3/8” or 1/2” cordless impact wrench

I’m not sure which kind but One of these is calling me. My mechanic friend has 1/2” Milwaukee M18. It’ll twist anything. I’ve read good things about HF Earthquake 1/2” anvil cordless.

I don’t need that much. But I would like something capable of breaking lug nuts loose and more. So... Looking for testimonials. What kind do you have and what’s it done that surprised (impressed) or irritated you?

Is anything from the hammer store good enough for very infrequent use? Which one(s)?

Edit: please include street price  

Makita 1/2” brushless

Pro: It will loosen anything. 

Con: It is heavy. 

Stick to 1/2” for sure. 

I have the Kobalt 1/2” and it’s great. Not as potent as my air impact but a hell of a lot more convenient. Works for 99% of what I need it for. 

1/2" HF here.  cordless.  haven't used it much but I'm happy so far.  broke loose the lug nuts on the SVT after tightening them first.  Standing on a tire iron and bouncing it didn't work at all.  

In reply to nutherjrfan :

Chicago Electric or Earthquake?

I have the Milwaukee M18 in 3/8" size. It will loosen lugnuts without any drame, but I'm talking Texas lugnuts that aren't rusty or overtightened. I use it for general work and use it a lot. But, for heavy lugnut use, I would go 1/2".

I have multiple tools in Milwaukee M18 and feel it is the best platform for cordless tools.

I bought a porter cable 18v cordless drill and driver set about this time last year. The driver uses hex bit and I have a set of 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 drivers for it. It has absolutely revolutionized fixing cars for me. Compact, light, and strong. It works great on engine bay and general mechanic stuff but isnt quite strong enough to reliably do lugnuts.

Which is a long pointless way to say if you're doing lugnuts get the 1/2.

I'm a bit of a Milwaukee Tool whore.  I have a 3/8" Stubby M12 impact that works really well for almost anything. It's light, snappy and will take most lug nuts off.  I also have the M18 High Torque impact wrench for situations when I'm done asking nicely.  The M18 is a real wrist breaker if you're not careful with it.

If the Milwaukee is a little out of your price range or you have other cordless tools already just know that Ridgid, Ryobi and Milwaukee all are built in the same  TTI factory, use the same battery cells and have the same quality control. 

I picked up the beefy Milwaukee 1/2" impact (2767-20) a few months ago and love it. One of the modes walks the nuts off at a very low RPM after they break free. I haven't really tested it yet in terms of power, but I have an infamous Honda crank bolt on the agenda next week, so we'll see how that goes.

I paid $200 shipped from Toolhut back in August, and that included a 5.0 AH battery.

It's overkill for 99.9% of what I do, but if it takes that crank bolt off I'll be a happy man. One of my co-workers has the mid-torque M18 1/2" impact and loves it. That's the one that's better suited for my day to day needs, but I honestly bought it for the crank bolt and will find a way to use it on a regular basis.

In reply to OHSCrifle :

earthquake.  oh yeah tire iron was when it was on the ground obviously.  had to laugh at myself there.  not such a fatty after all.  with the earthquake i'd recently put it up on four HF six ton jackstands and then got the lug nuts off.  that is some sweet science there.  not quite cave man to neanderthal leap but made me a believer despite a lingering attraction to human brute force and ignorance when it comes to fasteners/clips etc. 

In reply to RacetruckRon :

I've got a few M12 devices and a charger already. I may try that stubby 1/2" if I can find one on sale.

In reply to nutherjrfan :

OK cool. I've read the reviews of Earthquake and it sounds like a dead ringer for the big 1/2" high torque milwaukee spec-wise. 

Cousin_Eddie said:

I have the Milwaukee M18 in 3/8" size. It will loosen lugnuts without any drame, but I'm talking Texas lugnuts that aren't rusty or overtightened. I use it for general work and use it a lot. But, for heavy lugnut use, I would go 1/2".

I have multiple tools in Milwaukee M18 and feel it is the best platform for cordless tools.

I came here for this. 

My Dad (who bleeds Dewalt yellow) asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I said a Milwaukee M18 3/8" or 1/2" cordless impact.

He instead got me a 1/2 20V Dewalt XR unit. I guess it was on sale somewhere for a good bit cheaper than the Milwaukee. Not sure how it compares to the M18, but I was pretty impressed when it was called to duty less than 24hrs later...

Had a buddy come over with his GF the day after Christmas. On the way to lunch, he hotdogged a 1 to 2 shift in his GF's EP3 and snapped the passenger CV axle. We flat towed the car back to my house, got an axle at AZ, and used the Dewalt to undo the suspension and axle nut. It didn't even hesitate for one micro second spinning off the axle nut.

I got a 3\8 impact, Dewalt, for removing and installing wheels at events. I manually loosen or torque the wheel nuts. I value how light the 3\8" is.

I have both. I need the 1/2" to break lug nuts loose, but it's too heavy for anything else. The 3/8" won't usually remove lug nuts that were torqued to 82 ft- lbs. 

Picked up a 3/8" Ryobi brushless One+ a while back.  On a fresh battery it broke the head bolts loose from my truck's motor.  I was legitimately surprised by it.   Bolts were OEM with ~360K on the clock

1/2" M12 Stubby for me. It will pull all the lugnuts I own except for the RV and SanFord. At 150 lb-ft and 350 lb-ft respectively, those require real tools. 

I'm a big fan of the M18 mid-torque, it has more oomph than the M12 stubby, but it's a more reasonable size and weight than the 2767-20 High-Torque M18. It's a great all-around impact.

I was feeling flush after a successful car flip last year and Home Depot had a sale on the Milwaukee M18 2767-20 High Torque 1/2" impact. Claimed 1200lb-ft of loosening torque. I don't have any way of testing that, but it has not met anything that makes it even hesistate for a heartbeat on loosening it. I am in love. I don't mind the weight and size, and of course only use it for bolts that call for it, but it's more convenient than the old air impact and a ton more capable than the near decade old Kobalt that was my only other battery impact experience. (And that was a nice tool!)

In reply to dculberson :

I felt the same way about my Dewalt 1/2". Since I got tied up in Dewalt batteries,  the choice was easy. I ponied up the extra $40-50 for the big MFer. My air system is minimal. To upgrade everything to best the 899B would take 2-4 times what the 899 cost. Plus portable. Junkyard trips for suspension parts will be much nicer.

I have had great luck with the Harbor Freight Bauer brand.  I have the 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 inch.  All take the same batteries and work great for what I do.  

Yes, both

In reply to bonylad :

+1 I use mine in a professional setting even. 

I have the Ryobi ONE+.  It's every bit as capable as any comparable Dewalt or Milwaukee.

1/2" is the way to go to for lug nuts and rusty suspension stuff. I have an older Makita and it is capable of breaking everything that I have, and it lasts for several tire changes which is great at the track. The downside is that I saved money by buying the larger, non-brushless model and I use a big battery which combined makes it VERY HEAVY. Like, you almost need two hands heavy. I wish I would have sprung for a lighter model. 

Ugh

Better