Question about a corded impact driver.

Hello,

I am about to do some additional suspension work and am going to get an impact driver to help with the big bolts. I have an air compressor, but the tank isn't quire big enough for pneumatic tools, which is a shame.

I was looking at this one,

Bauer 64120 1/2 Inch Heavy Duty Extreme Torque Impact Wrench ($100) (it's at Harbor Freight for $80)

The Amazon listing says "high power 8.5 amp motor delivers 1050 ft lbs. bolt breakaway torque". When I look at the manual .pdf from Harbor Freight it says 300 ft lbs., which is not exactly 1050 ft lbs.

This is another one,

Porter-Cable PCE211 Corded Impact Wrench, 7.5-Amp, 450 lbs. of Torque, 1/2 Inch ($80)

which would have quite a bit more torque if the specs are right. This doesn't make much sense if it has a 7.5 amp motor as compared to 8.5 amp with the Bauer.

I do get a little annoyed when manufacturers can't just say what they have and what it costs and leave it at that.

At any rate, I am looking for a corded impact driver in the $75 to $100 price range. This leaves out brands like Milwaukee and similar. Has anyone used either of the models listed above or have a different one to suggest?

Thanks,

LMHmedchem

 

[dvdswan]

Our 10 Best Corded Impact Wrench in the US - April 2024 | BestProductsReviews.com

Easily compare & choose from the 10 best Corded Impact Wrench for you. Don't buy a Corded Impact Wrench in the US before reading our rankings | BestProductsReviews.com

www.bestproductsreviews.com

 

[leadfootdriver]

The price is right for 450ftlbs.. The tightest nut I ever torqued on that vehicle is the front axle nut at like 185..

 

[410Fortune]

I use a 20v dewalt cordless it will rip 1200 ft lbs (remove) and it will torque to well over 200 which we do not need
No cords no hoses goes everywhere one of the best tools I have, no more air compressor running all day

Consider a cordless if you can put in a little more $$$, they are just so useful

 

[Josh P]

When I look at the manual .pdf from Harbor Freight it says 300 ft lbs., which is not exactly 1050 ft lbs.

That explains my complaint about it. My friend bought one and it wouldn't break free the head bolts on a 460 but he could break them with a 1/2 inch ratchet wrench. If you buy that corded impact, you break them free by hand then it might spin the bolt out.

 

[Jason94sport]

I use a 20v dewalt cordless it will rip 1200 ft lbs (remove) and it will torque to well over 200 which we do not need
No cords no hoses goes everywhere one of the best tools I have, no more air compressor running all day

Consider a cordless if you can put in a little more $$$, they are just so useful

This is what I use too. Broke the bolts for the front hubs like butter. I have a corded 1/4, & it's fine for small things. Like interior bolts. No experience with bigger corded.

 

[J_C]

I use a 20v dewalt cordless it will rip 1200 ft lbs (remove) and it will torque to well over 200 which we do not need
No cords no hoses goes everywhere one of the best tools I have, no more air compressor running all day

Consider a cordless if you can put in a little more $$$, they are just so useful

^ This. If you don't have any cordless tools yet, you don't know what you're missing.

If you do have cordless tool(s), see if that brand offers a cordless impact wrench. Depending on brand, and the minimum torque you'll settle for, it won't necessarily be that much if any more expensive than the corded $80 models you linked, for just the bare tool that uses the batteries you already have.

I used to be a Dewalt guy but got tired of their battery format changes so I switched to Ryobi, and years ago their best at the time was only 300 ft lbs but even that has handled anything I've asked of it including axle nuts, but even from Dewalt you can get something around $90 price point for a bare tool that should be enough for suspension work unless there's a ton of rust:

https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DCF901B-XTREME-Brushless-Cordless/dp/B09HSCRWHF?tag=seriouexplor-20

Edit: At first I didn't notice the above was 12V. Personally I'd prefer an 18V/20V set.

 

[dvdswan]

Here's the 20V

https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DCF911B-Impact-Wrench-Anvil/dp/B09HVXKJF6/?tag=seriouexplor-20

 

[Stynx]

I have one of these, it works ok. Looks like they are cheap right now because they are being discontinued.

7 Amp, 1/2 in. Impact Wrench with Rocker Switch

 

[BrooklynBay]

Your thread was moved into the tools & garage section. Sometimes I've used corded & cordless impact drivers, and didn't have any luck with some tough bolts & nuts. Try a three foot or longer 1/2" drive breaker bar. You could even put a pipe on it to get an extra foot or two for additional break away power. Sometimes heating up the nut is the only way to remove it if there's Locktite on the threads. Check these articles:

Ditch the Torch and Use Induction Heat to Break Free Rusted Bolts

How to Remove a Stubborn Nut/Bolt

How to Remove a Stubborn Nut/Bolt: There are MANY ways to remove stuck and stubborn nuts/bolts, here are some of the ways that I've found work best. These methods contain both simple options, and some that use luxurious tools such as an impact gun or welder. Use caution, as some of t…

www.instructables.com

 

[410Fortune]

I have an induction heater the bolt buster. Thing works good when you can get it around the fastener, otherwise we still mostly use the torch.

My 20v dewalt impact (the big one) does most everything for me, however she is now 7+ years old and take a beating daily. Even with a fresh battery we found some ranger bed bolts that she wouldn’t touch. My buddy has a 18v Milwaukee impact ( the big expensive one) and it had zero trouble removing those same bolts. My dewalt used to be a guy named Hank, now she is known as “Henrietta” we changed his gender since he couldn’t do those Bolts. I am now wanting a 18v Milwaukee setup… please send $$$

 

[LMHmedchem]

Sometimes I've used corded & cordless impact drivers, and didn't have any luck with some tough bolts & nuts. Try a three foot or longer 1/2" drive breaker bar. You could even put a pipe on it to get an extra foot or two for additional break away power.

I have an assortment of breaker bars and cheater pipes, including a 6' section of 2" pvc that I use with my lug wrench. I also tend to use bolt extractor sockets since everything around here is rusted to altogether absent. These often work well but there are many situations where you just can't get the socket to bite and still have room to turn it. My house pre-dates the automobile and so doesn't have a garage. This means I do all of my repair upside down in the driveway and there isn't always enough clearance underneath for a big bar. Being at least 20 years older than I was 20 years ago, I also wouldn't mind having a bit of assistance with some of the more stubborn fasteners.

I would have thought that a corded 120v AC tool on a 20A outlet would have way more potential power then a 18v-20v battery tool with an 5 Ah battery. Does anyone know why a huge 12" long Milwaukee corded impact driver delivers 300 ft/lbs of fastening torque while an 8" battery model can deliver 1,200 ft/lbs fastening torque? I am assuming that the interior design is more or less the same. I do like the rocker switch that is on allot of the corded models.

LMHmedchem

 

[LMHmedchem]

For some reason I am having all kinds of trouble posting here. I have a list of items I am considering and links and such but I am constantly getting some unhelpful error message "Oops! We ran into some problems.". I will try breaking up the post.

^ This. If you don't have any cordless tools yet, you don't know what you're missing.

If you do have cordless tool(s), see if that brand offers a cordless impact wrench. Depending on brand, and the minimum torque you'll settle for, it won't necessarily be that much if any more expensive than the corded $80 models you linked, for just the bare tool that uses the batteries you already have.

I have a Bosch professional cordless set of drill and impact driver. I have had them for more than 10 years and they have worked very well so far. They were factory manufactured. I though that a remanufactured set of professional tools would hold up better than the home use versions of these brands that are sometimes sold at the home improvement stores. So far that idea has held up.

I looked at this model,

Factory Reconditioned Bosch GDS18V-740N-RT PROFACTOR 18V 1/2 in. Cordless Impact Wrench ($139)

which I think is pretty nice for the price. The listed specs are 740 ft/lbs fastening torque and 1180 ft/lbs breakaway torque. I do tend to believe numbers listed by Bosch. This would be a nice solution if I could use one of my existing batteries. The issue is that my batteries (10+ years old) are 1.3 Ah. The standard battery for this ProFactor model is 8 Ah. There is just no way I would get to anywhere near the listed torque on 12% of the intended current. I could buy a 4 Ah Bosch battery for about $80 but I still don't think that would get the tool to it's advertised specs.

I then looked at this new Bosch set,

BOSCH GDS18V-770CB14 PROFACTOR™ 18V 3/4 In. Impact Wrench Kit ($295)

This is not at all bad with an 8 Ah battery, charger, and bag. The only issue is that this is a 3/4" model so I would have to use an adapter most of the time. The 1/2" model is much more expensive.

LMHmedchem

 

[LMHmedchem]

post number 3 trying to get it to work,

I also looked at 20V DeWalt ($288) but am more liking this model.

Milwaukee 2967-20 M18 FUEL 18V 1/2 in High Torque Impact Wrench ($223)
Milwaukee 48-59-1850 M18 Xc 5.0 Starter Kit ($86)

For a total of $310, not only does it have 1,200 ft/lbs fastening torque and 1,600 ft/lbs breakaway torque but it looks like it's almost 2 inches shorter across the top than the DeWalt. This is important to me given the lack of space I sometimes run into. It would be just my luck to have a tool that would do the job but won't fit in the available space. The Bosch above is the same size but the necessary addition of the adapter would cancel that out. None of these is as compact as an air impact but I really don't have space for a bigger compressor.

Has anyone here used one of these cordless Milwaukee drivers? I know the corded ones are pretty popular.

I have been posting on this site since 2011. Can someone tell my why I suddenly can't post a simple list of tools without breaking it up into a whole list of posts? Do I have to start posting one letter at a time?

LMHmedchem

 

[J_C]

I would have thought that a corded 120v AC tool on a 20A outlet would have way more potential power then a 18v-20v battery tool with an 5 Ah battery. Does anyone know why a huge 12" long Milwaukee corded impact driver delivers 300 ft/lbs of fastening torque while an 8" battery model can deliver 1,200 ft/lbs fastening torque? I am assuming that the interior design is more or less the same. I do like the rocker switch that is on allot of the corded models.

Higher voltage motors in those, develop power through high RPM and lower torque, so they would need an additional set of reduction gears to reach the same performance and be that much larger and heavier, and then that much slower to spin up to power and back down, so there isn't much of a market to develop that niche motor/gearbox combo because everyone who is going to move on from air tools, probably already has and they are giving up their air hose to go cordless instead of just another tethered tool.

The rocker switch seems convenient but I'd rather not have one, as it seems too easy to accidentally hit the wrong direction and torque something you meant to loosen. I will use an impact to loosen things that I would not use to tighten (to final torque) because it would get things too tight, while there is no such thing as too loose. For example a plastic intake manifold, or a few other areas that your smallest sizes of 1/2" sockets fit, one accidental burst of tightening may break it (or the fastener). Corded are also less precise because due to operating at much higher motor RPM and weight, they take longer to spin down, while cordless stop practically instantaneously when you let off the trigger.

 

[J_C]

I looked at this model,

Factory Reconditioned Bosch GDS18V-740N-RT PROFACTOR 18V 1/2 in. Cordless Impact Wrench ($139)

which I think is pretty nice for the price. The listed specs are 740 ft/lbs fastening torque and 1180 ft/lbs breakaway torque.... The issue is that my batteries (10+ years old) are 1.3 Ah. The standard battery for this ProFactor model is 8 Ah. There is just no way I would get to anywhere near the listed torque on 12% of the intended current. I could buy a 4 Ah Bosch battery for about $80 but I still don't think that would get the tool to it's advertised specs.

I don't know anything about battery compatibility between Bosch's packs 10 years ago and the linked wrench, but Ah and torque are not directly related like that. If your 1.3Ah packs were new, they would deliver more than 12% of the current that the 8Ah pack can, probably closer to 40%. I'm also not sure where you got that 12% figure from, since 100/12 * 1.3Ah = 11Ah.

A 4Ah battery would probably not get it to the advertised specs, but it would probably give it enough torque for your purposes, and then you would also have a fresh 4Ah battery for your other tools, with them needing replacement battery(s) eventually either way, and they may also work better with a 4Ah battery than the old 1.3Ah.

I can't predict how much life your 1.3Ah old batteries have, but would try them and see... considering all that, I would get a Bosch impact wrench, either the one you linked or something else... since I am not aware of what other models they have, then decide if you want a 4Ah battery for it and the rest of your tools, again assuming they are all compatible with same battery format.

Another way to put it is, the result you would get with that impact wrench, from the combination of quality and torque, isn't going to be exceeded by something else at a similar price point, running from a 4Ah battery. If you really don't need that much torque nor run it often enough and still want an electric, then I would consider the Chicago Electric $30 option that Stynx linked. It is lower quality than the Bosch for certain but a good value for what it is, despite being large enough that it won't fit in the same areas as a smaller one.

The linked Dewalt and Milwaukee would also be reasonable choices, but I would lean towards the Bosch, not being bothered by it being reconditioned if you aren't going to use it a lot, and that by getting the 4Ah battery you have that for your other tools. That is unless you have a desire to further expand your tool empire with more Dewalt or Milwaukee tools, then pick whichever brand you want to do that with.

If you have the time to spare, this youtube channel does a lot of impact wrench comparisons and has tested some of Bosch's, both in this video and others. Sometimes they also run the tests by swapping different batteries into same impact wrench, to give a better idea of the differences that can make. It wouldn't surprise me if they have also tested some of the corded models:

 

[410Fortune]

Milwaukee tools are the best
I have a lot of dewalt stuff
But I also have 12v Milwaukee
I use them the most
Their 3/8” and 1/4 powered ratchet and the mini impact gun are the two tools I use the most, they save me sooo much time it is not even funny

If I didn’t already have 30 dewalt tools and about 8 batteries I would be switching over to Milwaukee 18v

They all
Make good stuff these days, Makita, Bosch, Hercules, ryobi, I mean you can’t really go wrong. Cordless tools save time and effort so they are worth the investment. I use mine daily I hardly ever have to actually turn a wrench or ratchet anymore really