Can anyone recommend a cordless impact?

"TeamPunkassRacing" (teampunkassracing)
03/08/2018 at 14:08 • Filed to: None

I’ll be moving from a house to an apartment in a few month, so I’m looking to pick up a cordless impact so that I can do tire swaps.

Currently using a corded, el cheapo Harbor Freight impact gun, which has worked flawlessly, but I won’t have a nearby power source, and I’ve become used to the awesomeness of using an impact to remove lug nuts :)

DISCUSSION (13)

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > TeamPunkassRacing
03/08/2018 at 14:16

We picked up one of these for work and I’ve used it to swap tires. It absolutely rips. Just don’t use it to crank down your lug nuts or you’ll probably snap the studs.

https://www.makitatools.com/products/details/XWT08XVZ

gettingoldercarguy > TeamPunkassRacing
03/08/2018 at 14:19

I have this one

https://www.milwaukeetool.com/power-tools/cordless/2763-22

It’s great, I’ve gotten rid of all my air tools and gone electric. Haven’t looked back.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > TeamPunkassRacing
03/08/2018 at 14:26

I like the Ryobi that I picked up from Home Depot for about $100. It’s lightweight, came with two batteries that last pretty long, and it has decent torque. I have only snapped one bolt on my Miata because it was accidentally on tighten when I meant to loosen it. Forgot my cardinal rule of always confirm what direction the driver is spinning. It has helped make valve cover gasket jobs infinitely faster as well as other things with lots of long bolts. I can usually use it get my wheels on and off if they weren’t torqued down by an air wrench previously.

TeamPunkassRacing > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
03/08/2018 at 14:31

Thanks for the help - My Miata thanks you :D

As Du Volant > gettingoldercarguy
03/08/2018 at 14:33

Came here to recommend Milwaukee.

I have a predecessor to the one you linked (it’s about 12 years old) and it’s freaking incredible. Had to replace the battery once in all that time and that’s it.

I went to the junkyard recently to get some winter wheels and it was busting off those old rusted-on lugnuts like they were nothing.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > TeamPunkassRacing
03/08/2018 at 14:37

It does have a quarter inch driver though so you need an adapter for the wheels. I don’t think 1/4 inch 21mm sockets are all that common lol. I’ve used it with 1/2 and 3/8 adapters no problem though.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > gettingoldercarguy
03/08/2018 at 14:43

Another vote for the Milwaukee here, I don’t even have the Fuel, just the “High Torque”. It’s not a cheap tool, but it truly will do just about everything a 1/2"air impact will, plus the M18 batteries work in all kinds of other non-sucky Milwaukee tools. I started with the impact, but I’m hooked now. Have the Fuel 1/2" hammer-drill/driver and 1/4" hex-drive Impact, Fuel sawzall (that thing is a BEAST!), 6.5"circular saw, and I’m trying to decide if I use the angle grinder enough to replace my Ryobi with a Milwaukee... The Milwaukee batteries really are better than the other “semi-pro” cordless tool batteries (the 9.0 HighDemand battery is a revelation when doing REAL work with cordless tools) and the tools themselves are very good, if not the best (looking at Makita, their high-end cordless tools are still nearly peerless, if only they were a little less spendy and had as good batteries.)

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > gettingoldercarguy
03/08/2018 at 14:48

Buy once, cry once, but get the best you can at the time. I have this same impact and it’s great.

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
03/08/2018 at 14:51

Wow, that’s not too bad at all. About the same price as the Milwaukee fuel one, but better specs. Nice

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
03/08/2018 at 14:55

Oops nope, I forgot, it wasn’t the impacts fault with the crank bolt, I had to use the air impact due to the size and space limitations. I didn’t pull the radiator the second time around and was able to finagle the air gun in there, but the first time I pulled the bolt, I had the rad out and I was able to use the Milwaukee.

Dusty Ventures > TeamPunkassRacing
03/08/2018 at 15:07

+1 for Milwaukee. I have the 2755 model, which only delivers 220 ft/lbs compared to the 700 ft/lbs of the one gettingolder linked, but that’s more than enough to do tires with no problems*. What’s been really great is it has four different speed settings, so I can put it in the high RPM mode to zip the nuts off easy, then switch over to low RPM to snug them up without overtightening so I can finish them off properly with my torque wrench.

*I did have one occasion where the tool couldn’t get a lug nut off, after the tire shop gave it a few too many ugga duggas with their air tools after doing a valve stem job. That one needed my 30" breaker bar plus the optional “jack handle extension”

bmil128 > TeamPunkassRacing
03/08/2018 at 16:01

Laugh if you want, but in a pinch I got one from Harbor Freight that I use to swap my autocross wheels and it has held up well for 2+ years. Holds a charge well and I don’t have to charge it much. Pro tip-swap to studs and lug nuts if your car still has oem bolts, saves time and makes changing out a lot easier.

TeamPunkassRacing > bmil128
10/19/2018 at 15:01

I know the post is old - which HF model did you get?