What impact drive?

[whelenfan]

I am going to get my first air impact wrench pretty soon and since I'm starting off from scratch I was wondering which drive would be the most practical. 1/2" or 3/8"? Mostly what I'll be working on will be some personal vehicle tinkering, and general maintenance around the workshop. I am leaning towards picking a used IR but I'm not sure which model though. Thanks for any insight. For what it's worth, my compressor is an older 4hp craftsman.

 

[Nealcrenshaw]

Personally i only use 1/2" Dr.impacts. If its small enough for a 3/8" just use a ratchet.
Plus it cuts down the number of impact sockets you have to buy.

 

[vartz04]

yep, get a 1/2" air and then a cordless impact with the 1/4" hex chuck, then you can put socket adapters in that for some smaller stuff.

I use this for the air

there are better for the $ out there but this one was "thrown away" by a heavy equipment mechanic at work so for free you cant beat it. 580 ft lbs

and for my cordless I have this

works great, will break the lugnuts loose on the truck too most of the time, sometimes i have to crack them with the breakerbar first.

and you just put these in the chuck to run any socket you have

they cost about $1.99 at harbor freight when the are on sale

 

[garfunkle24]

I agree completely with getting a 1/2" air impact and if funds allow (or at a later date) adding a cordless impact for the smaller stuff.

 

[vartz04]

you could even get a smaller one than i have, the 18v was just because I have the other ryobi tools, a 12v would work just fine.

The cordless impact is so nice for when you have a small project, no need to fire up the compressor pull the hose out, oil the tool ect ect. just pop in the battery and go.

 

[LGMechanical]

I'm a truck mechanic so tools are a must but I can't count all the times my 3/8" impact saved me alot of grief. When you need power in a small space, you'll be glad you bought one.

But if all you are doing is removing wheels,working on suspension, etc., then a 1/2" would be better. A used IR2135 series costs roughly $100. Those have about 700 ft/lbs torque. Great tool I hear. The MG725 would be overkill for this application lol.

 

[vartz04]

yeah anything over 500 ft lbs would work fine for what you are going to be doing. look at the torque, read some reviews, and use that info to find something in your price range

 

[garfunkle24]

I'm a truck mechanic so tools are a must but I can't count all the times my 3/8" impact saved me alot of grief. When you need power in a small space, you'll be glad you bought one.

But if all you are doing is removing wheels,working on suspension, etc., then a 1/2" would be better. A used IR2135 series costs roughly $100. Those have about 700 ft/lbs torque. Great tool I hear. The MG725 would be overkill for this application lol.

You prefer the MG735 over the 2135 LG? I traded mine back after a week (the 725). No specific issue, just didn't feel right in my hand.

Of course, if money isn't tight, the MG325 is a great compromise. But then again, if money isn't an issue, get a 1/4", 3/8", 1/2" ,3/4", 1" and 1.5" pneumatic impact and the same in cordless!

 

[Merkava_4]

3/8" drive impact is a convenience tool - you don't need it.

 

[vartz04]

as far as "power tools" for working on a car you need the following
1/2" air impact
3/8" air ratchet
Air hammer

other than that its really just for convenience, you really don't need any of those either but if I was going to have only 3 air tools that would be it

 

[garfunkle24]

3/8" drive impact is a convenience tool - you don't need it.

Not quite the complete story Merk. In some applications (for example to pull a crank pulley or harmonic balancer without dropping the motor) you really need that impacting action and a 1/2" gun won't fit. Of course you can buy tools for holding the pulleys etc but they can be fairly pricey depending on application too.

 

[1loudsuv]

3/8" drive impact is a convenience tool - you don't need it.

Depends, for me (auto tech) I thought it was a luxury but bought both the mg 325 and mg725 (3/8,1/2) and I use the 1/2 very little the 3/8 gets used the most out of all my air tools. Say I'm doing front brakes well it does loosen the lug nuts and caliper bolts and caliper braket bolts no problem. One tool to do it all.

 

[Stick Figure]

and you just put these in the chuck to run any socket you have

they cost about $1.99 at harbor freight when the are on sale

Just be careful where you get those socket adapters, i grabbed the 3/8's from sears for my Makita 18v, and twisted it in half on the first try... harbor lasted slightly longer, Snap On didn't break, but the spring loaded pin was a PITA to remove sockets quickly .... settled on american vermont (i think is the company red package makes lots of things like that) That has lasted a while for me.

To the original poster start w/ the 1/2 there are techs that find lots of uses for 3/8, as well, but i bet you won't find too many that don't have a 1/2" impact in the box somewhere. You are probably buying an impact to get things loose that you can't do now w/ out a lot of extra work, and most of those things are going to be more in the 1/2 drive range. Personally I only have a cheap POS 1/2 at work since i hardly use any air tools in what i do there. I rely about 90% on my Makita 18v impact, or i grab a breaker bar to crack things loose before i grab my Makita. At home i have an IR but i don't remember the model number .. only complaint is that it is heavier than my cheapy one.

 

[Danglerb]

Another point to consider is the range of sockets easily available in each drive size. Another plus for 1/2 drive.

I bought a small 3/8 butterfly action impact, and find it fairly handy.

 

[WSMC633]

If you're only going to own one then I would say go with a 1/2".

I love my 3/8" and, all in all I probably use it twice as much as my 1/2" but I use it more to save time disassembling stuff. I got along with only a 1/2" for a long time.

I will say I'm more and more tempted to pick up a cordless impact as well.

 

[Merkava_4]

Not quite the complete story Merk. In some applications (for example to pull a crank pulley or harmonic balancer without dropping the motor) you really need that impacting action and a 1/2" gun won't fit. Of course you can buy tools for holding the pulleys etc but they can be fairly pricey depending on application too.

The first Proto tool I ever bought was a 15/16" shallow 1/2"Dr. impact socket for removing the harmonic balancer/crank bolt on the end of a Ford 351C. Along with that was a 1/2"Dr. 6" long Proto impact extension (with the pin lock) and a 17" long 1/2"Dr. C-MAN flex-head ratchet. Don't have the ratchet anymore, but I still have the Proto socket and extension.

Can't remember how I kept the engine from rotating though.

 

[whelenfan]

If I were to get one of the 1/4" drive cordless impact drivers, would I be able to use the same screwdriver bits that I use for my drill/driver? Would even the extra torque from the little impact be too much for the bits to handle? Will I only really know that they can't handle the torque when they break?

 

[Zorro13]

Go and get the 1/2" Earthquake impact from Harbor Freight. Nice tool for the money. It's rated for 600 ft lb, and when I'm working with it I have the feeling this is true. Very powerful!. Not cheap though ($89), for a HF tool, but with a 20% coupon it comes down into the more common HF price range.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=2623

 

[fordracing200]

nitrocat 1/2" its 160 bucks on tooltopia free shipping, 3/8" is unnessecary if you have a cordless 1/4" with socket ends or 3/8" impact, jmo even though I have a 3/8" air gun I've never used it.

 

[fordracing200]

If I were to get one of the 1/4" drive cordless impact drivers, would I be able to use the same screwdriver bits that I use for my drill/driver? Would even the extra torque from the little impact be too much for the bits to handle? Will I only really know that they can't handle the torque when they break?

Yeah they take the same bits, I've never broken a bit, but my friend said he snaps the tip off cheap bits with his 18v Dewalt, but has never had a problem with Dewalt bits.

 

[brockstar]

My next impact will be a IR 231c or the Harbor Freight copy.

Having a 3/8" impact is handy esp when the space is too tight for a ratchet to swing. Put another extension on the gun, whamo! I agree its a nice to have - get a strong 1/2" drive first.

 

[HandyManny]

for impact go with 1/2 inch drive.

 

[BB26]

If I had to choose just one drive size it would be 1/2'' because of its versatility. 1/2'' will accept an extremely wide range of socket sizes (8-36mm and 5/16-1-1/2'') and a decent gun will have the power to handle just about any job.

With that said, I love my 3/8'' impact and since buying one hardly ever use my 1/2''. It only comes out if I need the extra power. It is smaller, lighter and just easier to use.

 

[tpolley]

if you can afford it and if you really like buying and owning tools start with 1/2, get every kind of socket you need. next move to 3/8 and get every kind of socket you need in 3/8. just my opinion.

 

[vartz04]

With that said, I love my 3/8'' impact and since buying one hardly ever use my 1/2''. It only comes out if I need the extra power. It is smaller, lighter and just easier to use.

i feel the same way about the cordless impact, the only time I run the the air one is once i find out the cordless won't do it.

 

[Small Engine]

Check out the Aircat guns. THey are rated very well. I may buy one. I have the IR 231 and the IR 2131. I also like the Mac 434. It's a good gun. I may buy one next. I also have an IR 212 3/8" gun. It works very well for taking stuff apart where a 1/2" gun can't fit.

SE

 

[rodm1]

I'm a truck mechanic so tools are a must but I can't count all the times my 3/8" impact saved me alot of grief. When you need power in a small space, you'll be glad you bought one.

Yep, the 3/8 would have helped on my power steering hose this weakened. It's on my shopping list along with a set of flex drive adapters.

 

[LGMechanical]

I was going to buy that new 3/8" rebadged nitrocat from mac. The 400 ft/lbs one. I already own a so mg31 (300 ft/lbs) and I was gonna give it to my dad. My mac dealer is a fellow countryman and a really honest guy. He told me not to buy the nitrocat because they fall apart rather quick. Now if the guy that sells them tells me this, how can I not trust him? So I might pick up the new mg325 instead.