Why has no one done this?

[Zaylor]

Why has no one made a cordless right angle impact driver with a 3/8" (or 1/4 or 1/2) drive?!

It seems like a no-brainer for working on cars where you don't have the clearance for a standard impact.

Out of the tiny number of right angle impact drivers on the market, this one seems to stand out as a good value:

To drive a socket with this you would use one of these.

Now why are you using the right angle driver in the first place? Because you have limited clearance! Using this adapter already kills this clearance advantage.

Why has no one done this? I found ONE. Makita makes a 3/8 version that 3x as expensive and has 200 in.-lbs LESS torque than the Craftsman, not to mention the fact that it is much larger.

Why doesn't craftsman simply mate a 3/8 male square drive to their right angle impact? It seems so simple to me. Maybe I will just buy one and do that.

I don't see anything that truck brands make either. What gives?

And cordless ratchets simply have no torque.

Any ideas for me?

 

[oldldh]

By Jove---I think you're on to something!!!

 

[navymech]

They do... For example:

http://www.milwaukeetool.com/power-tools/cordless/2456-20
http://www.milwaukeetool.com/power-tools/cordless/2457-20

 

[fitz11]

They do... For example:

http://www.milwaukeetool.com/power-tools/cordless/2456-20
http://www.milwaukeetool.com/power-tools/cordless/2457-20

Those don't impact.

 

[Holt]

They do.... its called a cordless ratchet though. Milwaukee, ir, and snap on all have one.

 

[zkling]

Main reason? Torque limitations. Imagine having that but in 1/2" drive, I don't think you will be impressed with the performance. It was really designed for 1/4 drive stuff, but thanks to adapters people are putting all kinds of attachments of different sizes on them.

It states a max torque of 700 in*lbs. That is ~58ft*lbs.

 

[48RON54]

Main reason? Torque limitations. Imagine having that but in 1/2" drive, I don't think you will be impressed with the performance. It was really designed for 1/4 drive stuff, but thanks to adapters people are putting all kinds of attachments of different sizes on them.

It states a max torque of 700 in*lbs. That is ~58ft*lbs.

Bingo. I bought something similar and it was a huge torque (or lack of) problem. Even bolts I could remove with just elbow grease stumped that dam tool. Took it back to the tool shop up the street.

 

[dankicksass]

There aren't a lot of 3/8 right angle impacts on the market. IR makes one called the Hammerhead, I've had one for a few years. It's great, can't say enough good things about it. Florida Pneumatic came out with one recently, looks almost the same in pictures. Mac has one that looks like a ratchet. You don't see a lot of them around though.

 

[jjjrmx5]

Because working with somthing like that for automotive is using the wrong tool for the wrong job 90% of the time.

Duh.


Especially working with a 1/4" hex to square drive adaptor.
In a pinch? Sure.
Daily? Ha. hahahahaha. hahahahahahahahahahahahah.

As a pro... well, then you need your "professional" license revoked.

At Sears prices its a nice purse tool if you are a commited line buyer.

For me?
I can see a place for construcion and home use. For industial use? Nope.

 

[zkling]

At Sears prices its a nice purse tool if you are a commited line buyer.

Damn

 

[Farmall450]

Agreed, theyd have to be pretty big to have any power.

 

[Jbullfrog]

Air ratchets are intended for your purpose.

 

[Syntax_Error]

I have the milwaukee 3/8 M12 cordless ratchet and it makes a huge difference working on cars. For example my most recent job was a head gasket and timing chain on a quad 4 and the book says it will take something like over 2 hours for disassembly, but with the cordless ratchet it is down to less than 45min. I don't wrench professionally but I have a fair amount of air tools and the cordless 3/8 is shorter than my stubby 1/4 air ratchet with the air hose connected with more power. It doesn't kick back and the ability to take it with me to the pick and pull makes it a life saver.

 

[Zaylor]

Those don't impact.

Yes, and the stated torque is 35 ft. lbs.

 

[Zaylor]

They do.... its called a cordless ratchet though. Milwaukee, ir, and snap on all have one.

The difference is that those don't impact. Impacting makes a huge difference, which is evident to anyone who has used an impact driver to drive screws vs. driving them with a drill.

Impacting is like a trick almost...Drills usually put out less than half the torque of the equivalent impact driver. On the same motor and power supply the impact driver delivers more torque and does it more usably and comfortably.

Why? Because you don't have to provide the full reverse torque. An analogy would be hammering a nail with a small hammer (impact driver) vs. pushing it in with the hammer (drill).

Don't get me wrong, drills have their place. But for removing fasteners an impact mechanism always wins.

 

[Zaylor]

Main reason? Torque limitations. Imagine having that but in 1/2" drive, I don't think you will be impressed with the performance. It was really designed for 1/4 drive stuff, but thanks to adapters people are putting all kinds of attachments of different sizes on them.

It states a max torque of 700 in*lbs. That is ~58ft*lbs.

You're right, the right angle pinion mechanism imposes torque limitations.

The thing is, 58 ft. lbs of torque is great for spinning things on and off after they are broken with the appropriate breaker bar, box end, etc. And it is enough torque to break smaller fasteners (think nutdriver sizes), which would be very useful for trim removal, screws, etc.

There is a reason people are putting all kinds of adaptors on them.

 

[Holt]

You could always get a right angle adapter and use a impact on it. Not ideal but worth a shot. I

 

[Zaylor]

There aren't a lot of 3/8 right angle impacts on the market. IR makes one called the Hammerhead, I've had one for a few years. It's great, can't say enough good things about it. Florida Pneumatic came out with one recently, looks almost the same in pictures. Mac has one that looks like a ratchet. You don't see a lot of them around though.

I guess what I am dreaming of is a cordless version of the Hammerhead.

When you can go cordless, you do. A lot of times it's not worth the time to hook up an air tool and route the hose for spinning off a fastener. But when that tool is cordless and you can take it anywhere, that totally changes.

 

[Zaylor]

There aren't a lot of 3/8 right angle impacts on the market. IR makes one called the Hammerhead, I've had one for a few years. It's great, can't say enough good things about it. Florida Pneumatic came out with one recently, looks almost the same in pictures. Mac has one that looks like a ratchet. You don't see a lot of them around though.

Why do you like the Hammerhead?

 

[Zaylor]

Because working with somthing like that for automotive is using the wrong tool for the wrong job 90% of the time.

Duh.


Especially working with a 1/4" hex to square drive adaptor.
In a pinch? Sure.
Daily? Ha. hahahahaha. hahahahahahahahahahahahah.

As a pro... well, then you need your "professional" license revoked.

At Sears prices its a nice purse tool if you are a commited line buyer.

For me?
I can see a place for construcion and home use. For industial use? Nope.

I find my cordless impact driver very useful in situations where there aren't clearance issues, as do many others.

You can get cordless impact wrench, which is an impact driver with a square drive.

You can get a cordless right angle impact. So why can't you get a cordless right angle impact with a square drive?



And what would you recommend for industrial use?

Thank you

 

[Zaylor]

Agreed, theyd have to be pretty big to have any power.

That's the reason for the size of the head on the Hammerhead, I believe.

I'd be happy to see either a cordless Hammerhead with the 100+ ft. lbs it has, OR a smaller, less powerful, more convenient cordless right angle impact driver with a 3/8 drive (like the craftsman mentioned).

 

[Mohawk Dave]

I'm with ya. I have the 1/2" Hammerhead and I can't wait for technology to catch up to the point they can make cordless right angle impact with some balls. It would be very handy out in the desert for sure.

I don't think it will be too much longer. They are making progress by bounds and leaps. Just look how far cordless impacts have come in the last few years.

 

[Zaylor]

I have the milwaukee 3/8 M12 cordless ratchet and it makes a huge difference working on cars. For example my most recent job was a head gasket and timing chain on a quad 4 and the book says it will take something like over 2 hours for disassembly, but with the cordless ratchet it is down to less than 45min. I don't wrench professionally but I have a fair amount of air tools and the cordless 3/8 is shorter than my stubby 1/4 air ratchet with the air hose connected with more power. It doesn't kick back and the ability to take it with me to the pick and pull makes it a life saver.

I agree with you, cordless tools are superior if they have enough power.

It doesn't kick back? Could you elaborate on that please.

 

[KaHuNaZ]

C'mooooon Milwaukee! I would be happy if Milwaukee came out with a Right angle impact just like the nextec but done right. They could improve on the directional switch and the variable speed trigger. The nextec has a few flaws, but it is very useful.

 

[tshetter]

I agree with you, cordless tools are superior if they have enough power.

It doesn't kick back? Could you elaborate on that please.

Air ratchets have a bit of...constant torque to them a little similar to a drill. Not the same but a little bit similar to an extent.

Where as air/cordless impacts are almost 100% instantaneous torque without the constant torque kick back.

 

[Zaylor]

You could always get a right angle adapter and use a impact on it. Not ideal but worth a shot. I

That's actually what I do at the moment. I use one of these.

It has worked reasonably well, but did blow up on me once. (80 ft. lbs.) I am having trouble finding a max torque spec for it online.

Definitely not ideal though.

And again, the 1/4 hex to 3/8 square adapter takes up surprisingly large space, and negates a lot of the whole purpose.

 

[Zaylor]

I'm with ya. I have the 1/2" Hammerhead and I can't wait for technology to catch up to the point they can make cordless right angle impact with some balls. It would be very handy out in the desert for sure.

I don't think it will be too much longer. They are making progress by bounds and leaps. Just look how far cordless impacts have come in the last few years.

Indeed, I think the technology is there, I am just surprised no one has done it.

Especially IR, since they came out with all those "compact" cordless impact tools.

 

[Zaylor]

C'mooooon Milwaukee! I would be happy if Milwaukee came out with a Right angle impact just like the nextec but done right. They could improve on the directional switch and the variable speed trigger. The nextec has a few flaws, but it is very useful.

Agreed!

 

[Zaylor]

Air ratchets have a bit of...constant torque to them a little similar to a drill. Not the same but a little bit similar to an extent.

Where as air/cordless impacts are almost 100% instantaneous torque without the constant torque kick back.

Okay, thanks, I thought they were analogous to a drill's torque delivery.

 

[Jswain]

The difference is that those don't impact. Impacting makes a huge difference, which is evident to anyone who has used an impact driver to drive screws vs. driving them with a drill.

Impacting is like a trick almost...Drills usually put out twice the torque of impact drivers, yet you can do more and do it more comfortably with an impact driver.

Why? Because you don't have to provide the full reverse torque. An analogy would be hammering a nail with a small hammer (impact driver) vs. pushing it in with the hammer (drill).

Don't get me wrong, drills have their place. But for removing fasteners an impact mechanism always wins.

You have that severely backwards...impact drivers usually put out twice as much(usually plus some) in/lb's of torque compared to the same model drill. Although the rest is correct, impact always wins, because of the impact-action...and the 2.5x torque

 

[dankicksass]

It fits where other tools don't without adapters. It's fairly quiet, which is nice. It was actually my only 3/8 impact for a while. It has enough power to take off a crank bolt.

 

[Diddly]

I have one of these http://video.canadiantire.ca/v/33861/the-mastercraft-20-volt-lithium-ion-cordless-impact-wrench/
Pretty gutless but handy for low torque stuff.

 

[Syntax_Error]

My Milwaukee does impact. It will impact right to 35ft lbs and then stop. I have noticed that it can stop before the 35ft lbs but if you pull the trigger again it will impact it more right to 35ft lbs. It does a really good job but it would be nice to have 2 different settings on it one for 15 or 20 and one for the full torque. This tool really shines on valve covers, timing cover, oil pans, and transmission pans. With some practice with the variable speed trigger and using it ever day im sure you could probably get a feel for lower torque being that it does impact.

 

[Zaylor]

You have that severely backwards...impact drivers usually put out twice as much(usually plus some) in/lb's of torque compared to the same model drill. Although the rest is correct, impact always wins, because of the impact-action...and the 2.5x torque

You're right, thank you for correcting me. I will try to fix that post

 

[Jswain]

 

[nicksnothereman]

Why has no one made a cordless right angle impact driver with a 3/8" (or 1/4 or 1/2) drive?!

It seems like a no-brainer for working on cars where you don't have the clearance for a standard impact.

Out of the tiny number of right angle impact drivers on the market, this one seems to stand out as a good value:

To drive a socket with this you would use one of these.

Now why are you using the right angle driver in the first place? Because you have limited clearance! Using this adapter already kills this clearance advantage.

Why has no one done this? I found ONE. Makita makes a 3/8 version that 3x as expensive and has 200 in.-lbs LESS torque than the Craftsman, not to mention the fact that it is much larger.

Why doesn't craftsman simply mate a 3/8 male square drive to their right angle impact? It seems so simple to me. Maybe I will just buy one and do that.

I don't see anything that truck brands make either. What gives?

And cordless ratchets simply have no torque.

Any ideas for me?

Because...the bolts where you'd need to use an impact wouldn't be able to be removed with such a low torque tool.

It's possibly not meant for automotive use. It has 60 foot pounds. At that rating you don't need really need impact unless it's rusted out. Where clearance is that much of an issue the torque is probably much higher and probably not rusted out.

 

[Brownsfan]

I have the craftsman right angle pictured. It is AWESOME for what I need it for. I do auto electrical so I work in the interiors most of the time. Taking apart panels inside today's vehicles this thing is worth the price even at retail. I have this impact(right angle) 2 of the regular impact, 2 drill and 3 of the flourescent light and 3 of the led flashlights. These tools are a real gem that not a lot of people gave a chance. Again for what I do these are perfect. I have a set in my truck for on sight work and a set in the shop. Had them for almost 3 years now. The newest additions were close out buys. I'm still using the originals daily ZERO failures. And these are Used daily

 

[FriendOfYours]

What, you mean like this?

Also modified the back end of the battery slot to accept the 18v Li-ion from the bigger tools. They come with 12v and it has had no problems with the 18v

Will blast off lugnuts ~100ft-lbs no problem

 

[Rickster]

I have the IR IQv 14.4v Lit Ion battery 3/8dr ratchet. Says it's capable of 70 ft lbs.
It's nice for tight spots where you don't need a ton of torque.

 

[Zaylor]

Because...the bolts where you'd need to use an impact wouldn't be able to be removed with such a low torque tool.

It's possibly not meant for automotive use. It has 60 foot pounds. At that rating you don't need really need impact unless it's rusted out. Where clearance is that much of an issue the torque is probably much higher and probably not rusted out.

I have the craftsman right angle pictured. It is AWESOME for what I need it for. I do auto electrical so I work in the interiors most of the time. Taking apart panels inside today's vehicles this thing is worth the price even at retail. I have this impact(right angle) 2 of the regular impact, 2 drill and 3 of the flourescent light and 3 of the led flashlights. These tools are a real gem that not a lot of people gave a chance. Again for what I do these are perfect. I have a set in my truck for on sight work and a set in the shop. Had them for almost 3 years now. The newest additions were close out buys. I'm still using the originals daily ZERO failures. And these are Used daily

I'm not really looking to bust things loose with it like an impact wrench. I understand that that's not feasible. In those situations I would use a breaker bar and then spin it out with the power tool.

On the other hand, for situations like Brownsfan mentioned, you can use it both to break and spin.