Impact Wrench. battery or air

[Dave Lehnert]

I now own a cheap air impact wrench ($19.99 Big Lots 20 years ago) Looking to upgrade to something better but not spend more than needed.
I don't do anything big automotive. Mostly lawn equipment, trailer tires etc.....
First like recommendations on a good air powered tool.
Last night I ran across this. Opinions?
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18-Volt-ONE-Cordless-Lithium-Ion-Impact-Wrench-Kit-with-1-4-0Ah-Battery-and-Charger-P1890/206736695?cm_mmc=Shopping%7cTHD%7cG%7c0%7cG-BASE-PLA-AllProducts%7c&gclid=CjwKCAjw0ujYBRBDEiwAn7BKt7hBAml580IqTrR9mg0x VY6dqp0O-3PrYT6W4tfP_q4OfSL5OMZkQRoCifwQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CJqCtay7xdsCFTnH4wcdTSwNVA
Interested because I do own other Ryobi One + tools.

[Tom Giacomo]

If you already own a compressor I think it's a no brainer. With air if you run into a stubborn nut you can up the air pressure you can't up a battery.

[Dan Friedrichs]

I considered getting the Makita version impact wrench, but realized I could use a socket adapter and my impact driver for all the purposes I had previously used an air impact wrench. It even takes lug nuts off my car with no trouble.

Maybe consider this, instead:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18-Volt-ONE-1-4-in-Brushless-Impact-Driver-Tool-Only-P238/301853896

The big impact wrench is probably more power than you need, but the impact driver would do the job and also drive screws.

[Darcy Warner]

I recently bought the 3/8" Makita impact wrench. No comparison to using an adapter in an impact driver.
The impact wrench does everything I want it to taking apart and putting equipment together. It's small, light and I am glad I didn't buy a larger 1/2" one.

[Sebastien La Madeleine]

I considered getting the Makita version impact wrench, but realized I could use a socket adapter and my impact driver for all the purposes I had previously used an air impact wrench. It even takes lug nuts off my car with no trouble.

Maybe consider this, instead:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18-Volt-ONE-1-4-in-Brushless-Impact-Driver-Tool-Only-P238/301853896

The big impact wrench is probably more power than you need, but the impact driver would do the job and also drive screws.

I do the exact same thing, it's amazing how much power those small impact drivers have! One side note, I had cheap Harbor Freight socket adapters and the hex shank was slightly smaller than should have been and it got stuck into the impact driver chuck after working on a stubborn bolt... So I now stick to good quality adapters.

[John K Jordan]

One big factor is where you will use it. Close to shop air, out in the middle of the field?
Another is the air compressor itself.

I far prefer air tools for in and around the shop and have several pneumatic impact wrenches. The best one I have is Dewalt best 1/2" drive, but it was not exactly cheap. My air compressor is a healthy one and I have air outlets plumbed inside and outside the shop and one long hose on a real by a rollup door so using it is easy. The Dewalt is a dream to use for bigger things such as working on the tractor or bobcat.

If I needed one for smaller things and away from compressed air AND already had cordless tools that used the same battery I'd be tempted to get one like you showed.

I use a couple of smaller battery-operated impact drivers for smaller things around and away from the shop. They have only a fraction of the power of an impact wrench but are ok for working on the small fasteners lawnmowers and 4-wheelers and such. (one is a Hitachi and the other a Dewalt but any should be fine.) The advantage of these for me is I use them mostly for what they are made for, screws around the farm, and for drilling holes through construction lumber for wiring. (That's what I did yesterday, wiring in a spider-infested crawl space under the house and in the muddy crawl space under the new sun room and deck. Glad that's done.) They are fine for occasional light-duty nuts and bolts although I generally prefer hand power.

JKJ


I now own a cheap air impact wrench ($19.99 Big Lots 20 years ago) Looking to upgrade to something better but not spend more than needed.
I don't do anything big automotive. Mostly lawn equipment, trailer tires etc.....
First like recommendations on a good air powered tool.
Last night I ran across this. Opinions?
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18-Volt-ONE-Cordless-Lithium-Ion-Impact-Wrench-Kit-with-1-4-0Ah-Battery-and-Charger-P1890/206736695?cm_mmc=Shopping%7cTHD%7cG%7c0%7cG-BASE-PLA-AllProducts%7c&gclid=CjwKCAjw0ujYBRBDEiwAn7BKt7hBAml580IqTrR9mg0x VY6dqp0O-3PrYT6W4tfP_q4OfSL5OMZkQRoCifwQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CJqCtay7xdsCFTnH4wcdTSwNVA
Interested because I do own other Ryobi One + tools.

[Mike Cutler]

Dave

It's actually kind of a tough decision. The battery powered impacts they're making now are very capable devices. Much more so than they were just a few years ago. A lot of the garages around me have switched away from pneumatic and are using battery for many things. I would stay pneumatic simply because you already have the compressor, hoses, regulators, oilers, etc. If you didn't have the air setup already, I'd say go battery powered.
If the break away torque, as well as torque, spec on the Makita is 300 ft/lbs. That's pretty impressive. That's a lot of torque. Enough to do lugs nuts on a truck. Break away torque, and torque, are not always the same spec due to the clutch mechanisms.
I personally wouldn't select the impact driver. I have a Makita impact driver and it is really, really, nice. It's not strong enough to do the lug nuts on my truck, or the trailer. It is kind of nice to run the lug nuts back on though. I haven't ever tried it to remove the blades from my mower deck.

With a battery powered impact wrench you get more portability and flexibility, and no hose to drag around, but we all know that those batteries will need to be replaced, or refurbished, and that won't be inexpensive.

An air impact wrench is a pretty simple tool and a good one will last your lifetime, if not abused and kept oiled. Dragging around the hose is a pain sometimes though.

I have two pneumatic impact wrenches. One is a Kobalt, the other a Husky. They're,, "OK". They do what I need them to do, so I can't complain. The Husky is a better tool than the Kobalt, which has a finicky torque selector switch. If mine were both to poop out tomorrow, Id probably replace them with an Ingersoll Rand. IR sells rebuild kits for the air tools which is why I would go IR. Husky and Kobalt, to the best of my knowledge, do not sell rebuild kits.
I have heard good things about the Earthquake line of air impact wrenches at Harbor Freight, but I haven't used one, and have always been a little dubious of HF's products for longevity.

[Jason Roehl]

300 ft-lbs is not much for an impact wrench. I have a P-C pneumatic that I bought for about $120 a dozen years ago, and it's rated at 500 ft-lbs or so. That's cheap for an impact wrench. Mechanics will often spend 3-4x that for an I-R and get double the torque or more. There have been a couple times where I could have used more...

[Ole Anderson]

I have an IR 1/2" pneumatic gun rated at 600 ft-lbs. But they don't state at what pressure. My compressor cycles between 80-100 psi. With 5 cfm running through a 50' 3/8" line, I may only have 50-70-psi at the gun once I start rattling on a stubborn fastener once the compressor is on its low pressure cycle. That is why I have a 24" breaker bar., the gun just doesn't always loosen a stubborn nut. Not willing to upgrade my compressor as my 30 YO 1 hp Craftsman just keeps running. Darn it. Sure would like one of those 135 psi IR home 3 hp vertical tank compressors though.https://www.aircompressorsdirect.com/Ingersoll-Rand-SS3L3-Air-Compressor/p688.html?gclid=CjwKCAjw9e3YBRBcEiwAzjCJuoaIpoKa6i Szn6UPE2_5nll5unttXcVBZNfZonL6KOfdaeeUpWhxghoCRk0Q AvD_BwE While I have my air plumbed to the garage (shop and compressor is in the basement next to the garage) with a regulator/filter and hose reel, it is a pain dragging the hose around one car to work on the other one.

If it weren't for the expense, I would upgrade all of my battery tools to Milwaukee M18 Fuel and add their 1/2" rattle gun to my arsenal. I see a lot of shops use that gun. Looking it up, it is rated at 1100 ft-lbs of "nut busting" torque. https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/Power-Tools/Fastening/Impact-Wrenches/2763-20
https://www.milwaukeetool.com/-/media/Products/Power-Tools/Cordless/Impacts-and-Fastening/2763-20.ashx?mw=461&mh=422&hash=55E9471816EC82DBF466EC697156C87064DBA330

[Wayne Lomman]

Dave, in our production engineering shop, we changed the fitters and concept machinists to using cordless impact wrenches instead of air about 5 years ago. It was a good decision. The original were dewalt which have finally worn out and only just been replaced. The flexibility of the cordless ones increased productivity by about 5%. They mostly work with 5/8 bolts and nuts that are critical to tighten correctly. We used to service air tools and had good stuff but they don't match up for your common work. However we do keep 1 inch drive air tools for the big stuff. Cheers

[johnny means]

I've had the Dewalt 20v for a couple of years now. I'm very happy with it. I actually keep it charged and in my trunk for roadside situations and regular maintenance. I'm always surprised how long it goes on one battery. Plenty of torque , I have yet to have to reach for a breaker bar. It easily gets me through a four wheel break job. FWIW, I drove a larger car that's got all the expected larger bolts and such.

[Larry Edgerton]

My suggestion is to go with air and here is why. I have a perfectly good Milwaukee 1/2" that has maybe an hours use, and now the batteries are both dead. Was handy a couple of times but I just don't use it enough to keep the batteries up. Air is cheap, you can buy a ratchet, and a 1/2" for less than a cordless and no matter how long they sit on a shelf they are ready to go at a moments notice. I do use my 1/4" electric for light assembly but tighten the final time with a hand/torque wrench as needed.

[Warren Lake]

had to get the alternator rebuilt the other day in the wally. Took stuff apart and there were two stupid Torx bolts. Heated and quenched a few times nothing with a ratchet and pipe over the end for more leverage I was just going to make mush. Tried the Makita impact driver and they laughed at it nothing but noise. Guess I was thinking id be cutting them off with a die grinder

Got the mechanic size air impact and they both came loose instantly, it was almost disappointing it was so easy. . Whatever happened to using manly bolts to hold things together, did they get a discount at a bargain store??

There are bigger impacts than my Makita I cant comment on them but it was useless for this. I think the garage door installer guys have some Dewalt with big honking batteries.

[johnny means]

My suggestion is to go with air and here is why. I have a perfectly good Milwaukee 1/2" that has maybe an hours use, and now the batteries are both dead. Was handy a couple of times but I just don't use it enough to keep the batteries up. Air is cheap, you can buy a ratchet, and a 1/2" for less than a cordless and no matter how long they sit on a shelf they are ready to go at a moments notice. I do use my 1/4" electric for light assembly but tighten the final time with a hand/torque wrench as needed.

Batteries aren't an issue if you go with the same system as the rest of your cordless tools. I do think air is better in a specific situation. But I think cordless is more convenient and flexible across a wider swath of situations.

[Chris Parks]

The light automotive industry has gone away from air tools and largely uses cordless impact guns, they do the same job as air without the hassles for most purposes. I have a IR Titanium pneumatic gun for what the cordless can't occasionally move and nothing stops that....yet. For Home use it is cordless for just about everything. Air tools require big air lines as pointed out above, 3/8" is marginal for a pneumatic tool and 1/2'' preferable. You can have all the pressure in the world but if the air does not get to the tool it is pointless.

[Larry Edgerton]

Batteries aren't an issue if you go with the same system as the rest of your cordless tools. I do think air is better in a specific situation. But I think cordless is more convenient and flexible across a wider swath of situations.

Depends on how old you are I suppose. I have totally changed cordlesses five times now. They become outdated, wear out etc. so I buy a new batch. I am currently on M18, but I know in a few years it will be something else. Before that it was Makita, before that Hilti, before that makita, before that Hitachi. But the good quality air wrenches I bought when I was young, which I no longer qualify as, are still with me and serving me well.

[Mike Cutler]

I have an IR 1/2" pneumatic gun rated at 600 ft-lbs. But they don't state at what pressure. My compressor cycles between 80-100 psi. With 5 cfm running through a 50' 3/8" line, I may only have 50-70-psi at the gun once I start rattling on a stubborn fastener once the compressor is on its low pressure cycle. That is why I have a 24" breaker bar., the gun just doesn't always loosen a stubborn nut. Not willing to upgrade my compressor as my 30 YO 1 hp Craftsman just keeps running. Darn it. Sure would like one of those 135 psi IR home 3 hp vertical tank compressors though.]

Ole
I bet you'd find that gun works a lot better with sufficient air flow and pressure. 80-100 is fairly low.
That gun probably requires more than 5cfm just to get it working, and a 1HP compressor @ 5cfm will not keep up with it for very long, and then you're relying on the compressor recovery and 5CFM won't do it. During cycles, I bet you're probably dropping down into the 40-50 psi range. The moisture content at the gun is probably fairly high with that setup.
I feel the same way about replacing tools that are working. I have a a few like that. I went through 3 smaller, portable, compressor, before I finally got my 5HP, Rolair, 60 gallon compressor. The difference was night and day. I do still have the long 1/2" breaker bar if necessary. Two of those old compressors have been repurposed into downstream air receivers now.;)
Get a new air compressor my friend. You'll be kicking yourself for not doing it a long time ago.

[Martin Wasner]

Depends on how old you are I suppose. I have totally changed cordlesses five times now. They become outdated, wear out etc. so I buy a new batch. I am currently on M18, but I know in a few years it will be something else. Before that it was Makita, before that Hilti, before that makita, before that Hitachi. But the good quality air wrenches I bought when I was young, which I no longer qualify as, are still with me and serving me well.

Bingo. I'm in a similar boat.

If you don't use it every day, just get a pneumatic. A decent one will outlast you

[Tom M King]

I see pneumatics on craigslist all the time. I bought a like new IR 3/4" for $75 off cl, and it really is like new.

Larry makes a very good point. My smaller air impact guns are over 30 years old, and I've never done anything with them but pull the trigger, or hit the direction button, any time I've needed to use them over those years.

To do much with an air impact wrench, you need a real compressor. My 5hp two-stage will run a 1/2" gun good enough to do whatever you want with it, but that compressor will only run the 3/4" gun long enough to break a few things loose with. The 10 hp will run the 3/4" gun like the 5 hp does the 1/2".

Even a 3/8" gun is limited in what you can do with it using a small, single stage compressor. It takes a two-stage compressor, that pumps the tank up to 175 psi, to provide enough 100+ psi of any volume to run an impact gun with. The 10 hp provides 38+ cfm at 175.

[Alex Zeller]

I have all three. An electric corded DeWalt 1/2", a Milwaukee M18 Fuel 1/2", and an Aircat pneumatic. Hands down the Aircat has the most power, probably twice what the Milwaukee has. The Dewalt is probably the least strongest of the 3. But the Milwaukee is the go to impact. No cords or airlines to deal with just makes it the most convenient. That being said the bulk of the battery does impact where it can reach. The Aircat is smaller. I've offset that by having different capacity batteries. The 1.5Ah are nice and small while the 5.0Ah have enough power for extended periods of time. I haven't had a need for their really big batteries like the 12.0Ah.

[johnny means]

Bingo. I'm in a similar boat.

If you don't use it every day, just get a pneumatic. A decent one will outlast you

I feel the opposite. If you use an impact wrench daily the power and reliability of a pneumatic is probably a necessity. Also, it would make more sense to have the necessary investment in your compressor and airlines. If your only doing a break job a couple of times a year, why would longevity be an issue?

[Darcy Warner]

Still prefer my 3/8" Makita cordless over my Mac pneumatic stuff. I even had a 15hp 120 gallon compressor.

[Warren Lake]

I dont prefer one of the other just the one that can do the job. Its never going to be one tool that does it all. If I looked there would probably over 10 of them likely 15 as stuff accumulates over the years. As all of these things it depends what you are doing. The battery impact failed on a simple thing the other day it didnt have the balls. The Pneumatic blew it away. It not a case of what I like its a case of what can do the job M10 Torx and an M8 Torx after heat and quench several times and the Makita couldnt do it just too weak. its not a big deal. Its lighter and I didnt have to break out the air line and turn the compressor on so I went for that, then for the one that was able to do the job.

[Darcy Warner]

Like I said before, big difference between an impact driver an impact wrench. I have both, 18v Makita and the actual wrench blows away the driver.

[Warren Lake]

ah didnt catch that apologies there.

Whats the model number on it like to look it up see the specs. Im at a cross roads with Makita. One Battery went and dont see a reason for it, milwaukee stuff going strong and thinking of moving over as i get more and more of their stuff and having just one brand.

[Brian Nguyen]

I've yet to find anything that my Milwaukee 1/2" impact wrench cannot handle.

[John Lanciani]

My current daily user and favorite is the Bosch GDX18V-1600N, it accepts 1/2" sockets or 1/4" hex tooling without any adaptors.

https://www.boschtools.com/us/en/boschtools-ocs/18v-cordless-impact-drivers-gdx18v-1600n-198602-p/

[Darcy Warner]

ah didnt catch that apologies there.

Whats the model number on it like to look it up see the specs. Im at a cross roads with Makita. One Battery went and dont see a reason for it, milwaukee stuff going strong and thinking of moving over as i get more and more of their stuff and having just one brand.

It's one of their new black compact ones. Think it was 150 without batteries. Only cordless tools I own are drills.

[Andrew Joiner]

My current daily user and favorite is the Bosch GDX18V-1600N, it accepts 1/2" sockets or 1/4" hex tooling without any adaptors.

https://www.boschtools.com/us/en/boschtools-ocs/18v-cordless-impact-drivers-gdx18v-1600n-198602-p/
Great design, thanks John. Does Bosch say where it's made?

[Martin Wasner]

I feel the opposite. If you use an impact wrench daily the power and reliability of a pneumatic is probably a necessity. Also, it would make more sense to have the necessary investment in your compressor and airlines. If your only doing a break job a couple of times a year, why would longevity be an issue?

I'm thinking the cost doesn't justify itself if you don't use it. I've got a 3/8 Makita with ni-cad batteries, I'm pretty sure the batteries are toast. My pneumatic rarely gets used, but it'll still be in good condition when I'm in the freezer.

[Mike Kees]

Warren I use Milwaukee M18 impacts ,drill,skilsaw,and sawzall almost daily. Currently we have about 11 batteries,the three oldest were put in service in December 2012,still going strong. I switched to Milwaukee for everything in 2012. Like Makita but there were way to many battery issues in our climate here in Alberta.

[Warren Lake]

I think I read about that did look up the Milwaukees today lots of models all the way up to insane torque levels way more than my air gun two or three times. Makita never responded on the battery issue, ill try them again in case the salesman moved on. It didnt see enough use to crap out so likely ill change cordless tools five or six milwaukee so far I think.

[Tom M King]

I don't mix my mechanic tools, and woodworking/carpentry tools. It's a lot easier to wipe grease off of an all aluminum air wrench good enough to use on a mower, tractor, or vehicle next time, than keep my impact drivers clean enough to use inside finished houses.

[Jared Sankovich]

I have both pneumatic and milwaukee battery impacts. I all but quit using the pneumatics once I got the Milwaukees. I have 5 year old batteries in rotation and they still seem as good as the day I got them. I would say for most normal garage users the 18v compact and mid torque models cover everything. Most people don't need the 1000 to 1400 ftlbs of the high tq models.

I'm actually eager to pick up the m12 subcompact impact gun once it's available. At 250 ftlbs it should be able to fit in a lot of places a normal 18v battery or pneumatic guns cant.

[johnny means]

I'm thinking the cost doesn't justify itself if you don't use it. I've got a 3/8 Makita with ni-cad batteries, I'm pretty sure the batteries are toast. My pneumatic rarely gets used, but it'll still be in good condition when I'm in the freezer.

In a world where a family night at the movies is pushing three figures, the price differential sends like a wash top me.

[Darcy Warner]

In a world where a family night at the movies is pushing three figures, the price differential sends like a wash top me.

Why I don't go out to the movies. Plus I don't like crowds.

[Mike Hollingsworth]

On my travels I like to tour auto assembly plants, seems like all of the impacts have changed over to battery.
Very high end stuff with precise torque settings. No more noisy pneumatics.

[John Sanford]

As has been noted before, but bears repeating: There is a world of difference between an impact WRENCH and an impact DRIVER. As woodworkers, we're normally using impact drivers, so when we say "impact", 95% of the time we mean driver. A mechanic says "impact", 95% of the time he means wrench. Just look at the specs of the two types of tools. Impact drivers are rated in inch-pounds, impact wrenches are rated in foot-pounds. With the exception of the really cool Bosch 18v tool John mentions above, pretty much all impact drivers use a 1/4" hex female socket. Off topic: My dream impact tool would combine the hybrid nose of the Bosch with the oil-hydraulic impact system (Makita, Hitachi and the TTI family have some available), running 3 speeds in a DeWalt XR platform pushing about 150ft-lbs.

As far as the batteries going dead, to me that makes no sense. I'm into two systems, Bosch for 12v, and DeWalt for 18v (20v by their marketing). I have multiple tools in each (5 DW, 6 Bosch, with 2 on the horizon), multiple batteries in each. I don't dedicate a battery to a tool, I simply pool them. When a battery dies I put it on the charger and then either grab a charged spare off the shelf or one from another tool. Actually, now I have 3 systems, because I got into Makita's 18v when I picked up a track saw recently. The batteries are in constant rotation. I'm still using some Bosch batteries that are branded with the actual voltage, 10.8, before they jumped on the "12v" bandwagon, i.e. about 10 years old. (Btw, anybody who wants to hammer Stanley B&D for their 20vMax marketing should just consider that EVERY manufacturer selling in the US today is marketing 10.8v tools as 12v.)

I am just a doofus hobby guy with delusions of handy-competence, but if I can manage to not be caught out unable to work because of dead batteries, anybody should be able to it. The key is pool and rotate.

[Ken Combs]

As has been noted before, but bears repeating: There is a world of difference between an impact WRENCH and an impact DRIVER. As woodworkers, we're normally using impact drivers, so when we say "impact", 95% of the time we mean driver. A mechanic says "impact", 95% of the time he means wrench. Just look at the specs of the two types of tools. Impact drivers are rated in inch-pounds, impact wrenches are rated in foot-pounds. With the exception of the really cool Bosch 18v tool John mentions above, pretty much all impact drivers use a 1/4" hex female socket. Off topic: My dream impact tool would combine the hybrid nose of the Bosch with the oil-hydraulic impact system (Makita, Hitachi and the TTI family have some available), running 3 speeds in a DeWalt XR platform pushing about 150ft-lbs.


Dewalt's impact wrench and driver are somewhat the exception from most. The different parts, forward of the impacting mechanism itself, are interchangeable between the impact driver and the 3/8 drive wrench. Some guys on another forum had this discussion and actually did the swap.

I know the driver version is way to strong to use as an impact wrench with the hex to 3/8sq adapters. I do that a lot and have broken a number of the adapters when doing stuff that should be left to my air tools.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I have the Milwaukee M18 1/2" drive impact. I had a trailer hitch on my Jeep that had been scraping on driveways and speedbumps, and I knew it would be a pain to get off, as the threads were mashed. I gave it one good hit with the M18 impact, and it came right off- the nut rethreaded the damaged threads on the way off. It's a beast- more power than my air driven impact.