I like impact wrenches but when it comes to 1/2" drive mine comes up short on torque. Example being removing a crank bolt. My 1/2" drive Dewalt with a fresh battery simply didn't have the torque to do the job. So what is everyone using? Which is the strongest?
I have a Dewalt as well and you're right, they are convenient, but do not make as much torque as you would want.
The best gun I have used (borrowed, I do not own one) is the Snap-On 1/2", but that thing costs and arm and half of your leg
Yes, the Snap-On is battery operated. They generate the most torque out of the ones that I have tried, but like I mentioned before they are expensive.
You can try your local Craigslist or Facebook's marketplace and see if you can score a used one.
Good god! For that price I wonder if it could take the place of the heavy *** 1" spline drive I need to break some 4 1/2" nuts. Climbing would be so much easier lol.
The snapon gun is nice and it’s crazy expensive that’s for sure. I will not buy one for that price and I do this stuff daily. I saw a review online comparing a snapon to the strongest harbor freight 1/2” and freight won I was stunned and it’s way cheaper just saying.
Side note though most times the 1/2” electrics just don’t pack the punch that the pneumatics do sadly.
The test that I use is removing the crank bolt. If it'll remove the bolt its good enough. If it doesn't then its junk. My 1/2 drive Dewalt won't touch it.... but like keith I won't pay full boat for a snap-on..
I use a Hilti brand one, I torque my wheel studs to 180nm/132footpoundthings and it takes it off without issue. 130 foot pounds is also the crank damper bolt torque according to the google.
Thing I found with battery operated power tools is that it's the battery that's a lot of the cost, so I've stuck to one brand and got an impact, a drill, angle grinder,... that alle use the same battery. Once you get a couple of batteries you can just buy the body if you want/need a new tool and that's a lot cheaper.
I was gonna suggest the Hilti also. We used them a Pax TV and they had the most torque and were the only ones for the size and weight (at the time) that took the 1/2" shank bits.
That's where I'm at with dewalt. Everything shares the same battery. If I could just get the 1/2" drive power up. The 3/8" drive does ok. I'll check on the Hilti, thanks for the input.
I don't have a decent air compressor which is why I lean toward cordless. But with the prices of some of the batteries it might make sense to rethink what is needed.
If it came down to purchasing an expensive impact gun or similiarly expensive air compressor, I’d choose the compressor since you can get way more use out of it. Plus a compressor setup would be sweet in that new garage :lol:
I think my dewalt 1/2" is stronger than my 20 year old 112vac 1/2" impact. I don't need the 1/2" often, but I would like it to work when I do. The Hilti sounds good but $150 for it's battery alone is a bit tough. Last year I ganged a 8gal and 5gal tank onto a small compressor with it's own 6gal and sprayed in my bed liner without issue. I think I'll borrow a friends 1/2" pneumatic and see how it works. My priorities now is get the shop built and finish my motor. This year is taking a serious bite out of me.
Greg are you using the 18v Dewalt? I had one and it indeed sucked ***... wouldn't even break the lugs loose. Now my new Dewalt 20v brushless with a 4ah battery will break just about anything loose no problem. They also have a mid-range him that's still rated at 330 ft/lbs.
electric has its place. if you have room they are ok but i can tell you what i do daily there are places you need a strong gun and an electric with enough power will not fit. i personally dont trust electric for wheels so i just keep using my air or i go and torque wheels after using an electric gun. i prefer air for anything 1/2" drive wise 3/8" i use electric pretty much all the time.
Agreed, I always hand torque my wheels or anything that needs a specific tightness. Not being on the clock allows me to be less efficient than a professional mechanic.. Eventually I'll get a few pneumatic tools..
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