Impact Wrench Recommendation

What a wimp! I've got blitsers on me fingers from replacing my ball joints yesterday. And my muscles ache. And it took me three times longer. The ONE saving grace was I actually didn't snap anything this time!!!

All because I loaned my compressor to a friend of mine that lost his job and is doing autobody in another friend's garage...

I bought a Sears Craftsman compressor, and it was on sale, and it came with a 1/2" drive impact wrench, a 3/8" drive ratchet, an air chisel/hammer, a hose and some other small goodies. I haven't broken it yet, and it's loosened some pretty tough stuff. But, I only use it 3-4 times a year. I also bought the same wrench (the 1/2 impact) at a Salvation Army for $5, I can't remember the name, but it's the same wrench. And a 3/8" Snap On for $8 at another SA. I have been using these mostly.

I'm not a pro, I'm not using them every day, and they've been working fine for me. IIRC, the whole kit from Sears with the 2 wrenches, etc was $129 on salle, but I got it free. I wanted a *BIG* compressor since I sand and grind body panels and wanted to paint with it. The guy I loaned it to did an Olds, and for a "barn job" it looked MINT!!

Reply to
Hachiroku $B%O%A%m%/(B
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If auto work is going to become a hobby, it's clear that I need to invest in a decent impact wrench. Using a breaker bar is just too physical, too awkward, and has too high a chance of breaking bolts off. But how much power and what drive size do I need? The worst fasteners I've encountered so far were 32mm spindle nuts, factory torqued to 132 lb/ft - I had to have someone bring a good impact wrench to get those off (a 5' breaker bar still wasn't enough). I've got a chance to buy an Ingersoll Rand 1/2" drive wrench with 780 lb/ft torque, for a good deal - is this adequate for my needs? Thanks for any advice.

Reply to
Chris F.

IR is a good brand and that's a pretty beefy torque rating. should be fine, you may find you need to turn it down to avoid breaking smaller fasteners (which is OK, you can always reduce power but it's hard to hot rod air tools )

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

Chicago Pneumatic makes some fine tools too.Be sure whatever you buy isn't a Chinese knock off. cuhulin

Reply to
cuhulin

IR and CP are both great tools. Just as important is a good compressor. At least 5 cfm, 7 cfm is better.

90 psi min, 120 is better.
Reply to
Paul

Reply to
Chris F.

Isn't Chicago Pneumatic a Chinese product? If it comes from Harbor Freight I am pretty sure it is.

Reply to
hls

The place of birth of CP tools NOW depends on the tool itself. Back 20 years they were all made in the US and great tools. However CP has changed a LOT in the past 15 years or so. Most of the CP tools you find now are NOT US made. They are assembled in the US of foreign sourced parts. Some others are completely foreign made and are simply imported.

For the average user many of the HF tools are more than adequate. I have a couple that get the crap beat out of them by the borrowers. One thing that is REAL important on many of the HF air tools is to pull them apart, clean them out and if they use grease/oil in the gears or drive section. Change that out for a GOOD lube and they seem to be fine. Most of the "grease" I have seen in HF tools seems to be about the same as petroleum jelly!

Reply to
Steve W.

Thanks Steve..

I bought a Hitachi electric (110VAC) because I didnt have air at the time. This has been an excellent impact wrench. Works as well as most air pressurized units, and is easy to deal with.

Now I do have a couple of air compressors, but have had no impetus to buy an air tool.

I have no issues with Chinese tool, as far as that goes, so long as there is a well stated and honored warranty.

Reply to
hls

I have a good collection of CP tools from 1982 or so. Fine products. They held up well in a decade of regular (professional) service and continue to perform today in my "backyard" applications. Tough as IR,

1/2 the price. Good stuff.

Snap-On wishes it's air tools were as good.

Today... Well, For $29.99 you can buy an HF junk tool that may or may not get the job done but it will be "cheap".... Al

Reply to
Anumber1

Excellent. Get the IR impact. Then get a 3/8 butterfly. It will be used more than any other air tool. Also get a 3/8 and 1/4 air ratchet. They are air eaters though.

Reply to
Paul

CP made some good stuff. When they were bought out by Atlas/Copco in 92 some things changed. They made many of the smaller air tools just up the road in Frankfort NY. They closed that plant to open one in Rock Hill N.C. Which they also shut down and opened a Distribution center. Most of the tools now are Chinese or India sourced. They do make some of the big stuff in Germany but the air tools for the most part come from India.

For a few years Snap-On tools were CP designed. Most of them now are made through SUn Tool based in England and made in China.

And could have very likely been made in the SAME plant as the I/R or Sun tool units.

Reply to
Steve W.

CP made some good stuff. When they were bought out by Atlas/Copco in 92 some things changed. They made many of the smaller air tools just up the road in Frankfort NY. They closed that plant to open one in Rock Hill N.C. Which they also shut down and opened a Distribution center. Most of the tools now are Chinese or India sourced. They do make some of the big stuff in Germany but the air tools for the most part come from India.

For a few years Snap-On tools were CP designed. Most of them now are made through SUn Tool based in England and made in China.

And could have very likely been made in the SAME plant as the I/R or Sun tool units.

Reply to
Steve W.

Sadly all of the Chicago Pneumatic stuff I have seen in the last few years HAS been cheap Chinese crap. Even by Chinese standards, it was kind of scary stuff.

That said, there are a lot of cheap Chinese-made electric impact wrenches out now, and a lot of them aren't bad at all. Not as convenient as the air tools, but pretty damn effective and cheap, especially if you don't have shop air handy. Much slower, but a lot better than a hammer and breaker bar.

--scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

Yes. Used to be a fine name, and if you can find a good old one hold on to it. Now you can buy a 1/2 impact for $20, and is ChiCom junk. Ben

Reply to
ben91932

It doesn't appear that a certain component of this discussion has been corrected yet, so here goes... Harbor Freight has an asian line of air tools they brand "CENTRAL Pneumatic" CHICAGO Pneumatic is a different company based in the US. I haven't bought anything from them in over

10 years, however the few Chicago Pneumatic items I own indicate 'made in USA'. As others have said, surely they're manufacturing overseas now, just like most everyone else.

Also, just because a familiar name is on a tool, don't expect it to be anything more than a rebadged import (not even designed by the company). I intentionally bought an angle drill "from" IR because I got a good deal on it, but I knew it was identical to several different "house brands" of import offerings. The prices for the IR and the others were about the same. If it had been a real IR, it would be probably $100 more. I use an angle drill about once every few years so it was a no brainer in this case.

Toyota MDT in MO

Reply to
Toyota MDT in MO

It doesn't appear that a certain component of this discussion has been corrected yet, so here goes... Harbor Freight has an asian line of air tools they brand "CENTRAL Pneumatic" CHICAGO Pneumatic is a different company based in the US. I haven't bought anything from them in over

10 years, however the few Chicago Pneumatic items I own indicate 'made in USA'. As others have said, surely they're manufacturing overseas now, just like most everyone else.

Also, just because a familiar name is on a tool, don't expect it to be anything more than a rebadged import (not even designed by the company). I intentionally bought an angle drill "from" IR because I got a good deal on it, but I knew it was identical to several different "house brands" of import offerings. The prices for the IR and the others were about the same. If it had been a real IR, it would be probably $100 more. I use an angle drill about once every few years so it was a no brainer in this case.

Toyota MDT in MO

********* Good. Those names are close (in my mind) and I have nothing inherently against either of them.

As I said before, I bought a Hitachi electric (110vac) because I didnt have air in the shop at that time. The Hitachi works as well as just about any air impact I have ever used. There are some a lot more powerful but that can be an unneeded luxury. ( I worked in a shop that bought in a new IR that could literally snap off a lug bolt. Far different from the older units we had an were used to.)

Reply to
hls

I have an old Sears electric impact wrench, but it doesn't seem to have hardly any power at all.It was like that when I bought it new at the Sears store about twenty five or thirty years ago.I only used it once or twice.

A good wrench and a long cheater pipe works wonders. I love cheater pipes. cuhulin

Reply to
cuhulin

\ I have resorted to cheater pipes several feet long, but a good impact wrench is hard to beat for some things.

Now, let it be said that some goober mechanics abuse the impact wrench. There are some things that are better seduced than hammered.

A good electric impact doesnt take a step back from most air powered wrenches.

Reply to
hls

"hls" wrote in news:uKednbnnf9J0IeHXnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

Ain't that the truth.

My electric, a DeWalt, is capable of 325 ft/lbs of torque. It has proven itself astoundingly effective in cracking loose the worst of Honda crank bolts or rusted suspension/brake fasteners.

From the perspective of this home driveway grease monkey with no hoist or air compressor, it's one of the best tool purchases such a simian could ever make. WAY better than any cheater bar (though I still use one of those in specific circumstances...).

Reply to
Tegger

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