Do I need a drywall driver?

[Wild Weasel]

Ridgid has a drywall driver for $99 CAD.

Home Depot has a tool that you attach to a drill that essentially looks exactly the same for around $10.

Why would I pay $99 for the drywall driver when it looks just like my 3/8" Ridgid corded drill with that drywall attachment on the end of it?

Am I missing something here?

For anyone who's seem my thread about building a shower... I'm going to need something to attach the cement board...

[boytyperanma]

The average home owner does not need a drywall gun. They have there advantages when your hanging drywall profesionaly. Higher RPM's, better clutch system, faster to put screws on the bit, ect.

The Ridgid drywall gun unless they changed it in the last couple years is junk. When working at Home Depot it was one of the most returned power tools.

[Woussko]

WW

Unless you are really doing loads of screws all the time, I really think you can do pretty well with a 3/8 or 1/2 VSR drill either corded or cordless. You will want to get yourself a good magnetic hex bit holder for 1/4" hex insert bits and some good bits that are made for drywall screws. With a little practice and running your drill at a rather slow speed (especially at first) you'll soon catch on and be driving them like a pro. Take your time and use care.

[Newman]

Unless you are hanging drywall for a living, you don't really need a drywall gun. A halfway decent corded or cordless drill and one of these is all you need...

http://www.amazon.com/Dewalt-Drywall-Dimpler/dp/B000LNLTLA/sr=1-3/qid=1167819916/ref=sr_1_3/102-9096424-3749766?ie=UTF8&s=hi

[Wild Weasel]

Thanks guys, that's what I thought.

As for the bits themselves... is there something different about a drywall screw bit than the regular ol' #2 phillips bits? I saw you can buy them in cans with a whole pile of them. Do they round off quickly or something? Should I not just use a decent Snap-On bit for this?

[Newman]

Thanks guys, that's what I thought.

As for the bits themselves... is there something different about a drywall screw bit than the regular ol' #2 phillips bits? I saw you can buy them in cans with a whole pile of them. Do they round off quickly or something? Should I not just use a decent Snap-On bit for this?


Same #2 bits, but if you use a dimpler you are less likely to break through the paper facing on the drywall...

[hellcatt200]

Just get the drywall dimpler and a good drill and practice. You will do fine. good luck....

[Woussko]

WW

Take a look at this link. While at HD this is a catalog only item, I'm sure you can find one locally.

http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS/EN_US/diy_main/pg_diy.jsp?CNTTYPE=PROD_META&CNTKEY=misc%2fsearchResults.jsp&BV_SessionID=@@@@0276738146.1167843901@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccecaddjklejkgkcgelceffdfgidgnk.0&MID=9876
Sorry but the above link is messed up. Newman's post is good.

The .JPG file is a pretty good picture of it. This special drywall bit should help you get the job done.

[Wild Weasel]

WW

Take a look at this link. While at HD this is a catalog only item, I'm sure you can find one locally.

http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS/EN_US/diy_main/pg_diy.jsp?CNTTYPE=PROD_META&CNTKEY=misc%2fsearchResults.jsp&BV_SessionID=@@@@0276738146.1167843901@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccecaddjklejkgkcgelceffdfgidgnk.0&MID=9876

The .JPG file is a pretty good picture of it. This special drywall bit should help you get the job done.

This link doesn't work for me. Is it similar to the one Newman posted above?

[wwsmith]

I just hung about 60 sheets of drywall in my basement using my cordless drill and a drywall dimpler bit. I got two of the bits at my local ACE Hardware store, but have seen them at Lowes and HD as well. It worked fine for me. The drill gets heavy after a while, but I broke the work up across a few weekends in my spare time which helped. It worked fine for me. I would recommend that route for simple projects such as that. Be aware you should use the right screws for hanging cement/hardi board, espcially in a wet environment.

[Wild Weasel]

Yeah, I'm going to look for stainless coarse drywall screws, if such things exist. I know I need coarse drywall screws. I think it says that on the back of the backer board.

[Woussko]

I just tried the link myself and find it's messed up. It is the same item as Newman posted only this is another brand.

You might try looking at my .JPG picture file.

[BadgerDave]

The Ridgid drywall gun unless they changed it in the last couple years is junk. When working at Home Depot it was one of the most returned power tools.
I wonder how many of those "junk" drywall screwdrivers were actually junk and how many were bought by dishonest people who used them for one home project then returned them?

I do agree with the others that your average person doesn't need a drywall screwdriver.

[Woussko]

This is what I had in mind. It's pretty much the same as what Newman posted only this is by Vermont American. I think I'll go back and remove the bad link(s) in my earlier posts. I'm having problems with the HD web site address today.

http://www.vermontamerican.com/Products/subCategoryBrowse.htm?G=191451

[Wild Weasel]

What's the difference between the dimpler drywall driver and the drywall screw setter? Which would be more appropriate?

[wwsmith]

I believe they are both the same thing for the most part and do the same thing. From your link it appears the Dimpler bit is a trademark for that brand, where as I have always heard and used "dimpler" as a common term for that type of bit. I used one that looks exactly like Drywall Screw Setter in your link above and the packaging on mine calls it a Drywall Dimpler bit. The Dimpler Drywall Driver just appears to have more features such as the locking reverse and more "fancy" which most likely equals higher price. I did just fine with the other as the whole point is just to keep the screw from tearing through the paper and simply set to flush with the board with a slight "dimple" to mud over later. I think I paid $1.49 each for the ones I used. Personally, I have never even used this type of bit when working with cement or hardi board as those are usually strong enough that I can easily set the screws properly with little effort. You are going to be covering them with tile anyways so your mastic will easily cover any heads not flush as long as you at least get them reasonably close.

[boytyperanma]

I wonder how many of those "junk" drywall screwdrivers were actually junk and how many were bought by dishonest people who used them for one home project then returned them?

I'm sure there were some of those as well.

I handled a number of the returns where the customer returned the Ridgid and bought the Dewalt instead. The Dewalts work better, have been around for longer and are much lighter. If I decided to get into the drywall business I'd buy a Hilti.

[Newman]

I wonder how many of those "junk" drywall screwdrivers were actually junk and how many were bought by dishonest people who used them for one home project then returned them?

I do agree with the others that your average person doesn't need a drywall screwdriver.


I can't imagine that the Ridgid drywall screwdriver would be all that bad, after all, all drywall screwdrivers are all more or less the same - a drill motor with a clutch/driver head. Hell, I had a cheap Ryobi and even it was pretty decent. Of course a better tool like a Bosch or Hilti is going to last much longer under professional use, but I don't think the Ridgid is necessarily "junk."

[Ross Creek]

WW

http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS/EN_US/diy_main/pg_diy.jsp?CNTTYPE=PROD_META&CNTKEY=misc%2fsearchResults.jsp&BV_SessionID=@@@@0276738146.1167843901@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccecaddjklejkgkcgelceffdfgidgnk.0&MID=9876
Sorry but the above link is messed up. Newman's post is good.



I hang a fair amount of drywall and all I use is a dimpler as pictured in the link above on an impact driver.
I find the impact driver has all the speed I need, plus when the going gets tough, it has some real gunt without twisting my elbow off like an XRP :o

[Wild Weasel]

Hmm... sounds like I should probably pick up an impact driver and the dimpler bit. That's probably the best solution since I'll be able to use the impact driver for other stuff as well.

The VSR drill really isn't all that good for driving screws, right? Too easy to just strip them with it...

[Bob D.]

"The VSR drill really isn't all that good for driving screws, right? Too easy to just strip them with it..."

I think you will have better luck with a VSR drill/driver with a decent clutch than you will with an impact driver, most of which have no clutch AFAIK.

[Wild Weasel]

My corded Ridgid drill has no clutch and a hair trigger. :D

[Ross Creek]

"The VSR drill really isn't all that good for driving screws, right? Too easy to just strip them with it..."

I think you will have better luck with a VSR drill/driver with a decent clutch than you will with an impact driver, most of which have no clutch AFAIK.

With the dimpler you don't need a clutch. The dimpler pulls the driver out of the screw at just the right height. :)