Impact driver having an external mechanism which operation mode can be selectively switched between impact and drill modes

An impact driver comprising:

• a motor housed in a housing;
• a spindle driven by the motor to rotate;
• an anvil protruding forward and supported in the housing so as to be rotatable, and
• a hammer provided with the spindle at the rear of the anvil for engaging with the anvil and transferring rotation of the spindle to the anvil,
• wherein the hammer engages with or disengages from the anvil in accordance with a torque load on the anvil, which leads to intermittent impact operation to the anvil in the rotative direction,
• wherein the impact driver further comprises a connecting member provided in the housing so as to be movable between a first slide position where engagement of the connecting member with only one of the hammer and the anvil is achieved in order for the connecting member to rotate integrally with one of the hammer and the anvil, and a second slide position where engagement with both the hammer and the anvil is achieved in order for the connecting member to rotate integrally with both of the hammer and the anvil, and
• an operating means provided in the housing for moving the connecting member to the first or second slide position from outside of the housing,
• and wherein an impact mode where the impact operation occurs to the anvil is obtained when the first slide position of the connecting member is selected by the operating means, and a drill mode where the impact operation is stopped irrespective of a load on the anvil is obtained when the second slide position of the connecting member is selected.