of such drills, you can quickly change them, which is very convenient for intensive work with different types of screws.

When choosing a screwdriver, you need to pay attention to details that can significantly increase the efficiency of its use.

• a comfortable rubberized handle will significantly increase the fatigue-free working time;
• a set of additional nozzles will make the screwdriver more versatile; need to discharge the battery (actual for nickel-cadmium batteries);
• the presence of 3 speeds and impulses will allow the screwdriver to fully replace the drill;

Summing up, we can conclude that there is no universal instruction how to choose a screwdriver. For each case, there is an optimal model. Of course, the higher the power of the screwdriver, the wider the range of its use, but at home, most often it is absolutely not necessary.

Before you go to the store, you should clearly determine what tasks the device will face.

After this, the choice will not seem so difficult.