Cordless Impact Wrench Recommendations?

[elbrack]

Looking into buying a cordless impact wrench to work on the E30. Hoping to do suspension work with it as well as almost anything else.

I also have a $180 in gift cards to Sears to burn up so I figured this would be a good investment.

I've been looking around and found http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DCF880H...NENEZ3XE3A0VM4

I'm just not sure if this thing has enough torque to tackle everything it needs to.

http://www.dewalt.com/tools/cordless-impact-driverswrenches-drivers--wrenches-dcf880m2.aspx

is the manufacturer site.

Some people suggest the Milwaukee Fuel 18 line. I won't use this thing frequently so not sure if the higher end brushless models should be in my wheelhouse as they're 400 plus for kits.

I don't own a single cordless tool, so I'm not invested in any line.

Thanks!

[jhaurimn]

Milwaukee is worth waiting for. And do not cheap out on a weaker impact, otherwise it will be a waste of money. I just spent $430 on a M18 Milwaukee kit and it was the best money Ive spent on a tool in a LONG time.

[Cabriolet]

I've had Milwaukee and Snapon ones. i like the Milwaukee one better. but they all claim about 2x as much power/torque as they really give.

[jalopi]

i find the milwaukee and snapon guns to be pretty similar, just one major difference

you can buy replacement brushes for the milwaukee guns, snapon needs to be sent in to their repair department

milwaukee: 1
snapon: 0

[elbrack]

Milwaukee is worth waiting for. And do not cheap out on a weaker impact, otherwise it will be a waste of money. I just spent $430 on a M18 Milwaukee kit and it was the best money Ive spent on a tool in a LONG time.

Yea, I was looking into that one, but they don't have it on the Sears site at that price.

They have a Dewalt that's a bit pricier but I could apply gift cards and it's brushless as well.

http://www.dewalt.com/tools/cordless-impact-driverswrenches-high-torque-wrenches-dcf899hp2.aspx

My other option would be to see if I could buy amazon or visa gift cards with my sears gift cards and then buy the Milwaukee.

Wouldn't the 20v DeWalt be better than the 18V Milwaukee or does that matter.

I'm a cordless tool noob so any advice is helpful.

[AndrewBird]

An 18v and a 20v will actually be the same voltage in real life. A fully charged battery will always be higher than it's rated voltage, and some companies use that measurement to try and hook people with "more" power. In reality, and 18v battery will actually be 18.5 volts and charge up to high 19v range.

If you can, get an impact that is brushless. I know Makita makes their tools with brushless motors now, not sure about others.

Also, don't go straight for the biggest, most powerful gun you can buy. You may never actually use all that power and will over pay for it, despite not needing it. I have a small 18v Makita impact driver that I use on the car with a socket adapter. It's a bit under powered some times, but will get most jobs done (removing wheel bolts, most suspension bolts, strut nuts, etc.) Anything it can't break loose, I break loose by hand then zip off with the impact. The nice thing about this gun is it is small and light, fits into tight spaces and is easy to carry around in the junkyard.

[doorman]

An 18v and a 20v will actually be the same voltage in real life. A fully charged battery will always be higher than it's rated voltage, and some companies use that measurement to try and hook people with "more" power. In reality, and 18v battery will actually be 18.5 volts and charge up to high 19v range.

If you can, get an impact that is brushless. I know Makita makes their tools with brushless motors now, not sure about others.

Also, don't go straight for the biggest, most powerful gun you can buy. You may never actually use all that power and will over pay for it, despite not needing it. I have a small 18v Makita impact driver that I use on the car with a socket adapter. It's a bit under powered some times, but will get most jobs done (removing wheel bolts, most suspension bolts, strut nuts, etc.) Anything it can't break loose, I break loose by hand then zip off with the impact. The nice thing about this gun is it is small and light, fits into tight spaces and is easy to carry around in the junkyard.

I agree with all this.

I use a cordless impact at work all day. Bosch has the most grunt but was a bit heavy, Makitas are very light but low on power, Sears/Craftsman are blah all around. I currently use the Dewalt 20v volt line. Seems the best mix of them all. Get a brand that has a grinder.....best $120 I ever spent!! All the ones I've used have the 1/4 style adaptor, buy a few of those, you will break them.

[nando]

the other thing about a big battery is weight and size. a smaller battery (within reason) means less weight so your hand doesn't get tired, and smaller size so you can actually use it in more places.

I have a 14.5v and an 18v hitachi. I've used my 14.5v for a shit ton of things and it's always worked great. The 18v I just got a few months ago, it definitely has more power but it's just a tad bigger and it weighs more as well.

I also have a couple 12v tools but those batteries are too small to be useful for anything heavy duty. They also don't last very long at all. I use the 12v drill sometimes but I never even bother with the 12v impact.

[agent]

I carry this one in my track box. Works like a champ and torques to roughly 90 lb/ft - perfect for lug nuts.

[ThatOneEuroE30]

I got the most Milwaukee m18 catalog. Best shit I've ever had nothing stops the impact.

[Exodus_2pt0]

Been using the M18 line for 2 years now.

Killed a brushed drill but it was used every weekend drilling stainless steel for 5-6 hours a day, so yea.

It will be replaced with the fuel model.

[elbrack]

I agree with all this.

I use a cordless impact at work all day. Bosch has the most grunt but was a bit heavy, Makitas are very light but low on power, Sears/Craftsman are blah all around. I currently use the Dewalt 20v volt line. Seems the best mix of them all. Get a brand that has a grinder.....best $120 I ever spent!! All the ones I've used have the 1/4 style adaptor, buy a few of those, you will break them.

Yea, I was considering the DeWalt brushless high torque model. The compact one isn't brushless, so I didn't really want to go with it and worried it might not be able to tackle everything. I also have a Jeep with a rust problem, that I could use the extra torque on.

[varg]

20 volt cordless tools, lel

[deutschman]

I have the Dewalt 300 foot pound model. Iv mainly used it to zip off lug nuts, but I have used it at the construction site as well to drive big bolts in decks and stuff.
I frickin LOVE it! Also I can speak to Dewalt's quality. I still have the Dewalt drill my dad bought me when I was 18 and I am almost 28 now. I haven't replaced brushes or anything and it still works great! I had to get new batteries of cores.
I bought mine with help from a gift card as well :)

http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DCF889M2-20-volt-Lithium-2-Inch/dp/B0099S9ZXW/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1438912716&sr=8-5&keywords=dewalt+torque+wrench

EDIT:
The Milwaukee one is $100 more. Also I own both a Milwaukee and Dewalt impact driver. The Milwaukee broke after about a month of use on the job site and the Dewalt did Not. Something about the way they build the impact system between the motor and the actual driver bit. I now use the Milwaukee as a back up tool only after I had it repaired.

[jeffnhiscars]

An old tool repair guy told me Milwaukee made Ridgid and they come with a lifetime warranty including the batteries. Works for me