We’re just going to throw it out there, but there are very few tools that are as handy as an impact wrench, in fact, they’re a strong contender for the number one spot. Need to change a tyre on the side of the road? An impact gun makes it a breeze. Need to tear down an engine? Grab the rattle gun and make life easy on yourself, pal.
Of course, they’re not the right tool for every job – you wouldn’t use one to torque down a head or send your oil filter home – but go ahead and ask just about any mechanic what the most-used tool in the workshop is and they’ll likely point to the apprentice, then the impact gun.
With the proliferation of cordless power-tools (some still use air tools, but there’s really very little call for them these days), we decided we should help you out with a sneaky little buyer’s guide to point you in the right direction when it comes to choosing your next rattle gun.
Just as a side note: we’ll only be focussing on the 1/2in drive units (most with battery) as they’re the most popular for the majority of mechanical work. If you’re super serious about never using your socket set again a good 3/8in or 1/4in drive can be a huge advantage for work that doesn’t require the torque of the Incredible Hulk to get bolts done up or loosened off. Anyway, from budget to ballin’, let’s find the ugga to your dugga.
MILWAUKEE 18V 5.0Ah
POINTS OF INTEREST:
- 1491NM of loosey torque
- 950NM of tighty torque
- 5.0Ah Battery is one of the best in the biz
- Milwaukee reliability
When they finally salvage the Titanic, the Milwaukee Fuel M18 High Torque impact wrench is the gun they’ll use to disassemble it for scrap metal. The rusted bolts won’t stand a chance. Possibly the most popular brand of rattle guns for professionals and home-mechanics alike, the Milwaukee offers the known quantities of reliability, performance and muscle that the global marque has been built on.
Pumping out 1491Nm of nut-busting torque and 950Nm of fastening tightness from its Redlithium 5.0Ah battery (arguably the most efficient in the game), this tool is designed to keep on keeping on while delivering top-tier performance. The charger is ultra-fast and there are three fastening modes that allow you to tailor the torque to your specific requirements. Built to be ridden hard and put away wet, the Milwaukee will not let you down.
RYOBI 18V 4.0Ah
POINTS OF INTEREST:
- 4.0Ah Battery
- 3-speeds
- 1600Nm breakaway torque
- Tri-beam LED light
Home handymen and shade-tree mechanics all over the globe have been in love with the Ryobi ONE+ range for years now due to the fact that there’s about a brazillion tools available that can run off a single battery. This is the big daddy of their impact wrench range, with a hefty 1600Nm of bolt-shifting grunt.
There are three speeds to choose from if you’re doing lighter or medium-duty work and there’s 2800 impacts per minute which makes easy work of stubborn nuts. It comes with a belt clip and a worklight for when there’s a power outage in the shed and you don’t want to bang your shin on your vehicle’s towbar as you make your way to the breaker box.
Grab a battery to go with it and get into it!
TOOLPRO 20V 4.0Ah
POINTS OF INTEREST:
- 4.0Ah Battery
- 400NM max torque
- 3200 max impacts per min
- 3yr warranty
- Brushed Motor
With torque settings ranging from 100Nm to a chunky 400Nm the ToolPro impact wrench is a well-priced rattler that’ll get your bolts looser than a teenager at schoolies. It delivers a max of 3200 impacts per minute, so it’ll do it quick too, and it’s backed up by a tidy 3yr warranty through Supercheap.
The kit comes with a fast charger that’ll breathe 100 percent life back into a completely dead battery in 75mins flat, and there’s even a nifty LED gauge to let you know how much longer you’ve got left before you pull the trigger, and nothing happens. There’s also an LED worklight that illuminates shady under-bonnet areas or when you need help looking for that nut you dropped that then disappeared into a parallel dimension.
AEG 18V 6.0Ah
POINTS OF INTEREST:
- 2100NM loosening torque
- 1550NM tightening toque
- 6.0Ah Battery
- Professional quality
A surprising amount of people haven’t heard of AEG tools, which is a shame as they’re a top-quality brand that’s owned by the same company who manufacture Milwaukee tools, so it’s a bit of a wildcard in our list, but rest assured, it would not be here if it wasn’t one of the best. This Fusion 6 High Torque model is a bit of a beast actually, pumping out a class-leading 2100Nm (loosey) from its brushless motor powered by a 6.0Ah battery, and 1550Nm (tighty), making it capable of making bolts spin no matter how cross-threaded they were when the last numpty sent them home.
It even has a belt hook, so you can pretend you’re Clint Eastwood while that seized manifold bolt and rusted-on shackle nut are the Bad and the Ugly. And while this is not a unit that could ever be accused of being cheap, the torque figures and the fact this brand is a bit of a sleeper favourite among professionals mean you could do a lot worse.
MAKITA 18 V 5.0Ah
POINTS OF INTEREST:
- 5.0Ah Batteries (2 of them)
- 1000NM of torque
- Professional quality
- 5 year warranty on skin
The name Makita needs no introduction in the wide world of tools. It’s a stalwart in the “stuff that just works” game and their impact wrench is no exception. You’ll notice the price of this one is up there, but keep in mind it comes with two (count `em!) batteries, meaning you’ll never be forced to make a cuppa and take the dog for a walk mid-project while your rattle gun powers back up. You can’t put a price on that kind of convenience we reckon.
It also delivers a very healthy 1000Nm of torque, if which, let’s face it, ain’t enough then it’s probably not coming out without a lot more swearing. The skin also comes with a 5-year warranty and the batteries each have 2 years of warranty up their sleeve, so it’s definitely a long-term performer.
METABO 18V 5.5Ah
POINTS OF INTEREST:
- 400Nm of max torque
- 5.5Ah battery
- 4250 Impacts per minute
- German quality
The Metabo rattle gun is made in Germany and while it’s not quite the household name that some of the others on this list are, it’s still a solid performer and a worthy inclusion in your tool arsenal.
Boasting 400Nm of torque from a 5.5Ah Li-ion battery, the Metabo pumps out an eyebrow-raising 4250 impacts per minute and offers a handy 12-speeds, making it ideal for a range of DIY automotive jobs. It’s also a fairly compact gun, allowing it to be used in tight spots.
TEENO 20V 3.0Ah
POINTS OF INTEREST:
- Cheapest on the list
- 320NM max torque
- 2x 3.0Ah batteries
- Comes with bits
Heard of Teeno tools? We hadn’t until recently, but if you’re looking for a light-to medium-duty little rattler this may well be your jam. Coming in as the cheapest jigger on the list, the Teeno features two 3.0Ah Li-ion batteries and pumps out 320Nm of max torque, plus it comes with a full ABS case-full of attachments and bits. For a hundred and fifty biscuits, that has to make it one of the best value guns on the list.
We can’t say we’ve used one of these, so we can’t speak to the performance, but on paper it seems like a cost-effective second rattler to have in the car or if you mainly work on lighter duty fasteners like pit-bikes or go-karts it could be the ideal tool for you.
BOSCH 18V 8.0Ah
POINTS OF INTEREST:
- 1600Nm of loosening torque
- 1000NM of tightening torque
- 2x 8.0Ah batteries
- Brushless 3-speed motor
Another big-name brand, the Bosch rattle gun delivers professional performance with 1000Nm of torque of tightening power and 1600Nm of undoing prowess from its pair of 8.0Ah Li-ion batteries. The bi-turbo brushless motor offers 3-speed settings and is pretty much guaranteed to undo anything this side of a teenage boy struggling with his first bra-clasp.
There’s also a better-than-good 6-year warranty on offer and a fast charger included. At nearly 3kg, it’s no lightweight, but if heft equals quality the Bosch will undoubtedly do what you need it to.
DEWALT 18V 5.0Ah
POINTS OF INTEREST:
- 1625NM breakaway torque
- 950NM zip up torque
- 5.0Ah battery
- Comes with carry case
When Archimedes said that with long enough lever he could move the world, if he’d known this bad boy existed, he’d probably have changed his tool of choice. The XR Brushless High Torque impact wrench from DeWalt is a straight-up world-turner and is the choice of countless mechanics from all over the shop. It grunts out 1625Nm of breakaway torque, 950Nm of “oooh, that’s tight” and 2400 Impacts per minute from its fan-cooled motor, this is just a straight-up performer.
It comes with 3-speeds and a 5.0Ah Li-ion battery and up to 3 years of warranty when registered with DeWalt. There are examples of these being used and abused in workshops all over the globe and they’re a proven, reliable means of unsticking stuck bolts.
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IMPACT GUN BUYERS’ GUIDE
LEFTY LOOSEY, NO RIGHTY TIGHTY
As a rule of thumb impact guns are mainly for backing bolts off rather than doing them up. Due to the huge amounts of torque modern units can produce you really don’t have to hold down the trigger for too long before you snap the bolt, creating a larger headache than the one the impact gun prevented in the first place.
Most mechanics will use a gun to pull down an engine (for example) then use a proper torque wrench to put it back together. Same goes for wheels; crack the nuts with the gun, nip them up with the torque wrench.
READ THE DAMN MANUAL
OK, we’re the first to admit we aren’t the best when it comes to reading instructions. But torque wrenches are powerful bits of gear, so read the manual carefully to make sure you use it safely, get the most out of it and ensure a long life. And only ever use proper impact sockets. Regular sockets are more brittle and will fail.
HOW DO IMPACT WRENCHES WORK?
The motor of a impact wrench accelerates a rotating mass, storing energy. This is suddenly hooked up to the output shaft, otherwise known as the anvil. This creates a high-torque impact, before again spinning freely.
Most of the torque is delivered directly to the fastener, so the user does not feel the kind of twisting force through the handle that you do with a drill.
SIZE ISN’T EVERYTHING
Large batteries are great to extending your play time, but if you need to get into tight spots or work overhead for an extended period, it might pay to swap in a smallery battery.
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