Last month I found myself far away from any air source and could have used a cordless impact, I had a IR W7150 for a short time and hated it, too big and heavy, etc so time to go shopping.
The first one that caught my eye was the Makita XWT08XVZ (Milwaukee isn't even on the list) and to my surprise it is made in Japan not China, my knee jerk reaction was this is the one but after thinking about it for a min reality hit, this thing weighs in at almost 8lb and almost a foot long with socket.
These factors alone make this tools almost useless under the hood and many places under the car, using it for any length of time would be an arm breaker. On paper its a great machine for a cordless but in real use a nightmare. I had to find something better.
https://www.amazon.com/Makita-XWT08XVZ-Lithium-Ion-Brushless-Cordless/dp/B01JLBII84
Then I came across this one, I found it for $175 and the best price on the big one was $205 so only $30 difference makes this one look like a loser right off the hop and its made in China to boot.
Doing some research the advertised 210ftlb torque rating is very low, it has been tested and shown over 300ftlb removing bolts.
It is small, very small, in fact it is almost the same size with socket as the 1/4" model and its light even with battery.
With the same 5A battery the bigger one uses its run time is incredible.
I was looking at my old 1/4" that is now over 10 years old and been worked hard and still running fine and its made in China so that is not a real issue.
The 1/4 and the 1/2 together. Notice the clear plastic protector on the 1/2
A nice feature is the pin socket holder, usually I hate them, you need to push the pin with something to get the socket off, Makita tapered this one so it acts like a ball socket, it does hold the socket firmly because it goes in the hole but requires no theatrics to remove the socket,very nice but you must use impact sockets as they have the retaining hole. The pin is serviceable and replaceable.
It has 3 speeds and variable trigger, there is also a light off feature by holding the button down down a few seconds. It also has a battery indicator which also works when older non star batteries are used.
The 1/4" and 1/2" weight. 940 and 1134 grams.
Some pics of the unit.
Makita claims more power with same weight as the 3A for their new 5A smart batteries AKA star batteries. The newest have a built in charge indicator. They are close but the physical size is same. The 4 3A batteries I have are all 10yrs and more old and never failed.
I had some Milwaukee tools but battery failure and poor CS for warranty put an end to that right quick. Never again.
Some comparison pics of the batteries, the old non star batteries work fine in both old and new tools and vice versa. The Rapid charger charges the 5A in 45 min.
I have had chance to use this gun and its fantastic, it fits in tight places, in reverse it can run on a low power setting to "rattle" fasteners loose where most air impact except the IR231 and clones are balls to the wall in reverse.
It has taken brake caliper brackets, control arm bolts, strut nuts, intake bolts and exhaust hanger bolts out with no problem and yes lug nuts are a breeze.
Build quality is excellent, it is solid as a rock. On paper the bigger unit beats it like a red headed stepchild but in the real world it cant hold a candle to this one when it comes to using it all over the car.
This will be my go to gun for removing interior bolts where I don't want to drag a dirty air hose through someones interior.
If I had to own just one gun and no compressor this would be it. For bigger stuff you would still need a breaker bar but most of the stuff will come loose with this.
The first one that caught my eye was the Makita XWT08XVZ (Milwaukee isn't even on the list) and to my surprise it is made in Japan not China, my knee jerk reaction was this is the one but after thinking about it for a min reality hit, this thing weighs in at almost 8lb and almost a foot long with socket.
These factors alone make this tools almost useless under the hood and many places under the car, using it for any length of time would be an arm breaker. On paper its a great machine for a cordless but in real use a nightmare. I had to find something better.
https://www.amazon.com/Makita-XWT08XVZ-Lithium-Ion-Brushless-Cordless/dp/B01JLBII84
Then I came across this one, I found it for $175 and the best price on the big one was $205 so only $30 difference makes this one look like a loser right off the hop and its made in China to boot.
Doing some research the advertised 210ftlb torque rating is very low, it has been tested and shown over 300ftlb removing bolts.
It is small, very small, in fact it is almost the same size with socket as the 1/4" model and its light even with battery.
With the same 5A battery the bigger one uses its run time is incredible.
I was looking at my old 1/4" that is now over 10 years old and been worked hard and still running fine and its made in China so that is not a real issue.
The 1/4 and the 1/2 together. Notice the clear plastic protector on the 1/2
A nice feature is the pin socket holder, usually I hate them, you need to push the pin with something to get the socket off, Makita tapered this one so it acts like a ball socket, it does hold the socket firmly because it goes in the hole but requires no theatrics to remove the socket,very nice but you must use impact sockets as they have the retaining hole. The pin is serviceable and replaceable.
It has 3 speeds and variable trigger, there is also a light off feature by holding the button down down a few seconds. It also has a battery indicator which also works when older non star batteries are used.
The 1/4" and 1/2" weight. 940 and 1134 grams.
Some pics of the unit.
Makita claims more power with same weight as the 3A for their new 5A smart batteries AKA star batteries. The newest have a built in charge indicator. They are close but the physical size is same. The 4 3A batteries I have are all 10yrs and more old and never failed.
I had some Milwaukee tools but battery failure and poor CS for warranty put an end to that right quick. Never again.
Some comparison pics of the batteries, the old non star batteries work fine in both old and new tools and vice versa. The Rapid charger charges the 5A in 45 min.
I have had chance to use this gun and its fantastic, it fits in tight places, in reverse it can run on a low power setting to "rattle" fasteners loose where most air impact except the IR231 and clones are balls to the wall in reverse.
It has taken brake caliper brackets, control arm bolts, strut nuts, intake bolts and exhaust hanger bolts out with no problem and yes lug nuts are a breeze.
Build quality is excellent, it is solid as a rock. On paper the bigger unit beats it like a red headed stepchild but in the real world it cant hold a candle to this one when it comes to using it all over the car.
This will be my go to gun for removing interior bolts where I don't want to drag a dirty air hose through someones interior.
If I had to own just one gun and no compressor this would be it. For bigger stuff you would still need a breaker bar but most of the stuff will come loose with this.