I like my tools; Not just having them, but using them, and I have a lot of them in my workshop. I tend to buy what I need when I need it and try to make good purchasing decisions applying a buy once, cry once ethos meaning I buy the most suitable product for the job at hand, and if that happens to be more expensive then so be it. Of course, there's limitations on that expense thing.
I'm not a tradesman, just a home handyman that knows how to do some things, fumbles through what I don't know or takes some instruction and has a go.
It's for that reason my tools aren't the most expensive on the market; I have no need for professional-use tools, just good quality occasional-use items. Festool, AEG, Milwaukie, DeWalt, Hilti and the like are not my go-to brands although I have some. No, my usual go-to brand, for power tools, is Ryobi.
I use their cordless range, the 18V One+ system which means I can power many tools with the one battery. Of course I have multiple batteries to keep me powered at all times. This means that when I go looking for a power tool I go to Ryobi as it's what I already have, and I'll be honest, they have never let me down, not once. Don't get me wrong, I'd love the professional use items, I just don't need them and I'm a need over want buyer.
Went in for a driver bit, came out with...
Today I went to the hardware store, Bunnings Warehouse, looking for a magnetic 5/16" driver-bit for my Ryobi impact driver, a $7.99 item made by American company IRWIN. I was on the way to the checkout when the trouble started. I deviated to the tool shop for a look at impact wrenches and I'll just cut to the chase here...I bought one!
You see, a couple weeks ago I got a flat tyre and had to call roadside assistance to change it - I was not being lazy, I was in a suit in the middle of my work day so couldn't risk getting dirty.
The guy had an impact wrench and so the job was done in a few minutes, after me waiting an hour for him to get there, and I was on my way. It got me thinking though.
I've always wanted an impact wrench, sometimes called rattle guns, but haven't really had the need for one as an impact driver handles all the jobs I have to do. Still, that episode made me think how handy one would be when I'm out camping and off-roading.
Rattle gun?
There's a difference between an impact driver and an impact wrench, or rattle gun. In a nutshell, an impact driver is used to drive long screws into things, wood and metal.
An impact wench is designed more to tighten and loosen nuts and bolts. The impact driver is more a home handyman tool and the impact wrench is more for automotive use, for wheel nuts and other various parts that need tightening. The impact driver has a ¼” hex collet and the impact wrench uses a ½” square drive. They are also far more powerful than the impact driver, designed to deliver high torque.
Anyway, off to the tool section I went and...Low and behold, I found an impact wrench. What a surprise.
Brushed or brushless, that is the question
There were two actually...The brushless and brushed version with the latter being $189 and the brushless $259. This brush/brushless thing relates to the motor.
Ok, so here's another nutshell...Brushless motors are more powerful than brushed tools. They run cooler and can run for longer and require less maintenance. It's a tight nutshell but this is already going to be a long post so I'm trying to be brief.
The main thing I had to consider was how the power is delivered.
You see, the brushless model provides 270Nm of torque in forward and reverse, tightening and loosening. Pretty good. !005 power both ways.
The brushed model is 360Nm of torque but here's the kicker folks, that's in forward only. In reverse it's 50% of that at 180Nm. That's just the nature of the brushed motor. That's why the impact driver is good for driving things in and not for undoing things so much. Still ok, but not great.
The purpose I would put the impact wrench to is basically wheel changing. When off-roading flat tyres happen, it just comes with the territory. If you've ever changed one you'll know how much help this impact driver is going to be; Also, there'll be loads of rattle gun envy when that gun starts singing! There's other uses for it though of course.
If you've ever been camping you'll know that tent pegs are required. I have a camper trailer that can get work without them but a full set up requires tent pegs. So, like everyone else I've been hammering them in and having trouble getting them out when packing up.
A while back I had an epiphany though...Use very long coach screws or galvanised hex-head screws instead of pegs. The thread makes them easy to drive in and they hold there by way of that very same thread. They work a treat, although they'd need an impact wrench to put them in. I borrowed one, did some testing and yep...Works like magic.
So, having an impact wrench on board my vehicle serves a double purpose.
The unboxing
I'll admit that this part isn't going to be much fun for you. Open box, pull out impact wrench is pretty much all there was to it. I had a good time though, I mean it's always exciting to open up a new tool and play with it, for me anyway. The first time I pulled that trigger...Oh man, so satisfying.
I bought what they call a skin meaning there's no battery with it - I have loads of them so don't need anymore, the same goes for the chargers although I really like their 12v charger which would mean I can plug it into my vehicle's 12v socket and charge on the run. I'll get that when I need it.
Below you'll see it with battery off and battery on - top right and left respectively.
You'll note the ergonomic handle which is required because a firm grip is needed to operate this tool due to the torque it puts out. he ½” square drive on the wrench which is where the sockets are fitted. The cool thing is that it also has an adaptor to fit on the ½” square drive to step it down to ¼” hex drive allowing all the accessories a standard impact driver would take making this a flexible solution for my vehicle and camping purposes.
Speaking of sockets, this impact wrench is useless without them and so I purchased a wheel nut socket set.
Below you'll see the set I purchased. It wasn't the most expensive, just $28.00, but it came with 17mm, 19mm and 21mm sockets; It will do what I need it to. You'll note in the images below that the sockets have a nylon sleave - The white part. That's there to protect the vehicle's rims from impact damage from the spinning of the sockets.
The wheel nut sockets below are 41xx steel, chromoly steel, often referred to as cro-moly. The steel combines chromium and molybdenum and its strength to weight ratio is excellent, even stronger than 1020 steel; This is important due to the high torque output and the impact the rattle gun applies.
But does it work
The impact driver has three speeds and an auto stop plus some LED work lights that illuminate when the trigger is pressed. One may think the lights are a gimmick but in the dead of night when I'm trying to drive in some tent pegs or out in the field at night trying to undo wheel nuts I think they will come in handy.
The speeds allow the operator to select the most suitable for the task. Low will be for tent pegs and the highest for wheel nuts for instance. The auto stop is not something I'll use for wheel nuts but could can come in handy when tightening components I guess, suspension parts maybe.
Below you can see it up against one of my wheel nuts. The keen eyed amongst you will note something isn't quite right though.
Can you pick it? I'm talking about the image below at the top left corner. Pick it and comment below and I'll send you 20 hive - You need to be accurate though. I'll reveal the issue in a few days though.
Yes, it works. It removed the wheel nuts with ease.
It sort of bangs away at it for a few split seconds, the impact, and then as the nut loosens it spins it off completely. I'd say around a second all up and the nut is off.
To put it back on the nut is started by hand and then the wrench goes on and it spins it tight in about a second. When it reaches maximum torque the impact starts again, banging away at the nut until the trigger is released. That's the part where one needs a firm grip or it can twist the impact wrench right out of the operators hand.
Of course that's not the end of the job. At this point each nut needs to be snicked up tight with a hand wrench. I use a breaker bar with the wheel nut socket on it. I'm talking about a 1/4 turn to each wheel nut or so in an opposing pattern of course. That's about it. Job done.
I'm pretty pleased with my latest purchase and whilst I went in for a $7.99 item and spent...Well I got a few things so let's just say I spent more than $7.99...I think this impact wrench will come in handy for years to come.
I'm not a tool snob, but they're out there. People who talk big about DeWalt or Festool, Milwaukie or whatever...All great tools and if a person bangs away on them all day every day then they're a requirement. That's not me though, I'm a dabbler fixing and repairing things when they need it and doing hobby stuff.
Just as a comparison, the 18v DeWalt impact wrench, skin only so no battery, is $449 at Bunnings Warehouse...Way too much than I need to spend. Is it better? Probably. Do I want it, definitely. Will I get it? Yeah maybe, but not until I need it! Which is probably going to be never.
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised.
Be well
Discord: galenkp#9209