Opinions needed

[Paul Danik]

Greetings,

   I am looking to buy a portable battery powered impact wrench, anyone care to share their experiences or guidance ?

Thanks
Paul

[tomale]

What are you planning to use it on? How much money do you want to spend?
I use a Ryobi in my shop but mostly I use it for the smaller 6mm bolts and smaller, It is 18v and is pretty light but works pretty well. On bigger stuff I will loosen the bolt with a ratchet and then spin it off, a nice little time saver. I have used a Milwaukee and really liked it but it is out of my price range.. by the way I used it to drive 5/8 lags that were 12" long, it worked well but I could only get 4 lags or so, that was actually alot of work for a battery powered impact wrench..by comparison the Ryobi I might of gotten one of those lag bolts in...

Thom Green,Still crazy after all these years!
76' 250 MC5 (orginal owner)74'
250 hare scrambler (project bike)

[Paul Danik]

Thom,

   Thanks for the reply.

   As far as use, mostly for convenience when taking items apart, and selective use when putting items together.  Light weight, agility, and ease of use are high priorities and will need to be balanced with power output to hopefully select the correct tool. I haven't set a price range but know from experience that spending a little more out front is usually the most inexpensive way to go in the long run. Like buying a Penton instead of a ..........

Thanks
Paul

[Mike Hufnagel]

I use a Dewalt that's really nice. Came with 2 batteries & charger. It's a 1/2 drive. Check with MSC Industrial supply or (ugh) Grainger. They should have a ton of them.

74 Yamaha TY 250
75 Jackpiner w/ 250 eng.
80 Ktm Mc 400
82 KTM GS250II (import)
82 KTM 495
2) 84 Yam RZ350
98 KTM 300mxc
00 KTM Duke 2
06 KTM 950 Adv.
08 Suzuki DR70Z

[thrownchain]

Sears has a pretty goood selection also. Craftsman, Dewalt, Makita, etc.

[sixdazed]

Paul,I have 5 different Snap On cordless plus a Makita and i love them all/The older,less powerful Snap on 3/8" is great for small nuts and bolts as i don't worry about overtorquing with it.And the Snap On guy is here weekly and has warrantied batteries for me a few times.The newest 1/4 drive "sidewinder" ratchet is way powerful and comes with 2 batteries too.Mi dos centavos,
                                             Ric

ric emmal

[fischercycle]

HI.PAUL I have just the ticket for your new bike project,WE or Me  at fischer competition cycle still have some of the old high point impact electic wrenches, designed by JOHN AND JACK PENTON,FOR future use. After viewing the new 2011 Penton Calendar I know this is going to be your new project with the LOG growing through the front wheel.
This will be your winter project according to what we discussed...
So it proves to you that John and Jack were really thinking way into the future.
The wrench consists of A 30# TWELVE VOLT MARINE BATTERY SO YOU CAN WORK UNDER WATER IF NECESSARY,the wrench only weighs
80# comes with a complete socket set, 4 mm through 50 mm. P.S. This is a one inch drive impact,I always beat Sears, Lowe's Home Depot or whoever it may be..only NINE DOLLARS AND NINETY-NINE CENTS, so I think you'll be needing this to embark on your project.     Sincerely GoodLuck Jake Fischer

[Paul Danik]

Jake,

  Can I do a lay-a-way for Christmas ?  

Paul

[Ernie Phillips]

Big, Serious duty impact wrench 1/2" drive and 200 ft-lb torque.  Just the ticket for emergency flywheel removal at the races ... good on frozen lug nuts too.

 http://www.jcwhitney.com/24-volt-cordless-impact-wrench-set/p2021035.jcwx?TID=8014524FT2&zmam=15972153&zmas=21&zmac=165&zmap=29669G

I've had mine for 2 years and no problems.  Made in far east ... so if you are looking for pro-duty ... keep looking and expect to pay more.



Ernie P.
Chattanooga, TN

[SouthRider]

Paul,

I absolutely love my 18v makita lithium ion impact (as well as the screw gun & 6" circular saw). It's strong enough to drive a 6" lag bolt into treated wood (pre-drilled). It will remove flywheel nuts, and in a pinch torque them without the threat of wringing off the crank end. I used it 3 years ago to strip 3 rusted out Pentons to build my Berkshire - it handled everything except rusted solid swingarm bolts.

It's light, strong, well balanced, and the batteries are still trucking after 4 years of use in carpentry & mechanic work.

I have also read good reviews on the new Dewalt lithium tools with the smallest batteries I have ever seen. They are probably lighter & more versatile with a little less power.


Good Luck


Clark

[SouthRider]

PS - You can buy these things online & save a few bucks, but I usually prefer to buy from a local tool supplier - because of the service when things go bad. Most get close to the internet price. Look for the preferred vendor of nail guns, etc. in your community.

Makita is running a special right now - with most of their kits for either a single tool or a combo kit they are throwing in a 3rd battery as a rebate. I saw a kit with a screw gun & an impact that had the rebate last week when I was dropping off a palm sander for repair. This is a great deal as the batteries run $99 for lithium.

[tooclose racing]

Hi Paul - hope you have a nice thanksgiving weekend.

I'm with the gentleman above on the Makita 18v Lithium Ion impact.  I have the compact model, along with the drill and one of those lights.  Love it, love the size.  Works like a charm and those new batteries got it all over the 1st gen stuff.  Funny thing - kept looking for a combo without that pivoting light.  Turns out I use that light all the time when working on the bike.

And ya may find this corny - but I bought Makita because they sponsor motorcycle racing teams.  Sure, they are in big fancy rigs and come from the Suzuki factory - but how many other major "mainstream" or grocery shelf companies  - outside of our industry  - sponsor teams?  You can probably count them on one hand.

[400gs6]

Cordless impacts are a must.  I use mine quite often. The older Snap On CT30? has just enough power so you don't get into trouble snapping harware.  I've also got the Snap On 1/2" drive 18v.  I like them but would not buy the Snap On units again, battery life has not been too good, they are very expensive to replace and I rarely see the guy.  Next round wil;l most likely be Makita.

[Bob Bean]

Paul,

 I have to agree on the Makita stuff.
We have 2 drills and 2 impacts that we use in our shop daily.
One is over 7-8 years old and has been used and abused like you wouldnt believe.  It has been knocked off the bike lift more times than I can remember. Been dropped off of a 6 foot ladder once.
 
I did have one get damaged when it was knocked off a 24 foot ladder
and hit the pavement. But I am not sure of any brand that would have
survived that hit.   (we used both the drills and impacts when building a pole barn and an addition to our shop)

Great power and the batteries have lasted beyond what I thought they
would.  I only had 1 battery get a little weak after about 4-5 years.
(I keep 3 batteries in rotation, 1 on charger, one on gun and 1 spare)

Bob Bean

1986 ISDE Italy
1987 ISDE Poland
1989 ISDE Germany

1973 Jackpiner 175
1974 Penton 250 Harescrambler
1976 Husky 250CR
1985 Husky 400WRX
1985 Husky 400WR

[kenbike]

I have a Dewalt 18 v 1/2 and it is a real work horse.  use on the bikes and the farm.  It could drive in around 40 3/8 x 4 lag bolts in yellow pine for horse stalls on one charge.  I have a 8 year 12v Makita that is ok,just does not have the power for big jobs.