Battery Powered Impact Wrenches for the Track

In reply to RacetruckRon :

I have the 2.0 batteries and it topped off all my tires to 35psi with the battery being half dead..

I just use my bicycle pump on the track (and at home.)

I've had a Milwaukee 1/2" for years now and it's been great.  I probably need to replace it as its getting a little long in the tooth and the new ones are far more powerful and much lighter.  All my other electric tools are Ryobi, they don't make a good 1/2" impact do they?  It'd be nice to only deal with one battery system/charger...

In reply to docwyte :

Ryobi has the P261 1/2” impact wrench.  Rated up to 300 ft-lbs.  I have it and it is decent.  Definitely enough for zipping lug nuts on and off at the track. Plus Ryobi has a couple of portable inflators that are part of the 18v system. 

I have a Craftsman 1/2” with the lithium battery. I bought it on sale for just over a $100. Have some other Craftsman battery operated tools so buying made sense for battery compatibility.  I have used it on lug nuts and it has done what I need it to do so far. 

In reply to pirate :

I have a Craftsman 1/2, but with the NiCd battery.  It was ok until the battery crapped out, which I found out is pretty normal for these.  I decided to get a new battery before I upgrade to a Milwaukee/Dewalt/Earthquake and accidently discovered that the Lithium battery fits the NiCd tool.  So, i'm going to run the Lithium battery (ordered a charger from Bezos and co.) and we'll see how it goes.  So far it's like a new tool, although i'm a little concerned about the ozone smell when it's running unloaded.  Like I said, we'll see how it goes. 

My concern is batteries. Yes, I know, no matter the brand  they will be expensive. My question is longevity.  Will the batteries last years? Will the company stop making them forcing you to buy the newest and greatest? 

I can only speak for Makita, but I got my first 18v Makita drill almost 15 years ago and I just succeeded in killing it.  The battery that came with it is still working fine.

Appleseed said:

My concern is batteries. Yes, I know, no matter the brand  they will be expensive. My question is longevity.  Will the batteries last years? Will the company stop making them forcing you to buy the newest and greatest? 

This is an argument for buying one of the more popular brands -- the more tools there are out there, the longer they'll make batteries for it.

I bought a couple 18v NiCad Milwaukee tools around Y2K and you can still buy new batteries for them although they have become expensive.  I used them up until a couple years ago when it became apparent that the performance difference of the new FUEL lithium ion tools meant it didn't make sense to replace the NiCads any more.

Another +1 for the Milwaukee M18.  I have used it to take suspension bolts off of rusty junkers coated with undercoat.  If the nut won't come off, it'll break the bolt.    Pretty sure if you started a 1"x8 nut on a solid steel shaft it would tap its own threads.  

EvanB said:

Once you get a good battery powered one you won't use air in the garage much.

I have the Milwaukee mid torque m18 and i rarely get out the air impact.

I still use air for small grinders and the air hammer. I have a hose reel in the middle of the garage ceiling so it's convenient but I'd still sooner grab the cordless tools.

Can confirm this 100%. Bought a brand new Husky 30gal oilless compressor to replace my Craftsman. About a week later i went and got a smoking deal at Home Depot on Ridgid's new cordless set. Havent used my compressor except to air up my tires in my Fiesta or truck.

The cordless stuff these days is so much better than it used to be.

kevinatfms said:

EvanB said:

Once you get a good battery powered one you won't use air in the garage much.

I have the Milwaukee mid torque m18 and i rarely get out the air impact.

I still use air for small grinders and the air hammer. I have a hose reel in the middle of the garage ceiling so it's convenient but I'd still sooner grab the cordless tools.

Can confirm this 100%. Bought a brand new Husky 30gal oilless compressor to replace my Craftsman. About a week later i went and got a smoking deal at Home Depot on Ridgid's new cordless set. Havent used my compressor except to air up my tires in my Fiesta or truck.

The cordless stuff these days is so much better than it used to be.

It is, but it's still not quite up to air.  My Milwaukee wouldn't do the flywheel nut on my RX-7, but the Ingersoll Rand had no problems. :)

kevinatfms said:

EvanB said:

Once you get a good battery powered one you won't use air in the garage much.

I have the Milwaukee mid torque m18 and i rarely get out the air impact.

I still use air for small grinders and the air hammer. I have a hose reel in the middle of the garage ceiling so it's convenient but I'd still sooner grab the cordless tools.

Can confirm this 100%. Bought a brand new Husky 30gal oilless compressor to replace my Craftsman. About a week later i went and got a smoking deal at Home Depot on Ridgid's new cordless set. Havent used my compressor except to air up my tires in my Fiesta or truck.

The cordless stuff these days is so much better than it used to be.

Hope you have a service center nearby. I loved rigid until I had to use the lifetime warranty and found out I have to physically take the tools to an authorized service center for them to be sent out and repaired. My local service centers are an hour past the middle of nowhere.

You didn't mention if you were already married to a particular battery ecosystem or not? usually a bare tool to use with batteries you already have is cheaper than buying a new battery/tool combo.

I used to have a Rigid 1/2 impact. I already had the rigid drill/nut runner kit with batteries so I just bought the bare rigid tool. It worked pretty well although an occasional really stuck on lugnut might need a breaker bar for a quarter turn first.  I only wound up using it at the track and would use my air 1/2 impact at home wherever practical.

Around the holidays last year Milwakuee ran a pretty good sale on their tools so I decided to switch over to the M18 fuel stuff, and haven't turned the air compressor on since, unless to fill tires. That was my first experiance with a battery powered impact that wasn't at least 3 years old and it was pretty eye opening, the new stuff is plenty good enough to render air/corded tools pointless unless you do this 10+ hours a day for a living....and even then they're so conveniant it may still be worth it.

I have the big and small brushless makita 18v impacts. The little one can do just about anything (including blast a few dozen tapcons into concrete slab without flinching), but the big boy is borderline unstoppable. If you let it hammer more than two clicks on your lugs you're well over 100 lb/ft.

Thanks for the responses.  I wasn't thinking about heavy garage use.   9 out of ten times I fire up the compressor to take the wheels off. 

A few have mentioned tools for filling tires... 

I took a page out of the overlanding book and bought a 12v Viair portable compressor and it’s the cats pajamas. I just keep it in the trunk with my tire gauge now and top off my tires when I get a chance. Highly recommended and I haven’t started aurocrossing yet but you can bet I’ll have it with me when I do. 

Another vote for Team Dewalt.

I have the 20V Maxx XR, and ever since I got it, I've barely touched any of my air impacts.

There's usually pretty good deals out there for them as well.

shelbyz said:

Another vote for Team Dewalt.

I have the 20V Maxx XR, and ever since I got it, I've barely touched any of my air impacts.

There's usually pretty good deals out there for them as well.

The high torque or mid torque impact?   The high torque is like 600 lb-ft.

I LOVE my Makita Cordless Impact, it has changed the game for changing tires. 

It has 325 ft/lb which has been plenty for my needs, but weighs 7.5 pounds! The newer brushless designs have 740 ft lbs of maximum torque (1,180 ft lbs of breakaway torque!) but weight 7.9 pounds, so they are both heavy to hold.   

I have a friend who works for TTI - the company which makes rigid, ryobi and milwaukee, among others. His recommendation was to get Rigid because of the lifetime warranty including on batteries! I have a bunch of 18v li-ion stuff that I got on black Friday last year and it's awesome. The 1/2" impact wrench is strong enough to bust axle nuts loose. 

In reply to spandak :

+1. I bought an 88P and will never use a dinky emergency compressor again.

morello159 said:

I have a friend who works for TTI - the company which makes rigid, ryobi and milwaukee, among others. His recommendation was to get Rigid because of the lifetime warranty including on batteries! I have a bunch of 18v li-ion stuff that I got on black Friday last year and it's awesome. The 1/2" impact wrench is strong enough to bust axle nuts loose. 

Dude!  Thanks so much.  Home Depot has a sale going and if you buy a battery/charger starter pack, the tool is free.   I got the 1/2" Octane 18V Impact (485 ft-lbs), 6Ah battery, 3Ah battery, charger, and bag for $191 shipped after taxes.  

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-18-Volt-OCTANE-Lithium-Ion-Bluetooth-3-0-Ah-and-6-0-Ah-Battery-Starter-Kit-with-Charger-AC805/308176533?keyword=308176533&semanticToken=20330000011_20190827165845608784_2tn0+20330000011+%3E++cnn%3A%7B0%3A0%7D+cnr%3A%7B7%3A0%7D+cnb%3A%7B3%3A1%7D+st%3A%7B308176533%7D%3Ast+oos%3A%7B0%3A1%7D+dln%3A%7B570249%7D+qu%3A%7B308176533%7D%3Aqu

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-18-Volt-OCTANE-Cordless-Brushless-1-2-in-Impact-Wrench-Tool-Only-with-Belt-Clip-R86011B/301996008?MERCH=REC-_-cartempty_rr-_-NA-_-301996008-_-N

How are these at working on the rest of the vehicle? 

Not just lug nuts or suspension nuts or in the open. 

Are you finding them useful on most everything? 

Close to pulling the trigger but not sure if their size limits their usefulness. 

I See some battery powered ratchets but they are lower ft lbs rated.

I find mine very useful...  nice to not have to drag a breaker bar under the car, and it usually fits easier for anything in a wheel well...