Cordless impact - thoughts?

A lot of the 3/8 electric impacts are disappointing, maybe all. When I looked it appeared many were there 1/4 impact drivers with a 3/8 drive stuck in it, specs are near the same. Sad because 3/8 air is one of my favorite tools for automotive, and pretty useful under the hood on heavy equipment.

The 1/2" guns are bulky and heavy, but they have gotten very strong. Useful for wheel and chassis stuff. Loud yeah sort of, pneumatic loud, no. I'm all in on DeWalt because batteries. Otherwise from work experience I'd go Milwaukee.
 
Beef15 said:
A lot of the 3/8 electric impacts are disappointing, maybe all. When I looked it appeared many were there 1/4 impact drivers with a 3/8 drive stuck in it, specs are near the same. Sad because 3/8 air is one of my favorite tools for automotive, and pretty useful under the hood on heavy equipment.

The 1/2" guns are bulky and heavy, but they have gotten very strong. Useful for wheel and chassis stuff. Loud yeah sort of, pneumatic loud, no. I'm all in on DeWalt because batteries. Otherwise from work experience I'd go Milwaukee.
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Thats exactly why i bought the 1/4" dewalt. Its way more versatile as it directly takes alot of the 1/4" bit tools.

I bought the ingersol 1/2" for the big stuff
 
I already had the M18 Milwaukee drill/driver kit. I ordered the impact just because I am of being tied to an air hose.
 
Beef15 said:
A lot of the 3/8 electric impacts are disappointing, maybe all. When I looked it appeared many were there 1/4 impact drivers with a 3/8 drive stuck in it, specs are near the same. Sad because 3/8 air is one of my favorite tools for automotive, and pretty useful under the hood on heavy equipment.

The 1/2" guns are bulky and heavy, but they have gotten very strong. Useful for wheel and chassis stuff. Loud yeah sort of, pneumatic loud, no. I'm all in on DeWalt because batteries. Otherwise from work experience I'd go Milwaukee.
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Reasons you discribe is reason I really like this one in 3/8 i have. It is not disappointing at all and rarely have the need for the 1/2.
www.milwaukeetool.com

2852-20

www.milwaukeetool.com www.milwaukeetool.com
 
I've followed this thread and about 2 others here regarding impact wrenches and several Youtube channels over the last year. I needed a cordless impact due to working too far from the air compressor a lot. I'm vested in the Delwalt battery tools (saws, drills, impact drivers, etc) but after talking to a few knowledgeable folks about what I wanted to do they said to pass on the dewalt 1/2 impact. The searching really lead back to one unit that most others were compared against. The Milwaukee 1/2" Fuel High torque (#2767-20). At $450 for the unit, 2 batteries, and charger its no beer money... Is buy once cry once worth it? I tried to find other ones but it all lead back to this unit. So yesterday I drove up to Northern Tool to get one. The company had given me some gift cards for busting azz at work that made up little more than half so it wasn't too much and I walked out of there grinning like pig in slop.

Well, on the trip home I decided to take the scenic route home and get off the big roads for some farm scenery via running down I-40 then to hwy-55 to head east. I hit "The Redneck BBQ lab" near Benson (way overpriced at $5 per link of sausage as lunch was $24... for one person and I didn't even get a reach around lol) and as I was coming back through Kinston, I ended up with a 3/16" flange head bolt dead square in my tire. I've had a lot of flats but this one seemed impressive. It went flat. So I got the unit out but I didn't have a socket. I'd have to wait a day to unleash the fury. I changed the tire in the rain and headed home to a beer. This morning I dropped the tire off at the shop to be patched and this evening I swapped it out. One word is WOW. The first pull to break the lug nuts free on the spare snatched it out of my hands. It needed two hands to really control due to the torque and the weight as it is about 2x the size of your normal drill. I later tried it out on some 3/4 bolts I had on a trailer I have and it zipped them loose.

The stock batteries in the kit are 5 amp hr batteries with others available up 12 amp hr. I think at 12 amp hr it is either coming off or the world will start to spin backwards.

I have a bunch of other jobs for it over the spring so it should be well worn in a few months and I'll report back. Thus far I'm impressed.
20220228_160845.jpg
 
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tod0987 said:
I've followed this thread and about 2 others here regarding impact wrenches and several Youtube channels over the last year. I needed a cordless impact due to working too far from the air compressor a lot. I'm vested in the Delwalt battery tools (saws, drills, impact drivers, etc) but after talking to a few knowledgeable folks about what I wanted to do they said to pass on the dewalt 1/2 impact. The searching really lead back to one unit that most others were compared against. The Milwaukee 1/2" Fuel High torque (#2767-20). At $450 for the unit, 2 batteries, and charger its no beer money... Is buy once cry once worth it? I tried to find other ones but it all lead back to this unit. So yesterday I drove up to Northern Tool to get one. The company had given me some gift cards for busting azz at work that made up little more than half so it wasn't too much and I walked out of there grinning like pig in slop.

Well, on the trip home I decided to take the scenic route home and get off the big roads for some farm scenery via running down I-40 then to hwy-55 to head east. I hit "The Redneck BBQ lab" near Benson (way overpriced at $5 per link of sausage as lunch was $24... for one person and I didn't even get a reach around lol) and as I was coming back through Kinston, I ended up with a 3/16 flange head bolt dead square in my tire. I've had a lot of flats but this one seemed impressive. It went flat. So I got the unit out but I didn't have a socket. I'd have to wait a day to unleash the fury. I changed the tire in the rain and headed home to a beer. This morning I dropped the tire off at the shop to be patched and this evening I swapped it out. One word is WOW. The first pull to break the lug nuts free on the spare snatched it out of my hands. It needed two hands to really control due to the torque and the weight as it is about 2x the size of your normal drill. I later tried it out on some 3/4 bolts I had on a trailer I have and it zipped them loose.

The stock batteries in the kit are 5 amp hr batteries with others available up 12 amp hr. I think at 12 amp hr it is either coming off or the world will start to spin backwards.

I have a bunch of other jobs for it over the spring so it should be well worn in a few months and I'll report back. Thus far I'm impressed.
View attachment 444107
Click to expand...
It will bust off anything you need it too.
 
tod0987 said:
I've followed this thread and about 2 others here regarding impact wrenches and several Youtube channels over the last year. I needed a cordless impact due to working too far from the air compressor a lot. I'm vested in the Delwalt battery tools (saws, drills, impact drivers, etc) but after talking to a few knowledgeable folks about what I wanted to do they said to pass on the dewalt 1/2 impact. The searching really lead back to one unit that most others were compared against. The Milwaukee 1/2" Fuel High torque (#2767-20). At $450 for the unit, 2 batteries, and charger its no beer money... Is buy once cry once worth it? I tried to find other ones but it all lead back to this unit. So yesterday I drove up to Northern Tool to get one. The company had given me some gift cards for busting azz at work that made up little more than half so it wasn't too much and I walked out of there grinning like pig in slop.

Well, on the trip home I decided to take the scenic route home and get off the big roads for some farm scenery via running down I-40 then to hwy-55 to head east. I hit "The Redneck BBQ lab" near Benson (way overpriced at $5 per link of sausage as lunch was $24... for one person and I didn't even get a reach around lol) and as I was coming back through Kinston, I ended up with a 3/16" flange head bolt dead square in my tire. I've had a lot of flats but this one seemed impressive. It went flat. So I got the unit out but I didn't have a socket. I'd have to wait a day to unleash the fury. I changed the tire in the rain and headed home to a beer. This morning I dropped the tire off at the shop to be patched and this evening I swapped it out. One word is WOW. The first pull to break the lug nuts free on the spare snatched it out of my hands. It needed two hands to really control due to the torque and the weight as it is about 2x the size of your normal drill. I later tried it out on some 3/4 bolts I had on a trailer I have and it zipped them loose.

The stock batteries in the kit are 5 amp hr batteries with others available up 12 amp hr. I think at 12 amp hr it is either coming off or the world will start to spin backwards.

I have a bunch of other jobs for it over the spring so it should be well worn in a few months and I'll report back. Thus far I'm impressed.
View attachment 444107
Click to expand...
Big money but a lifetime tool. Milwaukee is impressive stuff.
 
tod0987 said:
The stock batteries in the kit are 5 amp hr batteries with others available up 12 amp hr. I think at 12 amp hr it is either coming off or the world will start to spin backwards.
Click to expand...

Does higher AH really change the power, or just how LONG the power is there?
I didnt think a battery would change anything as far as torque
 
BlackGun said:
Big money but a lifetime tool. Milwaukee is impressive stuff.
Click to expand...

I hope so. I'm just a tight azz with my money and want to make sure I spend it wisely.

I kept an eye out for the big service trucks parked at gas stations etc that service the offroad bulldozers and haul trucks around here and asked their opinions. They all agreed that they either had them on their truck or for the price it was worth it as the company provided better (more expensive) units. I couldn't find anyone to say negative things about the Milwaukee.
 
HMP said:
Does higher AH really change the power, or just how LONG the power is there?
I didnt think a battery would change anything as far as torque
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I agree with your concern, it was one of mine as well in researching the unit. I got bit years ago with some of the "thanksgiving sale" dewalt "kits" that had good units but under powered batteries. Most of the dewalt kits are shipped with 2 or 3 amp/hr batteries which are fine for drills drilling 1/8th holes or sheet rock screws but when these small batteries are paired with their reciprocating saw (sawsall), circular saw, bigger drill, or oscillating tool they are under powered wrt torque and snag the material badly. They become a safety hazard IMO. Yes, I still have these tools but just make sure I pair the right battery up.

Regarding the Milwalukee line, it is a little of both from what I could tell.

This is just my opinion.... From watching some of the youtube test videos it seems after the 8 amp hr battery there may be a diminishing return, ie torque begins to level off some despite Milwaukee advertising the 12 amp/hr battery as the second coming. The unit still puts out a bit more torque but is difference substantial? not really IMO and not at $250 per battery (12amp/hr battery). I think the 8 amp/hr batter is around $200 and the original 5 amp/hr is $150. I'm not using it commercially, so I do have the luxury of plugging it in or going to a cheater bar if really stuck.

This is the main channel I followed. https://www.youtube.com/c/TorqueTestChannel. I got really confused by all his tables and his own comparison system etc and had to build my tables own based on his raw data from within the videos. He jumps around between models a lot which is very frustrating. I watched hours of his videos and made my own notes. I'm not dismissing any other brands, please don't think so. I just wanted something that would work for pretty stuck bolts, keep my frustration level down, and be the best bang for the buck. There are others that may well work that are lower in cost and lots that are way more expensive. In eastern NC were limited by Lowes unless we want a 2hr drive (to Raleighwood) as the closest Home Depot is in Knightdale or Jacksonville.
 
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HMP said:
Does higher AH really change the power, or just how LONG the power is there?
I didnt think a battery would change anything as far as torque
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As @tod0987 said, check out the Torque Test channel. I too was surprised to see that different battery capacities allow for different power output but it seems consistent across all brands.
Further, the new Dewalt Powerstack 2ah batteries perform equally to conventional dewalt 5ah XR batteries, with exception to run time of course.
 
Jerzsubbie said:
As @tod0987 said, check out the Torque Test channel. I too was surprised to see that different battery capacities allow for different power output but it seems consistent across all brands.
Further, the new Dewalt Powerstack 2ah batteries perform equally to conventional dewalt 5ah XR batteries, with exception to run time of course.
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Yea you are hitting on another comparison issue that the Torque Test channel hints on but doesn't seem to get too much into. Battery pack composition. Manufactures all have their names of their battery makeups and are they the same, different, etc? I think the Dewalt Power stack is a pretty new design in lithium batteries. This makes comparison even more complicated. Sometimes it's a budlite to coorslite comparison and other times its a PBR to New Belgium 9.5% IPA.
 
HMP said:
Does higher AH really change the power, or just how LONG the power is there?
I didnt think a battery would change anything as far as torque
Click to expand...
Seems (claims and personal experience)to be an actual power improvement as well as run time. It makes sense as the tech gets more refined. Wasn't a thing before brushless introducing microchips and programmable features and the like.

After basic drill/driver combos and small load tools, the DeWalt literature (I've been in that battery universe for several years now) states maximum torque/power/runtime with 4ah and up batteries.

Through use. I believe it. Slap a 2ah battery in the mid-level 1/2" impact and it won't break some bolts loose. On the same bolt put in a 4ah and it comes loose easily. Same with recip saw, circ saws etc.




So far. I still vote get whatever tools you want in whatever battery system you have bought into already. Not worth the hassle of different chargers and batteries for different tools... I have way to many different systems as is.

That said. The Milwaukee battery stuff is pretty darned impressive. If I wasn't so invested in DeWalt and if I was near a retailer. I'd be very tempted to switch. I work with several guys who use Milwaukee. Although the tools are more expensive. They also all seem to be just that much better. All the comparisons online seem to bear it.out as well as my personal on the job use.
 
Anyone have any experience with FLEX tools? It’s a new (sorta new) line of tools at Lowes and a few other locations. Claims to be new technology with more power and faster charge times. What has caught my eye is any tools purchased between now and 12-31-2022 will have what they call a “founders lifetime warranty” on their tools including up to 3 battery replacements over the lifetime of the tools. Important note, all tool purchases must be registered within 30 days after the purchase to be eligible for the lifetime warranty.
 
DeWalt or Milwaukee. We beat the crap out of them, and they just take it and keep pounding!

Wait…..
It’s 0435 hrs, been a 23 hour day and still gotta drive home from Greensboro. That didn’t decipher to text like I thought it would, but hey….

Rock 92 is back on the air!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
1911gobang said:
DeWalt or Milwaukee. We beat the crap out of them, and they just take it and keep pounding!

Wait…..
It’s 0435 hrs, been a 23 hour day and still gotta drive home from Greensboro. That didn’t decipher to text like I thought it would, but hey….

Rock 92 is back on the air!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Back on the air? Did something happen?
 
Average Joe said:
Anyone have any experience with FLEX tools? It’s a new (sorta new) line of tools at Lowes and a few other locations. Claims to be new technology with more power and faster charge times. What has caught my eye is any tools purchased between now and 12-31-2022 will have what they call a “founders lifetime warranty” on their tools including up to 3 battery replacements over the lifetime of the tools. Important note, all tool purchases must be registered within 30 days after the purchase to be eligible for the lifetime warranty.
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The gf works at lowes. They have ALOT being brought back for refund
 
Average Joe said:
Anyone have any experience with FLEX tools? It’s a new (sorta new) line of tools at Lowes and a few other locations. Claims to be new technology with more power and faster charge times. What has caught my eye is any tools purchased between now and 12-31-2022 will have what they call a “founders lifetime warranty” on their tools including up to 3 battery replacements over the lifetime of the tools. Important note, all tool purchases must be registered within 30 days after the purchase to be eligible for the lifetime warranty.
Click to expand...

Flex has only been around 1 to 2 years if I'm not mistaken. While they may have some sort of lifetime warranty, who knows what the lifetime of "Flex" will be. Maybe 6 more months...maybe 6 more years. Maybe "forever".

There's too many other brands that have been out for many decades to gamble on the newcomer.
 
Change the anode rod in water heaters easy with impact gun, air or battery powered.

Be sure to subscribe to Northern Tool email and get the promo coupons in the mail.
 
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Thanks for the feedback on FLEX tools.
 
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