Must Have: Milwaukee Cordless Rachet & Impact Wrench(s)

[FDEEZ]

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.

[Saul_Good]

Nice. i may have to take this plunge myself. what was the cost for each one?

[Shadowden]

I took a quick look. The 1/2" impact with friction ring (not sure what that is) is around 430 as a kit (2 batteries and a charger). The tool itself is 220ish. The 3/8' kit is 260. I would probably lean toward both kits just to have lots of batteries.

FDEEZ, you think you will be selling your air tools? I might be interested.

[Huzer]

I really like my Milwaukee corded impact. I don't use it often enough to make the plunge for the cordless ones, but I'm sure these are great tools. The 3/8" might be an option, though. There were spots on the Miata I couldn't get the huge corded one, and these look like they would fit in tighter spots.

[FDEEZ]

Nice. i may have to take this plunge myself. what was the cost for each one?

The price of entry isn't cheap, but definitely worth it. In my opinion, unless you're working on diesel trucks, you only need the 3/8" M18 Fuel impact wrench. I doubt there's a bolt it can't break free on a car...especially a Japanese car. With its three fastening modes, it's also delicate enough for the most precise jobs.

Unfortunately, if you don't have any impact sockets, that'll add to initial investment costs. For me, all my sockets, swivel sockets, and deep sockets in 3/8" & 1/2"....I also have an impact version (both SAE & metric). It's not recommended to use an impact wrench on chrome-type finished sockets (take my word on that one).

I took a quick look. The 1/2" impact with friction ring (not sure what that is) is around 430 as a kit (2 batteries and a charger). The tool itself is 220ish. The 3/8' kit is 260. I would probably lean toward both kits just to have lots of batteries.

FDEEZ, you think you will be selling your air tools? I might be interested.

Nope, I haven't considered parting with my air tools. I doubt I'll use them again, but it's nice to know they're available if I need them.

I really like my Milwaukee corded impact. I don't use it often enough to make the plunge for the cordless ones, but I'm sure these are great tools. The 3/8" might be an option, though. There were spots on the Miata I couldn't get the huge corded one, and these look like they would fit in tighter spots.

If you're having problems reaching tight areas, I recommend using swivel sockets. Here's an example of a 3/8" impact swivel socket. The impact swivel sockets I use are Craftsman Professional series.

[RX-7 Chris]

what do you think about the Milwaukee tools? My brother bought a Milwaukee impact driver and didn't like it. I've always been partial to the Makita impacts.

[FDEEZ]

what do you think about the Milwaukee tools? My brother bought a Milwaukee impact driver and didn't like it. I've always been partial to the Makita impacts.

Hey Chris, I can't vouch for Milwaukee's impact drivers (since I've got a brushless Dewalt driver). When I was in the market for a driver, the simplicity and functionality of the 20v XR Dewalt had me sold. If the 18v Fuel brushless version of the Milwaukee was available at that time, I probably would have bought it instead.

I think Makita offers some high end products. When their 5 Ah batteries become available (they may be available now), they'll definitely become a contender in the cordless "high torque" impact tools. Do you know what model driver your brother bought (12v, 12v Fuel, 18v, or 18v Fuel)?

[RX-7 Chris]

I'm not sure it was 5 or so years ago. His biggest problem wit it was battery life. Both my Brother and my Dad are contractors so they use their tools a lot harder than most people do.

It seems that every brand has some really good tool and really bad tools. For instance Dewalt table saws have done well for them but Dewalt compound miter saws have been junk.