Drill vs Driver
You shouldn’t use impact drivers for woodworking, some people say. But is that really true?
Deep Dive Into the Impact Driver
One of the most recognizable features of an impact driver is the noise it makes when it sinks a screw – this is the noise that puts the impact in impact driver.
But what does the impact driver actually do? Well, imagine if I put a wrench on a screwdriver, and hit the end of the wrench with a hammer in the direction of rotation. This is what an impact driver does to a bit many times a second. 
A big advantage that this rotary impact has is that it prevents a bit from jumping out of a screw and eventually stripping it. Let me explain.
Sometimes, your bit may have the tendency to climb out of the screw head. This can be caused by: not having enough pressure down on the screw, having the bit at an angle to the screw, using a bit that’s worn out, or using a screw that’s been mangled up. These last two things are avoidable, but the first two might not be.
How the impact helps this is not so obvious: in the split second after the impact hits, there is a moment when there is no rotation or pressure that would lead the bit to jump out of the screw. What’s happening is that in this moment, the downward pressure you are applying to the driver forces the bit back into the bottom of the screw head. As this happens many times a second, it truly prevents the screw head from being stripped.
Drill & Driver Best Features
Drill
The most useful part of a drill, in my opinion, is the clutch. It stops the drill from turning when it’s reached a certain pressure – or torque. I can set the clutch really low and just grab onto the chuck, and the clutch will let go and stop spinning, even though my finger is still on the trigger. This means you can drive a screw, and the drill will stop the screw threads from stripping out in the wood and doing the spin-of-death. Also, if you’re using a large hole saw and it binds up, using a drill clutch will prevent you from breaking your wrists. So that’s a plus.
Driver
The handiest part of an impact driver is the quick-change bit release. As much as I try and only keep square drive screws in my shop, somehow a rogue Phillips appears, and I need to bury my pride and deal with that. Torx head screws are becoming ever-increasingly popular as well. The point is, I’m swapping driver bits more than I’d like to. Thankfully, the impact makes this easy – and I like easy. Yes, you can get a magnetic bit changer and keep it permanently mounted in a drill, but I haven’t found one that doesn’t leave the bit in the screw every time you sink one. An alternative is a bit holder with a locking mechanism.
Torque
Drill
Drills are better for precise tasks where bit torque really matters and finer control is needed.
Driver
The impact applies more overall torque to the screw. For what we’re doing in the workshop, that doesn’t really benefit us. In fact, it can lead to more broken screws if you’re not careful. Since we’re pre-drilling for all of our screws – you are, aren’t you? – we really don’t need a butt-load of torque to sink screws, even into hardwoods. So drivers are used frequently for high torque applications, like construction. For something like furniture making, you can use an impact driver as long as you have good trigger control. Some drivers also come with a specific switch that adjusts speed and torque, so this also really helps. I’m usually using it on medium speed, but if I’m driving a tiny screw that might do the spin-of-death easily, I’ll put it on the slowest speed, and I never have an issue.
How Many Tools Do You Need?
I’ve seen a lot of drill charging stations on Youtube, and there are a lot of nice ones. Nice BIG ones. But for the longest time, I only had one drill and one driver. And that was fine, I didn’t need more. Changing bits is super quick, and you don’t need a chuck key like you did on your dad’s Black + Decker power drill from 1973. Eventually, I came across a more compact drill and I couldn’t resist buying it. Then DeWalt sent me their new atomic compact impact driver, and I’m loving it as well. That being said, I can’t imagine how having any more than two drills and drivers can possibly make me more efficient. Maybe I’m missing something. So if you only have a few, and you’re looking to build an reasonably-sized drill charging station, plans to my design can be found here. 
Big vs Small
Real quick, I want to talk about the differences between the compact drill and driver, and the regular-sized ones. There’s no difference. At least in performance for my needs as a hobbyist woodworker. The compact versions are more than powerful enough for drilling and screwing through hardwoods. I know I’d be fine if all I had were the compact ones, or even the lower voltages ones too. It’s just, I had the regular-sized ones first. But back to the compact, the ergonomics are far superior: lighter, more maneuverable, and able to get into places where the larger ones can’t.
A Case For One Brand
I’ve been a fanboy of DeWalt pretty much because I saw Mike Holmes use them on TV when I was a kid–marketing is a powerful thing. I also like things that match because I’m shallow. But really the main reason why I choose to stick with using one brand over multiple is so I don’t have to deal with multiple battery platforms. I don’t know if that’s superficial or whatever, but it just makes things simpler for me to deal with, and means I don’t have to have huge storage solutions for different batteries. There’s no way my small shop can handle much else at this point.
Brushless Versus Brushed
Even quicker, I want to talk about brushless versus brushed motors. Get the brushless. Don’t ask me why. You likely don’t want to hear me talk about electric motors.
Conclusions
Is the drill better than an impact driver for the home hobbyist woodworker? Maybe a little? But there are advantages to both, so I wouldn’t dismiss the impact either. There’s a place for both of them in your shop. So if you already own impacts, don’t get rid of them. If you’re just starting out woodworking and you can’t justify having one of each? Get the drill first. If you don’t like your impact because it can’t change speeds, try one with a speed selection switch. If you’re having trouble with screws doing the spin-of-death, try using a drill with a lower clutch setting. If you’re stripping screw heads out with a drill, try using an impact and see how you like it. Final conclusion: the choice depends on your situation.