Thoughts on cordless impact guns

[1LargeDog]

Just when you thought you were all finished: That Kobalt kit for 199 looks to be another great deal with plenty of positive reviews. 24v plus 650 ft lbs of torque. 5 year warranty and a 3 year battery warranty. Plus it has the brushless motor. Something else to consider now. Plus i'll get 5% discount on my Lowes card. Thanks for posting that link, Sanny and thank you all for the fantastic responses.

 

[Cope]

You can get 5% discount on DeWalt also. Kobalt warranty service may or may not be as good as DeWalt, and the DeWalt has more power, and a larger bunch of tools that take the same 20V Max battery,

 

[dnschmidt]

Milwaukee is going to crush everybody with the Mid-Torque they just released. This thing is the perfect mix of raw power, light weight and has the size of a normal 1/2" air impact. This to me is my definition of a killer tool.

 

[Lassen Forge]

Ingersol Rand W7150 hands down the best I've seen and not too expensive.

Thanks for that - the local truck parts supplier has one on sale right now, and I was wondering if it was any good... I may have to go back by there Tuesday...

 

[ecotec]

No one will convince me there's a better choice than the Ridgid -- unless another company steps up and agrees to replace your batteries for free for the rest of the tool's life. The lifespan of a Li-Ion battery is not very long, and manufacturers excel at tricking you into buying a new tool and battery when the old ones die.

If you live near a city, there are usually shops that rebuild batteries all over. Usually they can rebuild them for much less than a new battery.

Let's say you have 1994ish 18v Dewalt tools (a jobsite staple back then) and 4-6 batteries. I think the batteries are called XR2...
Anyways you can have the 4-5 batteries rebuilt for the cost of two new ones, and not have to buy any new tools.

 

[1LargeDog]

Milwaukee is going to crush everybody with the Mid-Torque they just released. This thing is the perfect mix of raw power, light weight and has the size of a normal 1/2" air impact. This to me is my definition of a killer tool.

No argument from me on the Milwaukee but for the occasional user who needs adequate power at a reasonable price the Kobalt looks like it would satisfy that need at half the cost.

 

[sberry]

They dont reman the lion batteries as far as I know. But they normally last a long time.

 

[Dimitri]

I had a Mac 3/8" 20V impact, was great. Before it was stolen out of my van, pricy though.

Also have a Dewalt 1/2" 20V impact, also great. Bigger and bulkier though. But half the price.

If it doesn't take Dewalt Batteries don't buy it.

Dimitri

 

[CJM8515]

At the last towing outfit I worked at we had to provide our own guns if we wanted them.
1. The guy with the C3 crapsmen..yea he literally cursed it every day. It didnt remove many wheels all to well and the batteries crapped out fairly quick

2. I have an older snap on Ct650 (or whatever the older nicad model is, but I had the batteries redone with NIMH). very few things it couldnt remove and I probably changed 10,000 flats over the years before it needed to be rebuilt. Its old tech now but it still works great. Very little it wouldnt remove.

3. Boss bought the kobalt one, he was happy and said it worked. If it breaks however sooner or later lowes isnt gonna carry it or keep repairing them. But the money was well spent.

4. I bough the milwaukee big boy 1/2 and was SUPER happy. Ive retired from the towing industry but it was money well spent. If I had to buy a new one with not owing anything else-the new milwaukee mid torque is where its at.

 

[emeraldcoupe]

No one will convince me there's a better choice than the Ridgid -- unless another company steps up and agrees to replace your batteries for free for the rest of the tool's life. The lifespan of a Li-Ion battery is not very long, and manufacturers excel at tricking you into buying a new tool and battery when the old ones die.

better make sure you fill out the warranty paperwork every time you get a replacement battery. if you don't , you lose the life time replacement.

 

[Dimitri]

Batteries of any type are a consumable.

It's like expecting a car battery to last forever. It just isn't going to happen.

Dimitri

 

[Jack Olsen]

Batteries of any type are a consumable. It's like expecting a car battery to last forever. It just isn't going to happen.

Except with Ridgid, where you get free replacements for life.

 

[Dimitri]

Still a consumable. They wear out like motor brushes, grinding disks, drill bits and all sorts of things do.

It's nice they offer lifetime replacement but it shouldn't be the only factor when considering a new power tool. And honestly I don't remember the last time a battery pack wore out on me. I have 12V/20V packs that are approaching 5 years old in my current rotation and have yet to need to throw one out.

The battery management system inside the pack, makes or breaks the cells. And even if every manufacturer used the same cells. Their lifetimes will vary wildly due to the internal BMS and how well it does it's job.

Dimitri

 

[manwithtools]

Except with Ridgid, where you get free replacements for life.

Jack,
I know you are respected poster on this forum. I would like to ask, how many Rigid batteries have you had warrantied?

I have been through that dance, I'm more than willing to forgo that more or less empty promise and spend my dollars on a willing to perform tool.

 

[WhiffySpark]

I've had the latest snap on. Currently have fuel. Will be buying IR this year

 

[shockwave]

I personally would look at the Milwaukee m18 fuel as tool only after any kits for drill sawzall because these will get more use at the home than anything

For the price these hold up and last for years I would be worried about any craftsman a few years down the line

 

[fourjeepin]

No one will convince me there's a better choice than the Ridgid -- unless another company steps up and agrees to replace your batteries for free for the rest of the tool's life. The lifespan of a Li-Ion battery is not very long, and manufacturers excel at tricking you into buying a new tool and battery when the old ones die.

I'm with Jack on Ridgid. I bought the 1/4" impact not planning to switch from Dewalt. Then I bought a hammer drill. And a circular saw combo. Next a recip saw, multi tool, 1/2" impact... Good quality and great prices, especially if you can wait and buy them on clearance.

 

[PCO6]

I bought a DeWalt DCF889 1/2" drive and a DCF883 3/8" drive about a year ago and they've been great. I haven't touched my Snap-on and Craftsman air guns since.

 

[warweapon762]

I have a B&D Matrix 20v with a Craftsman Bolt on 3/8 hog ring impact attachment and a Porter Cable 20v 1/2 hog ring modified to accept B&D 20v batteries.

I inherited both of these from Craigslist/Friends of mine.

Both have served me well in terms of entry level 20v impacts (Yes I know, they aren't as good as Rigid/Dewalt). The 1/2 Porter Cable really knocks off rusty fasteners and lug nuts well. I have been really impressed with it.

 

[Jake79]

I've had the Kobalt 24v for about 4 months and have no complaints. The kicker for me was batteries are $50 for the 4amp $20 for the 2amp and $10 for the 1.5

 

[Mechanical Noise]

I have an earlier NiCad powered Craftsman C3 impact wrench. It's fine for most car work but I'd consider clean lugnuts torqued to 100 ft/lbs to be it's comfortable limit. It's out of it's league with big, rusty fasteners.

I'm not too worried about replacement batteries. The Craftsman C3 line is popular and Stanley would be crazy to drop it. If they do, I can still rebuild the battery.

 

[4 Ever-Fish N]

I recently purchased a Makita XWT08Z 1/2" Brushless Impact Wrench LXT 18V from Ebay for $219 (tool only). Later purchased 2 larger required batteries for $99. Great for lug nuts, etc.

 

[SoDoodoo]

I just bought the Milwaukee Mid Torque about a week ago and I use it in a professional setting. I haven't found anything so far that it couldn't break.

 

[BK13]

I just bought the Milwaukee Mid Torque about a week ago and I use it in a professional setting. I haven't found anything so far that it couldn't break.

Finally found a lug nut my 2654 wouldn't crack, so I think the 2861 just moved up my 'tools-to-get' list.

Of course, the lugs were on tight enough that I had to bounce on the end of my 24" breaker bar to budge... and I'm 340ish pounds. I can't imagine what the GF would have done to change a flat. Actually, she'd probably just call me.


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[firebox40dash5]

No one will convince me there's a better choice than the Ridgid -- unless another company steps up and agrees to replace your batteries for free for the rest of the tool's life. The lifespan of a Li-Ion battery is not very long, and manufacturers excel at tricking you into buying a new tool and battery when the old ones die.

Except with Ridgid, where you get free replacements for life.

OK, so, let's be honest here... how many cordless tools that are more than, say, a decade old do you have?

Because my current Milwaukee tools are all right around 5 years old, and I have yet to suffer a single battery failure... I've dropped and broken a couple M18s, but have yet to have one lose its charge or refuse to charge. If they all up and died tomorrow, and I replaced them and got that much again, my stuff is now a decade old. How likely is it that either none of my tools will be needing to be replaced, or just added onto, either way giving me a decent excuse to buy a kit, getting me the batteries I need cheaper than buying them one their own?

Is that "tricking" me? It's just weighing sunk costs IMO, I had something like 6 Makita LXT tools when my next-to-last pack went **** up before the 3-year mark... they didn't manage to "trick" me into buying more tools, I bit the bullet and switched to a platform with better battery life.

And finally... my dad is a contractor, and got heavily into Ridgid many years ago when they started with lifetime batteries, way back when it was a Home Depot thing and you could actually walk into HD and swap out a dead one. I asked him for advice on what to buy when I bought my LXT stuff, so ~2010, and he was already pretty down on how the Ridgid no-longer-warranty-now-it's-a-service-agreement was being handled. He's been moving back to Dewalt the last few years, partially because Dewalt has finally re-started innovating, and a lot because he was tired of dealing with the BS from Ridgid.

 

[Voi]

I recently purchased a Makita XWT08Z 1/2" Brushless Impact Wrench LXT 18V from Ebay for $219 (tool only). Later purchased 2 larger required batteries for $99.

Where did you find these and did they come with a charger?

I'm about to order a XRU08Z (string trimmer) for my wife and would like to pick up a couple of high amp hour batteries and a charger. Am not adverse to buying some tools if it makes the deal better.

 

[Jack Olsen]

OK, so, let's be honest here... how many cordless tools that are more than, say, a decade old do you have?

Because my current Milwaukee tools are all right around 5 years old, and I have yet to suffer a single battery failure... I've dropped and broken a couple M18s, but have yet to have one lose its charge or refuse to charge. If they all up and died tomorrow, and I replaced them and got that much again, my stuff is now a decade old. How likely is it that either none of my tools will be needing to be replaced, or just added onto, either way giving me a decent excuse to buy a kit, getting me the batteries I need cheaper than buying them one their own?

Is that "tricking" me? It's just weighing sunk costs IMO, I had something like 6 Makita LXT tools when my next-to-last pack went **** up before the 3-year mark... they didn't manage to "trick" me into buying more tools, I bit the bullet and switched to a platform with better battery life.

And finally... my dad is a contractor, and got heavily into Ridgid many years ago when they started with lifetime batteries, way back when it was a Home Depot thing and you could actually walk into HD and swap out a dead one. I asked him for advice on what to buy when I bought my LXT stuff, so ~2010, and he was already pretty down on how the Ridgid no-longer-warranty-now-it's-a-service-agreement was being handled. He's been moving back to Dewalt the last few years, partially because Dewalt has finally re-started innovating, and a lot because he was tired of dealing with the BS from Ridgid.

Well, I guess that's my point. Is there anything about a drill that's going to be inadequate for the job five years from now? I have corded drills that are over 60 years old. They work great. I don't have to throw them out every six years, which I appreciate. My drill press was made in 1973 and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I'm not going to try and stop anyone from overdoing it on tools -- not at Garage Journal. If Milwaukee or DeWalt or something less Chinese, like Metabo, appeals to you more than Ridgid, then by all means stock up. But I personally hate throwing stuff away -- particularly money -- and planned obsolescence in tool design makes me a little nuts. So if my Ridgid drills/drivers/grinder/circular-saw work today, then I'm fine with owning the same models in 40 years.

Also, I think you've got it backwards on the Ridgid warranty. Originally, you had to go to a service center -- but they've been designating more and more Home Depot stores as service centers in order to make it easier. And there used to be more hoops to jump through in order to activate the lifetime warranty. But the last few times I've done it, it was online and easy. But I could be wrong about any of this -- I'm only going by my personal experience.

I've had one drill serviced through the LSA and it was a piece of cake. I haven't turned in a battery yet, but I don't expect any problems based on the drill experience.

 

[4 Ever-Fish N]

Ebay link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemVersion&item=332125573449&view=all&tid=1388122825014

I hope the link works.

Where did you find these and did they come with a charger?

I'm about to order a XRU08Z (string trimmer) for my wife and would like to pick up a couple of high amp hour batteries and a charger. Am not adverse to buying some tools if it makes the deal better.

 

[firebox40dash5]

Well, I guess that's my point. Is there anything about a drill that's going to be inadequate for the job five years from now? I have corded drills that are over 60 years old. They work great. I don't have to throw them out every six years, which I appreciate. My drill press was made in 1973 and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I'm not going to try and stop anyone from overdoing it on tools -- not at Garage Journal. If Milwaukee or DeWalt or something less Chinese, like Metabo, appeals to you more than Ridgid, then by all means stock up. But I personally hate throwing stuff away -- particularly money -- and planned obsolescence in tool design makes me a little nuts. So if my Ridgid drills/drivers/grinder/circular-saw work today, then I'm fine with owning the same models in 40 years.

Also, I think you've got it backwards on the Ridgid warranty. Originally, you had to go to a service center -- but they've been designating more and more Home Depot stores as service centers in order to make it easier. And there used to be more hoops to jump through in order to activate the lifetime warranty. But the last few times I've done it, it was online and easy. But I could be wrong about any of this -- I'm only going by my personal experience.

I've had one drill serviced through the LSA and it was a piece of cake. I haven't turned in a battery yet, but I don't expect any problems based on the drill experience.

I too have had decades-old corded drills or sawzalls that work OK... but they're corded and nothing much has really happened with them in a long time. Meanwhile, I have a 12v brushless Fuel impact from 2012 or so that outperforms my 18v Makita brushless impact from a few short years earlier... and a matching drill that probably doesn't match the Makita, but does everything I can expect of a drill without needing an SDS. Even if the tools may work just like they did 5-10 years ago, what are the odds I wouldn't just as soon buy better ones, was my point. Besides that, I've always figured cordless stuff to be more disposable than corded, probably because it has to be built lighter to still be usable whilst carrying around its own power.

I dunno about the current state of the Ridgid stuff... last I heard from my dad was that he was having to go to a "service center" about 2 hours west of us (and I live in the Baltimore/DC metro area...) that was only open bankers' hours. But I doubt he's bothered in a couple years. If they made it easier then good on them, it was certainly not the direction I expected them to go from my dad's stories.

 

[JoJoSnap]

Bosch impact was my previous heavy use. Still breathing for 8 years.. already in transition to kobalt 24 volt.. ohhhmmphhhh 650 lbs over 500 lbs and ohhh yeaaaa brushless


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[MikeF2316]

I have 12 volt craftsman that are 20+ years old, the batteries are long dead, but the drills themselves are still good. I replaced them in 2003 with a pair of Craftsman 16.8s. Those batteries are long dead, too. My next drill was a very powerful Ridgid 18 volt that came with a 5 cell and 10 cell pack. The 5 cell pack grew weak after just a couple of years, and the 10 cell didn't last much longer. That's when I discovered the LSA, but it was too late. I bought 1 new 10 cell pack and signed up for the LSA on that one. It's still good, but I don't use that drill much. I also received as a gift a Craftsman Nextec 12v, right around the time I started to switch to Milwaukee. The Nextec and Ridgid battery are all around 4 years old now. I still use the Nextec frequently inside the house, and the Ridgid when the Nextec can't handle it, but that's not often. The Milwaukee stuff all lives in the garage.

 

[MattPersman]

Ingersol Rand W7150 hands down the best I've seen and not too expensive.

You haven't seen the two common ones that are leagues better than. Big Fuel and dewalt 899

iR is in the back as usual


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[dutchgray]

With regards to the Ridgid lifetime battery warranty, its only any use while they continue to support the battery platform, now manufactures are sticking with what they have as they have sold a lot more cordless tools than ever before and don't want to upset the users by changing but if a major battery advance comes along that requires changing the platform to get it to work, they'll change the platform.
To think Ridgid will still be making the same batteries in 40 years is absurd, even if the tools last that long.

 

[1LargeDog]

Re: Thoughts on cordless impact guns Dum Azz

Talk about stoopid..........Last Sunday night I checked the Lowes site and the Kobalt 24v impact driver kit was on sale for 199. It was late and I thought I had until the first week of May to order so I put it off. Next morning I thought of it and checked the site again.......249!!!!!! I missed the dam sale. Oh well, maybe it will go back on sale for Fathers day. But I did jump on a H/F 3 1/2 ton low profile high lift floor jack for 84 bucks with a coupon. My last H/F jack held up for 15 years and I just sold it for 25.

Bees that way sometimes

 

[nbpt100]

I have a 2 ton HF floor jack that I bought in the 80's and still use it. That is one area where they offer great value.

I have a Craftsman 300 Ft. lb impact wrench and I am happy enough with it. I use it for my own cars and equiptment. Never had it not work. It may not be powerful or robust enough for professional use. However For a homeowner I think it is a good value.
As someone else said I am confidant that Stanley B&D will support the line for many years to come.

 

[tcianci]

Except with Ridgid, where you get free replacements for life.

Jack,

I'm interested to know if you have ever actually used that warranty. I tied 500 bucks up in a full set of the Ridgid 18V Li stuff. Recip saw crapped out 2 times, batteries died left and right. The impact driver went weak on me. The last straw was when they offered me 2 new batteries in store to replace a set that I had just got under warranty that didn't last a month. I took the new batteries and when they crapped out, they wouldn't honor the LSA because the store-sourced batteries only have a limited time warranty. To top it all off, they discarded the failed batteries so I couldn't even send them out to get rebuilt. Not to mention their turn around time for repairs was weeks.

I have owned DeWalt, Ryobi, Makita, Ridgid and Milwaukee. IMHO, if you're buying anything but Milwaukee Fuel, you're wasting time and money.

 

[Jack Olsen]

I'm surprised you had those kinds of problems. I had one warranty issue with one of my drills. I took it in and they fixed it; it was pretty simple. I have three drills now, two drivers, a circular saw, reciprocating saw, an impact wrench, an angle grinder, and probably one or two other tools I'm forgetting about. I haven't had any problems, aside from that one drill. No battery issues at all, yet. They charge fast and I haven't noticed a shortened lifespan yet.

But it's good to get data on these things.

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

I have the Ingersoll Rand W7150 (1/2) as well as the IR W5132 (3/8) and the W5132 is the gun to get first. I only take out the W7150 if whatever I'm trying to remove is REALLY stuck. I used to have the Milwaukee m18 fuel 3/8 impact but I wasn't really impressed. The W5132 is probably my favorite tool besides my cordless IR 1/4 12v ratchet. I feel like I can do anything with those two.

 

[dvups1]

I will throw in another vote for the Ridgid 18v.

It has yet to let me down on my DIY weekend projects. It handles car and RV lug nuts with ease. Just last week, it handled 3 suspension jobs on VW Jettas. It never struggled. It takes off crankshaft nuts when doing timing belts no problem.

I have owned 18v Ridgid tools since the late 1990s and haven't had any issues with any of the tools.

The LSA on the batteries has made keeping them running a simple job.

I'm sure all the other brands mentioned will do the job, but for the the price, size, strength and warranty, the Ridgid is my choice.


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[leadfoot415]

I have the Ingersoll Rand W7150 (1/2) as well as the IR W5132 (3/8) and the W5132 is the gun to get first. I only take out the W7150 if whatever I'm trying to remove is REALLY stuck. I used to have the Milwaukee m18 fuel 3/8 impact but I wasn't really impressed. The W5132 is probably my favorite tool besides my cordless IR 1/4 12v ratchet. I feel like I can do anything with those two.

I have and use the older version of the 3/8" gun, the w5130 daily. It is my go to for interior work and fixing cars out in the parking lot when needed.

Did you previously use the w5130 before going to the w5132? If so, how do they compare? Worth upgrading?