My friend has a really nice Snap-On portable impact wrench that he can bring with him everywhere. I'm looking into getting one since he no longer lives in my state and I can't borrow his anymore. Anyways, What do you guys recommend getting wand where did you guys buy yours? I would like to get a 1/2" or 3/4" gun.
My 18V Milwaukee rocks
Here at State University Motor Pool we have a DeWalt and a Hilti electric impact guns. The DeWalt one is 1/2'' and the Hilti is 3/8''...they both work pretty good for what they are and all...I'd still prefer the good old IR air powered one...
The DeWalt pros...feels heavy duty, acts heavy duty. This bad boy really packs the punch. 18v battery does a good job to knock off stubborn lugs and rusty bolts. It is also yellow, which makes it easy to spot on the bench.
The DeWalt cons...its rather heavy and not too ergonomic. Battery life is weak at beast, better have a spare and a charger handy. Loud! Its got that stupid lil peg that locks the socket on the end and not the easier ball bearing...gets tricky to put on or take off sockets.
The Hilti pros...very light and ergonomic, trigger action grip (think standard cordless 14v power drill set up but stubbier). Has three LED lights on the end to shine the area at work. Has a built in battery gauge to see how much life is left. Long lasting battery power. Red color doesn't pick up that much dirt.
The Hilti cons...feels chincy at times, cuz of its size. Sounds like its about to break when under moderate to high load. Smells like electricity when under load. Not the best on stubborn bolts or lugs.
I do prefer the Hilti personally because of its compact size and ball bearing type socket lock. Its easy to use and lasts longer too...the extra oomph of the DeWalt is pretty book though...wish I could blend them together...haha
Hilti Site
Oh, and as for Milwaukees, we have a cordless SawZall of this brand and yeah...works book on a lot of materials, granted you have the correct blades in;)
I have a Chicago 19.2V from HF. Works great. It's about 3yrs old on the same battery.
I splurged and bought myself an Ingersoll Rand 19.2v iQV 3/4" super impact after using Tim's at the Mitty. You'll find them in the Northern catalog but I was able to pick one up for less on Amazon. It's a monster. I've used a lot of air guns that don't have this thing's power. All you need to do is twitch the trigger and you can feel the quality in the mechanism.
I used it for tire swapping during the Targa and have also used it to pull the suspension off the car - and it's still showing full battery on a single charge. We have an 18v Snap-On at Flyin' Miata and while it's nice, it does not have anywhere near the stopping power of this thing. Maybe it's got a tired battery, I've used the Snap-On to change transmissions in the past without trouble.
Does pep-boys still sell their "goodyear" cordless impact gun?
I have had one for a few years, its great and I have heard good things about them from others. It is no snap-on, but it also costs about $70 when they have them on sale. Worth a look.
daytonaer wrote: Does pep-boys still sell their "goodyear" cordless impact gun? I have had one for a few years, its great and I have heard good things about them from others. It is no snap-on, but it also costs about $70 when they have them on sale. Worth a look.
I second this one - myself and a bunch of guys I rallycross with use them. If you'er looking for a budget cordless impact, this one's good.
We have a Kawasaki and it's great! We used it for all our Rallyx's this year and we have had it for about two years with no issues.
ahem.. never over look HF
this will be my next power tool purchase. i used one swapping leaf springs on my truck and it made my life so much easier.
Anyone have a model number for the Harbor Freight 19.2V one. I can't find it on their web site.
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll probably do some research on the ones' you guys suggested.
As for the cordless Sawzall, that'll be a consideration. I have a Dewalt which I've used to take down fences and such, but a cordless would be great for junkyard hopping and such.
Do NOT buy the cheap 19.2V one from Northern Tool. Won't even remove the lug bolts on a MINI... Absolute berkeleying crap. 
I was hoping to avoid buying a DeWalt, but it appears that won't be the case. The only reason I would get a DeWalt over any other brand is because I already have three 18V batteries.
daytonaer wrote: Does pep-boys still sell their "goodyear" cordless impact gun? I have had one for a few years, its great and I have heard good things about them from others. It is no snap-on, but it also costs about $70 when they have them on sale. Worth a look.
They do. Even comes with some sockets. I have one, and it works very well.
procker wrote: The DeWalt pros...feels heavy duty, acts heavy duty. This bad boy really packs the punch. 18v battery does a good job to knock off stubborn lugs and rusty bolts. It is also yellow, which makes it easy to spot on the bench. The DeWalt cons...its rather heavy and not too ergonomic. Battery life is weak at beast, better have a spare and a charger handy. Loud! Its got that stupid lil peg that locks the socket on the end and not the easier ball bearing...gets tricky to put on or take off sockets.
I agree that the large DeWalt is heavy and cumbersome, but has tons of grunt: it spins axle nuts off without breaking a sweat.
I have a smaller 18V 1/2-inch DeWalt that's rated at ~130 ft-lb. It's much lighter, doesn't have the weird rocker switch that the big one has; I find it to be more useful. It has not failed me on lug nuts but sometimes does take a few seconds to break them. I do wish that it was a 3/8-inch drive, though, and the detent ball mechanism is a PITA -- can be tough to pull a socket off.
http://ace.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p2058422reg.jpg
I have the Dewalt 1/2 18v for the big stuff and a little Makita 3/8 9.6 for the little stuff. Love and use the heck out of both of them.
A friend of mine got the Dewalt with the 36V battery. That thing kicks ass. The trigger is uncomfortable though. I never really liked rocker switches as triggers. I really like using more than two fingers to hold the unit. A simple one-finger trigger with a forward reverse selector would have been much more comfortable. Also, the rocker switch is not very intuitive. I have to press one of the triggers before I use it each time so I don't accidentally go the wrong way.
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