Affordable impact guns

[jaik]

I'm after an affordable impact gun (about £100 tops) that's going to be worthwhile buying. It's a nightmare looking, the reviews are all so mixed, and I've seen very cheap ones rated to 320NM which won't even undo a wheel nut. It won't get a huge amount of use so I'm not overly fussed about durability, but being able to undo tight stuff like hub nuts and crankshaft bolts would be a huge bonus.

Cordless would be ideal, but if that's a no-go for the money then corded won't be an issue. I assume a compressor/tank for an air-powered gun would cost more than what I'm looking to spend alone, so they're out.

Any recommendations or warnings from owners are appreciated!

[Jimshorts]

I was looking a while back too. Found a Clarke corded one for ~£50 that got good reviews. Never got around to purchasing and reason for buying - breaking a motorbike has been and gone.

[stevefesta]

I have just bought a Clarke one from machine mart, £108
Needed it for some suspension fixings, did the trick. Wish I had bought it sooner.
Like you i won't use it everyday so couldn't justify the more expensive ones. It comes with a small selection of impact sockets, but not the size I needed so also got a rather comprehensive set from machine mart for £40

[vxmatt]

I've got the corded clarke from machine mart. It's taken everything I've thrown at it including crank bolts and suspension bolts which were done up stupidly tight.

It's definitely well worth the 50-60 quid

[Red16]

vxmatt said:

I've got the corded clarke from machine mart. It's taken everything I've thrown at it including crank bolts and suspension bolts which were done up stupidly tight.

It's definitely well worth the 50-60 quid

I've got the corded Clarke too, it's had occasional use and has been well worth the small price I paid for it.

[jaik]

Thanks folks, I think I'll get a Clarke CEW1000 ordered then

[Pooky67]

Would you mind coming back and reviewing it after you've used it a few times? Could probably do with one restoring our Mini soon...

[jaik]

No problem. I should be using it next weekend to replace a bunch of suspension parts on the 328, assuming it and the various parts arrive on time.

[Face for Radio]

What is the longevity of the Clarke items like? After all the mixed reviews I just went with a good second hand Snap-On 18v cordless. Effortlessly removed a very heavily corroded 30mm hub nut and then pushed the driveshaft out.

[cptsideways]

The cheap ones with a rating of X ft lb or torque

I bought one that said rated to 180 ft lb it barely does 65 ft lb ie it wont undo or do up wheel nuts on most cars

[McWigglebum4th]

I've got a big piece of pipe and a 3/4 drive socket set

I don't need no stinking impact wrench

[jaik]

Everyone seems to think that corded Clarke one is a fairly powerful beast for the money. The major downside most people seem to point out in reviews (on Amazon, for example) is that it's a bit all or nothing, so you can't use it for doing things up very safely. I'm happy to torque things up by hand, this is really just to make removal of wheels and stubborn old nuts less of a ballache.

[jaik]

McWigglebum4th said:

I've got a big piece of pipe and a 3/4 drive socket set

I don't need no stinking impact wrench

Try removing a crank bolt with that I had the kit car in 5th, plugs in, wheels chocked and a huge bar to try and crack that bolt loose, and it just drove the car along. Horses for courses.

[graemes75]

Blue point 1/2" guns are decent value for money. Picked one up recently for £105 new and has removed 7.5 tonne truck hub nuts without breaking a sweat.

If you are happy enough initially loosening bolts / nuts with a breaker bar or a spanner then there's no need to spend any more than 40 or 50 pounds on one. Size of batteries is important if you are getting cordless as is the breakaway number.

[steelej]

I went through this too and intially bought a cheap gun, total waste of money, ended up getting a snap on gun that hasn't failed to remove the rustiest of rusty nuts, it's highly unlikely the cheap guns will be able to undo hub/crank bolts, they're pretty much limited to wheel nuts in my experience.

I tend to now use the old rule buy cheap buy twice with most purchases these days, i just skip the cheap part and go straight for what i'd end up buying anyway

John.

[McWigglebum4th]

jaik said:

McWigglebum4th said:

I've got a big piece of pipe and a 3/4 drive socket set

I don't need no stinking impact wrench

Try removing a crank bolt with that I had the kit car in 5th, plugs in, wheels chocked and a huge bar to try and crack that bolt loose, and it just drove the car along. Horses for courses.

Easy

Get the wife to put her foot on the brake

Try getting a unimog drum brake off with a domestic rattle gun

A big pipe can remove most things. Just access can be a hassle at time.

But the best thing for suspension bolts is a cutting torch

[s2sol]

I've got a Clarke CEW1000. It comes with a set of spare brushes, which I thought was a nice touch. However, it eats them for a pastime, and Clarke want £8 odd for a pair. I'd go for a better one in future.

[wildman0609]

i have a clarke cir450, used mainly for wheels nuts on the race cars, so used fairly often. and for suspension bolts that won't budge. Great for simple stuff like that but won't touch a hub nut on the back of my 964, needed a 6ft long scaffold tube and even then i thought the breaker bar was bending.

i have to occasionally tighten up the screws on the side of the impact gun as it tends to rattle out its own joints.

[anonymous-user]

I have owned 2 impact guns, same model off ebay.

similar to this one but I think the brand was wolf.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2012-Model-24V-Cordless-...

very good and used to remove crank bolt without locking the flywheel. Also used to remove a broken locking wheel nut, was a bugger but came off in the end If was used for other stuff, performed well but got burnt hands a few times from heat on tricky jobs, but never failed.

2 year warranty and 54 pounds.. bargain

[jaik]

So I had my first day of using the Clarke CEW1000 today and, for the the money, I'm impressed. It had a little trouble with a couple of my wheel bolts which were last tightened by some monkey in a garage with a proper air-powered gun and needed a considerably-sized breaker bar to crack, but most whizzed off no problem. It had no trouble with any of the suspension bolts, or the seriously rusted-on droplink brackets.

That said, I can't see it getting a crank bolt off in a month of Sundays, so the 450NM rating is "somewhat optimistic" (eg. a total fabrication).

The downsides are it's quite heavy and quite large, so you need clear access to use it. Well worth the £60 I paid for it delivered, it saved me a fair bit of buggering around today.