Impact wrench

I'm thnking about getting an electric 120 volt impact wrench. I know a cordless would be more convenient but I've had cordless drills and the batteries quit holding a charge after a few years and they are not cheap.
An air impact might be good but I wouldn't use it that often so I wonder if they have seals that might go bad when sitting for a long time without use.
I have electric drills that are 30+ years old and sit in the shed for months or years with no ill effects.
Also when I go hunting or camping I always have a gen with me so I could use the impact if needed out in the sticks.
Any thoughts?

I hate battery tools. Batteries cost a fortune and don't last. I prefer air impacts for the power they have but for other tools i like corded because they're fairly cheap and last forever.

I have the Milwaukee M18 drill and Impact driver kit that was $200 new (that's the cheapest kit with the crappiest batteries), both get used extensively and have built a LOT of stuff. Batteries are still original to when I bought them in 14 and last a good long while.

The impact driver is used almost every time I work on any of my vehicles, the sheer fact they are cordless is why I use them every time, they just make the job go so much faster and your not tripping over cords.

These little cordless buggers (especially the Fuel!) are surprisingly powerful and useful for doing 90% of the stuff I do on my vehicles. My M18 impact driver will remove properly torqued lug nuts, no where near as fast as an air impact but it will still do it.

When I need to bust a harmonic balancer bolt loose I break out my air impact.

Batteries have come a LONG ways, and Milwaukee has some pretty heavy duty cordless tools. At least give them a good look before writing them off.

If you want to stick with a corded tool then all of the 4 big brands are good, Dewalt, Milwaukee, Makita, Ryobi, in order from best to not the best but FAR from bad. I'm not familiar with any other brands but I'm sure there are others out there and people will chime in on them.

I second the Milwaukee. Only tool I buy!


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Ive had Ryobi tools for many years so I have a biased interested as I have all the tools and batteries. I picked up the new Ryobi 300 ft/lb impact about 6 months ago. On the big 4ah battery I can do a complete tire rotation on a 15 years old rusted out cargo van, so 8 lugs per tire, with power to spare. It popped them loose without struggle, and over tightened every one! Same impact I did my suspension level with Bilsteins with. I can hype it up all day long, Im sure the SnapOn crew will get in here and bash it but it does the job.

The Milwaukee is likely better, but for Ryobi it does a great job of overkill.

PS I had an electric one before and it couldnt break a lot of things loose.

We're a Milwaukee household personally. Dad's had the same Milwaukee sawzall long as i can remember and I've personally abused the hell out of it and gone through more blades than i care to count. Have both a Ryobi and Milwaukee drill and they're both great. Matter of preference

Harbor Freight electric impact, had it for 10 years at least and works great!!! I think I paid like $30 bucks for it on sale.

If you don't like batteries then this is the one I would go with.... I've put many a miles on one and works like a champ

Milwaukee 1/2 in. Impact Wrench with Rocker Switch and Detent Pin Socket Retention-9070-20 - The Home Depot

But I am also a fan of their M18 line of battery tools... I have just about every one you can think of except their impact so I cannot weigh in with experience on that particular tool but the rest are great.

I do believe the corded tools are capable of higher torq than most battery one but its hard to replace the snapon one I have had for years and abused on the farm where power was not as accessible. It was a free tool so I don't even know the cost of the Snapon impact but can say it has lasted 10 plus years.

But all in all for the cost you cant go wrong with either the corded or battery Milwaukee tools

R/T_Fire said:

If you don't like batteries then this is the one I would go with.... I've put many a miles on one and works like a champ



Milwaukee 1/2 in. Impact Wrench with Rocker Switch and Detent Pin Socket Retention-9070-20 - The Home Depot



But I am also a fan of their M18 line of battery tools... I have just about every one you can think of except their impact so I cannot weigh in with experience on that particular tool but the rest are great.



I do believe the corded tools are capable of higher torq than most battery one but its hard to replace the snapon one I have had for years and abused on the farm where power was not as accessible. It was a free tool so I don't even know the cost of the Snapon impact but can say it has lasted 10 plus years.



But all in all for the cost you cant go wrong with either the corded or battery Milwaukee tools

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Ryobi, Milwaukee, ridgid are all made by the same company. Ridgid has the advantage with their lifetime warranty that also includes batteries.


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this thing is the cat's meow. I also have 2 9.0 amp hour batteries for it... Never had an issue with it.

twolabsdad said:

Ryobi, Milwaukee, ridgid are all made by the same company. Ridgid has the advantage with their lifetime warranty that also includes batteries.


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They may be made by the same company but that doesnt mean they have the same manufacturing standards for the product. Both rigid and ryobi are not bad products but from my experience with them they are not the same as milwaukee in overall quality.

Kinda like craftsman vs the craftsman professional... not thst craftsman are quality anymore but you catch my drift

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Another vote for the Milwaukee. I am a mechanic and have the m18 fuel set with the 3/8" and 1/2" impacts. Love them. Use them all day and Rarely use my air tools anymore.


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As a mechanic, switching up to battery powered impact was the best decision ever. No chords/airlines or outlets needed. keep it in the truck under the seat even. Most of the 18+ volt ones will do the job just fine. On the battery issue for replacement - amazon always has a battery i need for a fraction of the price. A lot of other companies make batteries for even specialized guns.

Minority Opinion---A few years ago I bought a Craftsman 1/2 drive impact with the "good" batteries and have never had a problem. I doubted it would work on the truck so I took it out of the store and tied it and it broke everyone of the lug nuts loose. I was surprised. I carry it in the truck tool box, check the charge every couple of months and it's served me well. It was also cheaper than some of the other "well known" higher dollar brands.
Jay

So I ended up going with a Kobalt 1/2 inch 350 ft/lbs tourque corded impact because I had to replace the other hub and bearing assembly on my truck. Last December I broke a 1/2 breaker bar, 2 1/2 inck craftsman ratchets and my craftsman tourque wrench trying to remove the 43mm nut on the first one. The Kobalt had the nut off in about 3 seconds, awesome!
I had gift cards to Lowes so it was basically free. $149 and it came with 6 deep sockets and a nice case, 5 year warranty too. It worked like a champ.

Gr8bawana said:

So I ended up going with a Kobalt 1/2 inch 350 ft/lbs tourque corded impact because I had to replace the other hub and bearing assembly on my truck. Last December I broke a 1/2 breaker bar, 2 1/2 inck craftsman ratchets and my craftsman tourque wrench trying to remove the 43mm nut on the first one. The Kobalt had the nut off in about 3 seconds, awesome!
I had gift cards to Lowes so it was basically free. $149 and it came with 6 deep sockets and a nice case, 5 year warranty too. It worked like a champ.

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Got one like it. Great tool, lots of power, lug nuts no problem.

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I have the Milwaukee M18 drill and Impact driver kit that was $200 new (that's the cheapest kit with the crappiest batteries), both get used extensively and have built a LOT of stuff. Batteries are still original to when I bought them in 14 and last a good long while.

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I have a DeWalt 18V battery drill bought in 2009 and he is still fine despite he stay month without use in humid tropical air and rust.
I have another DeWalt 18V drill in Italy and same thing, no problems at all.

I guess that cheap tools get cheap batteries ...

However, if you don't need to use the impact wrench there where no current is available then an corded one and a long extention cord is fine and cheaper.

Chris

As others have said if OP wants corded, then most major brands will do the job. That said, I went cordless with Bosch 18v and have been very impressed and satisfied with it. Also considered Milwaukee and Snap-On.
So your wife calls with a flat tire, it's summer and hot, and she is not happy. (happy wife, happy life; unhappy wife, !!!!!!). You can drive out where she and car are, hand jack it, hand change it etc. Or take your battery powered impact along, use it on the scissor jack to raise the car, get those lug nuts off, and put the spare on in a fraction of the time. Still not a happy wife, but imagine if the tire change takes 20 minutes longer when she has to pee.

In my trade battery tools rule the day now. Iv gone through a few brands, craftsman, ryobi and dewalt. Im a diehard Milwaukee fan now, have both 12 and 18 volt sets and love them. 12v for littleish things, 18 for mans work...lol, The crappy little batteries that come with the tools are just that...crap! 4.0 amp hr and now have a couple 6.0 amp hr and they work great!
This is a loaded thread as everyone has their own opinion as to what works best in their mind.
Iv drug out cords n corded tools for most of my 38 year electrical career,still cary in my tool box, and these new battery operated tools are the shizzle, im never giving them up..lol

dapepper9 said:

I hate battery tools. Batteries cost a fortune and don't last. I prefer air impacts for the power they have but for other tools i like corded because they're fairly cheap and last forever.

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Agree completely. I own all three. Battery tools just for small tools. Air for cars/trucks/Nailers. AC for larger drills, saws, floor model tools, tablesaw, etc. I prefer Milwaukee and Porter Cable.

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