Which M12 impact, stubby 3/8" or stubby 1/2"

[sanddan]

I want to add to my Milwaukee M12 tools and need to decide between the 3/8" drive and 1/2" drive stubby impact tools. On amazon the 1/2" drive tool set is slightly less money than the 3/8" drive tool, not sure why. I'm getting the set mostly for the extra batteries and a second charger, I'll just get bare tools after this purchase. I'll also be getting a 3/8" drive ratchet, the smaller more compact one as I won't need the extra torque. Just want to use it to spin the bolts once they are broke loose. I have these in air tool versions but I can also see the value in having cordless. I use both the 1/2" and 3/8" sized sockets equally and still plan on using the air powered 1/2" impact for the jobs requiring lots of breakaway torque like lug nuts.

 

[velillen01]

They are the same thing just with different anvils. So really just pick whichever one you use those sockets for most. IE if you generally grab 1/2" sockets then get the 1/2. If its 3/8 then 3/8.

I went with the 3/8" myself as i tend to use 3/8" sockets the most. When i need more power I step up to the m18 mid and high torque guns anyways.

 

[CJM8515]

the 3/8 is the most versatile and yo will use the most variety of sizes with it. i own all 3 however

 

[banjopete]

Can't really go wrong either way. Mine has been a wonderful purchase, pretty impressive for the size.

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[Handyandy23]

I got it in 3/8 because I feel like those sizes are more in line with the power output of the M12 Stubby. It doesn't really have the power for lug nuts or larger suspension bolts, so to me the 3/8 socket size range fits pretty well.

That being said I have 1/2" impact sockets that go down to I think 8mm, so it isn't like you can't go small with those as well.

I pair mine with Astro Nano sockets, and it fits into some pretty tight spots.

 

[G1GRANDEUR]

i am happy with 3/8 for most of the work, lightweight and compact.

for bigger jobs, 1/2 big gun.

 

[plinker]

The 2554 3/8 and the non fuel 3/8 are the most used m12 tools I have, tied for third would be the 1/4 drive non fuel impact and ratchet. I use a 2763 1/2 M18 impact or air for 1/2 drive. I've yet to see a reason to change/upgrade anything yet as this works ideal for me.

 

[MikeF2316]

The idea of the stubby is to get in where there is limited room. I got some Astro Nano sockets in 3/8 drive, along with the 3/8 stubbly to have the shortest overall assembly.

 

[shoeless]

I asked the same question on here about a month ago.
I ended up with a 3/8 stubby and a M18 1/2 mid torque. Love both of them. Stubby was great for pulling a transmission and on the tear down, used the 1/2 to remove the cross member. Also used both while doing a brake job on my brother’s GTI

 

[DFB]

I decided on the 3/8" (and got it for good deal too) but it often comes down to convenience really. I do have a lot of 1/2" impact sockets and with quick access on the bench and I use them a lot. My stubby almost has a 3/8" to 1/2" adapter on it. That way I get the best of both IMHO. And I always prefer to adapt up than to reduce down, have broke too many of those that way

 

[Skin]

The only thing i'll add is that there are 1/2" drive super shallow impacts but almost none in 3/8" so if your intent is really to keep it as short as possible its worth considering. The only two 3/8" sets I can find available State side are the ones from Sunex and Astro and they really aren't super shallows since they put a hex bolster on the back so they can be driven by a wrench.

 

[pbon]

The most I use are the 1/2 mid torque, 3/8 stubby and 1/4 non fuel ratchet. I also have 3/8 fuel ratchet, 1/2 high torque and 3/8 regular, none of which I use often. I should get rid of the 3/8 regular.

 

[PelicanPines]

I have mostly 1/2" impact sockets... so it was an easy choice for me. I actually tend to avoid using 3/8" sockets all together. I use 1/4" for small... 1/2" for the rest. If I have an access issue... I have 3/8" sockets.

1/2" if you got the sockets...

 

[plinker]

The only thing i'll add is that there are 1/2" drive super shallow impacts but almost none in 3/8" so if your intent is really to keep it as short as possible its worth considering. The only two 3/8" sets I can find available State side are the ones from Sunex and Astro and they really aren't super shallows since they put a hex bolster on the back so they can be driven by a wrench.

Napa & Matco have them without the hex bolster, Pretty sure they're Sunex (or whomever their OE is). I use them all the time. Matco had them back around '16 (when I got mine), Napa only recently listed them, last year sometime (?).

3/8 metric sets
https://www.matcotools.com/catalog/product/SBSPM126V/3-8-DRIVE-ADV-12-PIECE-6-POINT-METRIC-STUBBY-IMPACT-SET/

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NPT610212MS?partTypeName=Socket+Set&keywordInput=stubby+socket

1/2 metric

https://www.matcotools.com/catalog/product/SCSPM136V/1-2-DRIVE-ADV-13-PIECE-METRIC-6-POINT-STUBBY-IMPACT-SET/

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NPT610215MS?partTypeName=Socket+Set&keywordInput=stubby+socket

 

[M635_Guy]

I already had the 3/8" FUEL ratchet when I got my Stubby. I really like the ratchet a lot, and use chrome sockets on it.

I went 1/2" because the things I need it for are solidly in the 1/2" range and I wanted the additional efficacy of the 1/2" anvil and (especially) mass of the 1/2" impact sockets. I also planned to get the 1/2" Mid (but wound up with the Mid and High) and didn't want to have another whole set of impact sockets. My Sunex 1/2" set goes from 9mm - 30mm (skipping 25/28/29), and the standard ones are pretty short, so I think I'm doing pretty well. If I'm using both the Stubby and the ratchet, I can put a chrome socket on the ratchet and an impact socket on the impact in the same size and I'm good to go - really efficient with a minimum of socket sets. Well, relatively minimum...

Net: I'd go 1/2" for the Stubby. There are no real downsides and definite advantages in grump because of the extra mass of the anvil and sockets. You also might save yourself another set of impact sockets if you don't already own 3/8" impacts.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I got the "original" M12 Fuel 3/8" impact and a 1/4" hex adapter. Very happy with it, it does what I expect it to do.

I have been "jonesing" for the M12 Fuel 1/2" stubby for tire rotation. Kind of hard to justify it for just that job.

 

[Handyandy23]

The only thing i'll add is that there are 1/2" drive super shallow impacts but almost none in 3/8" so if your intent is really to keep it as short as possible its worth considering. The only two 3/8" sets I can find available State side are the ones from Sunex and Astro and they really aren't super shallows since they put a hex bolster on the back so they can be driven by a wrench.

Does the hex bolster actually add any depth though? I'm pretty sure the hex bolster is only as deep as the anvil / drive, so I'm not sure how it could get any shorter.

Those Carlyle and Mac ones linked above look to be the same depth as the Astro, just round instead of having the hex.

 

[Skin]

Napa & Matco have them without the hex bolster, Pretty sure they're Sunex (or whomever their OE is). I use them all the time. Matco had them back around '16 (when I got mine), Napa only recently listed them, last year sometime (?).

Well that's good, might get some. A general google search only found a few import sets from European retailers. That said looking at the height measurements you don't seem to get quite as drastic of a cut as you do from 1/2" which is a downer.

Snap-on shallow 15mm in 1/2" is 38mm with the super shallows coming in at 28mm. The listed height on the 3/8" is 24mm where a Snap-on is 27mm. The Matco number for height could be a typo though.

Does the hex bolster actually add any depth though? I'm pretty sure the hex bolster is only as deep as the anvil / drive, so I'm not sure how it could get any shorter.

Those Carlyle and Mac ones linked above look to be the same depth as the Astro, just round instead of having the hex.

No idea, just judging on appearances. It could be just my own visual bias because honestly I don't like the through drive hex on an impact.

 

[nieuport17]

I also have the 3/8 stubby.
I figured that if I want a stubby, I better have shorter sockets.

 

[Handyandy23]

Well that's good, might get some. A general google search only found a few import sets from European retailers. That said looking at the height measurements you don't seem to get quite as drastic of a cut as you do from 1/2" which is a downer.

Snap-on shallow 15mm in 1/2" is 38mm with the super shallows coming in at 28mm. The listed height on the 3/8" is 24mm where a Snap-on is 27mm. The Matco number for height could be a typo though.



No idea, just judging on appearances. It could be just my own visual bias because honestly I don't like the hex on an impact.

I just checked on my Astro Nano's, and the bolster is only about 9.75mm deep. The anvil on my M12 Stubby is over 11mm long. You can see in this picture that the anvil actually protrudes a little further than the bolster.

Total length of the Nano 15mm 3/8 is only 22.5mm, shorter than both the Snap On and Marco, and coming in cheaper too.

The hex bolster has no negative that I can see, and only gives you an alternate way to use them, if you so choose. To each their own, but Astro offers a shorter socket with better features, for less money, and also with great customer service. That's a winner in my book.

 

[u2slow]

I have mostly 1/2" impact sockets... so it was an easy choice for me.

Same. After killing a 1/2" cheapo gun, I now use a 1/4" hex drive gun with 1/2" adapter.

A battery gun - for me - is not about the power. Its a speed/convenience tool. I have breaker bars and a 1/2" air impact (IR-232) for the tough stuff.

 

[pbon]

It does make sense to consider the use. It is not that one is better than the other in all cases, but rather that one is better than the other for your main uses or complements better other tools that you already have.

If you work on trucks, 1/2 makes sense. I work on BMWs that have relatively tight engine compartments and mostly nuts and bolts that 3/8 will fit.

 

[MikeF2316]

I just checked on my Astro Nano's, and the bolster is only about 9.75mm deep. The anvil on my M12 Stubby is over 11mm long. You can see in this picture that the anvil actually protrudes a little further than the bolster.

Total length of the Nano 15mm 3/8 is only 22.5mm, shorter than both the Snap On and Marco, and coming in cheaper too.

The hex bolster has no negative that I can see, and only gives you an alternate way to use them, if you so choose. To each their own, but Astro offers a shorter socket with better features, for less money, and also with great customer service. That's a winner in my book.

+1 on this.

 

[humpty]

If you wanted the least head size what about the RA impact? Does anyone have the RA impact and the Stubby? How do they compare? I would think that they could more or less serve the same purpose. You lose a little torque with the RA but it's smaller.

humpty

 

[MikeF2316]

If you wanted the least head size what about the RA impact? Does anyone have the RA impact and the Stubby? How do they compare? I would think that they could more or less serve the same purpose. You lose a little torque with the RA but it's smaller.

humpty

The right angle impact is new, and not available when I bought my Stubby. But now I've got a padlock on my wallet to stop me from buying it.

I'd be interested to see how it compares too.

 

[Astro_Pneumatic_Tools]

There isn't a way to make our Nano sockets shorter (to our knowledge), they aren't even 0.1mm longer due to having a hex outside shape. That area is taken up by the female square drive broach inside. So it's normally round, but in this case hex to add another low-profile use. Has to be there either way.

If you make the sockets shorter to try and cut down on this collar length dimension the square drive of your impact runs into the bolt head you're driving, +/- 0.5mm or so at least.

 

[M635_Guy]

So far I haven't really hit a situation yet where I wished I had the RA impact, but if I did I still think I'd get a 1/2" version. If necessary, I'd just get a low-profile 1/2" set (the Sunex set is $41).

I dunno - I have 1/4" impact for my impact driver (which is probably unnecessary, but...) and my 1/2" set. The idea of having a 3/8" set as well as a doofus in my garage seems like a lot, and I felt like it was a lot more likely to need an impact at the top of the 1/2" range than the bottom of the 3/8" range. So as I said earlier I chose for the (possibly slight) additional efficacy of the 1/2" anvil/socket combo.

 

[gtsgarage]

I got the 3/8” and the 1/4”. Probably didn’t need both.

I use the 1/4” a lot but it’s probably just because I have it and put the 1/4” sockets in an easier location.

I had nice 1/4” snap on impact sockets that were a gift from a friend so that’s part of why I bought it.

Buy what you have sockets for, if you don’t have sockets buy what you want.

 

[sanddan]

Thanks for all the feedback. I ended up ordering the 3/8" stubby impact in the kit form so I had an extra charger and also the 3/8" ratchet bare tool and 2 extra 2.0 batteries. When my wallet recovers from the drain I also plan on getting the die grinder as a bare tool. That and the impact driver that started the Milwaukee tool collection should just about do it. When my Makita drill dies (or the batteries quit taking a charge) I'll get a Milwaukee replacement but other needed tools are higher on the list for now.

 

[M635_Guy]

That and the impact driver that started the Milwaukee tool collection should just about do it.

Hope you're stronger than me...

Congrats on the Stubby - you'll dig it!

 

[billford]

I don't have stubby but another option is the 3/8 compact M18. I bought one a while ago. Use it a lot, automotive, under the hood, interior. Good power and battery life.

Its slightly longer than the stubby but narrower.

https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/Power-Tools/Fastening/Impact-Wrenches/2754-20

 

[sanddan]

Milwaukee has great social media presence. They bombard everything with positive reviews, and their fanbois cannot be beat. Go read some of the negative reviews on Home Depot and elsewhere about the stubby impacts barely putting out 100 ft/lbs with the M12 batteries, and you will realize that Milwaukee has a reason for only including their phony breakaway torque rating with this impact. From what I've seen in person of this versus their mid-range impacts, I would spend the money on a mid-3/8 or mid-1/2 instead for the same general price. The stubby aspect of this is a real problem, because most of the time it's too wide to actually get in to where you need it or it simply doesn't have the power in real world applications. Think of it like a 1/4" impact with a 3/8 or 1/2" anvil.

I thought you should have someone actually tell you like it is.

Thanks for the feedback. I already have both 1/2" and 3/8" air impacts for times when I need more power. I was really looking for a tool that I can take to the job when dragging an air hose is out of the question. I can also take it on trips with the RV, we ride SXS's and they can require work sometimes. I don't have any impact sockets, I've just always used my regular craftsman ones, so that didn't affect the decision. I might get a set of 3/8" next, that size is the one I seem to use most often. I bought the M12 nut driver first and was impressed with the long battery life compared to my 12v Makita. I also used the M12 3/8" ratchet last week while at the dunes and it was a great tool for spinning down small nuts. I'm trying to save my hands some wear and tear as 60 + years of wrenching has taken it's tole.

 

[spyerx]

I went with 1/2. My impact sockets are only 1/2 8-36mm shallow / deep sunsex sockets (very happy with them)
I am not a pro mostly do basic to mid level tech work on my 911s so unless it’s in there really tight i use hand tools mostly in 3/8 and 1/4. Sometimes the impact comes out for suspension work.

The m12 has no issues getting my 911 lugs off but they are only torqued right 95 or 120 lbs depending on the car.

 

[Skin]

Thanks for the feedback. I already have both 1/2" and 3/8" air impacts for times when I need more power. I was really looking for a tool that I can take to the job when dragging an air hose is out of the question. I can also take it on trips with the RV, we ride SXS's and they can require work sometimes. I don't have any impact sockets, I've just always used my regular craftsman ones, so that didn't affect the decision. I might get a set of 3/8" next, that size is the one I seem to use most often. I bought the M12 nut driver first and was impressed with the long battery life compared to my 12v Makita. I also used the M12 3/8" ratchet last week while at the dunes and it was a great tool for spinning down small nuts. I'm trying to save my hands some wear and tear as 60 + years of wrenching has taken it's tole.

His "feedback" was useless so don't give it much credence. Super opinionated guy that just liked to talk down to everyone. You'll notice hes been banned.

The stubby was my first Milwaukee tool in the last 10+ years after I swore them off due to the absolute pile of trash the V28 stuff was. It will do 250 foot pounds on a freshly tightened fastener so it actually does live up to the paper specs. If you let it smash away for a bit it will tighten to just over 200 foot pounds too. Considering how small it is, its impressive. Complaining about the girth is just hating on Milwaukee. Its almost the same size as the pneumatic stubby impacts that have flooded the market in the last 5 years or so.

 

[jeepinerdeep]

This thread has me heated back up for a 1/2" stubby as soon as the bare tool is back in stock at HD.

 

[mc4life27]

Anyone else having issues with the gif ring not holding sockets? I have the 3/8 and the sockets fall off no matter what I do.


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[humpty]

I am knee deep in a 4Runner timing chain job and I have encountered a few places that the RA impact may have really shined. I was convinced the stubby was the answer but now I think I am going to give the RA a shot.

humpty

 

[Woods_Wanderer]

I am knee deep in a 4Runner timing chain job and I have encountered a few places that the RA impact may have really shined. I was convinced the stubby was the answer but now I think I am going to give the RA a shot.

humpty

I've been considering this exact job on mine, not to derail but how's your experience been? To stay somewhat on-topic, I have the 3/8" stubby and love it, but no electric ratchet or RA impact.

 

[humpty]

It is not terrible. This was likely the cheapest 08 4Runner ever, only 78k on the clock but I think it only got a couple oil changes in its life. Lots'o'sludge. I got it really cheap so it seemed worth the gamble.

I heard book time is 10 hours. Being my first and not a pro auto mechanic I bet it will take me maybe 15 to do it.

The Milwaukee cordless ratchet and impact have been so nice for this job.

humpty