Which Impact Wrench/Rattle Gun to Get

[Ckennedy]

And if you are....... There's always an extension lead

[VTRDark]

The Snap On ones are the dogs dangles and one of the few if not the only battery one that will beat an electric or even cheap air tool. As mentioned though, they cost a small fortune. Saying that, a good 2nd hand one (older version not the latest) can be picked up for under £200 on the bay of evil. I was very tempted by the following yesterday
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201045816492? ... 1423.l2649

Have a look at the CT4850 showdown video under the See it in Action link Rattle gun tug of war
http://www.motherofallcordlessimpactwrenches.com/

I'm going to get the Clarke electric one. It's seems the most sensible and will do for me. As much as I love some of the more expensive ones I just can't justify it right now. If I get into the habit of using it more frequently then I may have to invest in a nice battery one.

The 18v DeWalt ones are very good and they get good reviews but are over £300 new. If I had that sort of money for a rattle gun I would rather get a 2nd hand Snap On.

And if you are....... There's always an extension lead

I have an excellent extension lead Chris. It cost me nothing as I found it on a skip. The reel has a lovely squeak evertime I pull the cord out

Thanks guys.

(:-})

[AMCQ46]

And you're not going to be putting any strain on the transmission or stretching final drive chain if you put a piece of wood through the back wheel with it in gear. Mind you you could use your suggestion Wicky if you lock the flywheel instead like AMcQ did

Chris.

that was wood in the spokes and a rattle gun [off a compressor]!!

[Watty]

when companies like milwalkie (sp) make one just as good with same warrentee

I've got a Milwaukie impact driver, fantastic power and batts have lasted x2 years of daily abuse

...it'll probably give up on me tomorrow now

+1 on Millwaukie Jamie, better value than Snap on. Some of our plant fitters have Snap on and some Millwaukie and the Millwaukie match if not are better than snap on! BUT, both are a chunk of money

[budd]

I've got this one from machine mart http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/produ ... t-wrench-2 got it in a VAT free event a year or so ago, so only paid £89.99 for it and I have to say I'm pretty impressed.
It may not be as powerfull on paper as the other Clarle cordless but I find it just right, with a full charge it'll tackle all but the most stubbon wheel nuts and if I get something mega tight I simply fire the compressor up and use the windy gun but I've found since I got this I rarely use the air tools, certainly not as much as I used to.

I think the whole point of these is the portability it's great for taking to track days, it makes swapping wheels on my track car a breeze, for sure the more expensive Snap-on / Millwaukie ones will be higher quaility but come a hefty price which is probably only justifed to a professional using it day in day out.

In the 18 months I've had mine it's been faultless and it gets a lot of use, the batteries still hold charge and apart from looking dirty (the red plastic seems absorb grease making it look grubby I supose I should clean it really) but apart from that it's coped with the use and abuse I give it extremely well, even at full price (£108) you get for a decent quality tool with 2 batteries and charger which I think is good value I certainly wouldn't be without it, only bad thing to report are the sockets included which are only fit for the bin.

[VTRDark]

Those Clarke ones get good reviews everywhere it seems, but you know what it's like reading reviews on the net. One never really know who true it is. Nice to get some feedback on them from here. That;s it I have decided the Clarke electric one I'm going to get to get. Thanks for the info Budd

(:-})

[MacV2]

Those Clarke ones get good reviews everywhere it seems, but you know what it's like reading reviews on the net. One never really know who true it is. Nice to get some feedback on them from here. That;s it I have decided the Clarke electric one I'm going to get to get. Thanks for the info Budd

(:-})

Jeeze he's made his mind up at last...Just waiting for Chris & his compressor now...

Carlos, I have some impact sockets in that came with the tool box I snaffled last year. No good to me as I don't have a rattler. FOC next time we meet but I'm gonna have to start charging you for the coffee...at Fastbucks rates as well !

[budd]

Those Clarke ones get good reviews everywhere it seems, but you know what it's like reading reviews on the net. One never really know who true it is. Nice to get some feedback on them from here. That;s it I have decided the Clarke electric one I'm going to get to get. Thanks for the info Budd

(:-})

I know what you mean re reviews it’s difficult to know what to trust, also regarding Clarke quality, in general I’d class them as decent, I’ve got quite a few items of Clarke stuff the aforementioned nut gun, mig welder tap and die set various odds and ends of ratchets, sockets and spanners etc but I also have a lot of Snap-on gear and there’s a difference, probably the best example of this is the Clarke roll cab I have, it’s roughly 8 years old and the ball bearing drawers are now in a pretty sorry state the runners are worn and flimsy, by way of comparison I have a big Snap-on top box which is well over 30 yrsold and the drawers, lid locks etc work just as well as the day I got it compared to the Clarke it feels bombproof and it’s the same with hand tools there’s a reason most pro mechanics use Snap-on.

Mac, Bri-tool, Teng, Beta et al all make very good stuff but it’s the whole Snap-on experience that appeals, lifetime warranty, 0 % weekly payments, I used to look forward to the truck coming round when I worked on the spanners, so why don’t I use Snap-on now ?? good question the honest answer is I’d love to but I’ve not been a pro for nearly 20 yrs and I simply can-t justify (or afford) Snap-on or any of the premium makes so I tend to use Clarke, Halfords pro range plus ebay and motor factor buys, these have proved adequate now I’m just a keen amateur.

I recently had the chance to revisit the whole Snap-on experience when I broke a Snap-on 9mm combi, shortly after breaking it I spotted the Snap-on van at a local garage, so I stopped and had a chat to the Snap-on man who said he’d be happy to replace the 9mm spanner FOC and he’d be there next week, so the following week I take my spanner which he duly replaces he also serviced my 3 ratchets the oldest of which was second hand when I got it over 30 yrs ago, all this done FOC no matter what you think of Snan-on that’s great service.

It was a buzz to be back in a Snap-on van after all those years I felt like a kid in a sweet shop, I very nearly opened an account but resisted the urge as financial ruin would surely follow.

All that said Clarke make good honest tools that will do the job at a reasonable price also I’d be interesting for your opinion on the corded impact gun, it’s something I’ve been thinking about for use in the garage where I have a power source and keeping the cordless for mobile use.

[bigtwinthing]

Those Clarke ones get good reviews everywhere it seems, but you know what it's like reading reviews on the net. One never really know who true it is. Nice to get some feedback on them from here. That;s it I have decided the Clarke electric one I'm going to get to get. Thanks for the info Budd

(:-})

I know what you mean re reviews it’s difficult to know what to trust, also regarding Clarke quality, in general I’d class them as decent, I’ve got quite a few items of Clarke stuff the aforementioned nut gun, mig welder tap and die set various odds and ends of ratchets, sockets and spanners etc but I also have a lot of Snap-on gear and there’s a difference, probably the best example of this is the Clarke roll cab I have, it’s roughly 8 years old and the ball bearing drawers are now in a pretty sorry state the runners are worn and flimsy, by way of comparison I have a big Snap-on top box which is well over 30 yrsold and the drawers, lid locks etc work just as well as the day I got it compared to the Clarke it feels bombproof and it’s the same with hand tools there’s a reason most pro mechanics use Snap-on.

Mac, Bri-tool, Teng, Beta et al all make very good stuff but it’s the whole Snap-on experience that appeals, lifetime warranty, 0 % weekly payments, I used to look forward to the truck coming round when I worked on the spanners, so why don’t I use Snap-on now ?? good question the honest answer is I’d love to but I’ve not been a pro for nearly 20 yrs and I simply can-t justify (or afford) Snap-on or any of the premium makes so I tend to use Clarke, Halfords pro range plus ebay and motor factor buys, these have proved adequate now I’m just a keen amateur.

I recently had the chance to revisit the whole Snap-on experience when I broke a Snap-on 9mm combi, shortly after breaking it I spotted the Snap-on van at a local garage, so I stopped and had a chat to the Snap-on man who said he’d be happy to replace the 9mm spanner FOC and he’d be there next week, so the following week I take my spanner which he duly replaces he also serviced my 3 ratchets the oldest of which was second hand when I got it over 30 yrs ago, all this done FOC no matter what you think of Snan-on that’s great service.

It was a buzz to be back in a Snap-on van after all those years I felt like a kid in a sweet shop, I very nearly opened an account but resisted the urge as financial ruin would surely follow.

All that said Clarke make good honest tools that will do the job at a reasonable price also I’d be interesting for your opinion on the corded impact gun, it’s something I’ve been thinking about for use in the garage where I have a power source and keeping the cordless for mobile use.

i have a brother in law and a nephew who are both Snap on dealers, great kit and they make some serious dosh! i have plenty of Starwille gear thats fantastic stuff too. basically anything German is pretty good.

[VTRDark]

It's the same for me. It's been years since I was working in the garage and having the weekly visit from the Snap On man. Your right about the convenience and being like a candy store. That is excellent service you had there, very impressive. Amazingly I have kept my little IIRC Yellow receipts in the little Red wallet thought they may come in handy one day.

As nice as the tools are I just can't justify the cost and use the Halfords professional range these days. The last straw for me was loosing a complete rail of 3/8 flank drive sockets from 8 -19mm I was pisssed off that day.....gutted. That's when I first tried the Halfords. Some Snap On tools are juts irreplaceable and nothing else will do. My 12v test light or Trim clip for example.

I'm away for the week at the moment but when I get back I shall be purchasing the rattle gun and put it to the test. The flywheel bolt will put it to a proper test I'm sure.

(:-})

[budd]

. Amazingly I have kept my little IIRC Yellow receipts in the little Red wallet thought they may come in handy one day.

(:-})

LOL, me too, I'm tempted to have a look and see how much I spent!! although given inflation over the years it probably won't seem that bad now.

[bigtwinthing]

. Amazingly I have kept my little IIRC Yellow receipts in the little Red wallet thought they may come in handy one day.

(:-})

LOL, me too, I'm tempted to have a look and see how much I spent!! although given inflation over the years it probably won't seem that bad now.

i do remember buying a 13mm combo spanner and it was £17.00 from snap on. I've bought halfords and geodore since then

[sirch345]

And you're not going to be putting any strain on the transmission or stretching final drive chain if you put a piece of wood through the back wheel with it in gear. Mind you you could use your suggestion Wicky if you lock the flywheel instead like AMcQ did

Chris.

that was wood in the spokes and a rattle gun [off a compressor]!!

Oops my mistake, even so a rattle gun with the wood through the back wheel should not put anywhere near as much stain on the transmission as using a socket set and a 10ft scaffold pole
Thinking about it the locking tool you made must have been for your clutch and not the flywheel

Those Clarke ones get good reviews everywhere it seems, but you know what it's like reading reviews on the net. One never really know who true it is. Nice to get some feedback on them from here. That;s it I have decided the Clarke electric one I'm going to get to get. Thanks for the info Budd

(:-})

Jeeze he's made his mind up at last...Just waiting for Chris & his compressor now...

Carlos, I have some impact sockets in that came with the tool box I snaffled last year. No good to me as I don't have a rattler. FOC next time we meet but I'm gonna have to start charging you for the coffee...at Fastbucks rates as well !

You can't rush a good buy
Well done Carl in making a decision on the Clarke beast

Just one more shop to check out next week for the 12V compressor

Chris.

[Bleh]

I've borrowed a Makita impact wrench a few times off my mate and I thought it was the mutts nuts. So much so, I have every intention of purchasing one when there's cash freed up.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-btd146 ... bare/37531

Thing is, think the batteries are the bulk of the cost...

[lloydie]

I used a snap-on cordless one yesterday to remove the flywheel bolt and wow what a great bit if kit tho ck had to zap it back up as it could easily snap the bolt in the crank !! And I wasn't wanting to do that