The Official Tool Guide and Recommendation Thread?

[V1GiLaNtE]

I think we have a Harbor Freight specific thread but not for tools in general..

I'm in the market for a cordless impact. A quick glance at the local Depot was nothing shy of 1/4" impacts everywhere.. Not gonna cut it.

I'm looking for a solid 1/2" impact to do lug nuts and other minor tasks on the jeep. I currently have the new 18v series drill from Milwaukee and would like to keep one battery setup for many tools, but my online searches have shown mixed reviews of the Milawaukee 1/2" drive.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002AKKJBS/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1397874855&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40">http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002AKKJB ... SY200_QL40</a><!-- m -->

Dewalt seems like a solid choice and I have some experience with it.

I'm looking to keep it around $200. Of course I'll have to pay more for a kit with multiple batteries.

What say you MM? What's on your workbench?

[Jake]

I have the Ryobi(?) lime green impact from Home Depot. It's 1/2" drive and has held up to a ton of abuse. The lime green stuff all shares a battery so you can buy like, two batteries and swap them around if you have other cordless gadgetry of theirs.

[Ryan T]

Is cordless a must for you? If not, I have a Dewalt 1/2in corded impact wrench <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.lowes.com/pd_93653-70-DW292_0__?productId=3535278&Ntt=dewalt+corded+mpact&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Ddewalt%2Bcorded%2Bmpact&facetInfo=">http://www.lowes.com/pd_93653-70-DW292_ ... facetInfo=</a><!-- m --> . I have yet to run into anything this wrench couldn't break loose. Works great with an extension cord and if you need extended periods of impact pressure to break a really stubborn nut free the 110V set up will feed it power all day.

[Kaan]

You know I have the dewalt... Rumor is the new 18v lithium ions retro fit in the old 18v system

Sylvia purchased the impact with no batteries online for my birthday... Then I bought the drill with a charger and 2 batteries on sale for $99. It doesn't always fit where I want it but its comparable in power to my brother snapon.

I've been looking at their smaller line of impacts too just to help with tough spots and tearing down things quickly.

[D_Eclipse9916]

Maeng and I both use the ryobi impact as well. I am going on years of abuse, hundreds of tire changes and has not skipped a beat. I also have more of their tools and none have broken with extensive use.

[V1GiLaNtE]

Is cordless a must for you? If not, I have a Dewalt 1/2in corded impact wrench <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.lowes.com/pd_93653-70-DW292_0__?productId=3535278&Ntt=dewalt+corded+mpact&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Ddewalt%2Bcorded%2Bmpact&facetInfo=">http://www.lowes.com/pd_93653-70-DW292_ ... facetInfo=</a><!-- m --> . I have yet to run into anything this wrench couldn't break loose. Works great with an extension cord and if you need extended periods of impact pressure to break a really stubborn nut free the 110V set up will feed it power all day.

It is Thayer. I live in a condo with a parking garage and an outlet is not readily available at all. I also want something that's trail ready in the event of breakage.

[V1GiLaNtE]

Maeng and I both use the ryobi impact as well. I am going on years of abuse, hundreds of tire changes and has not skipped a beat. I also have more of their tools and none have broken with extensive use.

Jake/DJ,

I'll be sure to check the local HD again to see if this setup is still available. Seems like a no brainier purchase. How has it held up to more labor intensive duties underneath the vehicle?

[D_Eclipse9916]

It won't bust a 250lb wheel bearing nut loose if it's been on there since oem. But anything below ~150 it seems to get off pretty easily. I have played with the desalts and similar. Only one that really separates itself is the snap-on. That thing is awesome but 5x the price

[Mike]

I'm very pleased with my Dewalt "20v" stuff. They have a 1/2". I couldn't be happier for having bought into this line.

[navin]

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I love the 3/8th dewalt 18v... Zaps off my lugnuts at the track with ease (80ft/lbs), and is small enough to maneuver to get most of the suspension bolts.

I bought some random dewalt 18v package of home tools like the drill, and impact driver so I just use the batteries with my impact guns.

[davej]

i'll bump the dewalts, have the 1/2" and their little 3/8" impact driver also, great for small spots like navin mentioned. used the big boy for a few of the tougher stuff, but it didn't do anything on Lincoln's axle bolt this weekend. (although we gave up pretty quickly for a breaker bar)

although i already had a bunch of batteries and chargers for my other tools.

Edit: my only complaint about dewalt's 1/2" is the forward/reverse is done by pushing down on the trigger or up on the trigger, not a regular switch to change. not a huge deal, but more than once i've spun off a lugbolt when i wanted to tighten it. also a tap of the trigger will give you around 30 turns or something crazy, where the little impact driver stops spinning as soon as you let off the trigger. not sure if that's a standard setup on 1/2" across manufactures or not though as i only have one data point.

[ViPER1313]

If you don't have one of these, you should

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Kobalt-Double-drive-20-Set-0409432/dp/B00A3KEXR8/">http://www.amazon.com/Kobalt-Double-dri ... 00A3KEXR8/</a><!-- m -->


Worth every penny. I was really skeptical at first but it is barely thicker than a regular ratchet and really comes in handy more than I thought it would.

[Senor_Taylor]

What is going on with that link?

[Mike]

Adam views the internet in binary. Don't you?

[Evan]

Adam views the internet in binary. Don't you?

Or a 2003 flip phone?

Sent from my LG-V500 using Tapatalk

[ViPER1313]

I really don't know what happened there, fixed the link.

[Senor_Taylor]

Adam views the internet in binary. Don't you?

Not since Neo destroyed the Matrix.

Sent from my SCH-R530U using Tapatalk

[Senor_Taylor]

BACK FROM THE DEAD. BABY.

I've been learning in the art of Ratchets lately. There's a lot more going on than you'd think.

20 years ago the answer was simple. Backyard mechanic? Craftsman! Skilled Mechanic or Professional? Snap-On or Matco. Maybe throw a Cornwall in there somewhere.


My how things have changed. My crappy old 36 tooth Craftsman ratchets have served their duty, and I've since realized how negatively they affect my efficiency. I wanted to grab on of the "Premium" craftsman ratchets, which are essentially Snap On clones, but it seems they discontinued that line after 1-2 years due to poor sales. Yesterday, I dropped by Home Depot and picked up a "100 position" Husky 3/8" drive ratchet. I use the quotes because I believe it's only 80 or 84 teeth, but probably uses dual prawls that are slightly offset to mimic 100 teeth. In Short, it's amazing.

The one thing craftsman has going for it is the quality of the casings. I've used my set for about 6 years now and and have used them as hammers, pry bars, dropped them, thrown them, etc. The actual handle and head still look great. They're not ergonomic, but you never lose grip of them. The Huskey ratchet on the other hand has a more Snap-On-esque design with the rounded handle and flat head. I bought one that was powdercoated blacked, so it was immediately scratched and gouged last night as I tossed them around. The craftsman ratchets are shorter and seem to flex less under heavy torque, but for now, I'll also chalk that up to the sockets I was using with the husky driver. Other than that, the difference in quality is night and day as far as use goes. The smoothness of the ratcheting and ease of use is great. You only have to move the handle 3 degrees before it finds the next tooth and this makes working in tight spaces much easier. I do think I'll use the craftsman driver when trying to break things loose, especially when using a cheater pipe.

The jury is still out on the Husky "Universal" sockets that it came with. They have a bunch of metal teeth that grab onto different bolt heads, but they mainly seem to mar the bolts as much as they turn them. I think these are marketing towards people who don't have specialty sockets, which is not the case with me as I've moved up to two whole drawers of them. I am looking forward to testing them on rounded bolts, as they claim to work on "Up to 50% rounded hex bolts".

I'll continue using the husky ratchet, and if I like it, grab the 1/4 and 1/2 inch drives. Otherwise, I'm keeping an eye out for used Snap On stuff. I've spent a decent chunk of time using their hand tools and I can attest to the difference in quality, specifically the screw drivers. I should be picking some of those up soon, so look for my review there as well. As for ratchets, it looks like Gear Wrench and Husky are giving the Snap-On/Matco elite a run for their money.

[Ryan T]

I've got a set of Blue Point ratcheting wrenches that are pretty nice. They are the cheaper line offered by Snap-On and I've been happy with them.

[D_Eclipse9916]

Mostly Harbor Freight ratchets used here. Their composite ratchets are GREAT in cold weather for not freezing your hands to the tool and when dropped don't hurt you/your floor.
I have heard of people breaking them, but the only ratchets I have ever broken was a "china costco" special 1/2 inch (probably from using it as a hammer) and now have broken my Snap-On 3/8 ratchet 3 times! Its quite annoying too because instead of dropping by a shop I have to find a SnapOn Truck. I will fix it and probably sell it and pick up the HF equivalent since I like the long handle and flex head.

Honestly, if you aren't using your tools as hammers, I don't seem to break any aside from my Snap-on of course.

My Ryobi 1/2 Impact is starting to see the end of life I think. It's at about 8 years of life and quite literally thousands of wheel changes and hard shop work. It hammers and then every now and then "loses contact" with the battery, which means disconnecting battery and shoving it back in. I have tried moving the contacts but I think it is internal. For $100 I will be picking up another one and moving this as my back up.