Recommendation for Cordless Impact Wrench?
 

Hey all,

I'm looking for recommendations on a good cordless/battery powered impact wrench that I can use to loosen and tighten lug nuts (and potentially other bolts) on my car. Most of my tools are for 1/2" drive, so I'd prefer one that uses that.

I live in a condo, so air powered or corded isn't really an option, as power outlets aren't readily available in the parking garage. Any recommendations? What should I be looking for? Is there anything else I should also consider when buying an impact wrench (accessories etc.)?

Thanks in advance!

I picked up a Craftsman from Sears last year that uses a 19.2v Li-Ion battery. Plenty of torque for lug nuts and also handled the subframe bolts with ease.

I've used damn near every brand, they are all pretty good. The Milwaukee and kobalt are the best bang for the buck but whatever you can find on sale will be good....not Hf

Sears had the Craftsman on sale about month ago... Picked it up for under $90

I got the 3/8 craftsman with the 18v Nicad. Apparently they do sell Li packs that fit as well, but in retrospect I should have gone with 1/2".

Milwaukee FUEL M18 model 2763 is what I would recommend and use. 1100 lb-ft of torque for removing nuts and 700 lb-ft of torque for fastening. I pretty much don't even start up my compressor any more after getting this impact.

I have the 1/2 inch one. I didn't think the 3/8 would have enough torque.

It does the trick but it seems underpowered. I might get a Li and see if that helps. Or swap the pack with a harbor freight one, they make 20v.

I have the 3/8" Milwaukee fuel impact. It can do 200 ft-lbs of torque. Plenty for lug nuts and most other applications. You don't need anything crazy like 700 ft-lbs. everything on a car can be torqued with a 1/2" torque wrench(normally calibrated upto 150 ft-lbs).

You should never torque anything with an impact, only a torque wrench. Also, just because you torque something to 150 doesn't mean that it will only take 150 to remove it. Factor in time, rust, etc. and it can take a lot more to remove. I have the M12 Fuel 3/8", m18 Fuel 3/8", and the M18 Fuel 1/2" high torque and there are some things that you just need the high torque impact for such as axle nuts or crankshaft bolts (on Honda cars especially). After last winter, the M18 3/8" wouldn't take the lugs off, but the high torque took them off without issue. That's after a winter with lots of snow and salted roads.

Go read up on the garagejournal.com forums and you'll see all reviews on any impact you want.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

I never said anything about torquing fasteners with an impact. As for your 3/8" M18 not removing your lug nuts after a winter of driving, I think you need a new one. Either that or you never rotated your tires and ensured the threads were clean. Our cars call for 89 ft-lbs if I remember correctly.

The newer m18 3/8" impact is good for most applications that your average car owner would do.

I do know that torquing something to 150 ft-lbs will result in needing more then that amount of torque to remove it, I have experienced this more then enough times from Maine winters and working on ships.

If you have a stubborn bolt or nut a penetrating fluid followed by a proper breaker bar is the correct way to remove it. Grabbing a highly over powered impact for the job will result in stripped threads.

As for having 1/2" drive tools already I recommend getting an adapter to go from 3/8 to 1/2. The nice thing about 3/8 is the sockets are usually slightly slimmer and shorter allowing easier access.

I swap from winter and summer rims/tires every year so no chance of not rotating. My experience with the M18 FUEL 3/8" is different from your experience although in line with what others have experienced on GJ.

I use the M12 FUEL 3/8" for small tight spaces and the HTIW (high torque impact wrench) for everything else. There are multiple settings on all of the Fuel impacts so not much chance of stripping anything. And yes, if an impact won't loosen something then the breaker bar and penetrating oil comes out. . .followed by a torch if all else fails.

My point is, why bother with the regular M18 FUEL 3/8" when you can get the 1/2" model instead and have the flexibility to use a lower setting. The physical size of both M18 models is negligible and you can use a 1/2" to 3/8" adapter if you want.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

You can pry my Dewalt cordless impact from my cold dead hands. It has proven very helpful for all sorts of work. Even gently getting seized bolts loose without snapping them. Best tool purchase I ever made.

I myself have a Milwaukee. Check out the warranty on the gun and batteries compared to other brands. I remember being pretty impressed with the Milwaukee warranty at the time of purchase. Its not all about ft/lbs...though if you ever want to do a wheel bearing or axle etc (im not sure the torque specs on these cars) having extra grunt makes things much much easier...

If your only purpose for impact wrench is to remove lugs, then I would say why not go with whatever fits your budget? I spent $99 on the craftsman 19.2v 1/2" last year and still using it fine. Used it to change springs, wheels, multiple friends' wheels. Gets the job done.

Do you guys have any issues with messing up the studs when removing lugs with the impact? Our studs seem prone to cross-threading/stripping...

Most cross threading/stripping happens when people impact them on.

No issues for me an I've had the wheels on/off probably a dozen times in the last year. I use the impact to take them off, and and when I put them back on I thread them by hand and use the impact to spin them down to essentially finger tight.

Torque wrench from there to the correct value.

I personally use and recommend the Milwaukee lineup, I work in a shop where I abuse my Milwaukee stuff on the daily, and I've had my Milwaukee impact for 2 years and it hasn't even shown signs of wearing out yet lol. I can't recommend them enough!

I can't believe it took me this far down the thread to find a Dewalt recco.

Dewalt is worth the hype. The only people who complain are people who say they are frequent users but aren't. They will never see the shit I see some Dewalt tools go through and just blink and say: "What? Am I supposed to shed a tear?"

If you can't get Dewalt, Craftsman is good. Milwaukee isn't bad but a solid step down from Dewalt imho.

EDIT: Taking off stuff, I use impact. Putting stuff back on, hand fasten, torque wrench to final spec. After snapping a metal flange and nearly taking out my eye (thank god for safety glasses) due to poor casting, I have sworn the f*ck off using impact for fastening. Slow but I'll be damned if anyone says I cheated.

Frost

I bought a 3/8" craftsman 18v and it suuuuuuuuuucks.

Get a dewalt 1/2" and be done with it, seriously.

If you're feeling cheap you can try the alltrade brand I guess, you can get those off newegg or amazon for $60 sometimes. No idea if they're any good honestly, but anything's better than mine.
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Tradespro-837212-24-volt-2-Inch-Cordless/dp/B00E6EF826"]Amazon.com: Tradespro 837212 24-volt 1/2-Inch Drive Cordless Impact Wrench Kit: Home Improvement[/ame]

I've had the Craftsman 19.2V 1/2" impact for 3+ years now. At first I used it with the NiCad batteries I already had on hand, and if fully charged they would remove lug nuts ok, but I'd be lucky to get through one complete wheel swap before the battery started to die. Upgraded to lithium batteries and it made all the difference in the world. It will do multiple wheel swaps on different cars, and the batteries can sit for weeks/months between charging and still be good to go.


I also have a Dewalt 14.4V impat that my wife got me for my birthday 10-12 years ago, before the more powerful impacts were commonly available. Still works well, although not as much power as the newer higher voltage impacts out there.

I have this one: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DCF880M2-20-volt-Lithium-2-Inch/dp/B00AEAYXWM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1422040358&sr=8-4&keywords=dewalt+1%2F2+cordless+impact"]Amazon.com: DEWALT DCF880M2 20-volt MAX Lithium Ion 1/2-Inch Impact Wrench Kit with Detent Pin: Home Improvement[/ame] and love it. Small, lightweight, and plently of tq for most things.

Just found out Amazon is having a Hitachi sale right now. The WR18DBDL2 cordless impact wrench looks awesome for tight spaces. 255 ft-lbs, and only weighs 3.3 lbs.. 2" wide, 5" long.. more compact than some cordless drills. The extra battery & carrying case doesn't hurt either.

If you're just removing lugs, get some exercise and use this... it's free and in your trunk. :P

https://static.summitracing.com/glob...-W10098_ml.jpg

I heard ingersoll rand is the best. why nobody here recommend this one?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

That one looks like overkill for tires, exhaust & suspension work (which is all I need it for). Went ahead and bought the more compact Hitachi one, 250 ft-lbs is all the torque I'll need. Plus at 3.3 lbs, it's easier/lighter for the wife to use, I can leave it in her car's trunk in case she gets a flat and needs to change tires.

I have Craftsman 19.2V.

The same battery pack powers:

1/2" Impact gun
Portable flashlight
Air compressor
Drill

I pretty much use impact gun to take off lugs and to speed up lug install process, but I never actually torque it down with a gun. Always use a torque wrench to finish off but the lugs are started by hand.


Because it's $400+ and I'm not a professional mechanic.

Some of those Milwaukee guns recommended are also in the $400 range ...
When purchasing such a gun, better leave some room for crankshaft pulleys. 200 ft lb won't be nearly enough there.

Question about cordless stuff in general...

I'm not always a "plan ahead" kind of guy, and I'm not out in the garage every day or two, either. When some time opens up and I can get to a job, i get to it. Translation - my cordless batteries are almost always dead, and waiting to charge them means my time window is now gone. My cordless stuff is all NiCd, so maybe things have improved in the past decade..

I've got a Dewalt compressor, and it's my favorite tool. Whenever I need to do a job, I close the air bleeder valve, fire it up, and a minute later I'm ready to go for the day. After the job is done, I turn it off, use the residual air to check and maintain tire pressure in all of my vehicles, bleed off the rest, and call it day.

Any point/benefit to me grabbing some newer cordless gear? Just curious.. I like tools, so if I'm missing something let me know.

As an aside, Sears sold the Craftsman line fairly recently.

I'm a big Dewalt and Porter Cable fan as electric tools go.

I use the Milwaukee M18 Fuel 3/8 with the Li-on batteries sparingly, maybe once a week max. Mostly for lug nuts or random smaller bolts. I have two batteries and they generally last me about 6 months each if I take them down to 25%. I keep them above 70% most of the time since it gives you more available torque. If it falls lower than around 50% it won't take off my lug nuts.

I use the 3/8 a lot more than the 1/2 due to the size and weight. I also love the torque limit settings, they work quite well. The 3/8 does 90% of what I need, but the 1/2 would need adapters and extensions to use in most situations. I tend to only need the 1/2 for strut bolts or axle nuts, so rare usage in comparison.

Or, if you want to upgrade ....... I recommend one like this .......:thumbsup:


humfrz

The new Milwaukee M18 Fuel stuff is glorious. My 3/8" impact zips the lugs right off my dads 2500hd.

My Matco 1/2" air gun gets a lot less use these days because of it.:thumbsup:

Let's not get crazy now! :bonk:

I have that impact wrench... been very happy with it. I also have the smaller brushless 3/8 impact. It has plenty of power for most things on our cars and pretty compact/light too: https://www.amazon.com/Ingersoll-Ran.../dp/B01HRV77UA

Milwaukee M18 Fuel 3/8" or 1/2" will do the trick, I use them frequently.

Bought the Hitachi one last week. It's one of the smallest/lightest, if not the smallest/lightest cordless impacts out there. Took off my lug nuts with no problem. Those air tools might be obsolete in a few years at the rate these cordless version are advancing.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MUE6NLL