1/2” Cordless Impact Recommendations (1 Viewer)

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I've had a Dewalt DW059 18v impact for probably 20yrs. Other than the rubber grip finally starting to breakdown, it's been trouble free and done anything I needed it to do. I don't haul a trailer without it.


It sounds like 20 year old tool. The DW059 is 300 ft/lbs torque. The mightly Milwaukee 2767-20 is 1000 ft/lbs of fastening torque, 1400 ft/lbs of unfastening. After breaking torque first with a breaker bar, that old rusted bolt will either loosen or break. Either way, it's coming out with the Milwaukee.
 
It sounds like 20 year old tool. The DW059 is 300 ft/lbs torque. The mightly Milwaukee 2767-20 is 1000 ft/lbs of fastening torque, 1400 ft/lbs of unfastening. After breaking torque first with a breaker bar, that old rusted bolt will either loosen or break. Either way, it's coming out with the Milwaukee.

That IS impressive.

I've got the DeWalt DCF899B 1/2" impact. It's rated at 700/300/100 ft/lbs at its three settings and "1200 ft-lbs of max breakaway torque" - but 1400 ft/lbs blows it out of the water.

With tools, batteries, and such I'm somewhat locked into DeWalt, but if I were starting over I'd definitely be looking at the Milwaukee offerings.
 
I’m really curious about this little guy;
The 12v stuff is pretty impressive. Not nearly the ft pounds of the big 18 volt though.
 
So, the forum topic here was what one would recommend for a new cordless 1/2" impact, and my recommendation remains the same.

Yesterday, I was removing rusted nylock nuts from under a tractor. 7/8" and 15/16".

Neither would budge with the high impact in its lowest 300 ft/lb setting, I had to use the upper two settings on the Milwaukee high-impact to move them off, I couldn't get in there with breaker bar either.

What is saved by keeping an old tool, and not buying a high-impact? A little bit of money?

Additionally, there's fellows now that sell battery adapters to/from Milwaukee, Makita, Dewalt, so that you can use the competitors battery and charger while you transition between brands.

Struggling with those big rusted bolts under a tractor, without local AC power, it was evident that the M18 high-impact alone wasn't enough. One also should have the M12 fuel compact 1/2" impact for small spots, 3/4" socket/ratchet/breaker kit, and 3/4" hand torque multiplier as well for tight areas.

If you're reaching for a piece of pipe to use as a snipe, you're probably reaching for the wrong tool, and something will break.
 
That’s a pretty solid argument for the big gun.
I hadn’t heard about adapters to cross manufacturers. That’s a game changer. I always thought it was pretty clever of Dewalt to offer their nicad to lithium adapter.
 
I have seen some of those adapters but they were typically bulky and adversely affecting the compactness and balance of the tool, I thought. Hopefully, that has or will change.
 
Any links to the adapters? Most of what I'm turning up searching looks like a teenager is experimenting with the 3D printer his/her parents got him/her for Christmas.
 
Any links to the adapters? Most of what I'm turning up searching looks like a teenager is experimenting with the 3D printer his/her parents got him/her for Christmas.


You'll have to find the adapters on your own, or build them. I'm sure that the open sale of them breaks all kinds of patent and licensing issues for the tool companies, who really want to maintain their status quo and profits.

Perhaps check ebay, aliexpress, amazon.
 
check out this guy's YT channel ("Real Tool Reviews"). He does seriously quantitative reviews. He has something like 36 videos of reviews of impact wrenches. Including some of the brands talked about above:
 
Good lord, I’m not really sure what he said other than 1100 ft lbs of torque is unachievable except if heated up.

In any case, I ordered the Milwaukee M18 high torque model off eBay with Battery and charger for $350 including shipping. 👍🏻
 
In this vid he was saying that those nut-busting torques advertised are bogus. OTOH, he also said that he measured higher fastening and unfastening torques than Milwaukee advertised, which is good. Check out his other videos which are more about reviews or comparisons of tools, some with actual torque measurements.

Milwaukee must have something like 40 models of cordless impact wrenches it seems.
 
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The Beast arrived! Thanks for everyone’s suggestions.
 
You’ll wonder how you ever went without it
 
This a decent deal for $379?

Gets you the super size battery and charger. Starting my tool collection, figure if I get the bigger battery I will be able handle any 'high power' bare tools I add on.
 
This a decent deal for $379?

Gets you the super size battery and charger. Starting my tool collection, figure if I get the bigger battery I will be able handle any 'high power' bare tools I add on.

I got mine on eBay for $329.99 with Free Shioping

 
Nothing to say that hasn’t been covered here. I own the Milwaukee high torque impact and find it invaluable. At Volvo, we had the same high torque gun for four months in a grease pit. It ran air brake chamber bolts in and out for roughly eighteen hours a day, while soaked in gear oil. What finally failed was one of the bearings, but it had a two year warranty in a professional environment (homeowner warranty - 5 years).

The only thing it couldn’t break free or break off was my front torsion bar bolts. Those took a seven foot cheater and MAP gas.
 

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