Louis Brandt
09-24-2007, 7:03 PM
Hello,
Has anyone had a chance to look at the so-called impact driver that Harbor Freight is currently selling for $29.99? I’d never seen an impact driver at Harbor Freight until now, and I was curious when I got the circular in the mail. When I went into the store to look at it, I was even more confused. On the box, it has the words “Impact Wrench“, not “Impact Driver“, and only when you remove it from the box do you see the words “Impact Driver“ stamped on the side of the unit.
But that’s not all. Sitting right next to these boxes are other boxes also labeled “Impact Driver”, but with a different item number, and when I opened one of those boxes, I found what looked exactly like the unit in the other box, except that this one had a square 1/2 inch head on it, whereas the other one had a 1/4 inch chuck. Both boxes showed the exact same specs on the outside, 0-1600 rpm, 1044 inch pounds of torque, and battery and charger included.
What I’m wondering is this: Could Harbor Freight have simply changed the head/chuck on what they’ve been marketing as an impact wrench and started marketing the exact same unit, with the same mechanism/gearing etc., but now calling it an impact driver? Don’t the internal mechanisms of impact wrenches have to be different from those of impact drivers, or are they both the same thing, depending on what the chuck looks like?
Now I know that Harbor Freight isn't noted for selling quality power tools, but my curiousity was aroused by this "Impact wrench" versus "Impact Driver" thing.
Louis
Has anyone had a chance to look at the so-called impact driver that Harbor Freight is currently selling for $29.99? I’d never seen an impact driver at Harbor Freight until now, and I was curious when I got the circular in the mail. When I went into the store to look at it, I was even more confused. On the box, it has the words “Impact Wrench“, not “Impact Driver“, and only when you remove it from the box do you see the words “Impact Driver“ stamped on the side of the unit.
But that’s not all. Sitting right next to these boxes are other boxes also labeled “Impact Driver”, but with a different item number, and when I opened one of those boxes, I found what looked exactly like the unit in the other box, except that this one had a square 1/2 inch head on it, whereas the other one had a 1/4 inch chuck. Both boxes showed the exact same specs on the outside, 0-1600 rpm, 1044 inch pounds of torque, and battery and charger included.
What I’m wondering is this: Could Harbor Freight have simply changed the head/chuck on what they’ve been marketing as an impact wrench and started marketing the exact same unit, with the same mechanism/gearing etc., but now calling it an impact driver? Don’t the internal mechanisms of impact wrenches have to be different from those of impact drivers, or are they both the same thing, depending on what the chuck looks like?
Now I know that Harbor Freight isn't noted for selling quality power tools, but my curiousity was aroused by this "Impact wrench" versus "Impact Driver" thing.
Louis