Impact wrench. Which one?

Project Farm just posted an impact test. The Milwaukee I linked to earlier came out on top.
 
Jiffy said:
Project Farm just posted an impact test. The Milwaukee I linked to earlier came out on top.
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Most professional garages I've used seem to use Milwaukee.

I went DeWalt as I had tfd batteries etc from other tools, but if I was starting from nothing I think I'd go Milwaukee.

If you have already bought into a system from any of the big names I don't think you can go too far wrong sticking with their offerings.
 
jellybeard999 said:
Most professional garages I've used seem to use Milwaukee.

I went DeWalt as I had tfd batteries etc from other tools, but if I was starting from nothing I think I'd go Milwaukee.

If you have already bought into a system from any of the big names I don't think you can go too far wrong sticking with their offerings.
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Those sorts of videos are mostly BS anyway. They all overtake each other all the time, DeWalt have the best in other categories such as mid power the one I have 891/2. Give it a few years and someone will beat it.
Like you say you can't really go wrong with any of the big brands, then pick the range/size you need.
 
robj20 said:
Those sorts of videos are mostly BS anyway. They all overtake each other all the time, DeWalt have the best in other categories such as mid power the one I have 891/2. Give it a few years and someone will beat it.
Like you say you can't really go wrong with any of the big brands, then pick the range/size you need.
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I've found this - the top model from 5/10 years ago is still a "top" model. It's true with TVs and phones too. Buy last year's flagship and it's going to be 90% as good or better. Or should I say, still better than 90% of the alternatives.
 
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I have a no-name Chinese pneumatic that coots me €30 new in box from a bloke that was moving back to the U.K. a few years back as I already had a cheap 8 Bar compressor for general workshop airline and mower tyre inflation duties.

If you have a compressor already in the location where you need an impact wrench and it’s not going to see heavy use, a cheap pneumatic one might be an alternative option.
 
The important thing here are the batteries not the tool.

Do you intend to buy other tools that use batteries, in that case the decision is about which batteries suit your needs better.

If you aren't going to buy other tools, then you are probably better buying a mains impact wrench. They are more powerful and don't suffer from slow battery degradation when the tool is sat unused. Also they are always ready, no flat batteries when needed. Clarke are always reasonable and they do one for £65.

You can get an equivalent battery tool for about the same money, but you need batteries and a charger as well. Makita is a good example.

DeWalt are always good, but they start at twice the price.

And ebay is probably a good place to look. Factory reconditioned items are usually a bargain.
 
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I got a great deal on Einhell a while back so slowly moving all my tools to them - I actually use a Wickes own brand impact driver (with an adapter), never let me down and at the time I got several batteries for the price of one, just a shame they dont fit anything else. I have brocken a couple of adapters though!

I also own an air impact wrench but never usually have to get it out (except for a few stubborn mower balde nuts!!!)
 
SpellowHouse said:
The important thing here are the batteries not the tool.

Do you intend to buy other tools that use batteries, in that case the decision is about which batteries suit your needs better.

If you aren't going to buy other tools, then you are probably better buying a mains impact wrench. They are more powerful and don't suffer from slow battery degradation when the tool is sat unused. Also they are always ready, no flat batteries when needed. Clarke are always reasonable and they do one for £65.

You can get an equivalent battery tool for about the same money, but you need batteries and a charger as well. Makita is a good example.

DeWalt are always good, but they start at twice the price.

And ebay is probably a good place to look. Factory reconditioned items are usually a bargain.
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Does the OP work in a garage with mains electric or, like me does he have a pavement between him and the vehicle?

That Clarke impact is old tech. It weighs 5.21kg which is 4 times as much as the Milwaukee M12 Gen 3 with a battery but has over 30% less power.

Clarke CEW1000 1/2" Drive 450Nm Impact Wrench (230V) - Machine Mart

www.machinemart.co.uk www.machinemart.co.uk

Halfords wanted £389 to change a front spring, a rear shock absorber and a droplink on my Panda last year. I had already bought the parts from Autodoc a while before for under £65. The car failed it's MOT in the morning and I fixed it that afternoon saving me over £320. Fortunately, it was a lovely sunny day as I did it out on the street. Having good tools sped the job up a lot. The £150 I spent on a hydraulic spring compressor paid for itself on one job!

If the OP could explain more about his what his idea of DIY is then we could better advise him as to what would be most appropriate for him.
 
I work on my cars on my driveway. Mains power is no issue but I have read that mains impact wrenches are less powerful than modern battery versions. Can that be true?

The kind of jobs I do are changing disks/pads, shock absorbers & strut top mounts, coil springs, control arms, etc.

I am thinking about buying a 1/2” impact wrench.
 
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SpellowHouse said:
The important thing here are the batteries not the tool.

Do you intend to buy other tools that use batteries, in that case the decision is about which batteries suit your needs better.

If you aren't going to buy other tools, then you are probably better buying a mains impact wrench. They are more powerful and don't suffer from slow battery degradation when the tool is sat unused. Also they are always ready, no flat batteries when needed. Clarke are always reasonable and they do one for £65.

You can get an equivalent battery tool for about the same money, but you need batteries and a charger as well. Makita is a good example.

DeWalt are always good, but they start at twice the price.

And ebay is probably a good place to look. Factory reconditioned items are usually a bargain.
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None of the Clarke mains ones are anywhere near even the mid power battery one I got.
 
gort said:
Driver not a wrench???
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robj20 said:
None of the Clarke mains ones are anywhere near even the mid power battery one I got.
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But we are talking cheap here. Sure, you can get more powerful battery ones, but they cost a lot more too.

I think this is about being reasonable, not about buying the absolute best.

DeWalt, for example, is 1/3 more powerful, but will cost you twice as much and that's without batteries and charger.

There are better value battery tools, but the batteries tend not to be very good.
 
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Do you need to budget a dedicated impact socket set too, hex sockets .. whose?

over years I'd built up a set of regular 6 point 1/2" facom sockets, but would probably now buy, in one shot - trying to avoid chinesium/nack'ing bolts.
 
Simon said:
my 899 is a beast. Access can be an issue sometimes though.
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I've got a 921 for most things, and an 899 for heavy stuff.

It does hub nuts. It does anything really. But like you say it's a big old weapon and a heavy one at that. I love it.
 
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