Recommend a battery powered impact?

[robvas]

Home Depot has the DCF921B stubby 1/2" for $199, ordered it today so I'll give it a shot. Comes with two batteries.

Supposedly has 450 nut busting torque so that should handle anything I will throw at it.

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[Doug V]

Home Depot has the DCF921B stubby 1/2" for $199, ordered it today so I'll give it a shot. Comes with two batteries.

Supposedly has 450 nut busting torque so that should handle anything I will throw at it.

I am not an expert but my understanding is cars would use 400-500 ft lbs and large trucks and SUVs about 700-800. My lugs at 150 ft lbs would be 500. Strut to spindle nuts use 185+ ft lbs. Hard to remove and seized bolts need require high torque to remove them. So if you do wheel and suspension work, I would get at least a good mid-level impact wrench.

 

[robvas]

I am not an expert but my understanding is cars would use 400-500 ft lbs and large trucks and SUVs about 700-800. My lugs at 150 ft lbs would be 500. Strut to spindle nuts use 185+ ft lbs. Hard to remove and seized bolts need require high torque to remove them. So if you do wheel and suspension work, I would get at least a good mid-level impact wrench.

For sure. Plus They are often advertised higher than they actually put out in some cases. So if you have something that is only rated at 250 or even 300 you might not be able to get some lugnuts off that are really cranked on a big rusted suspension bolt.

Plus if you stick an adapter or extension on you're going to lose power there. Sometimes over 20%. And you need to big battery on a lot of them to get full power.

I'm hoping with this 1/2" compact I can do all the lugnuts and suspension bolts but still be small enough to get in to do brake caliper bolts and some engine bay stuff without having to switch guns.

Picked the 1/2 over the 3/8 because most of my impact sockets are 1/2 (especially the big ones where you need the power) and won't have to use an adapter (which loses power)

 

[kz]

I am not an expert but my understanding is cars would use 400-500 ft lbs and large trucks and SUVs about 700-800. My lugs at 150 ft lbs would be 500.

Do you mean that you need 500 ft-lb impact to remove 150 ft-lb torqued lug nuts ?
If yes, that's not even remotely true (unless they're truly seized but then you have different of issue of breakaway torque snapping or plastically yielding lug bolt) - my gen 1 Milwaukee stubby (which isn't even close to 550 ft-lb that gen 2 makes) takes all the lug nuts pretty comfortabley with 5Ah XC M12 battery.

 

[dasrider]

This is a pretty interesting thread now. So this whole "nut-busting" torque rating is just advertising and marketing speak, though it is relative. The Milwaukee mid-torque 1/2" I bought is advertised for 200-600ft lbs of NB torque. I don't know if there is a calculation to determine exactly what the limit for bolt removal that correlates to though.

All I know is that I was able to remove a set of 30mm axle nuts on a 21yo, 150,000 mile Highlander with this thing without breaking a sweat. Upon reinstallation those things had to torque to 218ft-lbs for reference. Don't think I'll work on anything much higher than that in my garage.

 

[robvas]

IMO, if you are planning on removing lugnuts etc, the minimum you want a gun to dyno at (according to something like Torque Test Channel) is 300ft-lbs. Otherwise you will be getting your breaker bar out at some point.

There are complaints of guns like the Milwaukee 2855 not taking off some tough ones and that gun is around 250

Take all the ratings on the spec sheets with a grain of salt. Watch a Youtuber that you can trust test them.

I first had a low-end gun that put out about 200lb and kept running into stuff it wouldn't budge so I bought a bigger one. The occasional lugnut and things like the 24mm and 27mm bolts on the upper control arm on a S197 Mustang.

Now, when you get into the high power guns you have to be careful with them, use them on a lower power setting, etc because you will wreck shit if you aren't careful.

Here's some damaged spline drive lugnuts as an example. They aren't McGard or Gorilla, but the generic ones you buy from AM/LMR.

 

[Joe Gonsalves]

Here's the deal with these portable impact guns, The battery must be fully charged in order to achieve the advertised torque. That's when the battery has the most stored energy in it. As you use the tool the brake away torque output will slowly diminish. This is when you'll find that it will not remove stubborn lug nuts. Manufactures of these tools play games with specs to make their tool look better. They never advertise under what conditions they achieved their rating. So a tool advertised at 300lb may only in fact be 150lb when the battery is midway in its discharge curve. Oh, and as the battery ages its coulomb capacity also diminishes.

 

[robvas]

New toy came in. It's a very short gun compared to my current ones. Tested the Dewalt out with lugnuts tightened to 96, 120, and 140ft-lb.

Took them all off, of course, had a very slight hesitation on the 120/140's. You won't be fooled into thinking you're holding a high-torque but it has enough power. Did notice a lot more vibration etc makes it through to your hand than a larger gun which I guess you would expect.

Going to try it out in place of the 1/4 driver and 1/2 Ryobi.

Size comparisons.

 

[ThePreBanMan]

I think the battery system is an important consideration. I'm into the Milwaukee tools for that reason. But, that said, some of their stuff isn't as good as other brands.

DeWalt, for example, makes better saws and automotive tools.
Milwaukee makes better yard and outdoor tools, and trade-specific tools for plumbers, etc.

I have a lot of Milwaukee stuff, but it's not cheap, and in some cases, not worth the price premium. I'm considering dipping into the DeWalt arena because of some problems I've had with my Milwaukee stuff, actually. I had to warranty my 1/2 inch impact wrench new - right out of the box. Same with a circular saw. Brand new, and the contactors were junk, saw intermittently, would not work on trigger pull.

If I could do it all again, I would still buy into Milwaukee. They make a lot of tools that no other manufacturer does... But my impact wrenches, etc. I would probably get another brand. Maybe Ingersoll Rand. I have a lot of IR air tools and none of that stuff is junk... All the saws would absolutely be DeWalt.

 

[Doug V]

Do you mean that you need 500 ft-lb impact to remove 150 ft-lb torqued lug nuts ?
If yes, that's not even remotely true (unless they're truly seized but then you have different of issue of breakaway torque snapping or plastically yielding lug bolt) - my gen 1 Milwaukee stubby (which isn't even close to 550 ft-lb that gen 2 makes) takes all the lug nuts pretty comfortabley with 5Ah XC M12 battery.

I wasn't saying that you need 500 ft lbs to remove a bolt torqued to 150ft lbs. But the mechanism is different on a wrench compared to an impact tool. A wrench can provide a constant level while the impact other has a hammer mechanism. The ratings for an impact will always be higher to do the same level of work.

 

[I Bleed Ford Blue]

I wasn't saying that you need 500 ft lbs to remove a bolt torqued to 150ft lbs. But the mechanism is different on a wrench compared to an impact tool. A wrench can provide a constant level while the impact other has a hammer mechanism. The ratings for an impact will always be higher to do the same level of work.

Also you can't always believe the manufacturers ratings. Unless they have been verified by an independent test facility, like torque test channel or something similar. Just get the highest output you can afford, because someday you will run into that bolt and be glad you bought the big gun.

 

[Mikepol2]

I got this Ryobi PBLIW01K1 high torque 1/2" for Christmas and holy balls is it powerful. Zipped a lug off my truck in about 2 seconds.

https://www.ryobitools.com/products...Y57OhOT61ZaqB73y4vHPuY6-4M54Gn-s9nS3zd7hLL3j3

UPDATE: Using it today (3/6/2026) for real for the first time installing the Steeda IRS bushing supports. How have I gone so long without one??? Oh, the wasted years!

 

[ThePreBanMan]

I have the Milwaukees in 1/2 and 3/8ths. I wish I had the DeWalts.

 

[barron64]

I have a large Makita 18v platform...1/2" impact has never let me down.

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