Kiln_Red

I'd have to recommend this one here. I've had the same one now for a couple of years and mine gets almost daily use. Plenty powerful. Battery stays charged for a good week at a time and I've yet to replace one.

Ilike928

928UFO I'd suggest researching a couple things before buying if you have time:

1) Battery technology (it makes a gigantic difference between brands as I have owned 4 different brands) I'll give you one example. A base 18V lithium non-brushless circular saw cut a thick board literally 2.5 feet before needing recharging. Another brand's base 18V non-brushless circular saw cut 3 10 foot boards of the same size and had a bit more power to spare. batteries were same amp hour rating. Note that price of the two tools with battery was not the same but advertised battery power was and the saws themselves were nearly identical.

2) Other tools compatible with that battery. As someone said above you are really buying into a battery system when you buy the tool. you'll have a charger and battery and then find out that other tools will help too. So you'll continue to buy into the same system because you already have the battery and charger.

For those 2 reasons buying a good battery system and wide variety of tools is very beneficial. It will save you trial and error purchases like I did originally. Lastly I would say buy brushless if you can afford it. In the long run you'll be glad u did. All IMO and I hope it helps!

Also I agree with others that getting the right size for the job is a good idea but keep in mind that some impact wrenches are pretty forgiving. F.E. My 1/2" high torque one can really crank things down if you hold it one there for a while but if you don't want to tighten to the moon just stop earlier. I've never stripped anything with it yet but like others said I would not use a 1/2" on water pump bolts. 3/8 brushless would probably do everything you need other than stubborn brake or suspension bolts. The smaller size of the 3/8" can be a benefit for repetitive stuff like screws in a deck etc.

bureau13

You guys are going to laugh at me, but do any of you have direct experience with the "Chicago Electric" stuff from Harbor Freight? My old Craftsman cordless drill crapped out on me so I picked up the one from HF, and in so far limited use, it's been fine. With all this talk about "buying into the battery system" I thought that makes sense, and they do have a couple different impact drivers...but maybe that's not a system I should be buying into? Like I said, the drill has been fine, but I've only had it a short time and haven't used it all that much. Obviously, I'm not a pro, and won't be using my tools like one, for what it's worth...

jheis

A point in favour of the Ryobi One+ battery system is that it is forward and backward compatible. The newest 4Ah lithium-ion batteries work with (and breathe new life into) the tools I bought 10 years ago that originally came with Ni-cads. (You do need a newer "dual chemistry" charger, however, the old Ni-cad charger won't work with Li-ion batteries.)

This has NOT been the case with some other brands - new battery technology/form factor usually renders the old tools obsolete.

My rule of thumb regarding HF tools is never buy anything with a cord or a battery. YMMV

STRIKEMASTER

I just picked up a Kawasaki 12v impact wrench for about $70 at PepBoys. 300 Ft/Lb of torque. Comes with case, 4 sockets and extension.