impact wrench

Jason Tower · **Joined:** Wed Jun 11, 2008 3:31 pm **Posts:** 1173

any suggestions for a decent quality, reasonably priced cordless impact wrench? i don't mind paying for quality tools but i really won't be using it all that often (wheel install/removal and other misc maintenance tasks) so no need to go overboard. harbor freight sells a 18v for $50 but i find it hard to believe that it's not a waste of money.

ditto on impact sockets, as i'll be using them on wheels these seem like a good idea: http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/shop/AP-7835.html

presumably i want to be shopping for 1/2" not 3/8" right?

Chris Halweg · **Posted:** Sun Apr 26, 2009 11:58 pm

Don't bother with Harbor Freight Cordless Impact Wrenches. I got one as a gift and it lasted 3 autocrosses. Now it's a hammer. I ended up getting a Dewalt off of eBay and so far so good. The only thing that is a bit annoying is that it is not variable speed.

I did buy my sockets at Harbor Freight to save money. They work fine. I'm not sure how they wouldn't.

jeremy gast · **Posted:** Mon Apr 27, 2009 6:21 am

I have a harbour freight 18v and used it one rallyx and it died. Carried it back exchanged it out for another and it seems to working great, so far one autox and one rallyx.

Dustin Fredrickson · **Posted:** Mon Apr 27, 2009 8:18 am

The hot ticket used to be the blue Goodyear model at PepBoys - would go on sale for ~$70. But last xmas when I was buying raffle items for the giveaway for the party, they had replaced it with a different red thing. I bought it anyway.... not sure how that's holding up for the winner of that raffle - maybe they will chime in.

Todd Breakey · **Posted:** Mon Apr 27, 2009 9:14 am

Harbor Freight - Turning ordinary tools into hammers since 1968.

I bought one of the Goodyear impacts after my HF one turned into a hammer. Mine wasn't as good as Dustin's. The battery dtopped take a charge after using it only a handful of times. Now, it's a hammer also.

A trusty 4 way lug wrench is almost as quick as an impact and it doesn't need to be recharged.

Or spend some bux and get a pimpy Dewalt like Wes has. That thing rocks!! Powerful enough to break transmission bolts free!

BretLuter · **Posted:** Mon Apr 27, 2009 9:38 am

IMHO, save your $$$ and buy a good one with good batteries.

The no name type seem to work fine the first couple of times, then they either break or the batteries stop holding a charge.

I use a breaker bar to break the lugs loose, then spin them off with my small Makita impact. It's not designed to torque or untorque lug nuts, but it works great for spinning them on and off once they're broken loose.

Besides, even with a super-strong impact driver, I'd still want to put a breaker bar or torque wrench on the lugs afterwards to make sure they're tight.

You can also use your trusty cordless drill with a socket bit attachment (HF sells the 3 piece set for cheap, and they're often on sale for like $3).

EDIT:

Here's the exact model I have and use all the time- highly recommended!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Makita-12V-Cordless ... .m20.l1116

Karl Shultz · **Posted:** Mon Apr 27, 2009 10:02 am

BretLuter wrote:

IMHO, save your $$$ and buy a good one with good batteries.

A thousand times yes. You're probably going to spend the money on a good one anyway, so why not save the step of getting one that doesn't work?

I bought one at Northern Tool. It was rated to "one brazillion" pounds of torque - whatever the number was, it was really high. Got it home, charged it overnight. Wouldn't even pop the lugnuts off an S2000 (80lb/ft).

I ended up getting the Dewalt, and have been thrilled with it. The batteries last very well, and it works, every time.

Chris Halweg · **Posted:** Mon Apr 27, 2009 10:14 am

^ Agreed on the batteries for Dewalt. I've changed three sets of tires and I am still on the original charge.

Kevin Allen · **Joined:** Thu Aug 28, 2003 6:42 pm **Posts:** 3479

Dustin Fredrickson wrote:

The hot ticket used to be the blue Goodyear model at PepBoys - would go on sale for ~$70. But last xmas when I was buying raffle items for the giveaway for the party, they had replaced it with a different red thing. I bought it anyway.... not sure how that's holding up for the winner of that raffle - maybe they will chime in.

I have one of these. Bought it when my Goodyear one died (after a few years of lots of use). It's strong, charges quickly, holds a charge well, etc. and cheap. I recommend it.

Les Davis · **Joined:** Fri Aug 29, 2003 2:04 pm **Posts:** 2059

Kevin Allen wrote:

Dustin Fredrickson wrote:

The hot ticket used to be the blue Goodyear model at PepBoys - would go on sale for ~$70. But last xmas when I was buying raffle items for the giveaway for the party, they had replaced it with a different red thing. I bought it anyway.... not sure how that's holding up for the winner of that raffle - maybe they will chime in.

I have one of these. Bought it when my Goodyear one died (after a few years of lots of use). It's strong, charges quickly, holds a charge well, etc. and cheap. I recommend it.

Is that the Great Neck one? I was looking at that this weekend in Pep Boys. Harbor Freight used to sell a good cordless impact. I have one that is going on 5 years old and with freshly charged battery, it will still break any lugnut loose, but the battery is dying on me and they don't sell a replacement. Of course Harbor Freight hasn't sold this model in years.

Dustin Fredrickson · **Posted:** Mon Apr 27, 2009 12:17 pm

Les Davis wrote:

Kevin Allen wrote:

Dustin Fredrickson wrote:

The hot ticket used to be the blue Goodyear model at PepBoys - would go on sale for ~$70. But last xmas when I was buying raffle items for the giveaway for the party, they had replaced it with a different red thing. I bought it anyway.... not sure how that's holding up for the winner of that raffle - maybe they will chime in.

I have one of these. Bought it when my Goodyear one died (after a few years of lots of use). It's strong, charges quickly, holds a charge well, etc. and cheap. I recommend it.

Is that the Great Neck one? I was looking at that this weekend in Pep Boys. Harbor Freight used to sell a good cordless impact. I have one that is going on 5 years old and with freshly charged battery, it will still break any lugnut loose, but the battery is dying on me and they don't sell a replacement. Of course Harbor Freight hasn't sold this model in years.

Sounds right

Jason Tower · **Joined:** Wed Jun 11, 2008 3:31 pm **Posts:** 1173

Karl Shultz wrote:

BretLuter wrote:

IMHO, save your $$$ and buy a good one with good batteries.

A thousand times yes. You're probably going to spend the money on a good one anyway, so why not save the step of getting one that doesn't work?

I bought one at Northern Tool. It was rated to "one brazillion" pounds of torque - whatever the number was, it was really high. Got it home, charged it overnight. Wouldn't even pop the lugnuts off an S2000 (80lb/ft).

I ended up getting the Dewalt, and have been thrilled with it. The batteries last very well, and it works, every time.

thanks for the tips everyone. sounds like the smart move is to shell out for a dewalt or milwaukee. or play the lottery and get something cheaper

i don't use an impact wrench to torque the lugs, just a quick brap to tighten, then finish with a torque wrench. but i do use one for lug removal, that's the whole point - faster and easier, especially if the wheels are off the ground and spinning freely (when a breaker bar is a pita).

Dustin Fredrickson · **Posted:** Mon Apr 27, 2009 12:21 pm

Todd Breakey wrote:

I bought one of the Goodyear impacts after my HF one turned into a hammer. Mine wasn't as good as Dustin's. The battery dtopped take a charge after using it only a handful of times. Now, it's a hammer also.

Interesting - mine has gone strong for many years, and the battery still holds enough charge to get 2 cars through full street->race->street tire changes in a weekend.

MikeWhitney · **Joined:** Wed Aug 20, 2003 9:15 pm **Posts:** 4724

Dustin Fredrickson wrote:

Todd Breakey wrote:

I bought one of the Goodyear impacts after my HF one turned into a hammer. Mine wasn't as good as Dustin's. The battery dtopped take a charge after using it only a handful of times. Now, it's a hammer also.

Interesting - mine has gone strong for many years, and the battery still holds enough charge to get 2 cars through full street->race->street tire changes in a weekend.

Me too, very happy w/ my goodyear. When the battery craps out I will replace or have it rebuilt, maybe w/ Li-ion if available.

Jason, I looked at Evan's Great Neck from Pep Boys and it is very similar to the Goodyear -- my bet is that it is made by the same parent company overseas. If I were you I would give the red Great Neck one a try if it's still available at Pep boys. I checked but couldn't find it on Pep Boys useless website.

Bring this coupon w/ you if you go to P-boys:

http://www.pepboys.com/sale_specials/co ... y_service/

Jason Tower · **Joined:** Wed Jun 11, 2008 3:31 pm **Posts:** 1173

MikeWhitney wrote:

Me too, very happy w/ my goodyear. When the battery craps out I will replace or have it rebuilt, maybe w/ Li-ion if available.

Jason, I looked at Evan's Great Neck from Pep Boys and it is very similar to the Goodyear -- my bet is that it is made by the same parent company overseas. If I were you I would give the red Great Neck one a try if it's still available at Pep boys. I checked but couldn't find it on Pep Boys useless website.

Bring this coupon w/ you if you go to P-boys:

http://www.pepboys.com/sale_specials/co ... y_service/

thanks mike, there's a pep boys near my friend's house where i'm going later today so i'll check it out. plus he works for ingersoll rand so i've asked if he can get me special pricing on one of their units. i can always hope

and i'm glad to hear that i'm not the only one who finds www.pepboys.com useless.

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