Impact drivers are a hot item because they make driving screws almost effortless and their amazing run time means you can work all day without running out of juice. But an impact driver won’t replace your conventional cordless drill. The hex-shanked bit holders don’t accept traditional drill bits without an accessory chuck and the impacting action—which kicks in when the tool encounters sufficient resistance— makes for slow drilling in hardwood. Given these limitations, Dewalt now offers a kit that includes an impact driver and a cordless drill.

At 3 lb., the DeWalt (DCK265L) impact driver is lighter than most 18-volt drills and its compact housing can fit almost anywhere. Both DeWalt’s drill and impact driver have compact housings and use 18-volt lithium-ion batteries. You can also buy the impact driver on its own. I think furniture makers would be better served by the DeWalt kit. For starters, you’ll have two tools, so you can use one for pre-drilling and one for driving. You’ll also be able to use your existing collection of bits in the DeWalt drill’s standard chuck. And at $280, the DeWalt kit is $110 less than the comparative single Bosch tool.

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