Air Impact Wrenches

[pinnacle-project]

I love tools and anytime I can come up with an excuse to buy one, I take it.

I need to replace both sway bar links on my daughter's 2000 Infiniti G20. Sway bar links are pretty cheap so it's a small investment since my labor will be free. Since she is a poor college student, this is a good thing. I am sure I could remove each of the existing sway bar links with a typical ratchet wrench, cheater bar, and PB Blaster but that's pretty boring. I do not have any air tools. Maybe that should change. An air impact wrench has more muscle than me even with a cheater bar. It is also an "impact" wrench so there is more to it than muscle. Have you found the impact aspect of an air wrench helps you out a lot with projects? The impact aspect would break the rust but muscle/leverage does that too.

If I do get an air impact wrench, I know the prices vary widely. I will definitely not buy any crap from Harbor Freight but on the other hand, I can't justify a $500 tool either. I was browsing Amazon. This DeWalt would probably be sufficient for the infrequent use I would give it.



What are your thoughts?

[kamsquared]

That's actually a pretty good gun for the price. Usually the big difference between a really good impact (or other air tool) and a poor one are the internal clearances. The cheaper ones have high clearances so they go through your air really fast...... The tighter guns will give good torque and not bleed air like crazy so you can use them with a smaller air tank/compressor.
That Dewalt gun is about mid-range so it won't eat a lot of air and Dewalt is a good quality piece. I may get one as a back up!!!

[Leon]

1/2 Inch drive is for the big sockets. make sure you got the bigger sockets instead on the usual 3/8 drive. I'd recommend a adequate size Air compressor, not one you use to fill basketballs & bicycle tires. LEON.

[pinnacle-project]

Thanks for the information.

I think of my air compressor as being a medium size. It's an old Sanborn twin cylinder from Minnesota with a 22 gallon tank and tops out at 150 psi. If I was grinding or sanding, I suspect it would cycle on and off a lot with that size tank but it seems like it would be fine for an impact wrench.

[pinnacle-project]

I went ahead and ordered this tool. As it turns out, the price of $72.40 earlier this week was a mistake which Amazon soon corrected to $132.99. I called them to see if they would give it to me at the price of $72.40. Not surprisingly, they did not do that but they were nice enough to knock $30 off the price so I am happy.

[Mike S]

I know it's too late but in the future you may want to consider a cordless electric impact. They have come a long way in recent years and pack a huge punch in a small package.

Mike s

[Leon]

I know it's too late but in the future you may want to consider a cordless electric impact. They have come a long way in recent years and pack a huge punch in a small package.

Mike s

When you say cordless electric do you mean battery operated? LEON.

[pinnacle-project]

I know it's too late but in the future you may want to consider a cordless electric impact. They have come a long way in recent years and pack a huge punch in a small package.

Mike s

I know I am unusual in this sense but I avoid battery operated tools for the most part. My complaint with any battery powered tool is that once the battery wears out, the tool is nearly worthless because buying replacement batteries is expensive (if they are even available). The convenience of battery powered tools is hard to beat though so I have two.

[Longhorn Mike]

I understand that you want to stay away from Harbor Freight, but some of their tools are pretty good alternatives considering the price. Their Earthquake battery powered impact wrench is great and I imagine it will last a long time with home use.

The Hercules battery drill is also a great alternative to more expensive brands at home Depot. When they are on sale or their is the big 25% off coupon, they can be had for as low $79, compared to $180 at the big box stores.

You are correct, once the battery dies, they are expensive to replace. I get a lot of use out of my battery operated drill and other tools so I buy a new pair of batteries every two to three years. Remember to take the old batteries to the recycle bin at home Depot.

- Mike

[Mike S]

Yes i totally agree with you on the batteries.....But the newer brushless drivers are way cheaper than they used to be. I got a dewalt 20v driver for just over $100. It's super powerful and i built a deck a couple of months ago. 12x12 and i used lots of lag bolts for the frame, maybe 80 or so plus all the screws. For the whole deck it took me 4 batteries. Usually when driving long screws or lags it kills them quick and it seems like you kill the batteries before the next one is charged, not even close in this case.