Need Advice for Cordless Impact Wrenches

[elbrack]

Hey Everyone,

I don't own any cordless tools at the moment, so I'm not invested in any brand. I have a couple corded Milwaukee tools and I like them, but I'm not married to the brand.

I own an older Jeep Cherokee with some rust issues and also an older BMW that I frequently do my own work on. Some things I have realized would be much simpler with a solid impact wrench.

I'm slightly motivated because I've got about $180 worth of Sears gift cards to blow and figured it'd be good to put that money towards an impact wrench.

I'm only looking at 1/2in drive right now.

I'm trying to decide if the compact models will meet my needs, but my feeling is that they won't.

I've read the reviews for the Milwaukee 2763-22 and they seem positive. I've tried looking for reviews comparing it to the DeWalt DCF899HP2, but have come up with nothing conclusive so far.

Are there other brands I should be looking at? I know both of those wrenches will do the jobs I need, but I'm wondering if the smaller compact wrenches could handle most of what I need also, because that could be beneficial when working on a car.

Also are these high-torque models the only brushless models? It seems that compacts are not brushless.

Thanks ahead of time. Don't blast me too hard. Pretty new when it comes to powertools.

 

[kctyphoon]

most brands have an option that will meet your needs.. Milwaukee has a huge following here, because its basically the most for your money, and their brushless tools really dont break. even if they did, they have a 5 yr warranty on their stuff. you can cruise ebay for powertools being sold under "for parts or repair" when it comes to their condition.. you will be hard pressed to find any Milwaukee fuel stuff..

 

[Leoruiz]

It's all plastic China garbage. Buy Milwaukee and Ridged for their fantastic warranty programs. Pretty simple really.

 

[elbrack]

most brands have an option that will meet your needs.. Milwaukee has a huge following here, because its basically the most for your money, and their brushless tools really dont break. even if they did, they have a 5 yr warranty on their stuff. you can cruise ebay for powertools being sold under "for parts or repair" when it comes to their condition.. you will be hard pressed to find any Milwaukee fuel stuff..

Are all of their Fuel Line tools all brushless?

 

[Voi]

Are all of their Fuel Line tools all brushless?

Yes.

I'm in a similar situation as you and as an outsider looking in it does seem like it's quite a jump from the Fuel 3/8" 18V to the high torque 1/2" models.

The 3/8" compact is surprisingly compact and light and seems to have decent power.

The 1/2" compact doesn't have the same speed settings, IIRC, as the 3/8" and is just a bit more powerful.

But jump up to the high torque models and they're very bulky but can handle everything you throw at them. Except for fitting in a tight spot.

 

[kctyphoon]

Are all of their Fuel Line tools all brushless?

milwaukee has 3 tiers on tools on the m18 line right now.. anything "FUEL" is brushless, and is their top of the line, in both m18 or m12.. they recently introduced a "brushless" model of drill/impact driver.. its brushless (obviously), but not the same as the "fuel" line.. im not 100% on what exactly the differences are, i just know their is some. to my knowledge, its only a drill and impact driver being made in their "brushless" line.. their lower tier is regular M18.. still very capable tools, just have tradition brushed motors and inners.. i almost feel like im being misleading calling the m18 line their "lowest" tier. they still are a huge upgrade over many other cordless brands.

 

[uglyjacko]

I did a size comparison with the dewalt and it's not that much bigger than my nitrocat 1250k, a youtuber by the name of singlecams compare the ir w7150 to the dewalt in size and the dewalt is shorter. You can check out woodstockva review on the 2763 which is a great

 

[philofab]

I own a Dewalt 18V impact and I use my impact and Snap on impacts on one of the race teams I help.

The Snap on is way more powerful.

The Dewalt works fine be requires stuff to be broken loose before it will them them quite often.

 

[uglyjacko]

I'll give you a good deal on the last dewalt I have

 

[uglyjacko]

You do know we're talking about the newest dewalt 20v here right?

 

[Mastermind]

I had dewalt 14.4 v for years. Didn't use them that often, first couple batteries were junk after 2 yrs. Other ones didn't have the life to keep me going till lunch time. Finally invested in the new 20v dewalt stuff couple months ago. Got a 3/8 impact free with the brushless 1/4 and drill, 2ah batteries. I've done a motor job and a few other things this week using the 3/8 and1/4. Still haven't charged a battery. Only time I've grabbed the air line was the cradle bolts and infamous Honda crank bolt. I beat the dewalts all day everyday and charge the batteries twice a week. My favorite tools. Next is the 1/2 inch brushless. 3/8 complains about overtight lug nuts. By overnight I mean air guns rattle them a bit to get them off.

 

[SK-Mike]

The New Dewalt 20V Brushless Impact is pretty stout, right up there with the best of them.

 

[CNGsaves]

OP . . . if you're seriously considering Craftsman, you just missed the sale for $159 on their cordless heavy duty impact - - - see the GJ thread. Think the price now is up to $180 but you can likely get $15 off getting it back to $165.

In your situation, I'd use up the Sears giftcard money on 1/2" cordless impact and get 1/2" to 3/8" adapter. Then spend $200 to order full Sunex set of 3/8" drive impact sockets (model 3580) and get $100 rebate back. Again, see the GJ thread for the Sunex $100 rebate.

Thus, overall you're out-of-pocket around $110 for all of the above.

 

[Negen]

I use at work some Milwaukee 1/4" impact driver 2014 model 18volt and some older 18 volt dewalt and the dewalt's seem to have more usable torque than the milwaukee's. My choice would be either the dewalt 20v brushless model or the makita XST01Z. The bosch IDH182 is also something to keep an eye on. Right now you can get a free 5Ah battery pack from bosch at least through amazon.

That being said my personal at home drill is just a normal drill I do not own a impact driver or impact wrench. What I do own is a 14.4 hitachi that I use 18v lithium batteries in. @14.4 volts the drill is nice but the NiCad batteries that it came with drained fast so I bought the 18v lithium cell expecting the drill to die. Well I been using it with 18v for a year or so no issues yet. Sad day for me since I cannot buy a new drill untill this one is killed according to my money manager.

 

[General Geoff]

Are there other brands I should be looking at?

Ingersoll Rand makes the W7150, which I have, and it's an impressively powerful gun. I would highly recommend it, even though it's not brushless. I don't think Sears sells it though.

 

[hotspaws]

Here is the dewalt

dcf899 vs ir 2135timax & nitrocat 1250k

Rusted Suspension bolts

Honda Crank pulley bolts

funny video Milwaukee vs snap-on
http://instagram.com/p/uMpRTNH-1Z/
.

 

[Adam.C]

I own the Bosch which looks remarkably like the last snap on model. (6850?). Here's my two cents:

Any of the high end guns will remove stuck ****. The Bosch may be the LEAST powerful of the bunch, putting out about 500ftlbs of torque. But torque specs for battery guns is a bit of junk science, as is measuring torque from an impact gun. Possible a gun that puts out a lower torque for a longer time would be more helpful. I wouldn't spend too much time reading up on this.

Here's my advice.
1) Look for a gun that uses a battery that you can use in other tools you want. I choose Bosch because I already had a 18v Bosch drill. I bought the gun, tool only, for a little over $200.

2) Look for the lightest and smallest gun you can get in the power range you are considering. To get higher torque, impact gun manufacturers install heavier hammers. Some of these guns are huge. They might feel okay in the store, but how will they feel when you are laying on your back, reaching your hand up into an engine bay, while rusty dust falls in your eyes? Goal is to get a usable tool. We are all built like Captain America until we are in some weird position at the end of a long day.

3) Consider the life span of the tool. These cordless tools are designed to be disposable; They have have finite lives. The first to go is typically the battery. Can you get replacements? Rebuilds? Will brand X still be around and making the same stuff in 5 years? Or is it cheap enough that you can throw it away and buy the new latest technology? If not, stick with the bigger brands.

All said, just based on what people here have said, I'd probably go Milwaukee if I had to do it over. But if you could get Bosch or another good brand on sale, I'd do that without hesitation. I hasten to say, while I rave about the good sense of buying Snap On tools second hand, I would not consider a used Snap On battery gun. I hear they are nice, but they are crazy expensive and used models seem to be beat to ****.

P.S. The techs in my area are involved in the high torque space race for a single appolication: Honda Crank Pulley bolts. For most automotive applications 500ftlbs of removal torque is easily double what is required (i.e. good enough). The single problem the techs here are having is removing the crank pulley from Honda engines, which turn counterclockwise. Engine torque tightens the bolt and you can't bump the starter to remove the fastener. Some techs report their trustworthy airguns sometimes can't cut it. Thus the race for a >1000ftlb gun.

 

[yatzee11]

n00b here -

I was looking at the size difference between the 2763-22 and the DCF899P2 - Is the dewalt that much lighter/smaller? Has anyone handled both?

I've checked around here and cannot find either impact wrench to play with.

 

[elbrack]

Well was able to transfer my gift cards to mastercard gift cards, so all the options are open now. Still looks like most folks recommend the Milwaukee

 

[Finky198]

I just bought a Hilti 3/8 cordless but I am attached to the brand they do make great tools they alway out perform my expectations

 

[scissorman]

Ingersoll Rand makes the W7150, which I have, and it's an impressively powerful gun. I would highly recommend it, even though it's not brushless. I don't think Sears sells it though.

The W7150 shows to be a rare earth magnet motor which means it IS brushless. I just ordered one by the way.

 

[darkside91]

I've been really happy with my Dewalt 3/8 cordless impact that I got about a year ago. Can't speak for their half inch impact but I would imagine it is a nice piece. I use the 3/8 mostly for working on our racing go karts and not so much for working on cars. The impact sees regular use and the battery lasts a really long time before needing a charge. Much faster and easier than hand tools and great when an air compressor isn't handy for air tools. I've got a Dewalt cordless drill and a few other Dewalt items that I've been happy with.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[General Geoff]

The W7150 shows to be a rare earth magnet motor which means it IS brushless. I just ordered one by the way.

Plenty of brushed motors use neodymium. The W7150 sparks a bit if you look inside during operation, particularly when you let off the trigger. Definitely brushed.

You wont be disappointed by performance though, thing has ridiculous power.

 

[M4A1Carbine]

I'm slightly motivated because I've got about $180 worth of Sears gift cards to blow and figured it'd be good to put that money towards an impact wrench.

I'm only looking at 1/2in drive right now.

I'm trying to decide if the compact models will meet my needs, but my feeling is that they won't.

I've read the reviews for the Milwaukee 2763-22 and they seem positive. I've tried looking for reviews comparing it to the DeWalt DCF899HP2, but have come up with nothing conclusive so far.

Hi, I recently bought the brushed Dewalt DCF889 and have been pretty happy with it for my needs. I haven't seen too much info on the 899 other than this: http://toolguyd.com/dewalt-20v-max-heavy-duty-brushless-impact-wrenches/

I got the Dewalt so I could share batteries with my other cordless tools. Like others have said, I'm sure any of the top brands,(Milwaukee, Dewalt, Bosch...) will serve you well.

 

[Zeroek]

I bought the Milwaukee 1/2" M18 Fuel yesterday and for the price and the warranty it's hard to beat. I paid $369 for mine and had to buy a bit set to get the discount price. 2 batteries and charger. It's on the heavy side but don't have to drag a damn air hose around everywhere.

 

[woodstockva]

The W7150 shows to be a rare earth magnet motor which means it IS brushless. I just ordered one by the way.

The W7150 is not brushless.

The 2763 & DCF899 are brushless.

 

[scissorman]

The W7150 is not brushless.

The 2763 & DCF899 are brushless.

What makes you think the W7150 isn't brushless? I have looked at the parts breakdown list for this gun and there are no brushes shown nor any pic or description of brushes used.

 

[woodstockva]

What makes you think the W7150 isn't brushless? I have looked at the parts breakdown list for this gun and there are no brushes shown nor any pic or description of brushes used.

It does not have "replaceable" brushes....which is why you do not see them listed on a parts diagram.

 

[scissorman]

It does not have "replaceable" brushes....which is why you do not see them listed on a parts diagram.

I find that hard to believe, if a brush isn't serviceable that would mean when it wears out you replace the tool and I'll guarantee you that isn't the case. I have sent a request directly to the service department at IR and will respond back once I get a response from them.

 

[619DioFan]

I recently bought the brushless fuel impacts in both 1/2 and 3/8 inch drive. some of the things that sold me on the Milwaukee line were-

I like the straight body vs the angle of the IR.
I like the light on the Milwaukee.
I really like the fact that there is always a Milwaukee rep at the HD I go to ( cool guy ) and there is a Milwaukee service center close to were I live ( the 5 year warranty doesn't hurt either )

Over all I am more than pleased with these impacts and would recommend them to anyone. also - cudos to woodstockva for his excellent side by side comparison video showing both the fuel and IR in use. his video helped me decide on the fuel.

 

[-Hey_Now-]

I've yet to buy the cordless wrench as yet, but I do have the cordless driver and drill with an XC battery. My thinking is, financially get the milwaukee stuff as I can swap out the batteries when I need them.

If I earned my living with tools, then I would get the IR W7150.