What gun do you use? What is it's advertised (and actual, if you know it) torque ratings? How is battery life, if cordless? Tell us about it...

 

DeWalt DW293 with supposedly 345 ft-lbs. It is corded and has been fine for the most part, except that it is kinda bulky and tough to use in tight spots.

Btw, I think this discussion should be split into Cordless, Air, and Corded. I'm just saying.

 

air.... Craftsman Pro xxxx model. forget now. Same as the IR 2135 gun. rated at like 450ft lb, but I've never seen it hit that. more like 300. probably because of my air hose diameter though.

cordless.. harbor freight $129 1/2" electric. forget the model number. it's rated at 220ft lb, but again doesn't hit that. it will get to about 100 tho if I let it pound on the lug a couple seconds. usually I just use this one at the track when changing wheels. I'll run the lugs off with it and when I put them back on I just let it hammer 2-3 times. that gets them to about 60 ft lb and then I use a torque wrench to finish the job.

 

I use the IR2135 , its very light and gets the most stubborn bolts off., When i did maxtomoons suspension drop i used a Dewalt electric impact gun, made my life so much easier.

 

IR2131...now i just need to rebuild it

 

I have this model electric and just picked up a Craftsman compressor package with a Craftsman brand impact, but not sure on the model since I haven't messed with even getting it set up yet.

 

I have a 1/2" Mastergrip that came with a kit from Costco I got for Christmas a few years ago and there hasn't been a bolt yet it hasn't taken off and a 3/8" Craftsman that came with my compressor I've never used.

 

I've got a Goodyear Racing 24V cordless (Pepboys) that works well enough (for loosening lugnuts, at least!). I have yet to test it on anything more substantial. Though, I can say for certainty that it won't budge any of the 6 bolts needed to install the LTB.

 

Atm i have a cheapo electric impact,i paid like $80 for it 4 years ago,it's ok for most bolts/lugs nuts etc.



but a Milwaukee 0779-20 V28 is coming my way soon!

 

Kobalt 3/8ths = LOVE IT rated 225 iirc, used commercially for about 5 months now, oiled daily, still works like new, must learn to use it properly though or you will snap many bolts. $50 from Lowes, far superior to the $50 home depot 3/8 impact

Kobalt 1/2" = Brand new out of the box, oiled it, failed halfway through first bolt! will try another one soon though. The $100 lowes 525 model, they also have a slightkly different version rated at 575 for another $30

CampbellHausfield 1/2" = Cheap, pretty also. Rated at 325 maybe? Definitly has trouble pushing past 70-80 ft/lbs. It's good only for speedy lug nut removal, I still have to crack 50% of the bolts loose manually, the majority of lugs have to be broken loose on the ground still than use the impact.

 

I have a craftsman air-powered gun, 1/2" drive.

3 Forward speeds, 1 Reverse. Advertised as 500ft. lbs. NEVER had a problem getting a bolt off but I don't know what the actual torque is. Great gun but it's a bit bulky.

 

i got a cheap ingersall rand knockoff from harber freight a paid 80 bucks for its rated at 625 lb/ft of torque. 6 forward speeds.oiled daily,i dropped it off of one of the trucks i work on still works,then ran it over with same truck and still works.also have a cheap wal-mart gun rated at 300lb/ft of torque,i've had it going on three years now and still works.the cheap one stays at home though

 

snap on mg31. light, small and powerful.

 

Snap-on 3850

Advertised TQ- 210lb/ft
Actual- I've broken bolts loose that were torqued well over 200lb/ft, and fairly easy at that.

Advertised as an 18v system, but when recharged the battery actually holds almost 21v (measured)!

Pros - nothing can stop it. I have yet to meet a bolt it can't undo - including Maxima hub nuts, control arm bolts, and lots of rusty bolts on my Triumph and Jeep. Battery recharges quickly, and battery lift will get you through any big job.

Cons - obviously, it's kind of big because of the battery pack and doesn't fit in some tighter spaces. But that's what my 3' breaker bar is for, lol...

 

I love the snap on portable impact gun, so convenient at times. I remember i was working on my car and the power went out, so the air compressor wasn't working, but the snap on portable was a life saver!

 

Snap on CT4850, newer model of Josh's version. However that 3850 never failed me one time, so both models FTW!

 

^^ I forgot to mention that mine is Jason's old gun, which he (and I before I bought it) got heavy use out of....so it's done a good amount of work!

 

an impact rated cv socket helps with tight spots

 

only wimps use impact guns.......

 

for 3/8" I use an IR model # IR2115TI.
advertised torque is 230 ft. lbs. Max reverse is 280 ft. lbs

Actual torque is substantially lower.. It's a great gun, but if the air pressure is slightly low it has a DRAMATIC impact on maximum torque. With our shops air a harbor freight will probably have more torque...No problems. I have dropped it numerous times.

for 1/2 inch I use the matco MT1769. It's rated @ 700 FT LBS. It's no where near that with our shop air, but again in the last shop I was in this gun was badass.

The strongest gun I've ever seen was actually a cordless gun. It was an older model snap-on. The batteries kept dying, so he traded it on a $700 Makita set that was rated at more power, but had no where near the torque of his snap-on....I was I knew the model #, but they don't make it anymore.

 

Home -

Craftsman Pro 600ft-lb reverse (same gun as IR2131)

Work - IR 2131 and IR 2125TI

About to buy either Hitachi WR18DL or WR14DL for cordless impact duties.

 

I went over to a friends house to swap over his A/S wheels/tires to his winter wheel/tire set. To make a short story shorter, he insisted on using his electric impact wrench to remove the wheel bolts (it's a VW so it has bolts), saying that this is the way mechanics do it, and that it's quicker. So, he hooks up his impact wrench and tries removing the wheel bolts. His electric impact wench was just not powerful, so I used the torque wrench. If I say that the bolts were tighter than 95 lbs. I would be exaggerating.

His impact wrench was yellow and iirc a DeWalt. He was running it through a long extension cord that is made for heavy duty use, so I doubt that contributed to the lack of power.

Like someone posted here...

 

Very nice thread. I'll be picking up my first impact gun soon and this is giving me an idea of whats good and whats not.

 

old thread but oh well

April 07 I bought a Craftsman 26 gal air compressor that came with impact gun and air ratchet..now I KNOW these arent supposed to be the best but they've been real nice. Impact is rated at about 375lb iirc and ratchet at 35lb iirc.

Might be upgrading to better ones later on but so far these have been great and I use em' a lot

 

i have 1/2 impact gun, 3/8 butterfly, 3/8 impact wrench, and 1/4 impact wrench.

i have no idea what the torque, power, whatever is on them. i just know they work, and work well.

 

My Husky air compressor kit came with a 1/2 Husky impact gun rated at 250 ft/lbs, but that thing struggled to take off lug nuts torqued to 80 ft/lbs. I went to Lowes and purchased the infamous IR 231C for $109. It's rated at 425 ft/lbs with a 20 to 230 ft/lb operating range. That thing is plenty for my automotive work. Set to "3" out of the 6 power ranges, the thing broke loose rusted 120 ft/lb torque nuts/bolts on my wife's 98 LGT like it was nothing. Factor in the rust and I'm sure the initial breaking torque needed was closer to 150-160 ft/lbs. Just 1 second of hammering and the things were off.

I am going to be looking into a decent cordless impact for removing wheels though.

If you're a DIYer, I'd suggest getting air tools first. Having a compressor for home improvement is a huge plus. I've used my 26-gallon wheeled compressor for painting my entire exposed basement ceiling (flat black), painting my lower sills on the my G35, painting furniture, running a nail gun, cleaning the garage, filling tires super fast, etc.

 

Convinced by reviews, videos, and members.

 

1/2 INGERSOLL RAND 2135TI I believe 7 years old, 1/2 MAC based on an INGERSOLL RAND 10 years old, 3/8 Craftsman 12 years old and a Black & Decker 12V 4 years old. I would not buy anything but an IR Titanium, 7 years old and works as good as new, I have never had a problem. My MAC would break a bolt that held the nose to the body, it would do this every 5-6 months. I only use the gun on the lowest setting for lug nuts and use a torque to torque to spec.

 

1/2 corded impact, have cheap one.
Planning to buy a Rigid one at homedepot

 

Snap on/Blue Point AT123A 450ft.lbs. Never had a problem getting anything off. But then again, the tanks at work run at 125PSI. But even at home running at 90psi, ive never had any problem taking off anything, including the 36mm steering knuckle bolt. I had an IR but it was stolen, so i picked this up for cheap.

My cordless impact, Mastercraft 14.4V. This thing is pretty crazy, its max torque is like 120ft.lbs, but ive taken off lug nuts with it, its good for bolts 14mm and under, anything else and it kinda struggles.

For the ones that i cant remove with either of those, my co-worker has a snap on 3/4" drive impact, thats rated at 1100tq lol.

 

im in need of impact wrench and i was thinking about getting this one. is 240ft/lbs enough to take off wheels and suspension parts?

http://cgi.ebay.com/1-2-Drive-Electr...QQcmdZViewItem

 

Not bad, but in all honesty, i have one too, i think its rated at 240ft.lbs, and it couldnt get my wheels off. Given this was awhile back, i havent used it in ages, but they make a HELL of a lot of noise, and are big and bulky.

It should be good for suspension parts assuming everything isnt totally rusted together.

 

You got a large compressor to feed that beast?

 

IR 2135TI is what i have. it says 1000ft/lb reverse torque i think... not sure how true that is but, it is same strong. Was the strongest in the shop. Me and the shop foreman had it, mines was the newer one. We took off crank pulleys like nothing. It is a nice gun but now i dont have a compressor for it i might sell and get the snap-on one or the hitachi for home useage.

 

That IR is rated at 780 reverse.

I did some suspension work this weekend and could NOT get the lower strut bolts out with the breaker bar I had. Ran out to Sears and purchased an IR 2131 on a whim. Got the bolts out on the second to lowest setting no problem. I wish I had the forsight to get a cordless model, though. I won't get any use out of the IR while I'm at school.

 

Sorry to bump this up...
I'm looking for an impact gun and I found this on CL
http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/tls/966573141.html
I went to Sears to check out the Craftsman cordless but I was told by the employee that Craftsman only makes air impact now. I know the pictures are small, but can any tell if that's a good one?
I'm also looking at this one http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=96448. Seems like a good deal, but just a bit too big.
And also this 1/4" drive Black and Decker which seems very compact http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=96448

Does the voltage affects the tq in./lb?

 

New gun Ingersoll Rand 2135Qti Max. Rated at 1100ft.lbs, actual working range is 780ft.lbs. awesome gun, only 4.05lbs and under full load its only 96db loud, versus the 118db of my old Bluepoint AT123.

This thing requires quite a bit of air, even my 25 gallon compressor which i run at 110psi, does a mediocre time keeping up with this thing.

Never encountered a bolt i couldnt get off yet. My friend has had his older version the 2135TI, dropped it several times, lacks oiling it a lot, and its still going strong after 5 years.

Im scared to drop this thing though, it seems fragile lol.

 

DeWalt DW059 1/2 Cordless Impact Gun... Paid around 200 for it, and still have necer used it... Waiting for spring time.


http://www.dewalt.com/us/products/to...productID=6347

 

Btw, some good info in here as well for those researching cordless impacts:

http://forums.maxima.org/garage-work...expensive.html

 

Lets see, 1/4 snap on ratchet stubby
3/8 snap on ratchet FAR72
3/8 craftsman ratchet
3/8 Ingersoll 2115 Ti
1/2 blue point AT555A
1/2 snap on xt7100

Napa pro 1/4 master set
napa pro 3/8 set
napa pro 1/2 set
Harbor freight freight 3/4 set w/wrench and breaker bar
Miller 210 welder, w tank
two snap on roll carts and top boxes

aah too many tools to list, mixed of snap on, craftsman, and Napa professional sets.
Also fence posts of different lengths, used as breaker bars