Best cheap 1/2" Impact?

[kendogg]

I'm looking for just a cheap 1/2" impact that's got enough balls to take wheel lugs on and off again all night at the track? Milwaukee's are badass....except they're expensive, and if it gets ran over or forgotten at the track I'll be pissed.

 

[M6erfan]

Air, cordless, or corded?

 

[turbodave]

I think the best bang for the buck right now is the Harbor Freight Earthquake lmpacts, either the 1/2" pneumatic or the 20V lithium cordless.

I've had the pneumatic one for a few years and have no complaints. Haven't used the new 20v one yet, but all the reviews I've seen are positive.

 

[kendogg]

I think the best bang for the buck right now is the Harbor Freight Earthquake lmpacts, either the 1/2" pneumatic or the 20V lithium cordless.

I've had the pneumatic one for a few years and have no complaints. Haven't used the new 20v one yet, but all the reviews I've seen are positive.

That thing is $259 though. Way too expensive to leave at the track.

 

[Ktmrider83]

Ryobi kit I bought as a gift for my bro. Came with 4ah battery/charger $99 at home depot.

If your taking wheels off and on, your not giving them enough time to build up rust/corrosion. Basically saying you don't need a monster impact, any medium duty will do fine

 

[zorrox]

I'll second the Ryobi. I have one I beat the hell out of for a couple years before I got my Milwaukee. Never had a problem with it. I keep it in my truck now in case I need to change a flat.

 

[CobraRed]

Air, cordless, or corded?

Hydrualic

 

[Kenskip1]

Well he says "At The Track" So I will assume that he means cordless. I'd head over to Sears. There 19.2 line impact will pull lugs off and on with know problem. There cordless tools are the same as Rigid, and Ryobi.I have there 19.2 volt, 1/2 impact and it will not even work up a sweat pulling lugs off my F150/

 

[jd_1138]

OP do you own any cordless tools? Because if not, you'll be buying into a system. I'd probably go Ryobi due to the sheer variety of tools available and they're pretty cheap. You can add bare tools or kits.

 

[Wamsutta]

Air, cordless, or corded?

They never tell you. Same thing with swivel sockets; they never tell you whether they're looking for chrome or impact.

 

[jonesg]

I'm looking for just a cheap 1/2" impact that's got enough balls to take wheel lugs on and off again all night at the track? Milwaukee's are badass....except they're expensive, and if it gets ran over or forgotten at the track I'll be pissed.

Craigslist.

 

[trekgod3]

My Dewalt dcf887 with an impact adapter easily takes the lugs off my Nissan Frontier that are torqued too 100 foot pounds. I got the dcf887 used on eBay without a battery for under $50

 

[BDT/NWMN]

I'm looking for just a cheap 1/2" impact that's got enough balls to take wheel lugs on and off again all night at the track? Milwaukee's are badass....except they're expensive, and if it gets ran over or forgotten at the track I'll be pissed.

Reading this word for word; I picture Equgor with a striking wrench and hammer.

I hear He is from Milwaukee, is badass, has the balls, and will work all night for cheap wages. He has been ran over several times, forgotten at the track, and still didn't get pissed.

As far as replacing Equgor with a cordless impact with the quality You desire; best ask Santa Claus for the lowest price. Buying some off brand stuff for a low price can be a short term fix; vs a quality name brand such as Milwaukee and having batteries that can be shared with other tools, and far better support and parts service.

 

[uncwstudent]

I'd go with the Ryobi or, if you find a good deal, the Craftsman C3 heavy duty impact. I have the Craftsman and have overall been very satisfied by it...especially with the XCP battery. You can often leverage SYW points to get it cheaper.

 

[M6erfan]

They never tell you. Same thing with swivel sockets; they never tell you whether they're looking for chrome or impact.

Or budget. Pretty useless to even respond...

 

[Sycan]

Cordless, cheap, runs all day on 3 pancakes and a chili dog

Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk

 

[kctyphoon]

Ryobi kit I bought as a gift for my bro. Came with 4ah battery/charger $99 at home depot.

If your taking wheels off and on, your not giving them enough time to build up rust/corrosion. Basically saying you don't need a monster impact, any medium duty will do fine

This.. that promo kit with the battery and charger is cheaper than just buying the bare tool.

 

[theoldwizard1]

My Dewalt dcf887 with an impact adapter easily takes the lugs off my Nissan Frontier that are torqued too 100 foot pounds. I got the dcf887 used on eBay without a battery for under $50

Those 1/4" hex to square drive impact adapter **** away a huge amount of the torque from any impact. Plus those 1/4" hex impact drivers don't have a lot of snot to start with !

 

[theoldwizard1]

Cordless, cheap, runs all day on 3 pancakes and a chili dog

Yep ! And I had to buy my own pancakes and hot dogs.

 

[jd_1138]

Cordless, cheap, runs all day on 3 pancakes and a chili dog

Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk

Or a 25 inch breaker bar with a 3/4 socket on the end. Takes up less space in the trunk and can be used for other things other than lugs. You barely lean on it and the lugs break.

Though I guess if the 4 way lug tool is at least 25 inches wide, then it'd have the same ease if you push down with one hand and pull up with the other. But I think they're not as wide as 25 inches?

 

[Contender54]

I use the Craftsman C3 HD for the lugs on my F150.
The specs don't compare to the more expensive brands but For the price, it's been great.

 

[trekgod3]

Those 1/4" hex to square drive impact adapter **** away a huge amount of the torque from any impact. Plus those 1/4" hex impact drivers don't have a lot of snot to start with !

Yet , I just said it easily takes off lugs torqued to 100 foot pounds. All he'd need is a couple spare batteries and he'd be good too go.

 

[Katodog]

I'm looking for just a cheap 1/2" impact that's got enough balls to take wheel lugs on and off again all night at the track? Milwaukee's are badass....except they're expensive, and if it gets ran over or forgotten at the track I'll be pissed.

Most of the time people will say "If you want a good tool, 'cheap' wont' work.". I have a few questions...

"All night at the track"...this means you're taking off and putting on a lot of wheels, and you need a tool that will have lasting power?

"If it gets run over..."...this means you don't keep track of your tools, or the drivers are idiots and run over stuff? Pissed I understand, I can't even see a $3 tool get scratched without seeing red...but then again that'd be OCD taking over.

You mention Milwaukee, which tells me that you want cordless and not pneumatic?



Cheap I wouldn't do. Ryobi is a great brand and is "cheap" enough that you won't shoot sparks out of your eyes if it gets killed. I love all of my Ryobi tools. However, if I'm reading your criteria correctly, you want something along the lines of the IR IQv series...plenty of balls (without a doubt), strong enough to take a beating (even possibly getting run over), and plenty of long-lasting power to get you through the night. Not cheap, nothing good ever is, but would probably fit your needs perfectly, and after time you'd forget about how much it cost.

I use the IR W7150 at work and it's a pure beast in terms of power, ability, battery life, etc.. Maybe a bit overpowering for lugs, but "big balls at the track all night long" you might want that power and battery life...could make a difference in your abilities to pull wheels effectively where other tools or "cheaper' tools might not last. There's a good lineup of tools in the IQv line, you might find one that fits your needs perfectly and doesn't hurt your wallet too much.

 

[kelpaso1]

That thing is $259 though. Way too expensive to leave at the track.

Then don't forget it at the track. Do you forget your car there too??

 

[WhiffySpark]

Most of the time people will say "If you want a good tool, 'cheap' wont' work.". I have a few questions...

"All night at the track"...this means you're taking off and putting on a lot of wheels, and you need a tool that will have lasting power?

"If it gets run over..."...this means you don't keep track of your tools, or the drivers are idiots and run over stuff? Pissed I understand, I can't even see a $3 tool get scratched without seeing red...but then again that'd be OCD taking over.

You mention Milwaukee, which tells me that you want cordless and not pneumatic?



Cheap I wouldn't do. Ryobi is a great brand and is "cheap" enough that you won't shoot sparks out of your eyes if it gets killed. I love all of my Ryobi tools. However, if I'm reading your criteria correctly, you want something along the lines of the IR IQv series...plenty of balls (without a doubt), strong enough to take a beating (even possibly getting run over), and plenty of long-lasting power to get you through the night. Not cheap, nothing good ever is, but would probably fit your needs perfectly, and after time you'd forget about how much it cost.

I use the IR W7150 at work and it's a pure beast in terms of power, ability, battery life, etc.. Maybe a bit overpowering for lugs, but "big balls at the track all night long" you might want that power and battery life...could make a difference in your abilities to pull wheels effectively where other tools or "cheaper' tools might not last. There's a good lineup of tools in the IQv line, you might find one that fits your needs perfectly and doesn't hurt your wallet too much.

He said 260 is too much for a miluwakee ir is even more.

I don’t see many other choices than Ryobi

 

[Katodog]

He said 260 is too much for a miluwakee ir is even more.

I'm thinking a track job requires a bit better thinking when it comes to the tools used. Sometimes we have to bite the bullet price-wise instead of spending less now, then again, and again, and again. Ryobi is a great brand, I've used it for over 15 years and love every single Ryobi product I own. But, if I was at the track swapping wheels all night long I'd buy a tool that was designed for that use. Ryobi impact wrenches get great reviews but they're still Ryobi, and while I'm a strong Ryobi advocate I would buy IR or similar versus Ryobi. I've got Ryobi tools that I used in industrial maintenance that still run strong to this day, but I didn't beat them up. At the track you could be throwing the thing on the ground, getting it knocked over or dropped, getting run over, etc.. I'd prefer something that wasn't made with a plastic body that would possibly break after a few hard nights.


$99 now, then another $99 when this one breaks, then another $99 when that one breaks, and on and on, adds up to the $300-$500 now and never have to buy again. I'd also think that IR has a stronger warranty and better service that Ryobi. Plus...I don't know if I'd trust Ryobi to put the lugs on tight enough to keep the wheels from coming off. Sorry, but that's a lot of trust

 

[bcradio]

Then don't forget it at the track. Do you forget your car there too??

In for an answer on this one here as well.

 

[AA/FC]

The title of this thread.... Best cheap 1/2" impact?

"Best" and "cheap" does not exist. If you want a good impact, you need to pay for it. Convenience costs money. A cordless impact that will easily put on, and take off lug nuts all night at the track costs well over $200 regardless of the brand. There is no such thing as a $50 dollar impact that is just-as-good as the high torque Milwaukee. (for example)

Unfortunately...

 

[pbon]

For budget, I would get the Ryobi 3 speed impact. It does 300 lbs. Skip the cheaper one.

You could also look at the old Milwaukee 2663. Refurbished bare tool is $129 at CPO. That was my 1st impact. About to give it to a friend. Still going strong probably 7-8 years later.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

In for an answer on this one here as well.

Like the Guy who ran three laps and realized He forgot the race car.. Nike was the sponsor..

 

[powertrip]

The Ryobi mentioned is part# P1833. Probably not online though. It was an in store only product I believe. My store still has 6 up in the high shelfs not on display.

 

[mz44]

No one recommended this yet?


It's 1/2" drive, It won't break your wallet, it won't break if it gets run over and will fit in your pocket so you don't forget it

 

[Crazyjake8493]

Well he says "At The Track" So I will assume that he means cordless. I'd head over to Sears. There 19.2 line impact will pull lugs off and on with know problem. There cordless tools are the same as Rigid, and Ryobi.I have there 19.2 volt, 1/2 impact and it will not even work up a sweat pulling lugs off my F150/

It's a full day trip to "head over to Sears" around here now. I know they're bringing Craftsman tools to Lowes later this year, but I'd steer clear and go with Ryobi. Best bang for the buck, and they haven't changed their battery setup in many years. I worked with another RV mechanic that used his Ryobi in the yard a lot, and it could do just about anything my Milwaukee mid-torque impact could do.

 

[Kenskip1]

Crazy, Are you aware that the company that makes Ryobi,Rigid, and Sears are all the same?Except Sears has the 19.2 volt, Rigid has the 20 volt.Same platform anyway.Ken

 

[lis2323]

The Ryobi is a excellent impact wrench.

Sent from my LGLS991 using Tapatalk

 

[HaroRider]

I think even the HF is a bit pricey. Id be pissed if I lost out on about $250.

I would say a breaker bar and maybe a Ryobi.

 

[pbon]

Where do you change wheels all night at the track? Must be a volunteer for multiple cars in a 24 hour race?

 

[CR888]

Where do you change wheels all night at the track? Must be a volunteer for multiple cars in a 24 hour race?

LOL! Bingo!

 

[kendogg]

Wow. thanks for all the posts - positive & negative.


As for what I'm doing at the track that requires changing tires 'all night long' - ran last night actually. iTrackMotorsports Drift & Grip. Sometimes we go thru a pair of rear tires in a single 15 minute session. Sometimes need to change tires in the middle of a session to not lose out on seat time, the tools get chucked on the ground away from the car and back in the drivers seat and belting up as we're rolling up to the start line to get back on track ASAP. I've lost a couple extensions and a couple wheel lug sockets that way. And a HF torque wrench. I've been mostly using hand tools, but when you go thru 6-8 tires in a night it gets old, and takes time. Time changing tires is sometimes lost seat time, and I like driving. It's not so much that I'm careless with tools - I have ~$20k+ worth of my own at work and don't lose them - but **** happens at the track. Just like barriers get hit, bumpers ripped off and doors dented. **** happens. Trying to minimize the expense of upgrading from hand tools is all. Chill out guys

Honestly I haven't even thought about used, and I don't even know why. An ebay Ryobi might very well be the ticket.

 

[WittHay]

What I use for demolition work is the DeWalt DCF880 and DCF889. The older brushed type. Tough as anything get dropped all the time. The pinned anvils hold the sockets, so you don't loose them. Kinda similar to using a impact at the track