Best impact wrench recommendations

[OctaneV8]

Best impact wrench recommendations please, I've recently been doing brakes, and taking wheels off and on, new wheels etc.
seems like a good opportunity to invest in an impact wrench.

I've seen the parkside from lidl/aldi has had some good reviews, still available on a couple of well-known online stores. There's also some very highly rated offerings for £100-200 on amazon, which I'd consider, even if the sockets that come with the wrench are rubbish, as long as the wrench is capable, I think I'd be fine with this, although I don't mind spending a bit more to get a tried and tested brand with cross-compatibility on battery packs.

I've heard that the dewalt and milwaukee offerings are very good, I'd consider paying a bit more (£200-£300?).

any specific model numbers, I'll happily google the specs and research further.

I was inspecting brakes on a recent car purchase, disc thickness has gone below minimum and they'll need replacing, I went to undo the 18mm caliper carrier bolts and they wouldn't budge. I think these are 120 Nm which is the same torque as the wheel nuts, which I can just about manage with a 600mm wheel bar. I can jack the car up higher and see if I can turn the wheel to get better access, then re-try with a breaker bar, but now I'm convinced an impact wrench would make life easier as a good investment, to save on trips to mechanic/garage.

Edited by OctaneV8 on Tuesday 25th March 10:56

[Krikkit]

I've been using the Milwaukee M12 kit for a couple of years, it's excellent for working on cars because it's compact enough to fit into wheel arches etc - the bigger 18V kit is more potent but much bulkier.

A few months ago I treated myself to the 3rd-gen compact impact (which you can have 3/8" or 1/2"): https://www.toolden.co.uk/power-tools/cordless-pow...

With the 5Ah high-output battery it'll do the claimed 500Nm quite happily: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sirk4_OeR0Q With the little battery it's capable of doing loads of jobs, and you can then expand in future with the electric ratchet, torches and various other accessories.

If my tools get nicked I'll just buy the same again, no question. Just watch out that you get the right version - the previous-gen one isn't a patch (although good).

[Smint]

https://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-dcf922n-xj-18v-l...

I have one of these and it does everything i ask of it, small enough to fit where i've needed it so far.
Went Dewalt because already have several other cordless products of theirs so have multiple batteries.

Bit cheaper here https://www.toolstation.com/dewalt-18v-xr-brushles...

Edited by Smint on Tuesday 25th March 17:12

[paul_c123]

Erbauer Impact Wrench £69.99
https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-ehtiw18-li-18v-...

Erbauer EXT 5.0Ah battery £54.99
https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-ebat18-li-5-18v...

Erbauer battery charger £45.99
https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-efc18-li-18v-li...

I also have the smaller impact wrench (only does 240Nm, where the above does 560Nm) and a 2.0Ah battery, for general "undoing" stuff, eg rocker cover bolts - the above is big and heavy and only really needed for tight stuff (engine mount bolts, crank bolts, etc)

TBH a breaker bar to initially crack off stuck bolts is probably better than blindly pounding it with an impact wrench. One tip is, if its not coming, switch directions a few times (then make sure you put it back to 'undo' for a period). If there's dust/smoke coming off the bolt, something's happening so keep going.

Edited by paul_c123 on Tuesday 25th March 17:43

[Evolved]

Do you have any other power tools? If so, buy the same brand to save on battery costs multiplying. It’ll save you a fortune in the long run.

I’m a Milwaukee guy, so would be going with their (excellent) impact.

[OctaneV8]

Thanks for your replies, and for the video review it helps knowing about the latest 3rd-generation offering. I've not gone to a particular battery loyalty before, but a while ago I was tempted to get the Milwaukee tyre inflator. I've just got an einhell drill but open to investing in one brand going forward.
I do have a compact Milwaukee spirit level (!), great for checking shelves, wall fittings and more.
Now both DeWalt and Milwaukee look more than enough. I gather 12v should be more compact than 18v, ideal for working on tight spaces in the wheel arch or engine bay of a car.

[kestral]

I have the Milwaukee M12 and I use it with the small batteries so it is easy to handle and fits in small places without the big battery. I can always buy big batteries if I need them. The M12 has plentey of reviews on YT.

[skeeterm5]

One thing to consider is the chuck size, if you don’t get one the same size as your socket set you will either need an adaptor or new sockets.

[donkmeister]

skeeterm5 said:

One thing to consider is the chuck size, if you don’t get one the same size as your socket set you will either need an adaptor or new sockets.

If you are buying a first mpact you'll almost certainly need new sockets anyway

OP, I'd echo "whatever battery brand you are currently on", any of the home-gamer brands will be fine for your purposes.

I'd recommend you aim for about 400Nm as a minimum, check any limitations (e.g. do you need a better battery to get that), shorter length is better than narrower width in my experience, and I'd advise the following socket sets in decreasing order of.importance:

Standard 6 point from 10-21mm (no skips)
An extension, 4 or 6"
6 point wheel sockets (17, 19 and 21mm)
An impact rated UJ.
Deep 6 point over same range (skips less of an issue)
A swiveling set of 6 point sockets

Doesn't need to be a posh brand, I've had a lot of success with brands like Neilsen.

Now, extensions and swivels do sap torque. But you only use them to get the socket to the fastener, the alternative is zero torque because you can't get the impact driver in.

Edited by donkmeister on Wednesday 26th March 14:06

[OctaneV8]

Thanks, I've got a 1/2" 6-point for the 18mm brake caliper carriers (could be corroded-on!)

Going for 1/2" as I can't see any reason not to, can always be adapted down to 3/8 vs. I wouldn't think going up the other way round is as efficient in terms of force transmission.

I think I'll go for the Milwaukee M12 Gen 3 with 2x 5.0 ah battery and charger, although ideally I'd like the 2.0 ah for tight spaces with a larger 5.0 ah in case more juice required.

I have looked at corded Impact Wrenches, such as Clarke, much cheaper and I don't really need cordless, however the corded don't look as compact as the cordless ones.

[Krikkit]

OctaneV8 said:

I have looked at corded Impact Wrenches, such as Clarke, much cheaper and I don't really need cordless, however the corded don't look as compact as the cordless ones.

I tried one a few years ago, rubbish. It was massive and didn't make anywhere near the claimed torque.

Also tried air which was potent enough but now the battery stuff has caught up.

FWIW the little 2Ah batteries are only about 20 quid if you shop around

[InitialDave]

I have the big 1/2" Dewalt, which is excellent.

Ebay sellers like PowerToolMate and FFX are very good on pricing with the regular eBay discount offers.

Would go for a bigger battery, 4 or 5 Ah. I've read that they can't draw at a high enough rate from the smaller ones to give maximum kick.

[donkmeister]

OctaneV8 said:

Going for 1/2" as I can't see any reason not to, can always be adapted down to 3/8 vs. I wouldn't think going up the other way round is as efficient in terms of force transmission.

I think I'll go for the Milwaukee M12 Gen 3 with 2x 5.0 ah battery and charger, although ideally I'd like the 2.0 ah for tight spaces with a larger 5.0 ah in case more juice required.

Wise choice on the 1/2". TBH most fasteners where you would want a 3/8 you don't need an impact. So, my ideal two-driver combo is the shortest 1/2" you can get (with adequate torque) and a short, compact hex drive impact driver with some bit adaptors for the rare situations of needing an impact for smaller fasteners in areas without much space.

My setup is an Hikoki WR36 1/2" for stud snapping duties and a WH36 impact driver for occasional use doing car faffing (but mostly for screw driving!), and with some jointed sockets and UJs to get the big 'un into tight spaces.

Torque Test Channel on YouTube reviews and importantly, dynos, seemingly everything, so worth seeing if they've reviewed that Milwaukee.

[donkmeister]

InitialDave said:

Would go for a bigger battery, 4 or 5 Ah. I've read that they can't draw at a high enough rate from the smaller ones to give maximum kick.

Echo this.

Having two batteries sounds like a great idea but TBH you won't flatten a 5Ah battery in an amateur day of car worrying.

So, do your day's fettling, put the battery on charge when you are finished and it's fresh for the next time. Leave buying a second battery for when you eventually find a good deal on a genuine one.

I have Stealthmount battery holders on the wall by my workshop door so I can leave fully charged batteries within easy reach.

[Krikkit]

InitialDave said:

Would go for a bigger battery, 4 or 5 Ah. I've read that they can't draw at a high enough rate from the smaller ones to give maximum kick.

Correct, but the gen 3 will still do a decent amount with the tiny battery, most light suspension components for example, anything in the engine bay etc

[Shedding]

I'd reccomend my current one which is

DeWalt DCF891P2T 18v XR Brushless Hog Ring Anvil 1/2" Impact Wrench with 5Ah batteries.

It has max breakaway torque of 1084Nm but is still fairly compact to get into tighter spaces. That's the equivalent of a fairly heavy man on a 1m breaker bar. It won't undo everything but will do most things. I was tempted by the nearer 2000Nm models but they are quite a bit larger. I wouldn't bother with one with just a few hundred Nm