Impact Wrench

[Cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by smyles

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Milwaukee's are nice, but their battery prices are just nuts.

Slickdeals periodically has good sales on the batteries and loose tools. I've contemplated buying one but honestly I usually do 3 tire swaps a year and I don't mind using my breaker bar to get things off. I only ever had problems when tire shops would put my lugs on way too tight and getting them off was a pain.

[fs34]

After a good bit of research I settled on Tekton torque wrenches, great wrenches for the price. I’ve had mine a little over a year and have had no issues.

[Ximian]

Originally Posted by smyles

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Milwaukee's are nice, but their battery prices are just nuts.

You can get off-brand versions of the batteries pretty cheap on Amazon. I saw a two pack for under $70.

[smyles]

Originally Posted by Ximian

You can get off-brand versions of the batteries pretty cheap on Amazon. I saw a two pack for under $70.

Yeah but how good are those, i.e. how close to the stated capacity? Durability? I use mostly Ryobi tools and from my experiences if an off-brand battery is half price, the real capacity is also <50%.

[decimation1]

Originally Posted by MechEngineer408

Milwaukee 3/8 stubby impact. Will take off wheels and pretty much anything else on the car no problem.

Milwaukee FUEL FTW!!!

[br2wdc]

The majority of my tools are with Ryobi 18v family, and I did get an Impact Wrench specifically to take the wheels off and it works like a charm, and I think it cost around $105.

Originally Posted by smyles

Yeah but how good are those, i.e. how close to the stated capacity? Durability? I use mostly Ryobi tools and from my experiences if an off-brand battery is half price, the real capacity is also <50%.

[MechEngineer408]

I've gotten pretty much all my Milwaukee stuff from Ebay, tools and batteries. They ship loose with no retail packaging but they've all been legit and much cheaper than the big box stores.

[Adriano917]

I bought a 1/2 OEMtools impact gun $100 from Autozone and its been working great.

[DanMpower]

I've gone through and used many different cordless impact brands including Snap-On and settled on the best IMHO.

The Milwaukee Fuel line can't be beaten. There hasn't been a bolt or nut my 1/2" Milwaukee Fuel couldn't break loose.

The stubby 3/8" as suggested is a great all-around performer if you don't need crazy torque, I have two of them and they get into tight spaces nicely.

[Denny347]

My 18v Makita is a torque monster at 1180-740 ft/lbs

[HadesM3]

What price point do you get the most bang for the buck for cordless impact wrenches? The only cordless tool I have is an old Dewalt 18v drill, so interchangeability is probably not likely.

I want to get a compact impact wrench for light duty work such as exhaust system swaps, wheel lug nut/bolt removal and basic suspension work. Can you get good quality and decent power with a $100-$150 unit?

I really do like the compact Milwaukee Stubby one, but currently outside of my target budget at $280 w/battery and charger. However, the small size would be great working under a car and etc.

https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Produc...enches/2554-22

Are there cheaper quality options with a similar small form factor?

Are there issues getting a 3/8" versus 1/2" unit?

[SilverSlug]

Originally Posted by HadesM3

What price point do you get the most bang for the buck for cordless impact wrenches? The only cordless tool I have is an old Dewalt 18v drill, so interchangeability is probably not likely

I want to get a compact impact wrench for light duty work such as exhaust system swaps, wheel lug nut/bolt removal and basic suspension work. Can you get good quality and decent power with a $100-$150 unit?

Dewalt makes an 18V impact wrench that should be more than enough to take off lug nuts and exhaust bolts.

And you can probably use the same batteries as for your drill (just double check compatibility first).

[exVtekGuy]

I finally got the Milwaukee 2555-20

https://www.toolup.com/Milwaukee-255...mpact-Wrench_2

I already owned other m12 tools with battery and charger so this made sense.

One important thing about this tool is, battery is what makes the difference. I have regular 2ah battery as well as 6ah XC battery. Though I was able to undo lugnuts using both batteries, the regular battery would pound the nuts 3-4 second before loosening while the xc battery would do it with around 1 sec of pounding. Lugnuts were torqued using torque wrench prior.

In any case, this tool seems up to the task for most car related stuff. I'm also looking into high torque wrench like 2767-20 for more stubborn stuff.

I check on slickdeals for deals that match what I'm looking for. there's are always deals but different bundle. some has batteries and charger, some just battery etc. Just gotta figure out what you want and buy it when the deal with the combo you are looking for comes through.

[HadesM3]

Originally Posted by exVtekGuy

I finally got the Milwaukee 2555-20

https://www.toolup.com/Milwaukee-255...mpact-Wrench_2

I already owned other m12 tools with battery and charger so this made sense.

One important thing about this tool is, battery is what makes the difference. I have regular 2ah battery as well as 6ah XC battery. Though I was able to undo lugnuts using both batteries, the regular battery would pound the nuts 3-4 second before loosening while the xc battery would do it with around 1 sec of pounding. Lugnuts were torqued using torque wrench prior.

In any case, this tool seems up to the task for most car related stuff. I'm also looking into high torque wrench like 2767-20 for more stubborn stuff.

I check on slickdeals for deals that match what I'm looking for. there's are always deals but different bundle. some has batteries and charger, some just battery etc. Just gotta figure out what you want and buy it when the deal with the combo you are looking for comes through.

I just bought the 2555-22 w/ 2 batteries (2 and 4 Ah) from Home Depot for $270. Hopefully it arrives timely for my install next weekend.

I was originally looking for a cheaper floor jack and impact wrench but ended buying better models after all the advice on this forum.

Thanks!

[nrubenstein]

Originally Posted by SilverSlug

Dewalt makes an 18V impact wrench that should be more than enough to take off lug nuts and exhaust bolts.

And you can probably use the same batteries as for your drill (just double check compatibility first).

Do NOT buy any dewalt 18V hardware. Seriously. If your investment consists of one old drill, don't worry about it. You don't want to commit to an ancient system that's been almost completely deprecated without good reason.

I've got a pretty decent investment in the Dewalt 20V hardware. Largely because I'm in the real estate industry and everyone in construction uses Dewalt. I don't see any meaningful delta in most of the tools vs. the Milwaukees.

The one exception is the Milwaukee M12 ratchet, which is one of my favorite tools in the world. Note that they make a FUEL version of the ratchet, and it sucks. Avoid. The slight increase in power is way more than offset by the weight increase, unbalanced weight distribution (all the extra weight is at the head), and size increase. If you need power in a compact form, get the right angle impact.

[New2Roundel]

I got this Dewalt a few weeks ago: https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-2...99M1/206387892

It's been awesome at removing lug bolts and lug nuts without having to pre-loosen them with a breaker bar.

[nrubenstein]

Originally Posted by New2Roundel

I got this Dewalt a few weeks ago: https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-2...99M1/206387892

It's been awesome at removing lug bolts and lug nuts without having to pre-loosen them with a breaker bar.

I have that one as well. It's good, but you need a smaller impact to supplement it for lower torque applications. It's too heavy, and bulky, and slow to use for general purpose work.

[pbonsalb]

The best all around is the new Milwaukee M18 mid torque because it is very compact while doing 600 lbs, but it’s not a bargain. If you just want to do wheels and readily accessible bolts a $120 Ryobi 3 speed works pretty well (more with batteries and charger).

I would skip the cheap no name stuff, but that is me. I’d pick a platform that has other tools you might want in the future. Ryobi and Milwaukee have the most tools.

[New2Roundel]

Originally Posted by nrubenstein

I have that one as well. It's good, but you need a smaller impact to supplement it for lower torque applications. It's too heavy, and bulky, and slow to use for general purpose work.

Yeah, the weight definitely surprised me. I have a craftsman that's a little smaller and much lighter.

[nrubenstein]

Originally Posted by New2Roundel

Yeah, the weight definitely surprised me. I have a craftsman that's a little smaller and much lighter.

Pick up the 3/8" impact to supplement it and you're gold for most things. I'd say that roughly 45% of my use is 3/8" impact, 50% is M12 3/8" ratchet, 5% is big impact. The size and power make it a lot less useful than you'd think.

Low, but just enough power tools really are a lot better to use most of the time. (Kind of like an S65! )

[HadesM3]

I started this recent journey into impact tools by purchasing a Milwaukee M12 Stubby 1/2" impact wrench (2555). It did a great job on my recent X-Pipe swap loosening all fasteners with ease.

However, I started watching various YouTube videos on impact tools and was persuaded to purchase more tools thinking my Stubby was not enough. I just bought these:

3/8" M18 Fuel Compact Gen-3 (2854)
3/8" M18 Fuel Gen-2 Mid-torque (2902)
1/4" M12 Fuel Hex Impact Driver (2553)
1/4" M18 Fuel Hex Impact Driver (2853)

I plan to return a couple tools. Any recommendations which are the best ones to keep?

I won't be doing any heavy engine work. Basically maintenance, repairs and modifications like exhaust and suspension.

I was thinking of keeping the M18 1/4" Hex and M18 3/8" mid-torque and possibly Stubby.

Thanks guys!

[hsaguirre]

Originally Posted by HadesM3

I started this recent journey into impact tools by purchasing a Milwaukee M12 Stubby 1/2" impact wrench (2555). It did a great job on my recent X-Pipe swap loosening all fasteners with ease.

However, I started watching various YouTube videos on impact tools and was persuaded to purchase more tools thinking my Stubby was not enough. I just bought these:

3/8" M18 Fuel Compact Gen-3 (2854)
3/8" M18 Fuel Gen-2 Mid-torque (2902)
1/4" M12 Fuel Hex Impact Driver (2553)
1/4" M18 Fuel Hex Impact Driver (2853)

I plan to return a couple tools. Any recommendations which are the best ones to keep?

I won't be doing any heavy engine work. Basically maintenance, repairs and modifications like exhaust and suspension.

I was thinking of keeping the M18 1/4" Hex and M18 3/8" mid-torque and possibly Stubby.

Thanks guys!

I bought the M18 1/4 driver and drill combo as well as the M18 1/2 impact driver. Love those three tools combined. Rarely use the 1/2 except for wheels and some high torque other parts. The 1/4 driver is used at least once a week. Couldn't be happier.