Need a cordless impact wrench... Suggestions, please

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Max Wedgie

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Looking to buy a high torque 1/2" drive cordless impact wrench that will last. Not interested in cheapies.. Anything made (not just 'assembled') in the US would be preferred, but that would probably eliminate 95% of them...so I'm open to all options.
I have read reviews online using google, but my suspicion is that they are more advertisements than reviews.
Thanks for any advice or leads.
 
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Milwaukee!

Not all but a lot of them are made in the US. In the recent years they have been bringing jobs back to the US. I heard they opened a facility in two different states in the last two years. One in Indiana and I believe the other was Alabama. This was no doubt from influence from a previous administration. It doesn't look like the current one is actively trying to bring or keep jobs in the US so let's hope they stay!

FWIW, my cordless 1/2" impact is a Craftsman. I need to have two batteries with me. One battery per two wheels. I actually have three just in case. I bought this before my big Milwaukee tools build up and will never buy another cordless tool brand.
I do like Makita wall power tools though. I have some of those so I'm not being biased toward one brand. It's just that when you start down a road of battery powered tools the batteries are expensive and one brand is more feasible.
 
Had them all Rigid is the way to go 100% guaranteed, and so are the batteries, they go bad they replace them, seriously the thing is a beast!
 
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I manage a fleet for a construction company. We have had EVERY brand of just about every tool. Dewalt, Milwaukee, hitachi, blah blah blah. The only brand that lasts in a field where guys treat them like rentals is Hilti. Very well made very good customer service, but also very expensive.
 
go-fish said:
Milwaukee!

Not all but a lot of them are made in the US. In the recent years they have been bringing jobs back to the US. I heard they opened a facility in two different states in the last two years. One in Indiana and I believe the other was Alabama. This was no doubt from influence from a previous administration. It doesn't look like the current one is actively trying to bring or keep jobs in the US so let's hope they stay!

FWIW, my cordless 1/2" impact is a Craftsman. I need to have two batteries with me. One battery per two wheels. I actually have three just in case. I bought this before my big Milwaukee tools build up and will never buy another cordless tool brand.
I do like Makita wall power tools though. I have some of those so I'm not being biased toward one brand. It's just that when you start down a road of battery powered tools the batteries are expensive and one brand is more feasible.
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I bought a Craftsman 1 1/2 years ago and am very happy with it. I have no battery troubles but mine might have more AH than yours. It will run tires off 6 cars and still not be dead. I also bought the sawzall to use in junkyards to cut bumpers off. Same battery and I hve cut as many as 8 bumpers off without battery going dead. I would buy The Craftsman again if I was looking.
 
chryslerfat said:
I bought a Craftsman 1 1/2 years ago and am very happy with it. I have no battery troubles but mine might have more AH than yours.
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Mine IS ten years old. It's 18V. Had to buy new batteries a few years ago and got "upgraded" batteries but still go down fast. I do see thay have a different battery in the newer ones.

Hilti is an excellent company. 100 years ago when I was framing houses we had a variety of Hilti and they were always reliable but that was probably before they made battery powered tools.
 
We are in the structural steel industry. Each one of my trucks has a couple of these Hilti 1/2” impacts for installing connecting plates, template holdowns, concrete anchors, you name it. I bet they run down 500-600 bolts a day. I use them in the shop for maintenance of all kinds. If I only got 24 tires off a car on one battery I would be upset. My batteries last a lot longer than that.
 
I have the Milwaukee M18 cordless impact wrench. I use it on everything, stubborn lug nuts on old trucks, tractors. Driving in lags, etc. anything that requires a 1/2” socket with some force get the impact treatment. Very satisfied. Been in heavy use for 5 years.

Hilti is good too.

there is quite of few youtubes comparing all the impact guns.
 
go-fish said:
Mine IS ten years old. It's 18V. Had to buy new batteries a few years ago and got "upgraded" batteries but still go down fast. I do see thay have a different battery in the newer ones.

Hilti is an excellent company. 100 years ago when I was framing houses we had a variety of Hilti and they were always reliable but that was probably before they made battery powered tools.
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That is probably the difference. Mine is the 20 volt
 
go-fish said:
when you start down a road of battery powered tools the batteries are expensive and one brand is more feasible.
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I just bought a DeWalt cordless impact wrench mostly because I already had a DeWalt cordless drill and they can use the same battery. Have stuck with GreenWorks cordless lawn tools for the same reason.

I'm not a professional mechanic, never heard of Hilti. I don't doubt it's better than Milwaukee or DeWalt or whatever. I won't ever use mine enough to wear it out. But I'm impressed at how powerful today's cordless tools are - compared to air tools, to corded electric, to gas. Way better than what I've been used to all these years.
 
65 Cuda 340 said:
I just bought a DeWalt cordless impact wrench mostly because I already had a DeWalt cordless drill and they can use the same battery. Have stuck with GreenWorks cordless lawn tools for the same reason.

I'm not a professional mechanic, never heard of Hilti. I don't doubt it's better than Milwaukee or DeWalt or whatever. I won't ever use mine enough to wear it out. But I'm impressed at how powerful today's cordless tools are - compared to air tools, to corded electric, to gas. Way better than what I've been used to all these years.
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I feel the same they are light weight and no hoses or cords to drag around. I think most now days are good products as battery technology has come a long ways. The 20 volt Craftsman are even brushless now.
 
I sold Dewalt for years. Good stuff and the price is reasonable. I had a Ag tech take one off the truck to test and took drive wheel nuts off a John Deere combine.
 
toolmanmike said:
I sold Dewalt for years. Good stuff and the price is reasonable. I had a Ag tech take one off the truck to test and took drive wheel nuts off a John Deere combine.
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My son can change the tires on a semi with his Snap On 1/2 inch cordless. Crazy for me to think they make that much power.
 
Before I ordered the DeWalt (will come in this weekend) I read some reviews of several brands that could generate over 1,000 lbs of tightening torque. DeWalt was only 700. (Loosening torque was similar for all.) But my air-powered Chicago Pneumatic and 5hp single stage air compressor is lucky to hit 150 lbs tightening torque. And more than once, I've had to use a breaker bar to loosen something my air impact wrench won't budge. So I figure 700 lbs to tighten and 1,000 lbs to remove is way more than I will need.
 
Thanks for the info... I'm more about breaking stuff free then torquing it tight. My next project is replacing the u-joints and possibly ball joints on the front of my 2006 ram 4wd. Tired of using breaker bars, heating torches, and air tools.. my 'girly hands' are shot from the 31 year job i just retired from ..had carpal tunnel surgery on them twice...woe is me boo hoo :)
 
Elbow grease. It's a lot cheaper.
 
I've got a DeWalt 20v 1/2" drive impact wrench, DCF880H. I don’t recall exactly how long I’ve had it, I posted about it over 5 years ago and I’d had it a couple years already at that point.

Cordless impact driver recommendation?

It’s one of the cheaper impacts DeWalt sells, one of the lower rated for torque. And it’s been awesome the whole time. It works great for lug nut changes and stuff, I use it to start my LCA pivot bolt nuts etc. With the aftermarket pins I use they get 100 ft/lbs so I still hit them with a torque wrench after they’re tight, but it impact does most of it. And yeah, they have much higher rated ones I’ve just got the cheap one that came in one of their tool packages probably at least 7 years ago now.

I’m still using the original 20V batteries I got with it too, I haven’t lost any due to battery life degradation.

diymirage said:
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RustyRatRod said:
Elbow grease. It's a lot cheaper.
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Clearly you guys haven’t tried one. Even my low end 20V impact is amazing. It pays for itself in time alone. And that’s before you start addressing wear and tear on your body. How much money you lose to tendinitis? A wrist, elbow or shoulder surgery? No thanks. Work smarter.
 
72bluNblu said:
I've got a DeWalt 20v 1/2" drive impact wrench, DCF880H. I don’t recall exactly how long I’ve had it, I posted about it over 5 years ago and I’d had it a couple years already at that point.

Cordless impact driver recommendation?

It’s one of the cheaper impacts DeWalt sells, one of the lower rated for torque. And it’s been awesome the whole time. It works great for lug nut changes and stuff, I use it to start my LCA pivot bolt nuts etc. With the aftermarket pins I use they get 100 ft/lbs so I still hit them with a torque wrench after they’re tight, but it impact does most of it. And yeah, they have much higher rated ones I’ve just got the cheap one that came in one of their tool packages probably at least 7 years ago now.

I’m still using the original 20V batteries I got with it too, I haven’t lost any due to battery life degradation.





Clearly you guys haven’t tried one. Even my low end 20V impact is amazing. It pays for itself in time alone. And that’s before you start addressing wear and tear on your body. How much money you lose to tendinitis? A wrist, elbow or shoulder surgery? No thanks. Work smarter.
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Oh be quiet. I was bein funny. Dummy.
 
Ha same here! I got a CH 3/8 impact gun as well as s HF cheapie , bought in a 4 piece set. Those things are dogs breaking bolts compared to a 1/2 lipo impact. i use a small 3/8" Dewalt stubby "nut driver" on my light weight enclosures at work and it'll strip out a stainless 5/16 bolt in about 3 seconds. I use it often on the front ends of LA blocks, will remove any bolt cept the head bolts....even in the small form factor model.
 
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