Justifying an impact wrench for infrequent hobby use

i second that. exhaust fasteners were something i'd never touch unless absolutely necessary since they'd usually shear off with manual wrenches. but with a rotary impact, those things zip off no problems almost every time.

then you got the wrong driver. the right one will work pretty much every time. and you should still use stuff like wd40 with an appropriate soak-in time if you anticipate problems.

an impact driver will save you time. and money on broken fasteners. they're a great investment imo.

but exercise some judgment on what you get. lug nut torque is a good deal higher than most other fastener torque, and most drivers have two levels of control accordingly. the high torque models usually just have "forward" and "reverse" switches, no speed control. they're great for lug nuts. but the wrenches for most everything else are lower torque and have speed/torque control. now, some of these purport to have sufficient torque for lug nuts, but as you'll see from online reviews, they seldom work for that. see if you can try before you buy. $200 is at the lower end of quality for cordless, so this is particularly relevant.

finally, remember that lug nuts need to be correctly torqued. particularly so with an impact driver. you can fit them, but their final torque should be with a proper torque wrench.

my experience is that "cheap" in this case ends up costing you more. pay for something that's going to work and that is well supported, particularly in the battery dept.

lug nuts, particularly if you live in the rust belt, need some grunt. frankly, i'm less inclined to spend money on a driver for these - i think a torque wrench is a higher priority.

i don't use one on the really small stuff, so no 1/4" for me.

for normal people, yes. but not much penetrates brent's rusted threads.

and despite his fears, impacts work on rusted exhaust fasteners just great. i've stripped irredeemably rusty exhaust threads with an impact, after mucho prolonged hammering, but never broken a bolt.

Unless you're somehow physically disabled, or dealing with corroded fasteners, it ain't worth dealing with the weight of it, and plugging it in. My opinion.

It is, however, an absolute miracle for dealing with corroded fasteners. If you ever do any suspension or exhaust work or if you ever do anything on an Triumph or MG, it will pay for itself the first time you use it.

--scott

An impact wrench designed for lug nuts and other large fasteners is usesless for the vast majority of corroded fasteners. It will break them. For that I purchased a corded impact driver.

No, I have a small electric impact driver for small fasteners. I have air impact wrench for large fasteners. These are the right drivers for what they are used for. Use a full size impact wrench on an M8 or M6 and watch it break the fastener.

WD40 isn't for corroded fasteners. Get a lubricant not a solvent.

Ok, so how much should I expect to pay for a decent quality cordless provided I have enough patience to wait for a sale?

I was thinking 19volt 200 ft.lbs claimed but maybe I should assemble change for a 36 volt milwakee or a dewalt which I thought would've been an massive overkill for an occasional lug nut pull.

I was thinking using the thing for unbolting large nuts only.

I have a smaller non impact 1/4 electric screwdriver for massive bolting of all things small (think 60 sockets on a 400sq ft of an apartment :---] )

I wonder how useful it would've been to get an impact with a 1/4 driver for smaller nuts

ote:

mmm, but WD40 is supposed to penetrate the rust to allow easier unbolting and lessen the chance of pulling heads off on rusted nuts, no?

AD wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@v9g2000vbc.googlegroups.com:

sorry no. wd40 is a water dispersent not a penetrating oil. KB

kevin needs to butt-off and go file a complaint with the ad standards council.

and he'd better take his lab analysis with him to explain how "petroleum base oil" isn't actually present as alleged:

It's supposed to, but it doesn't really.

Try Kroil, PB Blaster, Break Free or another actual penetrating oil. It will make your life much easier.

--scott

Seconded, use a real rust penetrant. I've used the following for decades, it's never once failed to free a rusted fastener, but allow it sufficient time to penetrate: GM Goodwrench Rust Penetrant and Inhibitor Heat Valve Lubricant, Part #

I purchased an old electric 1/2" impact from ebay over 10 years ago, and it still works great and I spent under $40! The biggest problem I see with the battery powered impacts are the batteries themselves. They don't seem to last and the cost to replace them is almost as much as the gun.

Straight from the WD40 bottle:

• loosens Rusted Parts - to free stuck, corroded parts like *nuts,

• Frees sticky mechanisms
• drives out moisture

Yes, and the Budweiser bottle says it's made from the "Choicest Hops And Best Barley Malt" also. You can't always believe the label.

--scott

It may not be the best product to use, but it does do what it says.

My air impact has 4 settings. You can also limit power even more by lowering the air pressure.