Cordless Impact Wrench's

[Wozza244]

I have been going mad buying new sidchrome tools the last 2 wks, there are some great buys on ebay but im looking into a cordless impact wrench and been looking at the DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee and Snap On brands.
I dont need one with stump pulling power, just normal jobs on the ute.

Who has one or could recommend a good one to suit? I have done my own research but only on the net, no actual use.

[DAVESGQ]

Hitachi impact driver. 3 amp hour Li-ion batters last ages. Top quality and i have compared it to my mates Makita Impact driver and it rips all over it. Great tool and value for money. Know plenty of blokes who have them and have rarely had a problem

[brissle]

also use hitachi at work, they get flogged but seem to keep going

[sheriff]

a mate of mine had a snap on one it seem to work well

[coxy321]

Kincrome for the cheaper option (batteries don't seem to be as good), or SnapOn if you have spare $$$. Haven't had any issues with either of them, except from the suprisingly short life of the Kincrome batteries (NiCD though ).

[jlux3012]

Panasonic, used them for years with no dramas at all. Plus they will always have the best battery on the market as they make the batteries for most of their opposition. But i guess as with most things you get what you pay for so if you spend cheap you will probably get cheap.

[MKPatrolGuy]

I use a Snap-On 1/2" and 3/8" cordless impact gun daily and they have never missed a beat.

Dave

[fester2au]

We use nothing but Hilti at work and you can't kill them.Well you can but it's hard and even then they have one of the better trade warranties. 12mths - 2 yrs and when you send something back for repair regardless of what is repaired they then warrant the whole tool for a further 6mths even if it is out of original warranty. Pretty dear though even compared to most of the other bigs names listed above.
Boss is a bit of an unofficial rep for them too. Local boilermakers were using Hitashi and other 5" grinders and killing them within 6 mths, unuseable and unwarrantable. They now use the Hiltis and we've sent 2 back in 18mths, returned with full warranty no questions asked.Were killing the others at the rate of one every 2 mths or so.

Unfortunately out of my price range though.

[AFeral]

My boss love Hitachi, I don't know why. The grinders sh*t themselves real quick. The 1/2 cordless impact guns work really well much to my surprise we use them on site all day, just keep swapping the batterys. Theres a mob on ebay usa called 'we-are-tools' they sell them real cheap, could be worth a look.

[tanz-e]

my boss buys hitachi as well... we smash screws in with em all day long and they just love it! tend to cop a little more abuse from labradors that cant use tools properly nor care for them because they dont own them, and they just keep goin and goin.
Personally i would buy panasonic.
there also a great tool, much smaller and more compact than the hitachi, lite, will cop heaps of abuse and there cheaper... you'll get a drill and impacter for about 600 and then with a little modification they'll fit into the one box!

[evanstaniland]

I have been going mad buying new sidchrome tools the last 2 wks, there are some great buys on ebay but im looking into a cordless impact wrench and been looking at the DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee and Snap On brands.
I dont need one with stump pulling power, just normal jobs on the ute.

Who has one or could recommend a good one to suit? I have done my own research but only on the net, no actual use.

Hitachi and makita have the same torque around 220Nm 12month warranty
Milwaukee has 248Nm and 5 yr warrnty on the tool and 2 yr on the battery, 3 amp hour li-on batterys awsell.
snap on not sure on warranty or torque but they have more.

i Have a bug 1/2" snap on one and its great but bulky and i have a Milwaukee 1/2" one and loving it.

i chose milwaukee because of the warranty.

Evan

[napsta]

I bought one of the Milwaukee 28 volt ones. It had some awesome reviews, and it is extremely powerful, but it is pretty bulky and heavy - much bigger than it looked online, so if you're not needing the power, might be worth avoiding it. But if you want something insanely powerfull, then grab one. The batteries last forever too, and charge in less than an hour. We stopped using the rattle gun in the workshop and started using this, and has been used for a few months, plus thrashed around at events, and is still going strong.

[V8Patrol]

.... Who has one or could recommend a good one to suit ? .....

I build sheds for a living..... so a drill, tek gun and wrench & 4" grinder are essential items in the kit.....


I use Hitachi & would never buy anything but

one co-worker uses makita, its ok but as posted before lacks the 'grunt' of the hitachi gear, its also lighter in its weight so its great for longterm usage, the differance isn't much but its noticable after an hour or 2 ..... he'll buy hitachi next time round .... needs more GRUNT


another uses Milwaukee gear and it seems ok...... but its pharken heavy compared to the others, my arms ache after an hour of using it

a subby uses dewalt....... excelent stuff .... if ya got the $$$$$$

the boss uses the cheapish shyte from bunnings, $99 drill etc, its ok for the home handyman things and for short term usage, the lith/ion battery models are better gear but they still arent up to the "named" gear.... seriously lacking in the grunt department




As for issues I've had from my gear.......... ( done about 30 odd sheds so far with em )

1/ the drill -
brush housing is weakish, a small "dropped it" and it landing on the housing see's the housing go out of shape and then the brushes jam, easy fix with a screwdriver.
belt clip tends to rub ones hip annoyingly after prolonged usage
dificult battery removal/replacement compared to the makita / dewalt setup

2/ tek gun -
belt clip tends to rub ones hip annoyingly after prolonged usage
dificult battery removal/replacement compared to the makita / dewalt setup

3/ wrench -
have to use earplugs..... its LOUD and reverberates through the shed structures.... earplugs not needed when working on car engines etc
belt clip tends to rub ones hip annoyingly after prolonged usage
some sockets dont stay on the drive..... mainly name brand sockets which is odd,the elcheapo's stay on good
dificult battery removal/replacement compared to the makita / dewalt setup

4/ grinder -
excelent for small light jobs, lacks grunt on bigger cuts
dificult battery removal/replacement compared to the makita / dewalt setup

5/ charger -
dificult to see what stage charge its at when in sunlight.... led is weak....ok inside tho
noisey fan when ya are re-charging in the site hut @ smoko
lead is way too long...... cut mine down to 600mm long ........ fixed

6/ batteries -
no issues except for the tight fitting into the tool....
Even after the hundreds of changes of batteries between the tools and charger the fit is STILL TIGHT
expect to pay around $100 ~ $150 PER battery
Foot note: Onsite......
I use the one battery at a time, swapping it between tools as required, leaving a spare fully charged unit and one in the charger.
the other batteries are still in their boxes and will stay there till one dies.......

7/ carry cases or hitachi bag -
the cases take up too much room on the truck ( 4 cases...) but are good and strong and very durable
I bought a largish hitachi bag and use it now for the 4 tools, 1 charger, & 3 batteries, various sockets and drill bits too are in it
the bag is good but the stitching is shyte on the pockets in some areas, the zip lasted 2 days .... oh well, it was only $18

its doing ok......


All that may sound negative.... but they are minor issues compared to what my co-workers have had with their gear




remember.... my gear is used on a daily basis and gets a fair flogging .... my income depends on it being up to scratch
it has to be HITACHI



Kingy

[Wozza244]

Wow, Kingy!! Great review mate thanks for your time and effort in helping me make the decision, you deserve a beer mate HITACHI it is then

Just spoke to a bloke thismorning with a HITACHI and he rates it same as you do, great stuff might check ebay against the local tool warehouses and see what deal i can get

[oozuk]

i use the snap on 1\2 inch battery rattle gun.

I've had it for a few years now and bought it with intentions just to use it on the 4by but i liked it so much it replaced my air rattle gun at work for 99% of it's duties

I work as a truck mechanic so it gets a hard time

[Mick.]

I have been going mad buying new sidchrome tools the last 2 wks, there are some great buys on ebay but im looking into a cordless impact wrench and been looking at the DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee and Snap On brands.
I dont need one with stump pulling power, just normal jobs on the ute.

Who has one or could recommend a good one to suit? I have done my own research but only on the net, no actual use.

Hitachi and makita have the same torque around 220Nm 12month warranty
Milwaukee has 248Nm and 5 yr warrnty on the tool and 2 yr on the battery, 3 amp hour li-on batterys awsell.
snap on not sure on warranty or torque but they have more.

i Have a bug 1/2" snap on one and its great but bulky and i have a Milwaukee 1/2" one and loving it.

i chose milwaukee because of the warranty.

Evan

The Snap On one is
400 Ft. Lbs. Torque Output
&
620 Ft. Lbs. Bolt Breakaway Torque Output What ever that means.

Cheers Mick.

[V8Patrol]

..... Just spoke to a bloke thismorning with a HITACHI and he rates it same as you do ......

Best way to findout.......
go to a worksite, visit the local plumbers, talk to tradies.....

most will use hitachi

[bad_religion_au]

Just finished a clutch job with a snap on one... i'm in love with it... worth the money if you've got the cash to throw at it.

[Mick.]

Just finished a clutch job with a snap on one... i'm in love with it... worth the money if you've got the cash to throw at it.

There definently the best rattle gun i've ever used and even leave the air ones for dead. I just bought one of there cordless drills which use the same battery.

Cheers Mick.

[bad_religion_au]

[quote="Mick."]and even leave the air ones for dead. [\quote]

THis is what surprised me most... having used a snapon air rattle gun on a good workshop compressor, i didn't expect the battery one to compare.

[Mick.]

and even leave the air ones for dead. [\quote]

THis is what surprised me most... having used a snapon air rattle gun on a good workshop compressor, i didn't expect the battery one to compare.

I think they shock a lot of people. Since I bought mine 3 of my mates now have them as well and none of us are mechanics.

I just wish they would bring out cordless grinders as well so I don't have to buy another brand as I don't want to have to buy more batteries if I can help it.

[Foo on patrol]

I have an Uncle that was a plumber (retired now) and his gear was Hitachi and Metablo.

[virtha21]

I previosly owned the panasonic multi was a big fan until the batterys shit themselves, spose charging them on a generator doesn't help, but i got the new M18 lithium 3ah battert milwaukee impact gun awesome would highly recommend it very fast and powerful for their size.

[V8Patrol]

I just wish they would bring out cordless grinders as well so I don't have to buy another brand as I don't want to have to buy more batteries if I can help it.

Its one of the reasons I went hitachi...... they had a grinder in the cordless dept

Now if they'd just do the cordless sheer tool (for cutting roofing iron) ........

But like yourself, I may have to buy another brand....... dewalt , leaving me with differing batteries, & additional charger to pack....

[Wozza244]

Yes, the grinder bit helped my decision too, i was in the market for one and having quality impact gun and grinder with interchangeable batteries is just awesome, especially out the tracks.

[Mick.]

I just wish they would bring out cordless grinders as well so I don't have to buy another brand as I don't want to have to buy more batteries if I can help it.

Its one of the reasons I went hitachi...... they had a grinder in the cordless dept

Now if they'd just do the cordless sheer tool (for cutting roofing iron) ........

But like yourself, I may have to buy another brand....... dewalt , leaving me with differing batteries, & additional charger to pack....

How do you find the cordless Hitachi grinders?

I actually want to get a couple for work so I've got one with a cut off wheel and one with a flappy disc on it to save changing them over all the time as I do about 2 or 3 hours grinding a day.

We have the conventional ones at the moment and there awesome but it's a pain in the ass when you have 2 grinders ( 2 cords) and a welder set up on the one job as I keep getting tangled up. Plus i'm about to get an airfed welding helmet soon to so i'm going to have cords everywhere.

Cheers Mick.

[lump_a_charcoal]

I use the hitachi one too, great unit.

I also have the battery drill, and a reciprocating saw (great for camping firewood cutting duties).

[V8Patrol]

How do you find the cordless Hitachi grinders ....

50/50

+
Great for onsite work, but only on the thinner materials, anything over 3mm is testing it.
Awsome onsite and w/shop use for removing burrs, cleaning up oxy cuts, even removing old welds, rust, etc etc.

-
lacks grunt over a 240volt unit .....(has about 1/2 ~ 2/3's the power)
sucks up the batteries when working it hard



=/-
the battery makes it dificult to use in tight spots although its well balanced in the hand and weight is excelent.







I've lost count of the number of times the battery has cutout and the charger and spare batteries are at the furthermost point away from me



we need a battery opperated charger




Kingy

[Polar_Bear]

Now if they'd just do the cordless sheer tool (for cutting roofing iron) ........

I bloke at our local tool shop used to fit these to hitachi drills.

http://www.excaliburtools.com.au/shop/p ... t=2&page=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[V8Patrol]

Wrong type of cutting head .............

thats a single shear cutting head and they tend to stretch the edge slightly as a result, this then leaves roofing iron thats slightly warped and never fits right.



want the double shear head.....

Dewalt eg:




better view of the head:




actual cutting blades:



Kingy