Must Have: Milwaukee Cordless Rachet & Impact Wrench(s)
Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2015 9:14
I've been holding off on replacing my air-powered tools for a while...I didn't believe that the battery technology was evolved enough. Well, I took the plunge several weeks ago and have been a satisfied customer ever since. No more having to drag around a cumbersome air hose. With 5 Ah of run time now available (as an upgrade) and 6 Ah & 9 Ah batteries on the way in a few months from Milwaukee, cordless tools can & will outperform corded & airpowered tools (especially with their brushless motors). Dewalt & Ingersoll sell competitely priced models...but I'm a little partialy biased towards Milwaukee :-) Either way you go, cordless FTW!
These three babies are now my favorite toys in the garage. The batteries last forever & I absolutely love them!
- The lightweight 12V ratchet is good for 35 ft.-lbs. of torque, but can get into tight spaces.
- The beefier 18V Fuel 3/8 impact wrench offers more power & is good for 30 ft.-lbs. of torque, 75 ft.-lbs. of torque, & 200 ft.-lbs. of torque.
- The MONSTER 18V Fuel 1/2 impact wrench breaks bolts/parts at 100 - 700 ft.-lbs. of fastening torque & 1,100 ft.-lbs. of reverse torque.
I experimented on a stainless bolt by double-nut'ing it. I gave it a quick blip of the trigger at the full 1,100 ft/lbs, and it broke cleanly in half in less than a second. Kind of scary if you ask me. In hindsight, I probably should've used a different bolt since that one bolt costs $6.
Since I'm talking impact wrench...if you're in the market for impact sockets, I'm very impressed by these high torque Harbor Freight chromoly lug nut sockets. I'm not sure how HF gets away with selling them for so cheap. You get a lot for your money with this purchase.
These three babies are now my favorite toys in the garage. The batteries last forever & I absolutely love them!
- The lightweight 12V ratchet is good for 35 ft.-lbs. of torque, but can get into tight spaces.
- The beefier 18V Fuel 3/8 impact wrench offers more power & is good for 30 ft.-lbs. of torque, 75 ft.-lbs. of torque, & 200 ft.-lbs. of torque.
- The MONSTER 18V Fuel 1/2 impact wrench breaks bolts/parts at 100 - 700 ft.-lbs. of fastening torque & 1,100 ft.-lbs. of reverse torque.
I experimented on a stainless bolt by double-nut'ing it. I gave it a quick blip of the trigger at the full 1,100 ft/lbs, and it broke cleanly in half in less than a second. Kind of scary if you ask me. In hindsight, I probably should've used a different bolt since that one bolt costs $6.
Since I'm talking impact wrench...if you're in the market for impact sockets, I'm very impressed by these high torque Harbor Freight chromoly lug nut sockets. I'm not sure how HF gets away with selling them for so cheap. You get a lot for your money with this purchase.