Anyone have one of Milwaukee's M18 cordless 1/2" drive impacts?

[Matt Meiser]

I've got a bunch of Milwaukee's M18 cordless stuff which I really like. They've got a 1/2" drive impact wrench (2662-20) I've had my eye on. I'm wondering if this could legitimately eliminate my Chicago Pneumatic air impact that I use for working on the vehicles and tractor. Anyone have one? Do you like it? Does it have comparable power to an air model?

[Jeff Monson]

2 techs in my shop own 1/2" cordless impacts, 1 has a snap on and the other has a milwaukee, I dont think 1 has much over the other, very comparable for torque and battery life. The snap on was more money, but thats usual for their tools. One nice thing with the lithium ion impacts, they put out full torque or nothing, there is no inbetween. A typical charge will swap out 2 sets of wheels, which isnt bad for battery power.

I think for home use it could replace your air impact, the torque is great, and battery life has com a LONG ways. For heavy use its hard to replace a good compressor and impact setup.

[Brian Brightwell]

I am in the process of building a 32x48 pole barn out of rough sawed hard wood. I chose to use 5x1/2 inch lag screws instead of nails.
I bought the Milwaukee impact for this job. I have been very pleased with it. Plenty of power and long battery life. I am not going to get rid of my 1/2 inch air impact but it won't get much use from now on.

[Matt Meiser]

Thanks guys, exactly the feedback I was looking for. I don't use it much, but the drawback to the air unit is that it doesn't work well off my portable compressor. I do all my vehicle maintenance in the attached garage 120 feet from the big compressor in the shop. Then again, that's probably why I don't use it much. For me, heavy use is doing a brake job and taking off all four wheels and snugging the lugnuts back on after. On the tractor, the main thing I use it for is taking on and off the 3 bolts for the blades. A plug-in electric would probably be just as convenient but similar in price for a comparable quality brand.

[Matt Meiser]

I picked one of these up a few weeks ago and used it for the first time this week to rotate my tires. Very nice. I need some accessories though. In the past I've always used my regular 1/2" SAE Craftsman sockets which yeah, I know is a big no-no. Most things I'd use it for are metric though and I don't have 1/2" drive metric sockets so I figure I'll get real impact sockets. Anyone have a recommendation? And don't say Snap On--not going to happen. I'm looking more for inexpensive but OK quality for occasional use.

[John Lanciani]

I bought SAE and metric imact sockets at (loved or loathed) Harbor Freight years ago with the thought that I'd replace the ones that I junked with Craftsman. I think I have 4 craftsman impact sockets now. For a weekend warrior the HF sockets are fine, maybe just buy a craftsman for the size that fits the lugnuts on your car.

John

[Greg R Bradley]

The Harbor Freight Impact Sockets that are made in Taiwan are shockingly good for the price. The Taiwanese regular sockets at Harbor Freight are a step down from that but still excellent for the price. One of my customers, who owns a trucking company with their own repair facility is a bit less impressed so I am guessing they are not as good in the large sizes or when driven by really large impact units. Don't confuse them with the "Made in China" junk that are right beside them on the shelf.

My point of reference is my experience owning an auto repair/restoration shop where most of the tools are Snap-On. The best mechanic I've ever known, who started working for me 36 years ago feels the same. He states that they are worth half the price of Snap-On but are actually less than 5% of the cost.

These are one of the very few items at Harbor Freight that are a great deal. From my experience, most of the stuff at Harbor Freight is so horrible as to be near useless. You really have to look at each item and talk to people about which of their products are OK.