Rattle gun impact wrench - recommendation?

[CouncilFerrari]

eltax91 said:

The dewalt has 3 settings on it which varies the torque. I drop it down for smaller fasteners. Doesn’t the Milwaukee?

It does, four in fact. If you buy the posh version, it has Bluetooth functionality and you can set the torque value for each setting, from your phone.

[eltax91]

CouncilFerrari said:

eltax91 said:

The dewalt has 3 settings on it which varies the torque. I drop it down for smaller fasteners. Doesn’t the Milwaukee?

It does, four in fact. If you buy the posh version, it has Bluetooth functionality and you can set the torque value for each setting, from your phone.

No reason to snap heads off fasteners then really

[pcn1]

DCF891N-XJ

Very happy with this mid torque gun using 5 AH battery.
Seems to do everything on my Grand Cherokee (and many nuts and bolts are heavily corroded)
3 year warranty if you register it.

I started a program of buying/replacing several tools and I wanted a single battery type solution.
Impact gun
Drill
Torch
Grass strimmer

All good so far

[donkmeister]

eltax91 said:

CouncilFerrari said:

eltax91 said:

The dewalt has 3 settings on it which varies the torque. I drop it down for smaller fasteners. Doesn’t the Milwaukee?

It does, four in fact. If you buy the posh version, it has Bluetooth functionality and you can set the torque value for each setting, from your phone.

No reason to snap heads off fasteners then really

I always take the "start off with 1st gear and work up as required" approach with any impact tool. I don't think I've snapped anything yet (however have snapped many seized fasteners with ratchets and breakers).

The one SNAFU I've had with any related tool wasnt snapping... I was using an electric ratchet to undo an M5 screw. Would have been fine but I didn't check the hex bit was properly seated in the drive and it just reamed the hole into a circle in a very quick trigger pull. Definite user error, and the reason I now own a very small cold chisel.

[tux850]

donkmeister said:

The one SNAFU I've had with any related tool wasnt snapping... I was using an electric ratchet to undo an M5 screw. Would have been fine but I didn't check the hex bit was properly seated in the drive and it just reamed the hole into a circle in a very quick trigger pull. Definite user error, and the reason I now own a very small cold chisel.

I'm a big fan of the old manual impact drivers for screws (particularly the likes of brake disc retaining screws) as the hammer action ensure the bit is well seated.



It could still round off of course, but only as a result of it being actually stuck rather than user-error on my part and not setting/holding it in right.

[kambites]

eltax91 said:

I’m restoring a classic Range Rover at the moment. I was undoing a trailer arm nut today (30mm socket). I grabbed the air gun off the wall behind me and used it as it was convenient. Wouldn’t budge the nut. This is with a large compressor and a good brand (ingersol rand) gun.

Slightly off topic given that the OP doesn't have air, but in my experience the single biggest differentiator when it comes to air impact wrenches isn't the compressor or the gun but the hose - assuming the gun isn't complete junk, it's mostly about how much air you can get through it in a relatively short period of time. It doesn't really matter how good your gun and compressor are if you have a quarter inch restriction somewhere in your feed.

Edited by kambites on Friday 14th June 14:53

[eltax91]

kambites said:

Slightly off topic given that the OP doesn't have air, but in my experience the single biggest differentiator when it comes to air impact wrenches isn't the compressor or the gun but the hose - assuming the gun isn't complete junk, it's mostly about how much air you can get through it in a relatively short period of time. It doesn't really matter how good your gun and compressor are if you have a quarter inch restriction somewhere in your feed.

Edited by kambites on Friday 14th June 14:53

I have a big compressor, an expensive regulator set to the right CFM. A health 15mm internal bore pipe on a reel and an expensive branded tool on the end (plus the tool holding it!).

The dewalt still beats it all hands down. The air has come in very useful recently for the air ratchet and particularly the hammer for all the stubborn stuff on a 32yr old Range Rover

[wildoliver]

tux850 said:

donkmeister said:

The one SNAFU I've had with any related tool wasnt snapping... I was using an electric ratchet to undo an M5 screw. Would have been fine but I didn't check the hex bit was properly seated in the drive and it just reamed the hole into a circle in a very quick trigger pull. Definite user error, and the reason I now own a very small cold chisel.

I'm a big fan of the old manual impact drivers for screws (particularly the likes of brake disc retaining screws) as the hammer action ensure the bit is well seated.



It could still round off of course, but only as a result of it being actually stuck rather than user-error on my part and not setting/holding it in right.

Me too I still use mine fairly regularly, as you say brake disc screws and door hinges on classic cars generally. But I wouldn't use it where I would use an impact gun, nor would I use an impact gun where I would use one of these. Different tool for different jobs. Most of the time I use an impact gun these days to save labour, they whizz a lot of bolts out quickly and back in with care rather than doing it all by hand, obviously final torque up by hand but to do 90% of the work they save your wrists and time enormously.

Unfortunately for that reason you need 2 guns really (an argument for 3 with a right angle electric wrench too) a smaller but still powerful gun for most of your work up to and including wheel nuts, brake caliper brackets, suspension bolts etc. Then a really chunky one for the heavy work. Obvuously depending on what your working on the scale will move, if I was solely working on tanks and tractors I'd only be using the big one really, likewise if I was only working on classic cars where nothing is done up to massive torques then a smaller one alone would do the job.

You don't only want one massive impact gun, they are far too big to use for everything, lack of space and your fatigue will get you.

If you currently don't have a battery system on the go then I'd say your very lucky as now you can choose which direction you go in. You can't go far wrong with DeWalt or Milwaukee. Personally I like Milwaukee, Milwaukee and DeWalt keep passing the crown back and forth for biggest power impact guns, but over a certain point it really doesn't matter, they are both good. Buy the one that the rest of the range suits you well, both are loved by tradesmen, both have similar ranges of tools, both have positives and negatives. My likes of Milwaukee are they tools aren't stupidly priced (but nor are DeWalt) the toolbox system (packout) is very nice but expensive, but the standard boxes the tools come in are pretty good. Chargers and batteries are good with fast charge times and decent life (DeWalt probably the same). So you see it's basically do you like red or yellow?

A left field choice is Ryobi, same parent company as Milwaukee, but no interchangability, much cheaper system, but batteries aren't cheap (more later), tools are good for a home user but probably won't stand up to trade use.

I used Ryobi when I set up, to be honest despite people looking down their noses at them I found them good, the charger I had (most likely different now) was slow, which was a pain, but with a few batteries didn't matter so much. I went through 4 impact guns, with 2 changed under warranty, so the warranty does work, but would have been better if the guns lasted, but they were being worked hard, a normal home mechanic would never kill one. The warranty was also very easy. Fill form in, post in with label off tool, new boxed tool arrives in post, I gave my broken tools to my friend who managed to repair one out of them all. I still have the first Ryobi tool I bought, a cordless drill in blue, it's been under water, dowsed in oil, drilled through metal far too thick so it's smoked, still works, most importantly the chuck is still like new. They aren't bad tools. But the Milwaukee drill I've got now will drive a core drill through a wall, the Ryobi couldn't even dream of it. But the Milwaukee drill costs twice the price.

And that's the crux of pro Vs home tools, home tools are cheap but batteries are a bit more expensive, the Ryobi principle is as you see in the advert, the man with the shed full of Ryobi tools, but because he's not using them for work he probably only has one charger and 2 batteries. Milwaukee and DeWalt tools cost more, but the batteries and chargers feel a bit cheaper to buy, I suppose because most tradesmen have a few tools they use to destruction but have half a dozen plus batteries.

Weigh up your use case and buy accordingly, but don't over buy, if you aren't doing it for money, don't spend too much on tools.

[donkmeister]

wildoliver said:

Me too I still use mine fairly regularly, as you say brake disc screws and door hinges on classic cars generally. But I wouldn't use it where I would use an impact gun, nor would I use an impact gun where I would use one of these. Different tool for different jobs. Most of the time I use an impact gun these days to save labour, they whizz a lot of bolts out quickly and back in with care rather than doing it all by hand, obviously final torque up by hand but to do 90% of the work they save your wrists and time enormously.

Unfortunately for that reason you need 2 guns really (an argument for 3 with a right angle electric wrench too) a smaller but still powerful gun for most of your work up to and including wheel nuts, brake caliper brackets, suspension bolts etc. Then a really chunky one for the heavy work. Obvuously depending on what your working on the scale will move, if I was solely working on tanks and tractors I'd only be using the big one really, likewise if I was only working on classic cars where nothing is done up to massive torques then a smaller one alone would do the job.

You don't only want one massive impact gun, they are far too big to use for everything, lack of space and your fatigue will get you.

If you currently don't have a battery system on the go then I'd say your very lucky as now you can choose which direction you go in. You can't go far wrong with DeWalt or Milwaukee. Personally I like Milwaukee, Milwaukee and DeWalt keep passing the crown back and forth for biggest power impact guns, but over a certain point it really doesn't matter, they are both good. Buy the one that the rest of the range suits you well, both are loved by tradesmen, both have similar ranges of tools, both have positives and negatives. My likes of Milwaukee are they tools aren't stupidly priced (but nor are DeWalt) the toolbox system (packout) is very nice but expensive, but the standard boxes the tools come in are pretty good. Chargers and batteries are good with fast charge times and decent life (DeWalt probably the same). So you see it's basically do you like red or yellow?

A left field choice is Ryobi, same parent company as Milwaukee, but no interchangability, much cheaper system, but batteries aren't cheap (more later), tools are good for a home user but probably won't stand up to trade use.

I used Ryobi when I set up, to be honest despite people looking down their noses at them I found them good, the charger I had (most likely different now) was slow, which was a pain, but with a few batteries didn't matter so much. I went through 4 impact guns, with 2 changed under warranty, so the warranty does work, but would have been better if the guns lasted, but they were being worked hard, a normal home mechanic would never kill one. The warranty was also very easy. Fill form in, post in with label off tool, new boxed tool arrives in post, I gave my broken tools to my friend who managed to repair one out of them all. I still have the first Ryobi tool I bought, a cordless drill in blue, it's been under water, dowsed in oil, drilled through metal far too thick so it's smoked, still works, most importantly the chuck is still like new. They aren't bad tools. But the Milwaukee drill I've got now will drive a core drill through a wall, the Ryobi couldn't even dream of it. But the Milwaukee drill costs twice the price.

And that's the crux of pro Vs home tools, home tools are cheap but batteries are a bit more expensive, the Ryobi principle is as you see in the advert, the man with the shed full of Ryobi tools, but because he's not using them for work he probably only has one charger and 2 batteries. Milwaukee and DeWalt tools cost more, but the batteries and chargers feel a bit cheaper to buy, I suppose because most tradesmen have a few tools they use to destruction but have half a dozen plus batteries.

Weigh up your use case and buy accordingly, but don't over buy, if you aren't doing it for money, don't spend too much on tools.

I am only a home gamer but I find the Ryobi good value. I had only avoided them because I'd learned they were "cheap and nasty" from somewhere, but TBH they are the modern Skoda of power tools. Cheap(ish), decently functional, associated with a particular shade of green.

Some of the YT spannering channels even use them (Ageing Wheels and Mighty Car Mods being the two that leap to mind), and they do more than most driveway mechanics would do.

Re the "having different sizes of impact", I agree. I'd definitely say start with the smaller one to ensure it can actually be used where it's needed; the immediately obvious jobs are brakes and pulleys, both of which involve cramped space; the first time I used one (to remove galled caliper bolts) I ended having to do a bit of disassembly to create room and it was still a squeeze. If I'd bought Ye Mighty Snapper of Studs as my first gun I wouldn't have been able to get it into any of my jobs and would have probably felt it was a useless tool. So far I've only actually used it a couple of times, it's more just left in vire of the stubborn fasteners as encouragement for them to comply.

I've even pressed an (admittedly 36V Hikoki rather than Ryobi) 1/4" hex drive impact driver into service to free up fasteners up to 17mm in tight places that my 1/2" impacts wouldn't fit.

[wildoliver]

donkmeister said:

I am only a home gamer but I find the Ryobi good value. I had only avoided them because I'd learned they were "cheap and nasty" from somewhere, but TBH they are the modern Skoda of power tools. Cheap(ish), decently functional, associated with a particular shade of green.

Absolutely this. If your not relying on them for a living then they aren't getting used day in and day out. And that's all that kills Ryobi kit. I will say some bits are a bit pony, but I'm talking jigsaw and small circular saw from probably 10+ years back, the motor tech has moved on so much that I'd wager the current Ryobi wood working tools are more than man enough for the job, still didn't stop me doing most of our kitchen using them.

It is telling that of all the Ryobi tools I've had other than some battery packs which are consumables, I still have all the tools which I'm starting to get together in a pile to put on marketplace and sell, if they were bad tools they wouldn't have survived to sell when I upgraded.