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Looking at uses for Cordless Impact Wrenches and Drills

6K views 73 replies 17 participants last post by  rippinryno 
#1 ·
Hey everyone! I am looking at buying an impact wrench and drill combo and I’m wondering what y’all use yours for. Hoping to at least use mine to change blades on my mower. Will a 12v 3/8 do it?
 
#11 ·
Hey everyone! I am looking at buying an impact wrench and drill combo and I'm wondering what y'all use yours for. Hoping to at least use mine to change blades on my mower. Will a 12v 3/8 do it?
First off there is no such thing as an impact wrench and drill combo. It is an impact driver and drill combo.

An impact driver accepts hex screw driving bits.

An impact wrench is square drive and accepts sockets.

Drill impact driver kits are way more multipurpose than an impact wrench.

Drill for drilling holes in wood metal plastic concrete etc.

Impact driver for applying screws. Drywall deck building, framing etc etc.

Impact wrenches are primarily used for mechanic type work. They are for bolts. This is what you would use for spindle nuts.

If I were you I would buy a drill impact driver combo for around$200 stick with Milwaukee M18.

Then buy a half inch drive impact wrench with impact sockets, also Milwaukee.

Stay with one brand so all your tools can share batteries.

I say Milwaukee because they are the only manufacturer who has a decent selection of battery powered impact wrenches.
 
#13 ·
First off there is no such thing as an impact wrench and drill combo. It is an impact driver and drill combo.

An impact driver accepts hex screw driving bits.

An impact wrench is square drive and accepts sockets.

Drill impact driver kits are way more multipurpose than an impact wrench.

Drill for drilling holes in wood metal plastic concrete etc.

Impact driver for applying screws. Drywall deck building, framing etc etc.

Impact wrenches are primarily used for mechanic type work. They are for bolts. This is what you would use for spindle nuts.

If I were you I would buy a drill impact driver combo for around$200 stick with Milwaukee M18.

Then buy a half inch drive impact wrench with impact sockets, also Milwaukee.

Stay with one brand so all your tools can share batteries.

I say Milwaukee because they are the only manufacturer who has a decent selection of battery powered impact wrenches.
It doesn't hurt your a Milwaukee fanboy either! :laugh: :drinkup:
 
#30 ·
If I was buying strictly an impact I'd buy Milwaukee but I was already pretty committed to Dewalt. I have the whole set. The 3/8 is useless against blade bolts. The mid range 1/2 is hit or miss. The full size one is what it takes to get the job done.
If the mid range is hit or miss your blade bolts are way too tight. I have the mid torque half inch Milwaukee and it rips off blade bolts, lug nuts etc with ease.
 
#34 ·
I picked up on eBay Snap-on 3/8 and a 1/4 impact driver.

The thing I most like is that they have a double-action trigger. The top for doing up and the bottom for undoing.

No more pushing a toggle from side to side.

View attachment 415774
I've got all the snap on stuff. While the 3/8 impact is nice, it's not breaking lug nuts and blade bolts loose. I've got a 1/2 Ridgid 18 volt impact for the tougher jobs, it works great. Removing blades is the best, no more double wrench nonsense.
 
#36 ·
Would this for $200 shipped be a good buy?
View attachment 415799
No i wouldn't waste your money honestly. IMO the best battery powered tools always have brush-less motors. I was a mechanic for 3 years so Ive had the luxury of keeping my snap on 14.4v family of tools that work awesome. But all my Milwaukee stuff is the fuel line with brush-less motors. Def worth the extra money up front for longevity and power difference.

I have that exact 3/8 ratchet and bought the 1/4" fuel brush-less ratchet and the power difference is unbelievable.

m12/m18 fuel milwaukee products will get you going in the right direction. Just start with what you need now and build on it.
 
#37 ·
#39 ·
Just to add - A few tools that I wouldn't want to be without is an impact wrench, floor jack, axle stands, air compressor and torque wrench. They are key for doing my own maintenance/repairs and keeping me up and running.

Case in point this season: I had a spring cleanup and mulch job that I farmed out to my son who has worked with me in the past but my rate was too high for the customer and I was too busy anyway. I hate that job as well - it's very tedious and the customer is very picky. I was to supply the tools and mulch and my son was doing the labor directly for the customer. So I arranged to meet my son and my customer on the job with a load of mulch and tools to get my son introduced to the customer and set him up. So I'm in a hurry airing up my dump trailer tires - they were a bit soft from sitting over the winter. In my haste I bend the valve stem over on one of my tires and tore it, flatting out the tire. Crap, I've got people counting on me to be there at a specific time. So I grabbed my impact wrench, floor jack and axle stand, jacked up the trailer, set it up on an axle stand, zipped off the lug nuts, removed the wheel, threw it in the trunk of my car and headed to my mechanic downtown. He put one of his techs on it immediately. I headed back home, got the wheel back on and my total down time was just 1/2 hour. I had built some extra time in for getting the mulch in case they were busy, so I was able to get to the job site just a few minutes late. There's no way I would have been able to do that in that amount of time without those tools!

Similar situation this spring during the heavy grass growth period when I blew a brake hose on my truck on a Saturday while out mowing. Shops are closed and I needed to get back up and running ASAP, so I had to fix it myself. 17 year old rusty truck and the mounting bolt for the hose is frozen up hard. Guess I should add penetrating oil and a torch to that list of tools/supplies, because I needed those too.

Bottom line - If you want to be dependable, minimize your downtime and keep up and running, invest in some tools. A welding setup is nice to have too. :)
 
#41 ·
I dont understand why everyone is suggesting a 1/2" drive impact for blade removal. For lug nuts i understand but my snap on 14.4 3/8" drive impact is more than enough for my blades and most other things. Sometimes its too much. I have a 1/2"impact too but that really only used on lugnuts for me
 
#49 ·
yea can never have too many tools. Im pissed i sold off a bunch of stuff when i stopped being a mechanic. happy tho that i kept all my snap on and Milwaukee stuff though cause it has come into great use in maintaining my equipment!
 
#53 ·
Yep the Pittsburgh line. I have a tool box of their wrenches, sockets etc in the trailer. One thing HF does well is replace broken hand tools.
 
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