impact wrench - cordless vs pneumatic

[Donald]

The newer cordless impact wrenches have high torque, equal to high end pneumatic wrenches. The Milwaukee M18 Fuel 1/2" is 700 ft/lbs. The high end IR pneumatic is in that range also. So assuming you are not a tire store using it 8 hours straight, what the advantage of one over the other.

For cost (my view) I am comparing a bare tool cordless wrench vs pneumatic and its not much different. (No compressor, no battery or charger).

 

[Rand]

cordless. why carry a cord around.

of course the 79$ earthquake at harbor freight is amazing.
if you have the compressor.

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-in-professional-air-impact-wrench-68424.html

 

[Clevy]

In a shop nothing beats the durability and reliability of air however they Milwaukee cordless stuff is amazing in a situation such as the side of the road changing a tire and misc work on vehicles.
For a pro mechanic nothing will beat air in a shop type situation. Heck my 12cfm gas powered air compressors won't keep up to an air impact and wrenches. The capacity just isn't there. Id need 60 gallon tanks in order to run them. The pumps themselves will pump enough air but I don't have the capacity to maintain steady use.
For a shop type situation air tools require massive capacity to keep the tools running so its a larger investment to get started whereas cordless stuff costs less to get going.

 

[440Magnum]

If you already have air in the shop, nothing can touch pneumatic in real-world performance. A "motor" that actually gets colder as it runs (due to air expanding through it) gives all air-tools a real advantage, especially in hard use.

Cordless obviously has the advantage of complete portability- including tossing one in the trunk for a road trip. Not a trivial consideration, especially for trailer towing where there are a lot more tires to fail.

 

[eljefino]

A decent cordless is AMAZING in the u-pull-it junkyard. If I had one with 1/2 price Saturdays I'd amortize its cost in a trip or two.

Had a yard employee help me liberate a saturn subframe and was sold on the premise, if not (immediately) the tool.

 

[RF Overlord]

I have been in the market for an impact for a while, so this thread is very timely. I don't have a big enough compressor for air tools, so electric (or battery) it is. Can someone recommend me a decent 1/2" electric (or battery) for shadetree use? I don't need, or want the expense of, a Snap-On but I don't want cheap junk, either.

 

[JHZR2]

Cordless has its place (disclosure: I have an IR and like it, and I also have a Milwaukee corded), if youre going to have a need to use it. The junkyard example is a good one.

Ive also had seized lugs on cars that even the IR cordless, with a full battery couldnt break, and required me jumping on a breaker bar with a pipe on the end.

The interesting play Ive heard of is using a QUALITY pneumatic (quality ones apparently make more torque with less air), with a tiny little pancake or other one-hand portable compressor. THere isnt a lot of air stored at 120psi in the tank if youre feeding at 90 psi, but apparently some folks run this way with tiny compressors, and it may cycle per wheel, but NBD.

I dont own pneumatic tools, but Id like to give that a try. There is some benefit to air. Lifecycle cost and degradation of batteries is a major one. A battery impact will be done in 10 years, and chances are the battery pack wont be replacable by then... A quality pneumatic bought once will last a lifetime.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: RF Overlord
I have been in the market for an impact for a while, so this thread is very timely. I don't have a big enough compressor for air tools, so electric (or battery) it is. Can someone recommend me a decent 1/2" electric (or battery) for shadetree use? I don't need, or want the expense of, a Snap-On but I don't want cheap junk, either.


Do you have any cordless tools such that the impact wrench could share a battery? A "bare tool" is significantly less than the kit with 2 batteries and a charger. A Dewalt 18V impact is 300 ft/lbs and a decent tool for a little over $115 (bare). The Milwaukee M18 Fuel 1/2" high torque impact is 700 ft/lbs and around $219 (bare).

Another option for you to consider is adding a second and larger tank to your compressor. You need enough air storage to handle a single wheel.

 

[bowlofturtle]

With the recent developments with the cordless stuff, its looking almost like a fair and even game, when everything is factored.

But AIR still wins for the time being.

I've been a IR 2135Ti user for 7+ years, still a strong tool when pair with a decent compressor. And after the initial cost there is very little upkeep cost. Compressor, fittings and line. A little oil here and there.

M18 fuel is tempting. I picked up a M12 3/8 impact for now but thats interior and upper engine work (if it will do it). I think in the next couple of waves, prices will go down on some and it will be very comparable.

You will come across those guys who will rave about that IR 7150 cordless. But for the price they better not struggle with a crankbolt. My air powered is able to take off crankbolt from JY motors with very little issues. Thats normally my measurement for power.

For most people, their gauge on power is lugnuts. Most are torque at 100ft/lbs. People overtighten normally to about 150ft/lb with the elements and other factors. I've seen cheap air tools rated at 200ft/lb not touch them and i've seen someone with a dewalt 18v rated at 200ft/lb take them off as well.

 

[Vikas]

Milwaukee is claiming 1100 ft-lb of torque for removing fasteners! Interestingly, their other M18 Fuel 1/2" impact wrench delivers "only" 210 ft-lb. I am not sure how they managed to jump from 210 to 1100. Anybody owns the new Milwaukee? Did they come up with some nifty mechanical magic inside to get 6x advantage? The pictures of the both the impact wrench do not look that different to explain the massive increase in the torque claimed.

 

[440Magnum]

Corded impact = near useless these days. If not pneumatic, then spend for a good cordless.

JMHO.

 

[440Magnum]

The hardest test for an impact that I come across is front subframe-to-unibody connector bolts. Big as a crank bolt, but with no oil weepage nearby and a lot more opportunity for corrosion. Crank bolts are almost always filmed with oil.

Leaf-spring U-bolt nuts are demanding too, since those are usually interference thread and fight you ALL the way off the bolt, and will practically weld themselves in place if you stop once you've started turning them. A schmear of anti-seize on the exposed threads before you start backing the nut off helps a lot with that.