Clarke CEW1000 impact wrench - feedback (mine's useless!)

[oooOLLIooo]

Hi all

I have just bought a Clarke Impact Wrench CEW1000 (mains powered), but despite the generally very good reviews on the net, i am not impressed: it won't undo my wheel nuts, torqued at 140 Nm. Well, it will if i have just torqued them up, but it won't if they were torqued up only a few weeks ago (slight corrosion making them tighter I guess). Having no issue undoing them manually, so they are definitely not stupidly tight.

The thing is supposed to deliver 450Nm!!
Has anyone got one?
I would welcome some feedback before I try either an exchange, or just to buy something else...

Many thanks
[IMG:480:480]http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd487/ooollliii/090003aef125184c7ea1958e19496cad_zpszrd8niir.jpg[/img]

[E-bmw]

I bought an un-branded copy and have to say it works perfectly every time.

You may have a duffer.

[steveo3002]

does sound like its dud , should be better than that

[oooOLLIooo]

Thanks guys, i wasn't expecting miracles for the price, but i thought it should be up for this job!

[BigTom85]

I have one and its epic. I can only assume yours is broken.

[M7RT V]

Agreed it's goto be faulty, I purchased one after failing to undo the hub nut (yes I'd unstaked it) on my Discovery 3. After about 10 seconds with the CEW1000 it span it right off.

[Krikkit]

Try another OP, I've only had one defeated by one hub nut which also snapped a 1m 3/4" bar!

Very useful for undoing just about any awkward nut, makes wheel changes a doddle.

[Bone Rat]

Yup, probably duff, just used it to undo Caterham rear hub at 270nm

[S6PNJ]

Anyone tried the Lidl offering?

[PositronicRay]

I'd be interested in this as well, it's cheap enough and would suit me.

I'm just a bit suspicious of Lidl stuff.

[Mr2Mike]

PositronicRay said:

I'd be interested in this as well, it's cheap enough and would suit me.

I'm just a bit suspicious of Lidl stuff.

450W motor compared to the 1000W motor in the Clarke is a bit discouraging.

[E-bmw]

Hence the half torque.

[rsv gone!]

Bone Rat said:

Yup, probably duff, just used it to undo Caterham rear hub at 270nm

I've done likewise on my Evo hub. The Clarke made it easy.

OP, you must have a dud.

[melhookv12]

How big are these. I need to do a crank pulley bolt on a V8 xkr. Would rather not remove the radiator but space is tight. From memory can just about get a normal air impact gun in the there. But the crank bolts a f ING tight.

[rsv gone!]

melhookv12 said:

How big are these. I need to do a crank pulley bolt on a V8 xkr. Would rather not remove the radiator but space is tight. From memory can just about get a normal air impact gun in the there. But the crank bolts a f ING tight.

Pretty big and clumsy, I'm afraid.

[stevensdrs]

I used mine for the first time last Sunday. I found it took a few seconds of power on before it would dislodge the wheel nuts on my daughters car. Ideal for spinning them off and on though!

edit: used it again to swap the wheels around on my own car and it was a delight to use. So quick!

Edited by stevensdrs on Tuesday 17th May 20:35

[waynedear]

Mine is fine.

Nb, do not use it on a scissor jack because you are to lazy to do it with a ratchet, it goes up in amazing fashion, shame it would not come down again.

[Huff]

And up.

Late to this party but I can only echo the positive comments above. I bought the Clarke because similar has been on my list for a while - and now wish I'd done it years ago - a brilliant bit of kit. No problems shifting hub nuts and other such things on demand; wheel changes on the Fury after a winter on stands were laugh-out-loud quick and easy to effect.

[Krikkit]

Also still liking mine - whipped the hub nut, wheel nuts and the retaining nuts for some ruined ball joints on the front suspension on my clio in about 10 minutes.

Very big and unwieldy though, so don't expect to be able to use it for everything in the arches.

[JB8]

Mine is great, wheel, hub, suspension bolts etc., have all come loose no bother.

Only nut it has failed to undo, was a ridiculously tight wheel nut where the thread had stretched. That particular nut took a breaker bar with a 4m scaffolding pole with my fat arse jumping on the end in order to finally break it loose.