Very cool. I'll have to look at picking up a Dewalt or something... my dad was very old school. Often I still find myself using a bit & brace and/or a yankee screwdriver.
Cordless impact drivers?
- Thread starter Chaznsc
- Start date
Very cool. I'll have to look at picking up a Dewalt or something... my dad was very old school. Often I still find myself using a bit & brace and/or a yankee screwdriver.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
For stuff like building a deck where you are driving lots of decent size screws, they are invaluable. For delicate work, you'll probably find the noise and vibration more annoying than helpful, if you like using a brace
I find screwing things in therapeutic but there are times (driving lags & such) such a tool seems very useful!
Leaflessshadetree
Well-known member
Don't be surprised when you find out you've been hosed.Fair.
In that spirit.. I like this new compact corded impact hammer I just picked up.
PWC Repair
Well-known member
The one thing I dislike about the impact driver is that on soft woods like cedar fencing is that one has to be attentive or the density in those spots can drive that screw quite deeply into the wood. I still bring out the drill driver and set the clutch.
finn
Well-known member
Wouldn’t a deck driver or Sheetrock driver with a depth preset work better?
I do have a Makita drywall driver and Dewalt deck screw driver, both corded, but find the impact drivers not that difficult to control in softer materials. I have used the cordless drill drivers too, but find them annoyingly slow compared to the impact.
Haven’t used the corded drivers for years.
engineer2
Well-known member
I've used my Makita 18V 1/4 hex impact driver for lug nuts for 12 years. Beat the **** out of it doing flooring too and it works like new with the original battery. Granted my cars are all 80 ft-lbs and this older model will only do 120.
The newest Makita 40V is 162, DeWalt Atomic is 150 and Milwaukee has one that does 160+.
150 covers most passenger car lug nut (not including rust) and can break or twist cheaper 1/4 hex tools.
Use the right tool for the job. For trucks you may as well get a proper impact wrench.
The newest Makita 40V is 162, DeWalt Atomic is 150 and Milwaukee has one that does 160+.
150 covers most passenger car lug nut (not including rust) and can break or twist cheaper 1/4 hex tools.
Use the right tool for the job. For trucks you may as well get a proper impact wrench.
That would work appropriately. I'll have to see if those come in Torx type alternates, that fencing project was T15-T20's. The impact is faster by far.
Buy a drill/driver pair with 2+ batteries in your favourite colour of red/yellow/teal, use it for a year and see if you ever pick up a Yankee screwdriver again. Also, stop using flat head screws.
I still find myself using an impact and wondering how I ever built anything before I got an impact. It’s definitely the most used power tool I own.
Wow, I have the DeWalt 1/2" impact as well, and it won't remove most lug nuts.
ChevyEFI
Well-known member
Bosch Beast 1800 or 1860 lb-in (have both) will remove lugs I have tightened to 140 lb-ft.
Milwaukee 18V Fuel Surge will not. (have it.) It is a dedicated tool to reduce impact on hands/wrist and drive deck-screws quicker than other tools.
Milwaukee 18V Fuel non-Surge will.
None of those will tighten to 140 lb-ft.
I don't build decks. I like something useful in automotive. I would buy the Bosch again. (with a partner hammer drill.) I think VGC has tests of it on YT.
We have an OEM application where 21mm drives lugs, the jack, and the spare holder drive. Wife got a flat a couple miles from my work. Yes, it was way quicker with Beast and 21 deep socket than doing it by hand.
Bosch saturated the market with lower priced, lower lb-in models. But if you get the good one, it is very useful.
Milwaukee 18V Fuel Surge will not. (have it.) It is a dedicated tool to reduce impact on hands/wrist and drive deck-screws quicker than other tools.
Milwaukee 18V Fuel non-Surge will.
None of those will tighten to 140 lb-ft.
I don't build decks. I like something useful in automotive. I would buy the Bosch again. (with a partner hammer drill.) I think VGC has tests of it on YT.
We have an OEM application where 21mm drives lugs, the jack, and the spare holder drive. Wife got a flat a couple miles from my work. Yes, it was way quicker with Beast and 21 deep socket than doing it by hand.
Bosch saturated the market with lower priced, lower lb-in models. But if you get the good one, it is very useful.
Firebrick43
Well-known member
My Milwaukee fuels (m12 and m18 surge) have 4 settings. In slow it’s easy the put on plastic face plate screws without messing them up
Buy an impact wrench not an impact driver
finn
Well-known member
all of the Dewalt impact wrenches have been upgraded over the past couple of years. Don’t yse a five year old product to project performance of the current products.
finn
Well-known member
Mine use the common stubby driver bit. Torx, Phillips. Square, plus anything else that fits in a bit holder that fits a 1/4” driver.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Welcome to the party
Renegade1LI
Well-known member
As a GC 80% of our jobsite tools are cordless, not only do they save time but not having a cord is great for safety. Between rolling it out, protecting it, hanging it, checking it the power cord is not cost effective. Always getting a tripping violation is another thing I don't miss about cords, look on any jobsite, they are the industry standard now.
It's not a five year old product, it's not even 2 years old. They just aren't that powerful.
And don't tell people what to do, you come off bossy and rude.
WWheeler
Well-known member
I've drilled many many many holes with large (>1/2") twist bits, paddle bits, wood auger bits, etc and driven a many large/long screws and lag bolts with my Dewalt impact drivers. Makes quick work for those heavier/higher torque jobs. My 1/2" corded or cordless drills couldn't do half as much with those in twice the time.
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WWheeler
Well-known member
What impact do you have?
Here's my Dewalt impacts so far.
DCF885 1/4 in driver, DCF883 3/8" impact, DCF880 1/2" impact, DCF891 1/2" mid-torque impact, and a DCF899 high torque impact.
The DCF883 3/8" and DCF880 1/2" are only rated around 125ftlbs & 150 ftlbs respectively, so they obviously aren't made for lugnuts, axle nuts, crank bolts, etc. If you bought one of these and were expecting more, shame on you for not looking at the specs for what you were buying. They are for under the hood and light suspension work (sway bars, shocks, etc) and for putting parts back together so you can finish with a torque wrench and they are perfect for that. I sure wouldn't want to put my larger impacts on oil or trans pan bolts, for example, but these are ideal for jobs like that.
The last two on the right, the DCF891 and the DCF899 both test right about 600 ft lbs and will zip off your lugnuts all day every day. That's what they are made to do. The DCF891 is newer to me and the DCF899 I've been using for more than 5 years now and I've not yet run into a lugnut it took more than 3 seconds to remove, not even on our GMC Topkicks.
And FWIW, Dewalt also now has two newer high torque impacts, the DCF900 (895 ft lbs) and the newest addition, the VTec DCF961 (>1,000 ft lbs), tested as most powerful 1/2" impact ever made yet to date, cordless or pneumatic. If I were to buy today I'd get one of these, but I've not ever ran into anything that's defeated my impacts so far to give reason to upgrade yet.
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finn
Well-known member
Well, I guess I will be bossy and rude again and point you to the Torque Test Channel and Project Farm, both of which have data that shows the Dewalt right at the top, or near the top of the field in torque capability.
I have both Dewalt and Milwaukee impacts, all a couple of years old or newer. The compact Dewalt Atomic is my favorite of the bunch for general use, but not what I use for lug nuts on the Super Duty. Works for the old cars, though.
Gotcha, you're one of those that thinks everything on the internet is true. Good luck with that...
OccupantRJ
Well-known member
To add another level of ease in driving long screws, drag the screw lengthwise across a dry bar of soap.I think the best way to describe what an impact driver is used for is to try and drive some 3 inch deck screws with a normal drill. After you get good and frustrated, grab an impact driver and try the same thing, then you'll have an answer.
OccupantRJ
Well-known member
You are about to move from a Flinstonemobile to a rocket sled.
True, unless you're using something the the M12 Surge - it's quiet (at least relatively, and the sound is "rounder"/less harsh) and really gentle when it comes to vibration. In "Mode 1" it is great in delicate operations - in its highest mode it hasn't blinked at long screws or lags for me (to be fair the lags weren't giant ones). I think it's not as fast as traditional impact drivers in the grumpy modes, but that's fine with me - my hand used to feel beat up and tingly with the old one. It does fine as a basic-duty drill too.
I hated my old impact driver, but the Surge is one of my favorite tools.
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Here's the thing - DeWalt makes a LOT of different impact wrench tools. If you have an impact wrench that won't do lugs, it's almost certain that you purchased a low-power one. I guess people buy those for driving big lags or something, but they're not really automotive-level tools. My old impact struggled with some lugs and was useless on axle nuts. But my tiny M12 Surge gets most if they're not over-torqued/etc.
I'm guessing he meant a product announced 5 years ago, not how long you've had yours.
At the end of the day, you either got a very-entry DeWalt or you got a bad copy that should go back (or I suppose it's possible you need to RTFM and understand what you're doing wrong). The good news is the latest generation of impact wrenches from pretty much everybody has an entry product that's easily capable of lugs and more.
You might sharing which one? I've got a M18 driver (my most used tool honestly) M18 drill....but for impact stuff I still use my air impact. I haven't personally tried a cordless impact in a while.
I've been eyeing this one.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
For a single impact, a mid torque is about perfect. The high torque models are very heavy and bulky, plus are way more than most need.
I've owned a couple of cordless impacts in the past...I wasn't impressed (with what was available at the time) by either red or yellow to replace my air impact. So yes - being a smaller profile than my air impact would be the most benefit for personally, but still have the power to break loose higher torque bolts (suspension / lug nuts / flywheel / pulleys etc).
Just checked a couple of tests with the model I linked.....looks pretty impressive.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
The current crop is impressive.
I run Dewalt, and have the previous Gen high torque (bought it open box, way overkill for me though) and the newest atomic sub compact. They are both impressive, but if I had to buy one to replace it, the new mid torque, dcf891, would be an easy choice.
I bet you'd be quite happy with big red's version
jar944
Well-known member
There have only been a few nuts/bolts the Milwaukee mid tq impact couldn't break loose for me, and never a lug nut.
I might have to bite the bullet then.
All this talk about breaking loose lug nuts reminds me of a 'conversation' with a guy that was hanging out in a friend's shop. We were talking about those ****** Ford OE lug nuts - the ones where the 'outer shell' comes off / gets distorted? Anyway, this 'expert' proceeds to give us a lecture about how most shops use impact wrenches and end up overtightening lug nuts.
"If you can't break that lug nut loose easily with the factory lug wrench, it's too tight!!!"
At the time I still had my '19 Mustang GT. I told him I'd give him $20 to watch him break the lug nuts loose on my GT with the factory lug nut wrench. He straight up didn't believe me when I told him OEM recommended torque was 150 ft/lbs LOL.
I ran into this the other day for the first time. Never have I ever had so many questions to the engineers.
Just replace them. I always just replace them with 'spline drive' you can buy a good set from Amazon for cheap. Normally I order a brand name then I order a second spline socket in case one of them decides to elope with one of my wandering 10mm sockets.
After chisiling one off that was the realization...
Normally you can sacrifice a socket for the cause by hammering it on and using the impact to get it off.
Yup. Except the tire shop forgot to tell me they somehow got the outer jacket to separate from the actual lug nut.
The outer chrome cap was just spinnin'
.nh_yota
Well-known member
I've had a Ryobi 1/2" cordless impact wrench for a few years and just last month I used it on the lug nuts and front axle nuts of my Tacoma without any issue. FWIW the front axle nut on a 2010 4WD Tacoma is torqued to 173 ft/lbs. Saved me from dragging out the IR air impact or my breaker bar.