Another Impact driver vs impact wrench question

[Wuaname]

Happy thanksgiving

I was leaning towards a battery impact wrench but as I read more the archives I’m not sure . I see a lot of suggestions towars the impact vs the driver for the heavy user or the guy using it daily for work. I think error going bigger (impact wrench) is safer , not sure.

When i used air tools before I would ise the air ratchet for brakes or under hood work. Would the impact driver work to remove the brake calipers or the bolts holding an alternator for example? I would be sacrificing removing lug nuts with the driver but in Florida we don’t swap wheels / tires in the winter, so it would be on a blue moon only I would rotate tires.

Thoughts ?

Edit There won’t be any home use for this tool, strictly in the garage on the car / motorcycle.

 

[Tenex]

I have a 3/8" Milwaukee Fuel (2754-20) that I use exclusively for my impacting needs. Menards sells a 3/8" x 1/4" hex adapter that I can use with any cheap 1" bits for driving screws if I need to. The benefit is that the impact wrench is the same size as the impact driver, but it has roughly 50 ft/lbs more torque and I've used it for brake jobs, suspension work, and driving lag screws.

 

[Sugarfryz]

If you’re not driving screws all day, I’d go with an impact wrench. Especially for auto work

 

[ItsNemo]

Wrench for anything automotive.
Driver for anything construction.

The adapters on the driver to use sockets ****, they rob torque and make the wrench longer and off balanced.

 

[mrvm]

Use the correct impact tool for the job. I own the M18 impact driver and impact wrench and the only thing shared is the battery system.
FYI: for general construction/repairs the impact driver can drill small pilot holes

 

[Ign]

I agree, impact wrench for "wrenching." You lose a good bit of torque adapting 1/4" hex to sq, but likely little to none adapting sq to 1/4" hex.

If a 1/4" shaft could withstand a lot of torque we wouldn't need any other drive sizes.

 

[Wuaname]

Impact wrench it is for this time around. I was entertaining the driver only bc of the size and posisble tight spots. Especially since there will be zero construction use.

 

[James-W]

Re: Another impact driver vs impact wrench question

For best results, one of each is required. I have a Ridgid cordless impact driver and a corded impact wrench as well as an air impact wrench. I use all three, it all depends on what I am doing.

 

[bubinga]

That Roybi for $100.00 at home depot is really nice, especially for the money.
The bare tool is selling for $99.00 on eBay.
HD gives a 4 Ah. Battery, charger, and 1/2" impact wrench for $100.00 right now.
I just got 0ne.
There is a thread about it on here.

Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk

 

[Firebrick43]

I agree and disagree.

And impact wrench is necessary for things like calipers, suspension, and lug nuts. Yes some impact drivers will do some lugs but they struggle.

I however much prefer a 12v impact driver with 1/4" adapter and deep sockets for 8-10mm bolts that secure covers/air boxes/valve covers/clips. Seems like the size/length is just right

 

[MattT]

Impact wrench it is for this time around. I was entertaining the driver only bc of the size and posisble tight spots. Especially since there will be zero construction use.

Most impact drivers have a 3/8" square drive "twin" which will fit in even tighter spots because it doesn't have 2" of QC chuck + adapter sticking out of the front. And it'll deliver higher torque than the 1/4" hex model because the drive is stiffer. One of these 3/8" drive guns is what you want.

 

[Mr_B]

I agree and disagree.

And impact wrench is necessary for things like calipers, suspension, and lug nuts. Yes some impact drivers will do some lugs but they struggle.

I however much prefer a 12v impact driver with 1/4" adapter and deep sockets for 8-10mm bolts that secure covers/air boxes/valve covers/clips. Seems like the size/length is just right

+1
I used and still use a compact 12v driver with 1/4 and 3/8 adaptor for any small fasteners in engine bays or on stand/bench dismantling. Anything wanting more grunt or tool shape for space is straight to air tools stubby ratchet or stubby impact .
If buying in todays market and for auto type use only then wrench best option but the size will limit how useful it is .

 

[hangfirew8]

When i used air tools before I would ise the air ratchet for brakes or under hood work. Would the impact driver work to remove the brake calipers or the bolts holding an alternator for example?

Air ratchets only run around 45 ft/lbs, the newer impact versions around 80-90 ft/lbs. So at first blush it sounds like it could do the same job as an adapter in a cordless impact driver. The big difference is manual mode on removal. With an air ratchet, I can use it as a standard ratchet to break free a stuck brake caliper bolt. That's 100 ft/lbs without even trying and 200 or more if I really lean on it. The cordless impact driver CANNOT do that.

Another difference, the cordless impact can speed on/off nuts and bolts once they are broken loose, but even a small one cannot fit in as small a space as an air ratchet.

I would be sacrificing removing lug nuts with the driver but in Florida we don’t swap wheels / tires in the winter, so it would be on a blue moon only I would rotate tires.

Thoughts ?

Edit There won’t be any home use for this tool, strictly in the garage on the car / motorcycle.

I think a cordless impact driver has enough merits to own one no matter what. I occasionally use them on auto's, but as someone else stated in this thread, they excel at construction.

When I use the cordless impact on autos I use a 1/4" impact socket set I got real cheap at a Sears outlet. Well I used it once with a chrome socket and got instant glitter flying out of the socket. It worked but I was ashamed because I had the proper tool in the box. All I was doing as running down a 4" hose clamp that was used to secure a flapping Catalytic cover. The other logical tool for that job was the air ratchet (which I have) but the cordless impact driver fit in the space better because it had no air hose tail. Other times the air ratchet will fit in a tight space better because it's only 1 inch tall.

So I think your question should be "which should I buy first". All these tools are handy. All are for speeding things up, you can get the job done without them, but it can really be nice to have them.

 

[Voi]

Bosch makes a 1/2" hybrid. Interesting concept but I believe it's a bit more bulky than some other wrenches and it hadn't received the best reviews last time I read up on it. I would love to see some of the other companies make their own version of this but maybe it's patent protected to some degree.

Most people on this board who've tried it say they'd rather use a square to hex adapter on a wrench than a hex to square adapter on a driver. I'm looking to pick up a Makita 1/2" wrench which would be used for all of my socket work and as a backup to my Makita impact driver.

Not knowing what kind of hard to reach fasteners there are on the motorcycles you work on it's hard to say what tool(s) suit you best but it sounds like an impact wrench is the better choice for you.

 

[stercorarius]

Yeah I had the Bosch idh182(?) And it was nice, only the hood ring didn't retain sockets worth a damn. Seemed more geared toward construction trades where it would be awesome for doing the occasional anchors and tightening your floor plates.

If you're looking at Milwaukee pretty much every impact driver has an analogous impact wrench with more torque in a slightly shorter size or significantly shorter if you factor in an adapter on the impact driver. DeWalt has them too with lower specs.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I bought my M12 Fuel 3/8" impact for "wrenching" (small engines, light auto), but I also bought the 3/8" to 1/4" hex locking, quick change adapter. To date, I think I have used the 1/4" hex more, but I love both !

 

[Philbert]

Right now I have a mikita impact driver and drill. I love driving screws with the driver .

One day I was removing all the bolts from my trans oil pan to change the filter. Lying under the car I thought there has got to be a better way. That is when I remembered the 1/4" socket adapter I had purchased. Put it on my impact driver and zippy-zang I was done. It was not the ideal solution accordi g the folks here, but it was good enough and worked fine for what I needed to do. But I'm not pull g lug nuts of with this that is for sure. LOL

 

[ItsNemo]

Right now I have a mikita impact driver and drill. I love driving screws with the driver .

One day I was removing all the bolts from my trans oil pan to change the filter. Lying under the car I thought there has got to be a better way. That is when I remembered the 1/4" socket adapter I had purchased. Put it on my impact driver and zippy-zang I was done. It was not the ideal solution accordi g the folks here, but it was good enough and worked fine for what I needed to do. But I'm not pull g lug nuts of with this that is for sure. LOL

I think what most people here are saying is that if you primarily do automotive/mechanical work it makes more sense to get the impact wrench because it will perform best in that line of work. An adapter on an impact driver is certainly useful, but I'd only go that route if I were doing more construction work (framing, etc).

Really though, get both...I have two impact drivers, two 3/8" impact wrenches, a screwdriver, a drill, two hammer drills, and a 1/2" impact, all cordless. I grab the right one for the job or a couple of them so I don't have to switch bits/sockets.

 

[kblee27]

I broke screws repeatedly driving them into a hardwood.
Now I think silly old me must be using an impact driver.

 

[PR1Gneon]

The impact driver its much more versatile. You can drill, drive and wrench.

The impact driver or both.

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[ItsNemo]

The impact driver its much more versatile. You can drill, drive and wrench.

The impact driver or both.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk

There are adapters the other way too.

 

[James-W]

I have always felt it is best to have the right tool for the job. The notion that "one tool does everything" is something that I don't subscribe to in the least.

 

[JohnnieMo]

I have the Bosch hybrid tool and I love it. It does screwing duties or wrenching duties. It has about 140ft-lbs available with the 1/2” chuck.

I still own a pneumatic ratchet and impact for when the needs arise. If I only could have one tool though, it would be the Bosch.