What Impact Wrenches is everyone using?

IC3

IC3

IC3

Soldato
Joined
3 Dec 2011
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I'm looking for a new Impact Wrench for DIY, something compact. What brand is the one to go for? MacTools, Milwaukee, Ryobi?
 
Ryobi One+ for me, not had a nut I couldnt undo yet, I do have the garden blower, drill driver etc too though so made the decision easier.
 
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brendy said:
Ryobi One+ for me, not had a nut I couldnt undo yet, I do have the garden blower, drill driver etc too though so made the decision easier.
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I recently used my mates Ryobi, it felt sturdy and did the job without breaking a sweat. I'm still using a Parkside Impact Wrench, it's not great, but for the £37 I paid few years back, I can't really complain.

JonRGV250 said:
Milwaukee
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Which model?
 
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Dewalt, I have the chunky monkey and the not so chunky monkey, although the little one is so good I couldn't tell you when I last used the big boy...
 
Ryobi for me, for the little home DIY stuff i do it's been great.

Doubt it'd stand up to use with an actual mechanic but i've not found anything it won't undo so far when doing normal home stuff like suspension etc.
 
IC3 said:
Which model?
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Whatever is current I guess.
I mentioned Milwaukee as the stuff I bought many years ago is still going strong and has been faultless, and I can’t say the same for the Snap-on stuff I’ve got.
In fact so many techs are now using Milwaukee gear over Mac/Snap-on, and there’s a good reason for that.
 
DeWalt here too. Mainly because I already had a DeWalt drill etc

Do you already have batteries etc for any other brand? If so, it probably makes sense to stick to that system.

If not, Id probably go Milwaukee ; most garages/tyre fitters I've been to seem to use them.
 
Milwaukee - but don't just get the basic one if you intend to do wheel nuts etc.
 
I have the big 900Nm Ryobi for doing suspension bolts it's an absolute beast. Also a older Kielder when beast mode isn't needed
 
I’ve got a couple of Milwaukee ones, 12v that does fine for day-to-day stuff and is nice and light in hand. Then I’ve got a big heavy 18v that only comes out if the 12v isn’t up to the job.
 
I picked up a wired VonHaus one in a sale for next to nothing - to its credit nothing has withstood it yet but it is a hefty thing and despite having auto-stop, etc. feels a bit brutal and out of control compared to some of the better name brands.

Need to find a decent cordless one really but not sure I'll use it enough to spend the kind of money a decent one goes for.
 
I didn’t have a clue what you meant until I googled and realised it was a US/UK thing and you were referring to what we call an Impact Driver.
I have a Makita as I have the 18v batteries. [See correction below]
 
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I went for a mains powered impact wrench and picked up a cheap Clarke jobby from machine mart. Their 1/2” drive 450NM one is a shade under £90 (I’m sure I recall It was £60 when I got mine). I’ve not found anything it wouldn’t undo, including the notorious rear suspension mounting bolts on my T4.

My rationale was that I’d rarely use it, and therefore when I needed it, the batteries would likely be run down. Mains tools are cheaper and more powerful than an equivalent battery tool.
 
yes I can't imagine less than a 1/2" for car work with force I've used on manual ratchet for suspension bolts, even for wheels.

but is a 1/2" too big for interior diy work (my new loft floor) so better with 3/8", and then an adapter to share any 1/2" sockets on lighter diy stuff.

Is brushless a must have ? or, do clutches really prevent excess sparking on brushes that would kill them quickly versus a normal drill.
 
spile said:
I didn’t have a clue what you meant until I googled and realised it was a US/UK thing and you were referring to what we call an Impact Driver.
I have a Makita as I have the 18v batteries.
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They're different things.

An impact driver usually has a hex socket to accept normal screw driver bits and is used for normal DIY for putting in screws etc. An impact wrench normally has a 1/2" square drive for sockets and usually has much more torque and is used in automotive stuff.
 
sovietspybob said:
They're different things.

An impact driver usually has a hex socket to accept normal screw driver bits and is used for normal DIY for putting in screws etc. An impact wrench normally has a 1/2" square drive for sockets and usually has much more torque and is used in automotive stuff.
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This! I fairly recently found out the difference too, I always just called them Impact Guns. :D
 
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