Decision tool · UK DIY · No hype, no test lab
Drill vs combi drill vs impact driver: which one do you actually need?
The quick answer
A drill driver spins a chuck to bore holes and drive screws. It has no hammer action, so it cannot break through brick or masonry.
A combi drill does everything a drill driver does, plus a hammer, or percussion, mode. Flip that mode on and the chuck spins and thrusts forward at the same time. That action breaks up brick and mortar.
An impact driver works on a different mechanism again. Instead of a steady spin, a spring-loaded hammer strikes the drive shaft rotationally, hundreds of times a minute. That delivers far higher torque for driving fasteners, but it makes a poor substitute for actually drilling a hole.
The torque numbers show the gap clearly. A typical 18V combi drill delivers 50 to 65 Nm through a continuous twist. A compact impact driver delivers 100 Nm or more through pulses. That output sinks a 100mm decking screw in seconds without stalling or camming out.
Choose by task, not by name. Flat-pack furniture and shelving want control, not raw power. Brick walls want hammer action. Decking and fence panels want fastening speed. This is a decision tool, not a single "best drill" verdict: the matrix below maps five common UK DIY jobs to the right tool.
What each tool actually does (and the naming confusion, sorted)
"Drill driver" and "combi drill" get used as if they're the same thing, and retailer listings don't always help. Here's the actual distinction, tool by tool.
Drill driver
A drill driver spins one chuck at a constant speed, in drilling mode or screwdriving mode. It has no third, hammer setting.
Dropping the hammer mechanism cuts weight and price. A drill driver handles softwood, plasterboard, plastic and light metal without trouble.
A drill driver cannot break through brick, block or mortar. Push one against a brick wall and the bit rides the surface or snaps.
Combi drill
A combi drill is a drill driver with a third mode added: hammer action, also called percussion mode.
Flip the collar to the hammer symbol and the chuck spins and thrusts forward in short strokes, thousands of times a minute. That combined spin-and-strike motion breaks up brick and mortar joints.
Most 18V combi drills deliver 50 to 65 Nm and weigh 1.5 to 2.2kg with a battery fitted, barely more than a drill driver in the same range. A combi drill covers every drill driver task plus masonry. That's why most UK retailers now sell the combi version as standard and the plain drill driver as the cut-price sibling. See our full picks in our best combi drill guide.
Impact driver
An impact driver looks similar from across a room. The mechanism inside is not a scaled-up drill: a spring-loaded hammer and anvil strike the drive shaft rotationally, in short bursts, instead of spinning it continuously.
That mechanism delivers far higher torque: 100 Nm and up, against a combi drill's 50 to 65 Nm. The pulses also cut kickback in the user's wrist because the force never arrives as one steady twist.
An impact driver drives screws and bolts fast. It is a poor tool for boring a hole: the pulsing action makes a hole hard to start cleanly. It also carries no hammer or masonry mode at all.
Impact driver and impact wrench are not the same tool either. The names get mixed up often enough to matter. An impact wrench uses a square drive built for wheel nuts and heavy structural bolts, in automotive and trade work, not woodworking or general DIY fixings. Everything on this page refers to the impact driver, the smaller quarter-inch hex-drive tool sold alongside combi drills.
Which tool for which job: the task-to-tool matrix
Each of these five everyday UK DIY tasks calls for a specific tool, not whichever one is closest to hand.
| Right tool | Why | |
|---|---|---|
| Flat-pack furniture | Drill driver, or a combi drill on a low torque setting | Needs control and a low clutch stop, not raw power |
| Shelves and curtain rails | Drill driver or combi drill | No hammer action needed unless the fixing continues into brick behind |
| UK brick or masonry walls | Combi drill, hammer mode on | Only percussion action breaks brick and mortar cleanly |
| Decking and fence panel fixings | Impact driver | High torque and fast, repetitive driving matter more here than fine control |
| General screw driving | Impact driver for speed, or a drill driver on a low clutch for delicate work | Impact driver resists stalling on long screws under bulk fastening |
Control and speed sit at opposite ends of this list. A drill driver, or a low clutch setting, protects a delicate fixing from overdriving. An impact driver trades that fine control for speed and stall-free torque on bulk fastening jobs.
A clutch is the numbered dial behind the chuck on a drill driver or combi drill. It limits how much torque reaches the screw before the drive slips. That stops a flat-pack cam-lock fixing or a thin batten screw from being overdriven and stripped.
An impact driver carries no clutch at all. Its output is either full pulse or nothing. That's exactly why it suits bulk fastening into decking or fence rails rather than a delicate flat-pack panel.
Drilling into UK brick and masonry: what actually changes
UK brick and blockwork need a hammer, or percussion, setting. A plain drill driver will not break through fletton brick or a mortar joint, however hard it's pushed.
Most UK house brick, common fletton brick and the mortar joints between courses are soft enough for a combi drill's hammer mode paired with a matching masonry bit. Screwfix and B&Q both sell combi drills pitched at exactly this job.
Harder material changes the tool needed. Engineering brick, dense concrete lintels and reinforced concrete want an SDS drill, a heavier tool built around a different chuck and a stronger hammer mechanism than any combi drill carries. That's outside the scope of this page and covered in our masonry drilling guide.
So which one do you actually need for the wall in front of you? For a standard UK house wall, fletton or common brick, block, or a mortar joint, a combi drill's hammer mode is enough. Step up to SDS only for engineering brick or structural concrete.
One real example of each tool
One real model from each category makes the difference concrete rather than abstract.
The DeWalt DCD796N 18V XR Brushless Compact Combi Drill (body only, around £65) delivers 70 Nm through a two-speed motor and carries a dedicated hammer mode. It copes with flat-pack, shelving and brick walls in one tool.
Other 18V combi drills follow the same pattern. The Makita DHP484Z LXT (body only, £53 to £65) delivers up to 65 Nm with a 3-year warranty on 30-day registration, and the Bosch GSB 18V-55 Professional (2x5.0Ah kit, £149.99) adds a metal Röhm chuck rated to 55 Nm. Both carry a hammer mode as standard, because on a combi drill, hammer action isn't an upgrade: it's the whole point of the "combi" name.
A plain 18V drill driver from the same premium ranges drops the hammer mechanism entirely and typically undercuts its combi sibling by £15 to £25.
An 18V impact driver, DeWalt, Makita and Bosch all sell one, trades the masonry mode for 100 Nm-plus of pulsed fastening torque, built for decking, fencing and bulk screw driving.
Check the battery platform before buying any of the three. A combi drill, drill driver and impact driver from the same manufacturer's range usually share one battery. A second or third tool from that range then costs less than starting a new platform from scratch. See how battery platforms work before committing to a brand.