What is the best cordless impact wrench I can purchase that is just as strong as a traditional 1/2 drive pneumatic impact wrench?
After I did some research, and purchased a couple of 2018 model cordless impact wrenches I did some tests. If you work on automobiles or motorcycles you have at one point or another needed to use a 1/2 inch or 1/4 inch drive ratchet set. But when you needed to tackle hard to remove, frozen, rusty bolts you would have to bring out the pneumatic impact wrench. In order to have one of these you would need air hose line, an air compressor to power this behemoth of a tool. However if the situation was right, you were here to be very glad that you had it. I can’t tell you how many times an air impact wrench took me out of a tight spot. Today manufacturers have been able to process and develop new and powerful battery operated impact wrenches. If you own or maintain automobiles trucks motorcycles boats anything mechanical you need an impact wrench. Before a few wanted to remove an old rusted bolt you would have to torch the bolt, and heat it up. And then with the breaker bar, try and break it loose while taking the chance of breaking inexpensive ratchet, just to remove the bolt.
I have found two cordless impact wrench is that I’m going to talk about today. DeWalt and Milwaukee are the top manufacturers currently on cordless impact wrenches. I perform several test on my own truck. I wanted to get a real up close experience with these tools, so I could then explain my results and conclusions about the impact wrenches.
What Types of Cordless Impact Wrenches Can You Buy
- 1/2 Inch drive impact wrenches are used for bigger style nuts and bolts such as lug nuts, control arm bolts, or any type of bolt that holds down heavy pieces of metal or wood.
- 1/4 Inch drive impact wrenches are smaller in size because they are used for smaller bolts that could be attached to a transmission, engine, or housing parts. They typically will work in junction with socket sizes up to a 3/4 or 19mm in size.
- ratchet style impact wrenches that give you the comfort and convenience of a standard ratchet and socket set
- screw drive style impact wrenches for driving screws down that require heavy amounts of torque, mainly in construction or electrical services.
The possibilities are endless, and there always seems to be an impact tool for everything, but thats where you have it twisted up. During my test of the two brands, I discovered that only one 1/2 inch impact wrench was better than any other wrench I have tried up to date, and even removed a crank pulley bolt my 1/2 in drive impact wrench could not remove.
DeWalt 20v MAX XR 1/2 in Brushless Cordless Impact Wrench
During intense testing and abuse, this tool was able to stand high above the rest. I was extremely happy with the performance this tool showed. It can deliver up to 700 ft lbs of torque when it comes to fastening or removing bolts or nuts of all kinds. The design of the handle and tool itself made it very comfortable in my hand. It also had a detent pin anvil as well, to insure it had a fierce grip on the socket had on the bolt or nut. Producing on the low speed of 900 to a high speed of 3000 impacts per minute, you can relax knowing you have the right tool for the job. During my intense testing, the battery remained constant, and the power never sensed to me or the testing materials of weakness or slow down in the speed or power.
The LED lighting on this tool was amazing and allowed me to see in a pitch black shop to make sure I could perform the job, weather it was in the day or the night. The precision wrench control helps the user add more control when using it in forward or reverse. In forward motion, it will pause or slack back so no over tightening would happen. Reverse, the tool will lower its speed when the fastener becomes “broken loose” to conserve battery life as long as tool life.
My measurements were 8.25 inches in height, 6.95 inches long, and weighed 3.5 pounds with no battery. DeWalt 20v Max XR 1/2 inch cordless impact wrench is typically sold as a tool only, however on Amazon.com I was able to find a package that included a single battery charger, battery, 1/2 in impact tool, and a contractors bag.
Milwaukee 18v 1/2 in Brushless Cordless Impact Wrench
I was recently on a trip and found myself 200 miles from home. I tried using the standard cross lug wrench to break my lug nuts loose, only to find they were heavy impacted on there. I was just down the road from a Home Depot (thankfully) and purchased the Milwaukee 18v 1/2 in brushless cordless impact wrench kit, so I had a charger and battery along with my tools. I hooked the charger up to a power inverter, started the truck and let it charge. At half power, this impact tool was able to easily remove those lug nuts like it was no effort at all. This tool can deliver 700 ft. lbs of “breaking” torque, and is equipped with a 1/2 in square friction ring, to grip your sockets.
This impact wrench has the brushless motor, giving it up to two times as long run time, and guarantees constant power when it has the Milwaukee XC5.0 Extended Capacity battery. The RedLink Plus allows operator to switch between two fastening modes. It also has the Drive Control feature which will protect against overload, over heating, and over discharge. That feature alone will save you so much money when this impact wrench is under heavy workloads. If you do not have the XC5.0 extended capacity battery I highly recommend you get one, and purchase this impact wrench on Amazon.com. If you do not have any batteries or chargers, they do have package deals for you from Amazon.com.
Pro Tips on Maintaining Your Cordless Impact Wrench
- Every time you are finished using your impact wrench, take a damp paper towel or rag, and wipe the tool down to remove any excess dirt, grime, or grease. This also helps with your rubber grips staying clean, and not slipping out of your hand next time.
- Try as hard as you can not to abuse your expensive impact wrenches because these tools are an investment, which cost hundreds of dollars.
- using your air compressor, or compressed air in a can, try and spray out any debris, dust, or particles you may find on your brushless motor.
- Most impact wrenches will come with hard composite plastic cases, for proper storage, or nylon bags, and you should always use them to protect against winter months, humidity or moisture in the air, which can cause permanent damage.
- Always read the manufacturers owner manual for any tips or care pointers anytime.
What If I Can’t Afford The Brands You Mentioned?
We all know that power tools in general can be a very big investment, and cost hundreds and hundreds of dollars when your building your collection. From the tools themselves, batteries, battery chargers, that number can continue to go up. However, until you are in a position to purchase power tools, simple handy tools will help you tackle any type of job you take on. You should also remember not to take the cheap route when it comes to power tools. From other reviews online I see that harbor freight is one of the worst power tools that you can purchase. I can give you an example as when I purchased a harbor freight drill that was about $20, I was able to use that drill during the remodel of my home back up north. I was able to use that drill for about 60 days. During that time the battery would only last an hour to two hours, which was severely frustrating me. Because I needed to get work done, and using my corded drill kept me on a leash with the extension cord. I would have to save the ceiling and upper wall jobs for when the drill was fully charged. Then I invested my money in an impact screwdriver from DeWalt, which ended up costing me about $70. The lesson I wanted you to learn here, was that it’s worth paying a little bit more money for a quality tool. Instead of trying to skip and buy something cheap just so that a couple months down the road, I would be ending up spending more money on a quality tool that would last me. Both of the brands that are mentioned above the batteries on them lasted for hours. If you are a contractor working on the job and have limited time, this is important because if you’re stopping every hour to charge a battery you are losing not just time, but money as well. Save up as long as you need to, and make sure you buy quality. The other route will cost you more money down the road.
Conclusion
Whichever impact wrench you decide to go with, keep in mind it is worth the investment. I ended up spending 90 bucks learning a harsh lesson about trying to take the cheap way out. Luckily, I was able to fix my house eventually, but if I could go back, I would not have tried taking any shortcuts when it came to my impact wrench and impact screwdrivers. Always try and find the best possible prices, and I have always found impact wrenches, drills, saws, to be in packages including batteries and cases online at Amazon.com. I have included some links in the article, to help guide you to the right place for the right tool.
When the time comes, and you purchase your impact wrenches, you will get plenty of use out of them. They will make difficult and time consuming jobs very easy and quickly completed. Always remember to take good care of your torque wrenches as well, so the investment you have made will last for years to come.