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Cordless Impact Wrench

sippy2 said:
I have a snap-on...3/8"...12v...not very powerful
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3/8" ain't gonna do anything but the small lil bolts here and there. 1/2" is another story. It can remove pretty much 95% of any bolts and nuts on the car :wink:.

NSXchnk said:
Thinking about finally investing in one of these.

Can anyone recommend a good brand/model? Or one that you personally own and love?

This will be mainly for lugnuts, caliper bolts, etc.

I was looking at this list here

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...ch+cordless&rh=i:aps,k:impact+wrench+cordless

Thanks in advance.
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Worth every pennies is the snap on 1/2" cordless impact. Very powerful long last battery life too. Dewalt ain't gonna make you happen :frown:.
 
have a 12v dewalt 3/8 impact, actually bought 2 as I'm in the biz and had to have one for home, also have their 18v which we use in our pit stops to do tire changes. seem to be bullet proof. batteries are good which is important to me. also has good torque and lightweight. I use to say Milwakee but can't say I would anymore. Not a fan of Snap-on as they have stuck with older ni-cd tech, obviously I've spent too much in there other tools but light electric tools is NOT their gig!

dewalt just released the 20v 3/8 and it is a lil lighter and a lil stronger but not enough to make me buy again. search around and I think car & driver or one of the other mags did a comparo a few years back. at the time was not a dewalt fan because of the batts but when I tested their 12v stuff it changed my mind, would not do what I do without one.
 
Caroline-NSX said:
3/8" ain't gonna do anything but the small lil bolts here and there. 1/2" is another story. It can remove pretty much 95% of any bolts and nuts on the car :wink:.
Click to expand...

The difference is that the 3/8 can get many places where the 1/2 can't.

My 3/8 snapon handles my lugs ("small lil bolts") torqued to 100ft/lbs without problem, then I can get behind the steering knuckle and zip off everything I needed to change pads and/or rotors at the track. Honestly, it does everything besides axle nuts in my experience with it.
 
itrsteve said:
The difference is that the 3/8 can get many places where the 1/2 can't.

My 3/8 snapon handles my lugs ("small lil bolts") torqued to 100ft/lbs without problem, then I can get behind the steering knuckle and zip off everything I needed to change pads and/or rotors at the track. Honestly, it does everything besides axle nuts in my experience with it.
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Well of course the 3/8 is smaller and will get into tighter spacer but OP said "This will be mainly for lugnuts, caliper bolts, etc." If I was him I would buy both. 3/8 for the small bolts and 1/2 for those big bolt like the lug nuts etc...
 
yeah just be careful with the 1/2 impacts as they can/will over torque things, even my 18v 3/8's goes above 8mm bolts torque values. let a friend use it to tighten a seat bracket bolt and snapped it right off.

I think the most important item to watch out for is the batteries. I've had my 12v lithium ion stuff for a year now with no battery fade. Ni-cd is awful for this. My tool guys also stands behind these with a no questions asked warranty for a couple years, never had a single issue but its nice to know.

http://www.factoryauthorizedoutlet....lithium-ion-3-8-in-impact-wrench-kit?google=1

^ what I use for most 8mm 10mm 12mm even 14mm stuff and installing lug nuts (obviously you still have to torque them proper) but its small and light and the batteries are awesome. I use these on a daily basis.

The 18v/20v 3/8 ones are good for anything bigger 14mm to 19mm, I don't think any electric will take axle nuts off though. but these work great for suspension work and so on.
 
I have a little Snap On 7.2v Impact but it's not robust enough for lug nuts. I bought an 18v DeWalt impact 1/2 inch and it really does an amazing job on the lugs. I only use it to remove the lugs though because it's capable of 300 ft/lbs. I use a torque wrench to tighten.
 
Caroline-NSX said:
Well of course the 3/8 is smaller and will get into tighter spacer but OP said "This will be mainly for lugnuts, caliper bolts, etc." If I was him I would buy both. 3/8 for the small bolts and 1/2 for those big bolt like the lug nuts etc...
Click to expand...

Exactly why I suggested the 3/8, for suspension items like caliper or caliper bracket bolts. I track my cars, this is a very regular and routine process to swap out wheels, rotors and pads constantly.... I use a snap on 3/8, it works perfectly. Not sure what we're missing here.
 
I have a Dewalt Cordless 20V Lithium Ion 1/4 Brushless 3speed Impact Driver and Matching Drill set. I borrowed a pit mates and I was at Leow's the following Monday picking one up for my self. These tools have changed my life.

Dewalt DCF895B
 
Can we get away with using regular sockets with these cordless units or are these strictly for impact socket sets?
 
I use a dewalt 18volt xrp impact driver to build things. I can probably say as long as you get their 18volt or 20volt line tools then it should be able to do most the things on our cars. Maybe not a crank pulley bolt, but they're pretty powerful little tools.

And to answer the question above. You probably could get away with using regular sockets but make sure they're 6 point sockets. I would never try using anything but 6 point sockets, but I would definitely pick up a set of impact sockets if you find a deal somewhere.
 
Something else to consider is if you have a set of cordless tools already, or plan to invest in a set in the future maybe look for a set that has a good line up too. I know that it's more convenient anyways switching batteries and interchanging things with xxx name brand than to carry around an impact driver from one company, a sawzall from another company, and another from another and all the different batteries and chargers as well.
 
jsl757 said:
Can we get away with using regular sockets with these cordless units or are these strictly for impact socket sets?
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I just use normal sockets, a few rarely break but that's when the Craftsman lifetime warranty comes into play.
 
itrsteve said:
I just use normal sockets, a few rarely break but that's when the Craftsman lifetime warranty comes into play.
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Craftsman has a limited life time warranty, not all of their stuff is life time. For example torque wrenches are not covered.

Sockets are ok for light use but you should invest in a quality set of impact sockets. Oh I have a 1/2" Dewalt heavy duty impact and it's super useful for wheels, etc.
 
For what's it worth, I will be a bit the contrarian here ........ folks have correctly noted staying within one brand of products to maximize the battery use/efficiency.

HOWEVER, if you occasionally use your impact wrench and primarily just to untorque/torque lug nuts, I recommend getting a good electric impact wrench; much cheaper and with more torque albeit unless you are next to an outlet on the track or you have your own power unit it will not be of help at the track. Check the torque ratings of the cordless ones, they often provide in in-lbs and not ft-lbs; I think the high end is about only 125 ft-lbs. If you use such tools regularly/daily for multiple projects, this "suggestion" doesn't apply!

As for using impact wrench with compressors, well most need a supply of at least continuous 6 psi at 90 cfm (not peak) and you are now talking of compressors costing $350+

YMMV.
 
s4play said:
Craftsman has a limited life time warranty, not all of their stuff is life time. For example torque wrenches are not covered.
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Sockets are. Sockets, I was talking about sockets.

Sockets.

Sockets.
 

Call me crazy, but I bought this brand new on craigslist for $375 (MSRP $590). Overkill? :)
 
Snap on 1/2" is the way to go. Ill buy it any day. But remember. You dont need to buy snapon brand. They just put their name on it. Buy one wth another name on it made by same maker if you want to save. But I bought my one on ebay used and one on craigslist local. Love them even tho they are the older style. Just recently picked up a small dewalt impact on craigslist with 4 batteries and a broken drill with it for 40.00. Cannot complain for the price and what it does. But I will buy deqalt over any other construction tools when it comes to drills and saws. But Panasonic is good and reliable b u t not as powerful
 
crx-nsx said:
Snap on 1/2" is the way to go. Ill buy it any day. But remember. You dont need to buy snapon brand. They just put their name on it. Buy one wth another name on it made by same maker if you want to save. But I bought my one on ebay used and one on craigslist local. Love them even tho they are the older style. Just recently picked up a small dewalt impact on craigslist with 4 batteries and a broken drill with it for 40.00. Cannot complain for the price and what it does. But I will buy deqalt over any other construction tools when it comes to drills and saws. But Panasonic is good and reliable b u t not as powerful
Click to expand...

When you say you don't need to buy snap on brand, you meant other tools in general right? for instance, sockets and wrenches? I love my craftsman tools and have been using it for years.
 

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