Impact wrenches

4Runner

Well-known member
May 24, 2007
663
111
Boise Idaho
I mostly do things by hand. I’ll bust out the air impact when it’s the right tool for the job. I have a battery powered drill for work that I use a lot, but no appeal to get battery powered wrenches. I am too old school I guess. Since no one else will know but you, I do love battery powered magnetic work lights. What a game changer. Lol
 

DiscoHasBeen

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2016
1,171
262
Indy
Thanks for the replies. My compressor is on it's last leg. What I replace it with will depend on the tools I need to run. Looking at doing a little more wrenching than I have for a while. Watching vids getting ready everyone has cordless. Ratchet drives, impacts, all cordless. Yesterday I found a Dewalt impact for a decent price delivered overnight so I pulled the trigger. Used it to put the front part of my lift/coilovers on. It's 600 on 800 off, all I'll need. It's great not being anchored to that compressor.
 

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,759
563
Seattle
I have a DeWalt cordless and have found a few instances where it won't budge hardware that I can otherwise remove with air. It just makes a lot of noise and doesn't do anything. Thankfully in these cases I have a friend with a lift and air tools, but I prefer to work in my own space on my own time.
 

DiscoHasBeen

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2016
1,171
262
Indy
I have a DeWalt cordless and have found a few instances where it won't budge hardware that I can otherwise remove with air. It just makes a lot of noise and doesn't do anything. Thankfully in these cases I have a friend with a lift and air tools, but I prefer to work in my own space on my own time.
Dewalt makes a lot of different impact wrenches. Their latest and greatest is like 1400 on 1600 off. I almost bought it but did eventually come to my senses. Ended up buying the DCF891, which, off the top of my head, is 600 ft lbs on 800 off.
 
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discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,724
1,021
Northern Illinois
I have a DeWalt cordless and have found a few instances where it won't budge hardware that I can otherwise remove with air. It just makes a lot of noise and doesn't do anything. Thankfully in these cases I have a friend with a lift and air tools, but I prefer to work in my own space on my own time.
Yeah to all of this. You kind of need both. Nothing is consistently strong like an air impact. I like the smaller 3/8 drive electric stuff. I have a 1/2 inch electric impact for heading out to a parking lot far away from air supply. But those electric 1/2 in drive impacts are too heavy to be my everyday every tire kind of thing. It’s way too big to use like you would a 3/8 drive impact.
 

rovercanus

Well-known member
Apr 24, 2004
9,650
246
I use air too. The electric is nice when it works but sometimes you really need that extra oomph.
My Aircat made easy work removing a pitman arm nut last summer. I like air because I have a lot of tools that use air, a big enough compressor to run them and I'm able to blow stuff off and use a sprayer.
That said, electric is great if you are out and about.
 

MM3846

Well-known member
Feb 18, 2014
1,221
161
LI, NY
Dewalt makes a lot of different impact wrenches. Their latest and greatest is like 1400 on 1600 off. I almost bought it but did eventually come to my senses. Ended up buying the DCF891, which, off the top of my head, is 600 ft lbs on 800 off.
Yup, my Dewalt impact is a couple years old but was the biggest/baddest they had at the time. It's better than any air gun I've used.
 

rovercanus

Well-known member
Apr 24, 2004
9,650
246
I'll add that when your batteries go bad you may as well throw the whole tool out because now they have come up with a more badass battery that uses a completely different platform and you old junk ain't it.
 

p m

Administrator
Staff member
Apr 19, 2004
15,630
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58
La Jolla, CA
www.3rj.org
I use both. My air Ingersol Rand and my battery DeWalt.
Same here.
But I haven't used my air impact since I got the largest-torque 1/2" DeWalt. It is simply insane. It'll undo pinion or radius arms nuts in half a second.
However, lightweight it isn't. I ended up getting the smallest 1/2" drive DeWalt - that's what is in my toolbag with a handful of sockets.
 

ukoffroad

Well-known member
Jan 13, 2010
2,125
169
Lynchburg, Va
smaller battery DeWalt for little stuff, bigger corded electric for maximum persuasion. I was not using my compressor enough to replace it when it died.
 

DiscoHasBeen

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2016
1,171
262
Indy
I'll add that when your batteries go bad you may as well throw the whole tool out because now they have come up with a more badass battery that uses a completely different platform and you old junk ain't it.
I can tell you don't use cordless. I have a few different brands of cordless, some go back 15 years or so. None of them have altered the way they attach. That's not to say a company hasn't. I see Dwalt dropped support for their NiCad system, but that was introduced in 2011 I believe.
 
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discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,724
1,021
Northern Illinois
I can tell you don't use cordless. I have a few different brands of cordless, some go back 15 years or so. None of them have altered the way they attach. That's not to say a company hasn't. I see Dwalt dropped support for their NiCad system, but that was introduced in 2011 I believe.
I’ll make a line of the electric drills and impacts I’ve used that have become obsolete because of the batteries.
I first started using electric 3/8 drive impacts early. Like about 94. I’ve been thru 4 generations of batteries with snap on. I’m gonna be fucking pissed when the new snap on batteries become obsolete. I know it’s coming.
 

discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,724
1,021
Northern Illinois

This thing kicks ass. I never thought much of it till I borrowed one. Bought my own immediately. It’s strong enough to do water pumps on a 5.0. Gentle enough to put dashboards back together.
 

DiscoHasBeen

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2016
1,171
262
Indy
I’ll make a line of the electric drills and impacts I’ve used that have become obsolete because of the batteries.
I first started using electric 3/8 drive impacts early. Like about 94. I’ve been thru 4 generations of batteries with snap on. I’m gonna be fucking pissed when the new snap on batteries become obsolete. I know it’s coming.
If you are saying that Snap-On has changed the way their batteries attach since 1994 then I'd say they are taking advantage of for your loyalty. I have Ryobi that are 15 yr old that work on new.
 

discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,724
1,021
Northern Illinois
If you are saying that Snap-On has changed the way their batteries attach since 1994 then I'd say they are taking advantage of for your loyalty. I have Ryobi that are 15 yr old that work on new.
If your tools are still using 1994 battery technology you’re pretty fucked anyway. The only reason I would buy a Ryobi tool is if my stuff kept getting stolen. Cause I bet they would leave that stuff.