Drill vs. Screw Gun for the Dummy DIYer

A screw gun: note the specialized tip

You have to love it when people who know nothing attempt to hold forth on just about anything. If that really turns you on, then you must have loved eHow.com and continue to love the many niches into which Leaf Group is stuffing the content formerly housed at the mother lode of misinformation. Here's today's example of a freelancer blathering through his hat, as niched over at Hunker.com: meet Doug Berthon and his post "What is the Difference Between a Drill & a Screw Gun?"¹

Berthon, an accountant who fancied himself a freelancer and DIYer, opened with some... can we say "bogus information" here?

"Although the terms 'drill' and 'screw gun' are sometimes used interchangeably, they are different tools. Drywall is installed with screw guns, but drills are used to install cabinets and trim."

Wait, what? That's all drills are used for, "cabinets and trim"??? And in what universe are "drill" and "screw gun" "used interchangeably" except by people who, like Doug, don't know the difference? That's certainly an inauspicious beginning, wouldn't you say? And he didn't even mention why they might be confused: they look  alike!

Doug goes on from there, starting with explaining that a drill has a chuck while a screw gun doesn't. Next, he explains that,

"Screw guns serve one main purpose, which is to install drywall, plywood or other materials where the screws must be set flush. Drills are used for boring, screwing and hammer drilling." We have to wonder why 1) Doug thinks a drill/driver won't set screws flush and 2) he thinks all drills are capable of "hammer drilling." Hint: not all are, just hammer drills (duh). Doug then babbles about the speed of rotation (few screw guns reach speeds of "6,000 revolutions per minute [rpm]," Doug). Finally, Berthon gets to the meat of the matter: the screws themselves...

"For large projects, drills and screw guns are available in models that remove the need to handle every screw. The screws are set in strips that are fed automatically."

Again: wait, what? Both drills and screw guns? No, you dolt, that's the difference between a drill and a screw gun: the automatic loading! And, for what it's worth, a screw gun that didn't "remove the need to handle every screw" would be... wait for it... a drill/driver. Idiot.

And finally, Doug says,

"Fact: A drill can be used as a screw gun if you insert a dimpling bit in the chuck. These bits are available from your local home store. Drills used in this manner are mainly for installing a few screws because of the slow drill speed."

First, you don't need a "dimpling bit" (usually called a dimple bit), even to drive drywall screws: almost any cordless drill/driver can be set to low torque for the task. Second, it's not "slow drill speed" that makes screw guns better suited for hanging drywall or laying underlayment, it's that they automatically feed the screws. Get a clue, Doug!

Based on his utter ignorance of screw guns and his bizarre ideas about using drills, we are more than justified in choosing Mr. Berthon to wear the sign "Dumbass of the Day" on his back.

¹ The original has been sent to the cleanup team by Leaf Group, but can still be accessed using the Wayback machine at archive.org. Its URL was    ehow.com/facts_5848243_difference-between-drill-screw-gun_.html

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