Dewalt 20volt 1/2 Impact Gun, my diety.

[garlicbreadman]

i had my 1/2 20v dewalt impact for a year now and it is AMAZING. It is my favorite tool. It took off my honda crank pulley bolt. Would buy again in a heartbeat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK1E4WBVrqM

 

[tezzzas]

Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Originally Posted By: tezzzas
Well, of course you would want the new models, they are better electric tools. Why waste time with old stuff, when you can get something better.


Well an air impact could last 30 years or you could spend $300 every 5-7 years on a new battery powered impact? That's 10-15 times the comparable cost for a tool over it's lifetime.


You are leaving out hoses, oil for air tools, compressors, parts for all these things. Along, with how bad air tools are for your ears.

 

[Traction]

My new IR 780ft lb cordless is one of the best tools I've ever bought. Go anywhere, no air hose, and it is as good as a air impact. The 2 previous ones, not so much.

 

[BHopkins]

Originally Posted By: tezzzas
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Originally Posted By: tezzzas
Well, of course you would want the new models, they are better electric tools. Why waste time with old stuff, when you can get something better.


Well an air impact could last 30 years or you could spend $300 every 5-7 years on a new battery powered impact? That's 10-15 times the comparable cost for a tool over it's lifetime.


You are leaving out hoses, oil for air tools, compressors, parts for all these things. Along, with how bad air tools are for your ears.


For some time now, I have been pondering which way to go. Battery impact, or air. On the one hand, there are some great battery tools out there. I lean towards the Milwaukee. Great tools. But the battery impact can only do one thing. That's it. But I really like the idea of how portable it is. I could use it anywhere. No hose. No dependence on a compressor.

The other option is a air impact wrench and a new compressor. (My old compressor quit working.). I can get a pretty good air impact wrench for 1/2 the cost of a quality battery. Of course I need to invest in a compressor too. But then, I can use the compressor for all kinds of other things. Filling tires, and the grand kid's air filled toys. Angle grinders. Ratchet tools. (There is nothing like a air ratchet tool to make fast work of a project on the car.) Nail guns for projects around the house. Grit blaster.

And, as pointed out by others, quality air tools do tend to last much longer than cordless battery tools. Batteries wear out. Then, you go to buy replacement batteries, and the price is so high, you realize that you just as well buy a whole new set.

There are some tasks that you will always need a compressor for. Filling tires. Grit blasters. So, it seems extremely unlikely that, as long as a shop already has to have air, then air impact wrenches will always be practical and in use.

So, it seems to me that neither is always the best answer. One needs to weigh out what their priorities are. Does portability rank high? Or does long term durability and greater versatility of the entire system matter more?

 

[Donald]

You can use the battery for other tools. Cordless tools are reasonable when you buy bare tools. I have both but use my cordless Milwaukee M18 impact more than an air impact.

 

[CarbonCrew]

Originally Posted By: garlicbreadman
i had my 1/2 20v dewalt impact for a year now and it is AMAZING. It is my favorite tool. It took off my honda crank pulley bolt. Would buy again in a heartbeat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK1E4WBVrqM


Holy Hel1! That is amazing. As someone that is quite familiar with that force of 1000 gods that Honda uses to tighten the crank pulley bolt. Was the bolt an original install or had it been removed before?

 

[garlicbreadman]

It has been removed before but this one has been on for 85k miles when i took it off. I beleive it could have taken off when i had the tbelt done at 80k. it helps that this is a california car.

 

[Joel_MD]

Originally Posted By: tezzzas
I have to say, this thing is amazing. I thinking about get an air compressor, and got this instead. Much better in my opinion, and 400FTs, and a variable speed trigger. It has made my life so much better.

To the OP: glad to hear you like your new impact gun so much. I've never used an electric one before but it sounds like they're a great substitute for a pneumatic one.

To those who are young and contemplating the "air" vs "non-air" tools, I suggest you get yourself a nice air compressor and go the pneumatic tool route. When I was in my early 30's (about 12 years ago) I bought myself a nice Speedaire compressor; basically the biggest one that runs on 110v with a 20-gal tank. It was expensive, but every part on it (motor, compressor pump, regulator, gauges, etc) is replaceable if it fails, so I should be able to make it last my entire life. Since buying the compressor I have purchased an Ingersoll Rand Thunder Gun impact wrench, IR die grinder, blow gun, Bostitch framing and palm nailers, and most recently purchased a pneumatic Mightyvac brake bleeder. The impact wrench is some of the best money I ever spent. It makes DIY automotive jobs so much easier, with 625 ft-lbs of torque. When I built a 13x21' deck in my backyard I was able to run a 100' foot air hose to the backyard to run the pneumatic nailers, which was a godsend. Lately I've been thinking about buying a spray gun and building a paint booth for painting small items. With a nice air compressor the possibilities are endless.

 

[Leo99]

Both schools seem happy with their tools. I have the battery powered impact wrench from Sears. It works great. I can have my lug nuts off before an air compressor warms up. Lug nuts and suspension nuts are removed very easily. I didn't want to have to dedicate space for a compressor. The only thing I miss is the air ratchet. I'm thinking of getting the Sears MaxAxess auto ratchet but I'm not a fan of the MaxAxess system and would rather get a traditional auto ratcher like the Milwaukee but don't want to spend the money on the Milwaukee. For weekend warriors, the battery powered is the way to go. Get the air if you're more serious. I only use my impact wrench about 5 times a year.