I finally quit using my impact driver on fridge door screws, and a stripped hinge in Omaha taught me why

Vera Lewis · 2026-10-11T04:50:03.741807+00:00

Two years back I was swapping a lower hinge on a customer's French door fridge in Omaha, and I buzzed all four screws in with my impact like I always did. Heard a crack, looked down, and the top screw hole in that zinc hinge plate was ovaled out. The customer came around the corner and just said "that one wobbled before you got here." I had been doing that on every single fridge door for close to a decade, and not one of those screws ever needed more than a hand driver. Now I keep a stubby #2 Phillips in my chest and the impact stays in the truck for hinges I actually want to remove. What's your cutoff for power tools versus hand tools on a job like that?

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I finally quit using my impact driver on fridge door screws, and a stripped hinge in Omaha taught me why | Appliance Repairers - Thought Shares