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If you're building a first cordless tool kit, this is usually the first real fork in the road — and the honest answer is that most people eventually own both, but you don't need both on day one. Here's how to figure out which one earns the first spot in your kit.
Quick Picks
| Tool | Best For | Price Range |
|---|---|---|
| DEWALT ATOMIC 20V Impact Driver | Best impact driver | $$ |
| Makita 18V Compact Drill/Driver | Best drill | $$ |
| DEWALT 20V Drill/Impact Combo Kit | Best if you're buying both now | $$$ |
Impact Drivers
DEWALT ATOMIC 20V Impact Driver — Best Impact Driver
Impact drivers deliver rotational force in rapid bursts rather than continuous torque, which is exactly why they drive long screws and lag bolts without stalling or camming out the way a drill under heavy load tends to. The ATOMIC's compact head is genuinely useful in tight framing bays and cabinet interiors where a full-size drill just doesn't fit. If your projects involve a lot of screws — decking, framing, furniture assembly — this is the tool that makes that work fast instead of tedious.
View on AmazonDrills
Makita 18V Compact Drill/Driver — Best Drill
A drill's variable clutch and smoother, more controllable power delivery is what actually matters for drilling clean holes and driving screws into delicate material without stripping heads or blowing through the other side. The Makita's clutch settings make it the safer choice for finish work, delicate materials, and drilling in general — the impact driver's bursty power is actually a liability in situations that call for finesse.
View on AmazonIf You're Buying Both
DEWALT 20V Drill/Impact Combo Kit
If your budget allows it, a combo kit sidesteps the whole decision — you get both tools on one battery platform from the start, which is genuinely the most common setup in any well-equipped shop. The per-tool cost is usually lower buying them together than separately, and you skip the phase where you own one tool and keep running into jobs it's the wrong tool for.
View on AmazonThe Real Difference
A drill delivers smooth, continuous rotational force with a clutch that limits torque to protect screw heads and material — that control is exactly what makes it the right tool for drilling precise holes and driving screws into anything you don't want to blow out or strip. An impact driver delivers rotational force in rapid concussive bursts, trading finesse for raw driving power — it'll sink a 3-inch deck screw in a couple seconds where a drill would bog down or strip the head trying.
How to Actually Decide
Get an impact driver first if: most of your work is driving screws — framing, decking, furniture assembly, general construction — and you don't yet own a drill for precision hole-drilling.
Get a drill first if: your work leans toward drilling holes (pilot holes, hardware installation, hanging things properly) or delicate material where a clutch and smooth power delivery matter more than raw driving speed.
Get both now if: you can swing the combo kit cost — most people doing any regular amount of home or shop work end up wanting both within the first few projects anyway, and buying them together on one battery platform is usually the better value.
Bottom Line
For pure screw-driving work — which covers most general home and shop projects — the impact driver is the better first purchase. But if precision drilling and delicate material work make up more of what you actually do, start with the drill instead. Either way, budget for owning both eventually; it's less a question of if than when.