question about impact wrenches

[nositting]

so it appears that conventional wisdom dictates i should consider looking at…
- battery over air
- something that goes with my current battery line up
- 1/2” over 3/8”, just in case


with that being said, i have two questions…

1. do i get the mid 1/2” ridgid impact wrench new in box from guy on craigslist with charger and a 4 ah battery for $140 and no lifetime service agreement or
2. the 1/2” new from home depot for $160 tool only with lifetime service agreement?

both options have about 500 lbs of torque and 3 speeds but option #1 also has the auto setting.

i’m thinking #1. i’m a DIY guy but i don’t work on the jeep much. this would be used for rotating tires and such.

interested in your thoughts and thx!

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[dcmdon]

If I remember right, all Ridgid cordless tools come with a lifetime warranty on the battery. You might want to check into whether or not you need a receipt to get that warranty.

I went cheap. I've already got a barely better than home owner quality set of Ryobi 18v tools.

It works fine for me.

There seems to be 2 camps.

1) I want something to rotate tires and if I'm working suspension I'll take out the breaker bar to break it loose. That's me. I use a breaker bar to break the lugs loose anyway because I don't want to beat them up with an impact driver.

2) I want the beefiest, strongest impact driver I can get my hands on. I work on rusty suspension bolts regularly and want to remove them like they are new and slathered with grease - that's not me.

 

[Apples491]

I love my Kobalt 1/2" impact. Nominally, 650 ft lbs, but I'm not sure how much I actually believe those ratings.

However, I agree with the "pick your battery ecosystem and stick with it" mindset. Unless you're buying Snap-on or MAC, there isn't enough of a difference between the brands to really matter.

 

[Yawnie'sPapa]

If I remember right, all Ridgid cordless tools come with a lifetime warranty on the battery. You might want to check into whether or not you need a receipt to get that warranty.

I went cheap. I've already got a barely better than home owner quality set of Ryobi 18v tools.

It works fine for me.

There seems to be 2 camps.

1) I want something to rotate tires and if I'm working suspension I'll take out the breaker bar to break it loose. That's me. I use a breaker bar to break the lugs loose anyway because I don't want to beat them up with an impact driver.

2) I want the beefiest, strongest impact driver I can get my hands on. I work on rusty suspension bolts regularly and want to remove them like they are new and slathered with grease - that's not me.

Batteries are the biggest problems on such tools. I have two perfectly good DeWalt drills - good shape, strong, nothing wrong with them but the inability to get batteries.

I restore old cars, and need something that will either take a bolt out, or break it. Thus my Milwaukee impact bought at the recommendation of a guy who does nationally known restorations himself. He's like me - taking them apart, don't waste the time. Only fasteners that can't be replaced with proper types need to be saved.

But for rotating tires, that sort of thing - I'm in the #1 arena.
Take things loose by breaker bar, then put my impact in spin mode to run the nuts off quickly.
For putting them back, spin mode until the nuts touch the wheel, then the rest by hand.

I've swapped springs, control arms and other parts on both of my Gladiators (more than once) and that big impact with giga-torque was priceless getting those high-torque bolts and nuts loose - even for putting things back.
I'm used to working on things that require serious torque and muscle. I have a 3/4" drive socket set. (and a long pipe to go over the 3/4" breaker bar that came with that set)

There are times I want fasteners moved quickly, times I want to save them and keep them nice, and times I just want a bolt broke so I can get things apart.
For that, I need the strongest gun because I can back it down for the light stuff.
Like my wife keeps reminding me - I always go back and buy another, or a better something, if I don't buy the best I can get the first time.
My big impact was great today, quick removal and reinstallation of the right power step on my wife's Wrangler - it was set on the lowest setting. Took out 12 bolts in seconds, then on low ran them up to snug so I could torque them proper when done.

I guess I'm used to having drawers full of things like that. Heck, I have 4 routers in the wood shop upstairs. Big one for big work, a palm router for trim work, one mounted in my router table...

Ya gotta decide what YOUR purpose or need is - no one can tell you what you should buy. People can suggest based on their use and experiences, but the choice is yours.
Think hard - it's a big enough purchase you don't want regrets in 2 weeks.

 

[Ten North Prez]

For what it's worth from no one special, I've had a lot of battery powered tools over the years (like dozens) and I would highly recommend looking at the Milwaukee Fuel series M18.

 

[lashlee]

I've got a few of the Makita 18v impacts, along with both a 3/8" and 1/2" Milwaukee Fuel mid torque impacts with a 1/2" big torque Milwaukee Fuel impacts and a Ingersol Rand 2235ti air impact. I typically grab the 1/2" mid torque for most things since it's less likely to overtorque fasteners. Like everyone else has stated, find something that's comfortable in the price you're willing to pay and go to town!

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