Cordless confusion
Discussion
Do I need an impact driver or some sort of comb drill? I've been at the Makita website but there's a lot on there regarding 18v impacts etc. Can anyone advise please?
I want to be able to tackle wheel nuts, but also different panels etc with various fastener types is also required, so I'm a bit concerned an impact driver might be a bit brutal - or is that down to choosing something with variable speed and torque, which can take various adapters for different bits/sockets/drills etc?
I want to make sure I buy into the right tool system seeing as a decent capacity battery is about the same as a basic impact driver - but at the same time, this is for occasional home use rather than regular heavier workshop/building applications.
Any thoughts please?
I want to be able to tackle wheel nuts, but also different panels etc with various fastener types is also required, so I'm a bit concerned an impact driver might be a bit brutal - or is that down to choosing something with variable speed and torque, which can take various adapters for different bits/sockets/drills etc?
I want to make sure I buy into the right tool system seeing as a decent capacity battery is about the same as a basic impact driver - but at the same time, this is for occasional home use rather than regular heavier workshop/building applications.
Any thoughts please?
Started off with this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Makita-DTW285Z-Cordless-L...
Which is amazing and will do 90% of jobs.
But wanted something a bit smaller so got this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Makita-DTW180Z-Impact-Wre...
Which again is great. And will do wheel bolts etc. Not quite as much grunt as the big brother.
But I've been doing stuff with HGV's and also crank pulleys and really nasty farm stuff, so then brought this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Makita-DTW1002Z-Brushless...
Which is a monster and will do very hard work. But it's massive and heavy.
I also have loads of other tools like impact drivers etc. They are off little use for car stuff imo. I do use the impact driver but that is just to run stuff down. And tbh 9 times out of 10 will use the 3/8 impact wrench.
If I was recomending one tool to cover most work it would be the 285z. It's powerful but small enough to get into places. You don't really need one... But once you have used impact wrenches you will not go back to using hand tools all the time.
Edit - all three of the tools linked have variable power. You have low medium and high. I used the 3/8 one to get panels off my door recently after some cretin decided to smash the glass on my door. Made a relatively simple job even more simple. I had it on low power setting but when putting panels back on did use my normal ratchet to be safe.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Makita-DTW285Z-Cordless-L...
Which is amazing and will do 90% of jobs.
But wanted something a bit smaller so got this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Makita-DTW180Z-Impact-Wre...
Which again is great. And will do wheel bolts etc. Not quite as much grunt as the big brother.
But I've been doing stuff with HGV's and also crank pulleys and really nasty farm stuff, so then brought this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Makita-DTW1002Z-Brushless...
Which is a monster and will do very hard work. But it's massive and heavy.
I also have loads of other tools like impact drivers etc. They are off little use for car stuff imo. I do use the impact driver but that is just to run stuff down. And tbh 9 times out of 10 will use the 3/8 impact wrench.
If I was recomending one tool to cover most work it would be the 285z. It's powerful but small enough to get into places. You don't really need one... But once you have used impact wrenches you will not go back to using hand tools all the time.
Edit - all three of the tools linked have variable power. You have low medium and high. I used the 3/8 one to get panels off my door recently after some cretin decided to smash the glass on my door. Made a relatively simple job even more simple. I had it on low power setting but when putting panels back on did use my normal ratchet to be safe.
Edited by milkround on Wednesday 22 January 21:30
milkround said:
...But wanted something a bit smaller so got this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Makita-DTW180Z-Impact-Wre...
Which again is great. And will do wheel bolts etc. ...
Yep that looks like the sort of capacity + price I'm interested in, thanks for the recommendation and comments - I agree that anything more will be overkill for home servicing but at the same time I want the option to be able to tackle hub nuts from time to time if something crops up or I want to work on suspension or the subframe for instance.https://www.amazon.co.uk/Makita-DTW180Z-Impact-Wre...
Which again is great. And will do wheel bolts etc. ...
ReverendCounter said:
milkround said:
...But wanted something a bit smaller so got this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Makita-DTW180Z-Impact-Wre...
Which again is great. And will do wheel bolts etc. ...
Yep that looks like the sort of capacity + price I'm interested in, thanks for the recommendation and comments - I agree that anything more will be overkill for home servicing but at the same time I want the option to be able to tackle hub nuts from time to time if something crops up or I want to work on suspension or the subframe for instance.https://www.amazon.co.uk/Makita-DTW180Z-Impact-Wre...
Which again is great. And will do wheel bolts etc. ...
You will take off 90% of stuff you are faced with. You might need to crack some of the harder suspension stuff with a breaker bar first.
Just want you to go into it with your eyes fully open. It's not a model which will do everything - but it will do an awful lot.
That is a powerful bit of kit. And I managed to sheer the brake calliper carrier bolt off using that model! It was rusty and I'd have done it with a breaker bar as well. No major drama as I had just enough meat to get some vice grips on the bit inside the threads.
If you do get that model you might want to get some 3/8 impact bits... An absolute bargain is: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Britool-Hallmark-MSDPSE...
If I had my time again I'd get the small 3/8th's impact and the massive 1600nm one. And probably miss out the middle of the road model. But I do a lot of stuff and my hobby is taking things apart and fixing them until they are broken.
Ignore those saying that using a none impact socket is highly dagerous. It's not. They will split rather than shatter. And they won't split that often. I own no 12 point impact sockets and regularly use my chromes with an impact gun (both electric and air powered) when faced with a 12 point. However you will transfer power much more effectively with an impact socket and for that reason I reckon they are deffo worth having.
milkround said:
You will not take off crank pulley bolts with that model ...You will take off 90% of stuff you are faced with ... It's not a model which will do everything - but it will do an awful lot.
... you might want to get some 3/8 impact bits... An absolute bargain is: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Britool-Hallmark-MSDPSE...
... I reckon they are deffo worth having.
Yes, definitely if only to save time when you're doing the brakes for instance. Thanks for your thoughts and recommendations, much appreciated as is the link. Seems the potential versatility these can offer isn't really explored until you've supplemented them with a decent range of adapters etc. Looking forward to pretending to be a mechanic - bzzzt!... you might want to get some 3/8 impact bits... An absolute bargain is: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Britool-Hallmark-MSDPSE...
... I reckon they are deffo worth having.
Gassing Station | Home Mechanics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff