Can an impact driver drill holes?

It can turn hex-shank drill bits, which handles small holes in wood and light metal. It cannot hold round-shank bits, hole saws, or spade bits with round shanks, and it lacks the smooth control that clean holes need.

Can a drill drive long screws?

Yes, though it strains more, twists your wrist harder, and is more likely to cam out or stall. That is exactly the job an impact driver is built for.

What is the clutch ring on a drill for?

It limits torque so the tool stops driving at a set resistance. It prevents overdriving screws into soft material and stripping small fasteners.

Drill or Driver: Which One Should You Buy First

Two tools show up in nearly every combo kit. One has a three-jaw chuck and a numbered ring behind it. The other is shorter, louder, and has a hex socket at the nose. Plenty of people own both and are not entirely sure why.

What each one is

A drill driver spins a bit at a chosen speed with a chosen torque limit. The three-jaw chuck grips round shanks, hex shanks, and everything between. The numbered clutch ring lets the tool slip once resistance reaches a set point.

An impact driver spins a hex-shank bit and, when resistance rises, adds rapid rotational hammer blows. Those blows deliver bursts of torque in the direction of rotation, which is why a small tool can sink a long structural screw while barely twisting your wrist.

The hammering is rotational, not forward. That distinguishes it from a hammer drill, which pounds forward into masonry and is a third tool entirely.

What the drill does better

Drilling clean, accurate holes at controlled speed
Anything with a round shank: twist bits, hole saws, spade bits, mixing paddles, wire brushes
Small or delicate fasteners, where the clutch prevents overdriving
Work where a consistent, smooth torque matters more than raw output

What the impact driver does better

Long screws, lag screws, and structural fasteners
High-volume fastening where speed and reduced wrist strain add up over a day
Driving in awkward positions, since less reaction torque reaches your arm
Fasteners in dense material where a drill would stall or cam out

What each does badly

A drill fights back. Every bit of torque the tool applies to the screw is applied to your wrist as well. Drive a few dozen three-inch screws and you will feel it. It also stalls under high load, and it strips heads when the bit cams out under sustained pressure.

An impact driver is loud, has poor low-speed finesse on small fasteners, and cannot chuck a round shank. It also tends to snap smaller screws and bits if you keep the trigger down past the point where the fastener has seated. Bits designed for impact use are made for the shock loads; ordinary bits fail early in one.

Why the drill comes first

The drill is the tool that can attempt everything. It drills, it drives, and it accepts any bit you can buy. An impact driver on its own leaves you unable to bore a proper hole, which is half of most projects.

For a first purchase, a mid-range drill driver with a clutch, two speed ranges, and a keyless chuck covers assembly, mounting, repair, small framing, and light boring. Add the impact driver when you notice yourself doing the same job repeatedly and getting tired of the drill's reaction torque.

When to buy the impact first

There is one common exception. If you already own a corded drill or have access to one, and the work in front of you is a deck, a fence, or subfloor, the impact driver is the more useful new tool. That is a fastening job, not a drilling job.

A note on combo kits

The reason drill-plus-impact combos are the most common kit sold is that the pairing works. Two tools, one charger, two packs, and one bit set covers a wide range of work, and neither tool sits idle. If the price gap between a single drill and the combo is modest, the combo is usually the better spend, because the second tool is effectively bare-tool priced.

Whatever you pick, the platform matters more than the tool. Chargers and batteries are what you will still be living with in five years.