Impact Drivers

Ballah06

Ballah06

Well-known member
Jan 21, 2007
5,638
16
Savannah, GA
Started doing rotors and pads on the truck yesterday, and although I have always done it with 'manual' tools, after screwing around with one of the caliper bolts, which wouldn't budge, I figured it's time to look into something with some power. I suppose I could use the breaker bars and such, but for the sake of the thread, how many on here have used battery-powered impact drivers? A buddy mentioned they were worth looking into, as the air setup is just not worth the $ given how infrequently it would get used. I guess my question would be if the widely-available drivers can do this type of work and what power output should I be looking for? Any feedback on this is appreciated.
 
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Roving Beetle

Roving Beetle

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Nov 11, 2007
4,823
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Mount Desert Island, Maine
www.desertboat.com
I regularly use a Milwaukee lithium ion 18v 1/2 drive impact and it's VERY good.

Actually I've had great luck with all their tools. I also have the matching 18v cordless 4.5 inch grinder, drill, screw type impact, jigsaw and the wet dry vac. All are EXCELLENT and my local small hardware store sells all of it for decent prices.

The 1/2 impact and angle grinder are SO NICE to use cordless. I have air too and use my air impact when I need more - but most times the 18v is plenty. It's impressive really.
 
dcarr1971

dcarr1971

Well-known member
Jun 16, 2010
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Pittsburgh, PA USA
A couple years ago I snapped a CV at Conclave. I was lucky enough to be able to borrow a Craftsman 1/2" Drive impact gun from Randy. I don't remember whether it was 18v or 19.2v, but it provided plenty of power to get me through the CV replacement in the field next to his tent. IDK how much Randy had used it that weekend prior to my borrowing it, but the battery held up like a champ all the way through for me.

I have other friends using the same impact driver who have had similar experiences. I'm sure there are better options out there, but it's tough to beat for the price, and I can attest that they get the job done quite nicely.
 
Roving Beetle

Roving Beetle

Well-known member
Nov 11, 2007
4,823
0
Mount Desert Island, Maine
www.desertboat.com
I regularly use a Milwaukee lithium ion 18v 1/2 drive impact and it's VERY good.

Actually I've had great luck with all their tools. I also have the matching 18v cordless 4.5 inch grinder, drill, screw type impact, jigsaw and the wet dry vac. All are EXCELLENT and my local small hardware store sells all of it for decent prices.

The 1/2 impact and angle grinder are SO NICE to use cordless. I have air too and use my air impact when I need more - but most times the 18v is plenty. It's impressive really.
 
Ballah06

Ballah06

Well-known member
Jan 21, 2007
5,638
16
Savannah, GA
Awesome. Looks like these will work for the minor things I have in mind without an issue. Thanks for the quick input guys.
 
adriatic04

adriatic04

Well-known member
Mar 22, 2007
2,506
2
cleveland, oh
I have the dewalt 3/8 and 1/2 and am happy with both, get whichever you are already "in bed" with... I have a shit ton of dewalt tools already so I was invested in the batteries, too late to make a change. Some people say the dewalt is overpriced but if you shop on amazon you cant beat it and if you ever just need another tool and no battery you have the option of buying just a bare tool, which I have done a bunch.

FYI on that little screw, I have found that even better than the impact is a hand impact, the kind you hold/twist as you hammer the back end of it, just FYI.
 
Drillbit

Drillbit

Well-known member
Oct 12, 2005
5,943
1
Glasgow Ky
I had a Milwaukee 24v impact and the thing was bad ass. It lasted about three years of being used all day, 5 days a week. I know have a snap-on 18v and it's tough as well. I have had it for a year. I don't use it as much as I used the Milwaukee (have air tools now) but I'm happy with it. It's not a torquey but does any job you would expect it to. I also have a pair of Snap-on quarter inch impacts. I forget what the voltage is. They are small and handy for doing stuff where it would be a pain to have a larger tool. We use them a lot at the shop and in the first year one of them burned up but is currently being replaced for free. Whatever route you go I think you will be happy, these things make life easier.
 
Ballah06

Ballah06

Well-known member
Jan 21, 2007
5,638
16
Savannah, GA
adriatic04 said:
I have the dewalt 3/8 and 1/2 and am happy with both, get whichever you are already "in bed" with... I have a shit ton of dewalt tools already so I was invested in the batteries, too late to make a change. Some people say the dewalt is overpriced but if you shop on amazon you cant beat it and if you ever just need another tool and no battery you have the option of buying just a bare tool, which I have done a bunch.

FYI on that little screw, I have found that even better than the impact is a hand impact, the kind you hold/twist as you hammer the back end of it, just FYI.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback. Are you referring to just banging on a ratchet? That's what I ve done in the past, but it still takes a bit of effort and time and I am just tired of dealing with it that way. Plus kind of a limited work space at times.
 
dcarr1971

dcarr1971

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Jun 16, 2010
610
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Pittsburgh, PA USA
kalahari

kalahari

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Jul 20, 2005
289
0
55
Pulaski, TN
I've got the 1/2" compact Milwaukee FUEL 18v impact and I really like it. It is rated to 210 lbs so it will handle a lot of jobs. At some point I'm going to add the full size 1/2" to get over 400 lbs of torque on the same battery set. I've been very happy with mine.
 
Ballah06

Ballah06

Well-known member
Jan 21, 2007
5,638
16
Savannah, GA
Gents (and I do use that term loosely...), thank you all for input. After all, I saw a Porter Cable 20V driver at Lowe's and gave it a shot; meh, bringing it back.

Got the job done with an 18" breaker bar (had to get one), but a much cheaper alternative of course. Given I am not going to need the driver frequently, probably will just go the breaker bar route in the near future, unless I spot a good deal. The driver Kennith posted the link to looks tits, but it sure is pricy for how infrequently I would use one.

:patriot:
 
B

bri

Well-known member
Apr 20, 2004
6,184
155
US
I looked at them briefly as well. Seemed like the ones near power of the panasoic are nearly as much.
 
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