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I have a Hitachi cordless drill:

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You can turn the gray numbered part to switch between, hammer drill, drill and screwdriver mode. The screwdriver mode is numbered up to 22. Can someone explain what the different numbers mean? I haven't really noticed a difference between them.

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  • 2
    Possible duplicate of this DIY blog post: diy.blogoverflow.com/2012/04/clutches-torque-and-you
    – Niall C. ♦
    Commented May 9, 2012 at 23:26
  • You haven't noticed any difference between #1 and #22? Your drill is defective or you're drilling marshmallows.
    – Matthew
    Commented Sep 4, 2012 at 18:13
  • My hitachi hammer drill lasted 4 hours - good luck!
    – DMoore
    Commented Apr 12, 2013 at 16:17

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When the drill is used as a screwdriver, the numbers indicate the torque breaking point. Higher numbers mean more torque. By breaking point, I mean the point at which torque is no longer applied.

This feature is useful because you can limit the amount of torque that is applied to prevent screws, or the materials they are inserted in, from being stripped. When the screw is in all the way, you want the torque to stop.

When you use the drill as a drill, as opposed to a screwdriver, you set the number to the highest setting, In most drills that setting will be indicated by a picture of a drill bit rather than a number. It will be after the highest number. Some drills may also have a picture of a hammer. This indicates it has a percussive hammer action as well as drill mode.

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  • Maybe it depends on the model, but on all drills I've used the torque limiter only makes a difference in screwdriver mode. In percussion or drill mode you get the full torque available from the motor.
    – Carl
    Commented Sep 4, 2019 at 9:33
  • Nicer drill/drivers have two separate rings - one selects the mode (screwdriving, drilling, hammer drilling), the other selects the screwdriving clutch torque. In this case drilling and hammer drilling always provide full torque and are not affected by the setting of the torque ring. Simpler drill/drivers have a single setting ring with numbers (screwdriving mode), drilling, hammer drilling (if the drill has this feature). Less convenient if you have to frequently switch between drilling and driving.
    – Gene Pauly
    Commented Apr 15, 2021 at 14:57

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