mikaleda Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 I just bought a few dewalt 18v impact drivers and I love them. I have the dw059 1/2" 300 ft lbs And the 3/8 145 ft lbs And the 1/4 135 ft lbs I love them they work just a well as the pnematic impacts that I've used except there is still nothing quite like a 1/2" air impact. Battery life is good a can do several jobs before rechaging The warranty is awsome the tools and batteries have a 3year warrenty and a 1 year of free maintenec I am a mobile operation and these have been a life saver for time and productivity I've noticed the 3/8 impacts are getting popular on the hotrod shows. I think that with the technology changing more and more people will be using these impacts I'm just curious if anybody has tried or used any battery powered impacts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyBrat Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 ive got the porter cable impact and drill set, i'm really happy with them. got them on sale at napa for $120, both have battery's, came with a charger and bag. ive been using them for a little over a year and the battery life is great, still like new. both are as strong as can be expected, really tight bolts you still need a breaker bar to bust them loose but thats not a big deal to me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
987687 Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 A friend of mine has a milwaukee 1/2" cordless impact. It's pretty good. It's great in the junkyard or on the side of the road when something is broken. Maybe changing a tire in the shop when I don't wanna run an air hose. I still way prefer my 1/2" pneumatic, though. It's lighter, more powerful, smaller to fit in tight spots, and I can run it 100% duty cycle going nuts ripping things apart. If you do that on an electric impact you'll overheat it. Even when I do rally service for the race car, I drag my generator and 30 gal compressor along with me to the service park. Electric impacts are a long way for replacing pneumatic tools for me. Once you have a good pneumatic rattle gun in your hand, you're gonna be hard pressed to let it go. 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 I always wonder about battery life and recharge time. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
987687 Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 The battery life is surprisingly good, change time is decent. If you have two batteries you can work on a decent project without having to worry too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted January 26, 2015 Author Share Posted January 26, 2015 (edited) I have the dewalt 18v xrp batteries and I can go for hours ripping stuff apart. The 1/2 inch though is just not quite the same as an air impact, it will pull of damn near any lug nut off you want but it doesn't like CV axle axle nuts or anything much over 1 inch. The other problem I have with the dw059 is the profile, it just is to long to get into a lot of spots an air impact will get to and The smaller 1/2 inch impacts dewalt sells just don't have much power. Funny thing is after I spent $200 on my dw059 I see a 20v max litium ion 400 ft lbs 1/2" impact for sale for less than I paid for my 18v impact (doh) Dewalt batteries recharge in an hour or less most times and I even have a 12v charger so I can charge on the go. Being a mobile mechanic an air system that can stand up to what I need would be a huge challenge and would cost several thousand, so the battery powered impacts are awesome for what I do. In the future though I plan on having an onboard air system that can handle a good 1/2" gun for the more stubborn bolts, but it will still be nice to have my dewalt 1/2 for changing a tire on the side of the road or if I don't feel like firing up my truck to go to a job. I like useing my Subaru for a service rig, a lot better milage and I can still stuff a ton of tools in it (especially since I don't have to haul around a generator and air compressor ) Edited January 26, 2015 by mikaleda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman18 Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 My 1/2" Milwaukee takes off axles nuts like nothing. And pretty much anything else too. It has 475 lb ft of torque, and they now make one, the same size but different design, that has 1100 lb ft. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caboobaroo Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 I have both the Snap-On 3/8" and 1/2" electric impacts and they are now my go to. I used to use a pneumatic Mac 3/8" and a Snap-On 1/2" and even though the electrics aren't as strong as the pneumatic guns they're great for 80% of the work I do. I've also modified the 3/8" to accept the larger 18 volt battery from the 1/2" on it. Granted I've also installed the updated motor to handle the extra bit but I don't have to change the battery as often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dj7291993 Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 I've got the Ni-cad Snap-on 1/2" and just got the new Lithium 3/8" from them. The 3/8" has 230ft/lbs of torque. I still use the 1/2" on a lot of the bigger stuff, but I do lug nuts with the 3/8" no problem, even on the 3500 pickups. Nice thing about the 1/2" is it is much quieter than air tools. It is heavy though, and a bit big in some spots, which is why I got the 3/8". I haven't really had anything in the shop that my 1/2" couldn't take off that the air ones could. IT just takes a bit longer on some of them. Worth not having to deal with the air hose in my book. Only thing it doesn't take off commonly is Honda and VW crank bolts, but then again, sometimes even the starter and a 3' bar struggle with those. As for the batteries, all the Snap-on ones come with two, and they charge faster than I go though them. I suppose if you were a tire guy, you might start to push it, but even then, I think it could keep up. Also, the 3/8" has a really bright light on it, which makes it nice for things like bell-housing bolts on a subi. TL;DR I only use my Snap-on Cordless impacts. If they won't do it, I use my 3' breaker bar. By then, it usually moves or breaks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ford'ssubaru's Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I want one..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Then buy one? I have a DeWalt 18v. Use it for everything I an reach it with. Most handy when it comes to lug nuts. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccrinc Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Rick and Jason have switched to using the Snap On battery impacts almost exclusively at our shop. Everything from 1/4" up. There's a lot of "small" work on an engine, so the 1/4" ones probably get the most use. Great battery time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 I really like the Snap-on battery impacts, but they're just so damn expensive! I've used quite a few 1/4 drive cordless impact guns and I really don't notice much difference in power between most of them. I figure if you're using 1/4 tools you don't need gobs of torque to get most things loose. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted March 3, 2015 Author Share Posted March 3, 2015 I do like how compact the snap on impacts are but I don't like the price. I like my dewalts for the veristality of the battery's I can use my battery's in a lot of different tools like the dewalt drills, sawzall, side grinder, ext... And seriously for price and versitility its hard to beat the dewalt 1/4". You can get 3/8ths and 1/2" adapters for and it has almost the tourque the 3/8ths impact has I'm going to look for a more compact higher torque 1/2" impact, the dewalt impact works good as a tire gun but aside from that its to bulky to get into most spots its needed and it doesn't have enough power to pull axle nuts off which is where I really need it. Maybe something with more IPM (impacts per minuet) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dj7291993 Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 On the IPM, Snap-on's half inch is slower than most other guns, but it'll still rip off axle nuts. The slower is actually nice, since it's a bit quieter, and doesn't send sockets and nuts flying. Not sure if the new lithium one is faster. Anyway, on point, the speed doesn't necessarily mean it will be any better at taking things off. It may just make it good at getting your ears to ring. Also, not sure if they sell it in stores, but I'm fairly sure Dewalt makes MAC Tools cordless impacts. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted March 6, 2015 Author Share Posted March 6, 2015 The speed helps when I comes to pulling off parts that have a little play like pulling off a harmonic ballance pully bolt. But the dewalt has the highest ftlb of any of the impacts I found. The dewalt 20v 1/2" impact has 400ftlbs of tourque mine has 300 ftlbs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted July 8, 2015 Author Share Posted July 8, 2015 well i did it. i just ordered this http://dewalt.com/tools/cordless-impact-driverswrenches-high-torque-wrenches-dcf899p2.aspx?utm_source=Listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=http%3a%2f%2fdewalt.com%2ftools%2fcordless-impact-driverswrenches-high-torque-wrenches-dcf899p2.aspx&utm_campaign=6.18.15_Bruiser it will be here tomorow, i can hardly wait, ive got a set of rear wheel bearings i need to pull off my parts car, that should be a good test. im afraid of breaking bolts with 1200 ft lbs of break loose torque Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 I have milwaukee 18 v cordless hex drive and 1/2" drive impacts. the hex drive will sing 1,000 3 inch deck screws on the same charge. I use it in the shop essentially as an air ratchet for everything from alternator to battery to intake and exhaust manifolds. Or at least to run bolts in and out after breaking them loose or torquing them up by hand. The battery will last almost a month with mixed use. I use it more than a hand ratchet and i only use the air ratchet where this tool wont fit. the 1/2" driver is the prior model. the battery can last thru about 6 consecutive tire rotations. I was able to take the wheels off on a 1 ton ford van with it. It works to break loose and torque up axle nuts. When compared to the air tool, it takes a little more hammering to torque up with torque sticks but it torques up just fine when checked with a torque wrench. At home its a must have now that i have been working in a professional shop environment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinky26 Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 well i did it. i just ordered this http://dewalt.com/tools/cordless-impact-driverswrenches-high-torque-wrenches-dcf899p2.aspx?utm_source=Listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=http://dewalt.com/tools/cordless-impact-driverswrenches-high-torque-wrenches-dcf899p2.aspx&utm_campaign=6.18.15_Bruiser it will be here tomorow, i can hardly wait, ive got a set of rear wheel bearings i need to pull off my parts car, that should be a good test. im afraid of breaking bolts with 1200 ft lbs of break loose torque How do you like this tool? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted July 10, 2015 Author Share Posted July 10, 2015 I just got it in the mail yesterday and I have been trying it out and its quite impressive. I will add more as I use it more Downsides so far are Weight, it is quite a bit heavier than an air impact Prolonged use makes the head get hot, but for what I use it for it works fine Pros Built in led light with 20 sec off delay No need for air line, or comopressor More consistent torque, the litum ion battery dewalt makes is hard to beat Better warranty than an air impact 3 years on battery's and tool No limitations, I can take this tool anywhere without hauling around a giant compressor and generator Torque, I have yet to really test this out, but I was able to pull a harmonic ballancer pully bolt of my spare subaru 2.2 with ease on the #2 setting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted September 24, 2015 Author Share Posted September 24, 2015 Well I've been able to use my new impact quite a bit now and I've upgraded my whole system to 20v. I love my new impacts I have had very little that it couldn't pull loose. I am surprised how handy the 3 speed motor is. I have only had to charge the battery twice so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted November 29, 2015 Author Share Posted November 29, 2015 (edited) Just got done upgrading my system to 20v max. I now have a 1/2", 3/8", 1/4" impacts I've got a dewalt vaccume, flashlight, and drill and several batteries ranging from 2.0 amp hour to 5.0 amp hour batteries. I'm very impressed so far and I still have my original 18v 3/8" impact that has gone through hell and back. I love all my dewalt tools. I wish they would come up with a battery powered die grinder next. Edited November 29, 2015 by mikaleda 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98atlfoz Posted December 25, 2016 Share Posted December 25, 2016 I own both of the Milwaukee 3/8" impact and the 1/2" impact. Thus far, they have completed every job I needed. I like the mobility with them; not having to walk back around a vehicle halfway and pull an air hose free from the tire to gain some slack is nice. Plus, I own 3 big rigs (18 wheelers) and any work I choose to apply these tools to has been dependable. When it comes to removing head bolts and other sensitive bolts deep inside of engines I always start first by hand with a breaker bar to find out if any bolts had loosened during operation before removing things. Once I discover the bolt is German torque tight like it should be, I then remove it the rest of the way with my cordless power tools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted March 3, 2017 Author Share Posted March 3, 2017 Update on my dewalt 20v max high impact gun. Still going g strong batteries still working perfectly. I had to pull and service the impact head (needed greasing) super simple and it's working as good as ever. I have yet to have it fail me, I'm quite impressed so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinky26 Posted August 4, 2021 Share Posted August 4, 2021 Sometimes I REALLY hate technology. I get an email saying that there was a reply to this topic yesterday. Now I see it NO where here. 6 years after the fact it was a good read. Post stroke it’s like I never read it before now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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