Cordless impact wrenches - cheap vs expensive
11-26-2007, 05:35 PM
#1
Cordless impact wrenches - cheap vs expensive
I'm going to get a cordless impact for changing tires at the track. Anyone had both a cheap one and a nice one want to describe the differences to me? I don't have a problem with spending $200 on one if it is noticeably superior to a $50 one, but if I won't notice any difference, then I see no reason to spend the extra money.
11-29-2007, 12:40 AM
#3
I got one from Harbor freight a couple years ago. I think it was $80 or so. IIRC it was supposedly 140 ft/lbs but in actuality, it's nothing close. Still very useful when I go AutoX'ing, but sometimes I'd have to break a few lugs looks on my own with a tire iron.
11-29-2007, 05:26 PM
#5
Supporting Maxima.org Member
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Chattanooga, TN
Posts: 1,756
I think I have used and evaluated every cordless impact made for work since we use quite a few on the assembly line. This is what we use alot of of and what I have at home. Probably the best price-power-weight-size of any cordless out there. 3.5 lbs with battery and puts out an honest 160 ft-lbs as tested at work on our impact tester. There are stronger ones out there for sure, but they either cost more, weigh more, or both.
http://www.toolbarn.com/product/hitachi/WR18DL/
Cheap ones have crappy batteries that don't last and put out way less than advertised torque.
http://www.toolbarn.com/product/hitachi/WR18DL/
Cheap ones have crappy batteries that don't last and put out way less than advertised torque.
11-29-2007, 05:55 PM
#6
I think I have used and evaluated every cordless impact made for work since we use quite a few on the assembly line. This is what we use alot of of and what I have at home. Probably the best price-power-weight-size of any cordless out there. 3.5 lbs with battery and puts out an honest 160 ft-lbs as tested at work on our impact tester. There are stronger ones out there for sure, but they either cost more, weigh more, or both.
http://www.toolbarn.com/product/hitachi/WR18DL/
Cheap ones have crappy batteries that don't last and put out way less than advertised torque.
http://www.toolbarn.com/product/hitachi/WR18DL/
Cheap ones have crappy batteries that don't last and put out way less than advertised torque.
What does the Snap On honestly put out? CT4850
11-29-2007, 08:19 PM
#15
Never had an expensive one but I've had one of those older orange Harbor Freight ones for about 5 years now. Still works great for lugs and most stuff short of 100lbs. I always hand brake lugs loose anyway to save on the wrench and lug corners. The pinion gears inside were a weak point but HF is good about providing service parts for all their stuff.
11-29-2007, 09:03 PM
#18
I had a cheap one, made by Cummins Power Tools, supposedly 350lb-ft, cost about $100. It worked fine, but only had enough power to take off lugnuts and that's about it. In reality it was good for about 100lb-ft tops, I'd say. Similar my experience with Harbor Freight impact and a Craftsman one (reliable, but not that powerful)....
I have an older-model Snap-on impact now (bought used for about $200, new they're about $400) and it is "rated" for 400lb-ft IIRC, and I would think it comes fairly close. Anyhow, it will undo ANY bolt, anytime, any place. It's taken off rusted main hub nuts, big rusty chassis bolts on the jeep, and makes quick work of taking off lugnuts. Battery power is good (I have 2) and the charger is fast. It has been used hundreds of times and still works great...been abused, dropped, used as a hammer a few times
, etc.
The moral: buy a really good one (Snap-On is the best, IMO) once, or buy a few cheap ones until you figure out they can't do what you want them to do and end up buying a good one later.
One of the few things where you get what you pay for!
I have an older-model Snap-on impact now (bought used for about $200, new they're about $400) and it is "rated" for 400lb-ft IIRC, and I would think it comes fairly close. Anyhow, it will undo ANY bolt, anytime, any place. It's taken off rusted main hub nuts, big rusty chassis bolts on the jeep, and makes quick work of taking off lugnuts. Battery power is good (I have 2) and the charger is fast. It has been used hundreds of times and still works great...been abused, dropped, used as a hammer a few times
, etc.The moral: buy a really good one (Snap-On is the best, IMO) once, or buy a few cheap ones until you figure out they can't do what you want them to do and end up buying a good one later.
One of the few things where you get what you pay for!
Last edited by irish44j; 11-29-2007 at 09:07 PM.
11-29-2007, 09:06 PM
#19
btw, I own Jason's old 3850 and it has never failed me. I am positive it has over 250, since it has undone things that my 175lbs on the end of a 4' cheater pipe could not undo.....
11-29-2007, 09:28 PM
#21
11-30-2007, 05:27 AM
#22
Those CT3850s definitely seem to hold their value....
http://search.ebay.com/search/search...p=1%26fsoo%3D1
CT4850s here:
http://search.ebay.com/search/search...p=1%26fsoo%3D1
http://search.ebay.com/search/search...p=1%26fsoo%3D1
CT4850s here:
http://search.ebay.com/search/search...p=1%26fsoo%3D1
11-30-2007, 06:20 AM
#25
Supporting Maxima.org Member
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Chattanooga, TN
Posts: 1,756
On our impact test it put out about 350lb-ft of torque. Our impact tester does not replicate bolting though, only tool effort into a fixed tester. Alot of the inflated numbers you see for impacts come from bench testing with bolts, not on an impact tester. What they do is use a lubricated fastener on a hard joint and hammer it for 30 seconds and measure the torque put onto the bolt, this is not always realistic to what the tool can do on a non-lubricated joint or loosening a fastener on a car that is dry or rusty. That is why we measure what we call honest torque. Max effort into an impact tester with 5 seconds of hammering. The numbers can be lower than what the tool could do, but it is very realistic about what to expect during manufacturing assembly.
You see alot of air impacts that say 1000lb-ft of torque in a 1/2" impact. This is very unrealistic. I tested a tool that said that and it put out just shy of 400lb-ft of honest torque.
The snap-on is so freaking big and heavy though it does not fit into manufacturing at all so we did not consider it. I did buy one ingersoll-rand W360, it is rated for 360lb-ft, it put out 275lb-ft in forward and 355lb-ft in reverse, and it is shorter and lighter than the snap-on with better battery technology, built that was for just one odd job. Any of our more important torques have DC electric or transducerized air power anyway. What we needed was small light cordless tools with enough torque to tighten non-critical 10mm and 12mm fasteners (17mm & 19mm socket size). Hitachi fit the bill perfectly and they have been great. Many of them have driven 1000 bolts a day for over a year, while only occasionally needing $5 brushes or batteries.
lol at all I just typed. I have done so much torque and fastening research that I have realized how much I don't know. It is a very deep subject.
12-01-2007, 02:16 AM
#29
What??? Really??? I wouldn't have guessed it to be more than half of that.
The Snap On site rates it at 400 so I would call that impressive.
As for the other gun you mentioned, would that be the IR 2135Ti? And if not, what did that one put out in forward AND reverse?
The Snap On site rates it at 400 so I would call that impressive.
As for the other gun you mentioned, would that be the IR 2135Ti? And if not, what did that one put out in forward AND reverse?
12-01-2007, 02:39 AM
#30
On our impact test it put out about 350lb-ft of torque. Our impact tester does not replicate bolting though, only tool effort into a fixed tester. Alot of the inflated numbers you see for impacts come from bench testing with bolts, not on an impact tester. What they do is use a lubricated fastener on a hard joint and hammer it for 30 seconds and measure the torque put onto the bolt, this is not always realistic to what the tool can do on a non-lubricated joint or loosening a fastener on a car that is dry or rusty. That is why we measure what we call honest torque. Max effort into an impact tester with 5 seconds of hammering. The numbers can be lower than what the tool could do, but it is very realistic about what to expect during manufacturing assembly.
You see alot of air impacts that say 1000lb-ft of torque in a 1/2" impact. This is very unrealistic. I tested a tool that said that and it put out just shy of 400lb-ft of honest torque.
The snap-on is so freaking big and heavy though it does not fit into manufacturing at all so we did not consider it. I did buy one ingersoll-rand W360, it is rated for 360lb-ft, it put out 275lb-ft in forward and 355lb-ft in reverse, and it is shorter and lighter than the snap-on with better battery technology, built that was for just one odd job. Any of our more important torques have DC electric or transducerized air power anyway. What we needed was small light cordless tools with enough torque to tighten non-critical 10mm and 12mm fasteners (17mm & 19mm socket size). Hitachi fit the bill perfectly and they have been great. Many of them have driven 1000 bolts a day for over a year, while only occasionally needing $5 brushes or batteries.
lol at all I just typed. I have done so much torque and fastening research that I have realized how much I don't know. It is a very deep subject.
You see alot of air impacts that say 1000lb-ft of torque in a 1/2" impact. This is very unrealistic. I tested a tool that said that and it put out just shy of 400lb-ft of honest torque.
The snap-on is so freaking big and heavy though it does not fit into manufacturing at all so we did not consider it. I did buy one ingersoll-rand W360, it is rated for 360lb-ft, it put out 275lb-ft in forward and 355lb-ft in reverse, and it is shorter and lighter than the snap-on with better battery technology, built that was for just one odd job. Any of our more important torques have DC electric or transducerized air power anyway. What we needed was small light cordless tools with enough torque to tighten non-critical 10mm and 12mm fasteners (17mm & 19mm socket size). Hitachi fit the bill perfectly and they have been great. Many of them have driven 1000 bolts a day for over a year, while only occasionally needing $5 brushes or batteries.
lol at all I just typed. I have done so much torque and fastening research that I have realized how much I don't know. It is a very deep subject.
That Hitachi is sounding great. I don't need it to disassemble a locomotive, just swap the wheels and tires and maybe I'll start using it in place of my air impact at home, though I would be pissed if it replaced something I paid $200 for lol.
Anyways, how is the battery life on the Hitachi? I'm not gonna have to recharge it every single time I swap wheels at the track am I?
Also about the weight, 3.5lbs with battery? wtf... the snap ons and dewalts are like 12-15lbs in the 18volt flavor...
Last edited by Nealoc187; 12-01-2007 at 02:42 AM.
12-01-2007, 02:48 AM
#31
Check out the Goodyear Racing impact cordless at Pepboys... I got mine for $60-ish after a $20 mail-in rebate. It works well for wheels, but not much else (only used it once or twice). It's supposedly rated to 150 ft-lb, IIRC.
12-01-2007, 07:16 AM
#32
That is one that I recommend to some of the local guys here. I felt that gun might be somewhat correctly represented only being rated at 150ft-lbs.
12-01-2007, 07:42 AM
#33
Supporting Maxima.org Member
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Chattanooga, TN
Posts: 1,756
Yeah, ingersoll-rand is the worst about fudging ratings. The other gun I mentioned is the 2135. I do not remember checking it in reverse, only forward but it is a reverse-biased impact. They rate their guns like I mentioned earlier, not on an impact tester but on a bolt in ideal conditions.
If I remember correctly, the stoutest 1/2" air impact that I tested is the CP 7750 2.0 turbo. We had a unique job where we had to unbolt a coolant passage plug out of the engine block to bolt in a heater nipple. They were always stubborn to get out. We originally put an IR 2135 there because of the ratings but it didn't always get them out. After testing various impacts, I put a CP 7750 2.0 turbo there and it has never had a problem getting them out.
12-01-2007, 07:49 AM
#34
Supporting Maxima.org Member
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Chattanooga, TN
Posts: 1,756
That Hitachi is sounding great. I don't need it to disassemble a locomotive, just swap the wheels and tires and maybe I'll start using it in place of my air impact at home, though I would be pissed if it replaced something I paid $200 for lol.
Anyways, how is the battery life on the Hitachi? I'm not gonna have to recharge it every single time I swap wheels at the track am I?
Also about the weight, 3.5lbs with battery? wtf... the snap ons and dewalts are like 12-15lbs in the 18volt flavor...
Anyways, how is the battery life on the Hitachi? I'm not gonna have to recharge it every single time I swap wheels at the track am I?
Also about the weight, 3.5lbs with battery? wtf... the snap ons and dewalts are like 12-15lbs in the 18volt flavor...
I bought one for lugnuts at the track, and I now use it for everything.
12-01-2007, 09:25 AM
#35
thats the one I have. I've used mine on quite a few things. I know it broke loose a seized axle nut loose that I had on my old 4th gen which I couldn't even get off with my breaker bar and a cheater pipe. I actually ended up bending that breaker bar but when i finally got the Goodyear cordless impact it broke it loose right away. I love that thing.
12-01-2007, 12:50 PM
#36
I have seen some documentation that shows the snap-on at 550lb-ft, but the website does show 400lb-ft.
Yeah, ingersoll-rand is the worst about fudging ratings. The other gun I mentioned is the 2135. I do not remember checking it in reverse, only forward but it is a reverse-biased impact. They rate their guns like I mentioned earlier, not on an impact tester but on a bolt in ideal conditions.
If I remember correctly, the stoutest 1/2" air impact that I tested is the CP 7750 2.0 turbo. We had a unique job where we had to unbolt a coolant passage plug out of the engine block to bolt in a heater nipple. They were always stubborn to get out. We originally put an IR 2135 there because of the ratings but it didn't always get them out. After testing various impacts, I put a CP 7750 2.0 turbo there and it has never had a problem getting them out.
Yeah, ingersoll-rand is the worst about fudging ratings. The other gun I mentioned is the 2135. I do not remember checking it in reverse, only forward but it is a reverse-biased impact. They rate their guns like I mentioned earlier, not on an impact tester but on a bolt in ideal conditions.
If I remember correctly, the stoutest 1/2" air impact that I tested is the CP 7750 2.0 turbo. We had a unique job where we had to unbolt a coolant passage plug out of the engine block to bolt in a heater nipple. They were always stubborn to get out. We originally put an IR 2135 there because of the ratings but it didn't always get them out. After testing various impacts, I put a CP 7750 2.0 turbo there and it has never had a problem getting them out.
12-01-2007, 02:20 PM
#37
Supporting Maxima.org Member
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Chattanooga, TN
Posts: 1,756
I knew they were over rated but I have never had my hands on an air gun that was more potent. When people ask to borrow the thing I give them a stern warning to be careful. The first thing people want to do is adjust the forward power to full, because I keep it on the lowest setting.
Yeah it is rediculously stout, it is what I have at home also. It just doesn't do 1000lb-ft like it says, but I don't know of any bolt on most any car it couldn't get off.
12-10-2007, 03:42 PM
#38
To make this relevant.... I have a cheapie $120 Harbor Freight cordless. it SAYS 220lb ft, but it's more like 80-90. I torque my lugs to 95 when I'm at the track and it'll only remove about 50% of the lugs when the battery is fully charged. they musta fed it some 110AC to hit 220ft lb! :shrug:
12-10-2007, 08:39 PM
#40
Supporting Maxima.org Member
iTrader: (15)
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 3,431
I only stick with makita, but to each their own...cordless impacts never (even with full battery charge) put out what they claim in torque, I just used it to make things quick for everything I do on my car, but I always tighten everything down by hand with a torque wrench anyway afterwards especially the lug nuts