1/2" Cordless Impact for home wrenching... Ryobi? Thanks in advance.

[ajchien]

I have the old model ryobi 1/2” impact, the single speed one rated at 200ft lbs. Not sure how long I’ve had it, 6 years? DIY use. It’s taken off every automotive fastener of mine when no extensions are on the tool. Put a wobble socket or extension on it, all bets are off. Caveat, I’m in Southern California with less rust than other areas of he world.

I just bought the Milwaukee M12 3/8” fuel stubby, rated at 250ft lbs. I thought a brand new Milwaukee would retire my ryobi. Nope. The Ryobi 200ft lb rating is much more powerful than the Milwaukee 250 ft lb rating. (With lug nuts the Ryobi hits 2-3 times before they spin off while the m12 hits 10-15 times before coming off) Some marketing person is really playing with the torque numbers.

I would be interested in seeing how much the new 600 ft lb (more marketing bs?) ryobi 1/2” impact coming soon will cost. Thats probably why theyre putting the current model 1/2 impact on sale.

with all that said, I would really think you should chose a preferred battery platform Rather than a specific tool. Ryobi 18v works for me as they offer a good wide range of yardwork, auto, and woodworking tools. Milwaukee m12works for me since they seem to concentrate more on more ergonomic, lighter weight auto tools.

 

[The Critic]

I have the old model ryobi 1/2” impact, the single speed one rated at 200ft lbs. Not sure how long I’ve had it, 6 years? DIY use. It’s taken off every automotive fastener of mine when no extensions are on the tool. Put a wobble socket or extension on it, all bets are off. Caveat, I’m in Southern California with less rust than other areas of he world.

I just bought the Milwaukee M12 3/8” fuel stubby, rated at 250ft lbs. I thought a brand new Milwaukee would retire my ryobi. Nope. The Ryobi 200ft lb rating is much more powerful than the Milwaukee 250 ft lb rating. (With lug nuts the Ryobi hits 2-3 times before they spin off while the m12 hits 10-15 times before coming off) Some marketing person is really playing with the torque numbers.

I would be interested in seeing how much the new 600 ft lb (more marketing bs?) ryobi 1/2” impact coming soon will cost. Thats probably why theyre putting the current model 1/2 impact on sale.

with all that said, I would really think you should chose a preferred battery platform Rather than a specific tool. Ryobi 18v works for me as they offer a good wide range of yardwork, auto, and woodworking tools. Milwaukee m12works for me since they seem to concentrate more on more ergonomic, lighter weight auto tools.

Most of the power ratings are significantly overstated. Somehow the testing methodology is not relevant to real-world use. The Milwaukee M12 3/8 stubby is an excellent gun for removing valve cover bolts, underhood brackets, etc. That is what mine is used for.

 

[spasm3]

This is the ryobi, not out yet that i can find.

18V ONE+ HP Brushless 4-Mode 1/2" Impact Wrench - RYOBI Tools

18V ONE+ HP Brushless 4-Mode 1/2" Impact Wrench

www.ryobitools.com

 

[Timmastertech]

I beat this piss out of my ridgid power tools every day in a professional environment. I love my Ridgid 18 volt gen 5 impact gun. Its a rare occasion that I have to pull out an air impact. Several friends in the industry with the same tools say the same thing.

 

[ajchien]

Most of the power ratings are significantly overstated. Somehow the testing methodology is not relevant to real-world use. The Milwaukee M12 3/8 stubby is an excellent gun for removing valve cover bolts, underhood brackets, etc. That is what mine is used for.

Not trying to bash m12 at all. The 3/8” fuel stubby is my overall #1 automotive tool choice right now. I think it easily gets 1/3 of my car R&R done, more than any other tool. Smaller size + lighter weight + adjustable power makes it much more preferred. (And the 3/8” fuel stubby can take off lugs no problem. It’s just that extended hammering is way too noisy for me.)

My point being more that looking at “brand name + torque spec“ doesn’t give you the whole picture. If I took a different look at it and just say: compare a 1/2” 18v tool vs. a 3/8” 12v tool ... then it was an unfair comparison and the performance between the two is as expected.

 

[RyanY]

Lots of important info in the posts above. The greatest issue is how you plan to use it and what will be the hardest fastener you ever expect to encounter with the impact.

I recently switched to Ryobi due to the myriad tools in the lineup and the relatively low cost. These tools are plenty for my needs. In fact, I rarely use the 1/2 impact any more because the 3/8 does everything I need...lug nuts, suspension bolts, virtually anything on a car (although I would not expect it to remove the ridiculously tight Honda crank bolt). For the rare bigger job I can always use my old school 25" breaker bar and cheater pipe to generate about 1000 lb ft of torque!

 

[JHZR2]

My FIL got a Ryobi impact, and has changed a few tires with it. Seems like an ok unit.

What I’ve found is that if you have corrosion, even the 1000 ft-lb impacts won’t loosen lugs. Otherwise, you can get away with a fairly wimpy tool.

 

[DuckRyder]

I'm kinda heavily invested in Dewalt 20V batteries and tools, but recently got:

DEWALT 20V MAX XR Cordless Brushless 1/2 in. Mid-Range Impact Wrench with Detent Pin Anvil (Tool Only) DCF894B - The Home Depot

The 20-Volt MAX XR 1/2 in. Mid-Range Cordless Impact Wrench with Detent Pin Anvil delivers up to 330 ft./lbs. maximum of fastening torque and a lightweight, ergonomic design. This tool also features Precision

www.homedepot.com

I like it, it is obviously quite a bit more expensive, but I just can't stand having a bunch of different batteries and chargers.

Let us know what you think if you get the Ryobi

 

[JeffKeryk]

Let us know what you think if you get the Ryobi

You guys Ryobi-shamed me... I will never ask a tool question again.
I will get something and post what and why I picked it.

TBT, I don't do much wrenching anymore. But, "he who dies with the most tools wins!"

 

[Wolf359]

You guys Ryobi-shamed me... I will never ask a tool question again.
I will get something and post what and why I picked it.
TBT, I don't do much wrenching anymore. But, "he who dies with the most tools wins!"

Don't let them stop you. I already got one a long time ago. Just a spare for the car, comes with a decent 4 amp hour battery. I'd be curious what they would charge for the new one in February. I already have a bunch of them in my trunk, usually have the drill and a few tools for various landlord things and the tire inflator so good to have them all the same in the trunk. Wouldn't bother me too much if someone stole it either but for some reason every time someone smashes my passenger window to steal change, they never seem to figure out how to pop the trunk.

 

[spasm3]

I don't have an impact , but i have a fair amount of ryobi accessories. I'm going to get the new one when it comes out.

For a homeowner, no one makes as many accessories for the battery system it seems as ryobi.

 

[AutoMechanic]

I was looking at the Ryobi stuff today it didn’t look too bad just I prefer Milwaukee, Makita or Porter Cable. I really like my Earthquake too man is that thing powerful.

 

[Rand]

with that new 600 ryobi you have to have the new HP batteries too? now you just paid considerably more than buying the 199$ dewalt with 4ah battery I posted.

no ryobi shaming here. I use the ryobi dustbuster at work 2-4hours a week .

I was mainly saying I like a big and a small impact wrench and ryobi doesnt have a big one.

show me any cordless impact option then stack it up against the proven dcf899 w/4ah battery & charger for $199 the bag is decent too.

 

[spasm3]

with that new 600 ryobi you have to have the new HP batteries too? now you just paid considerably more than buying the 199$ dewalt with 4ah battery I posted.

no ryobi shaming here. I use the ryobi dustbuster at work 2-4hours a week .

I was mainly saying I like a big and a small impact wrench and ryobi doesnt have a big one.

show me any cordless impact option then stack it up against the proven dcf899 w/4ah battery & charger for $199 the bag is decent too.

Looking at it, it appears to work with any ryobi 18v battery. There are different amphour sizes so i'd go bigger than the small ones.

 

[Wolf359]

with that new 600 ryobi you have to have the new HP batteries too? now you just paid considerably more than buying the 199$ dewalt with 4ah battery I posted.

no ryobi shaming here. I use the ryobi dustbuster at work 2-4hours a week .

I was mainly saying I like a big and a small impact wrench and ryobi doesnt have a big one.

show me any cordless impact option then stack it up against the proven dcf899 w/4ah battery & charger for $199 the bag is decent too.

I think the Ridgid comes close when it's $150. Lifetime warranty on the battery too. Also for $100, the Ryobi does come with the P197 which is the better 4 amp hour battery. What do you want for $100?

Ryobi also has decent battery sales once in a while. I think I got a 4 pack of 2 4 amp hour batteries along with 2 1.5 amp hour batteries once for $80.

 

[atikovi]

My old DeWalt 1/2" impact ain't cutting it anymore.
Here is a Home Depot Special Buy on a Ryobi. 300 pound feet torque.

300 lb ft in a 1/2" impact is just a toy.

I'm partial to IR and have this 1,000 lb ft model (rated to 1500 lb ft nut busting whatever that means). Not cheap but I have other tools that use it's battery.

 

[DuckRyder]

You guys Ryobi-shamed me...

Wasn't trying to shame you... I'm genuinely interested in how it is if you get it.

If you're not looking to expand the line you can't get hurt too bad at 99 bucks... HD is generally pretty good at taking stuff back if you hate it.

 

[Rand]

double post.

 

[Rand]

I think the Ridgid comes close when it's $150. Lifetime warranty on the battery too. Also for $100, the Ryobi does come with the P197 which is the better 4 amp hour battery. What do you want for $100?

Ryobi also has decent battery sales once in a while. I think I got a 4 pack of 2 4 amp hour batteries along with 2 1.5 amp hour batteries once for $80.

well since you mentioned it:
the 99$ ryobi is 1/4 the power of the dewalt thats $199

That ryobi struggles on salt belt lugnuts.. esp truck nuts or lugbolts their 300ft-lb must not be my 300ft-lb

If ryobi had a big impact the value in the smaller one would be more..

Dewalt has just about anything you could need or want. ryobi well they dont have a big impact wrench to start.. otherwise they have decent coverage.

Looking at it, it appears to work with any ryobi 18v battery. There are different amphour sizes so i'd go bigger than the small ones.

I thought the HP tools needed HP batteries to achieve their rated power (im talking about the new 600 nut buster ryobi)

All that said as I did mention its more about the battery system you want to get into.. most lineups have something suitable.

milwaukee midtorque seems to be the most useful. if you just needed one but it costs as much as the dewalt and ryobi put together.

 

[Trav]

300 lb ft in a 1/2" impact is just a toy.

I'm partial to IR and have this 1,000 lb ft model (rated to 1500 lb ft nut busting whatever that means). Not cheap but I have other tools that use it's battery.

Smaller and mid size impacts are many times more useful for most automotive work. The difference in size and weight puts the mid size in lots of places the full size wont go and 3.2lb vs 7.6lb make it much more comfortable to use for longer periods.
They both have their place, one is not a replacement for the other.