Exactly. Plus an impact gun is less likely to break off frozen bolts. I use a Milwaukee and the main reason is that is the brand I started out with. Keeps it simple when it concerns batteries and chargers.

 

Or, depending on the tool and how it is calibrated, over-torque the lugs when you put them back on. I guess I live in a different world than many of you that appear to have flats every other month. In my 40 or so years of driving I have had two flats while away from home. I also replace things before they fail so I don't leave home with a truck or trailer unless I am positive that the tire can make the entire trip. Granted, things happen but buying a tool that I need to charge regularly for 20 years or so by the time I use it one time is not something I will worry about. I can see if you routinely carry electric tools for a job but just for changing a tire is not worth it to me. If I went electric, I would go with an inverter and corded impact wrench so I would not have to charge it routinely.

 

Like others say. Stick with what you got already and/or have breaker bar as backup. If you are just starting out a few brands seem popular. The Project Farm channel on YT is pretty thorough with his tool tests.

https://www.youtube.com/c/ProjectFar...h?query=impact

 

Switched to Milwaukee years ago when it seemed that every time the batteries went bad (makita, dewalt, ridgid etc) it was cheaper to buy new tools then batteries, but the batteries were always changing and frequently not compatible with older tools.
Milwaukee - the batteries keep increasing in capacity but the M12 and M18 still fit everything I own, and I now have a lot of 12 and 18's

The 1/2" impact has no match.

As to the chainsaw mentioned above, it won't beat a 24" bar Stihl but 15 minutes after my first use I put both my 2 stroke chainsaws on facebook.

 

I 100% agree with you. I don't have 40 years of driving but have 20+. Never once have I been stranded on the side of the road needing to change a tire... Now I know I just set myself up for this to happen now but still won't change my mind about it. It's all on what you want to spend your $ on I suppose. I can have my lug nuts off my tire within a couple minutes with a wrench or breaker bar, compared to maybe one minute with an impact. The most time consuming part is taking the tire off, dropping the spare, and putting it on the truck/car.

The only impact I've used period was a buddy's Milwaukee and it's nice, but if you're not using is daily not worth the coin IMO.

 

I will likely end up with the hatchet before the M18 saw… I picked up the M12 Hackzall a few weeks back and it is pretty nice too!

 

The tool companies like to pad those numbers. My 3/8 impact is rated for 210-ft-lbs, but it won’t take off the lug nuts on my truck that are torqued to 150ft-lbs.

 

As stated by the masses, if you don't have anything then pick a color and expand from it, if you have something, well expand that brand. I personally have (budget) gravitated to the Bauer brand at HF. I now carry a grinder/cut-off, hex driver, impact, 5 1/2 skill saw and drill. They will quickly become part of your everyday go too's.

 

Like Poncho said, I've been by the side of the road changing tires both with and without an impact. I prefer with. Towing heavy across the hot desert southwest in the summer on crowded, crappy highways, you are going to lose tires. And when it is 116 degrees in heavy traffic, I want every advantage to change that tire with as little effort and time as absolutely necessary so I can get back into the cool comfort and safety of my truck and be on my way.

I have a Milwaukee (18V mid-torque) because my other stuff is 18V. It will remove and re-install all six 8 lug wheels on my boat trailer on about a half a battery. I discovered this when doing a brake job. I also have a high quality air impact in the garage, but honestly the battery powered one works so well, the air impact may never get used again.

 

Then you are fortunate indeed. Many of today's trailer makers use cheap Chinese tires that can let go most any time even though there are no visible signs. So for anyone that hints that if you have a flat out on the road it's somehow your fault for poor maintenance is BS to me.
I've had it happen 4 times that I can recall in my 43+ years of being a licensed driver. Maybe more. 3 of those times were on interstates. Whether one wants to spend the money to carry a particular tool is of course a personal decision and there's not a right or wrong answer.
A lot of people have never had a fire but choose to buy and carry a fire extinguisher. I guess that's foolish to some because they never had a fire in their years of experience. Cheaper to carry a bucket of sand I suppose.

 

i agree that sometimes tires have poor build quality, but that doesn’t make them “China Bombs.” Unless you consider all tires “China Bombs” because I’m sure all tire brands and models have had at least one lemon! (I assumed this was the term you were referring too?)

On so many forums, and especially places like FB folks get tore up because they had a blow out and choose to blame the tire rather than assume any responsibility in the situation. But ask them questions like: “Did you check the pressure before traveling with it?”; “Did you look it over for signs of weakness or irregular tread wear before traveling with it?” Heck even questions like “How much air should they have in them? and “How old are the tires?” are questions that many of these people can’t even answer (truthfully).

All tires (regardless of brand or reputation) require maintenance and many folks completely neglect this. A friend of mine had 2 tires blow on one trip and he didn’t really talk to me about them because we both knew I would ask him those questions, however I heard the story from others and as I suspected, it was the tires fault. Although I personally knew he did not maintenance them, and he drives faster than recommended. “Good tires” fail under these conditions too though…

 

for one, a single manufacturer does not make everything that an industrious person needs. I have Milwaukee 12v, black and decker 20v and Makita 18v, and Ryobi 18v.

No one but Makita makes a good top handle chainsaw. So I am into Makita for that need.

I ran across a peach of a deal on Milwaukee 12v drill and impact, so I'm into that.

I had black and decker cordless when the first came out 25-30 years ago, and bought an adapter to use black and decker 20v lithium with them, so they are still in use.

I have numerous inexpensive Ryobi tools that are for camping and light duty, so I'm into them too.

So no, "you get what you got" doesn't resonate with me at all. I won't intentionally get into another battery just for the sake of it, but I won't be limited to a certain manufacturer's offerings if I need something particular.

 

I can see that, if you want the best of whatever, you get that, but for the average personal user, keeping the same make can certainly work too, and you won't need as many batteries because lets say 3 batteries would work on hundred's of different tools...

 

Lots of product mentions in this thread, so not much for me to add. I love my mid-torque 1/2" M18 Milwaukee impact wrench. Do all my seasonal change-overs with it and it uses the same battery as most of my other power tools. Pick your flavor and run with it...

As for impact wrench or the good old fashioned tire iron or breaker bar, carry what works for you. I prefer the no nonsense breaker bar so I don't have to worry about a dead battery or something not working right after the truck sits overnight while it's -40 degrees outside. However, if I have the room and I'm on a road trip, I take the impact wrench with me.

Stuff happens whether you "maintain your equipment" or not. I've had terrible luck with tires the past five years. I've pulled a 1/4" bolt out of three tires and a 4" deck screw out of another. No amount of maintenance can prevent that. Luckily, only once did I have to do the repair in a parking lot.. I had to suffer with the breaker bar that time, only to find my spare didn't clear the new (upgraded) brake calipers.

 

My post wasn't directed at anyone with maintenance or lack there of, just pointing out my opinion as is everyone else. However since you brought it up if I was a betting that at least half of blow outs are due to that whether anyone would really admit that or not.
4 times in 43 years is once every 10 years, that's pretty infrequent IMO, using something 1 time in less than 10 year avg isn't something I personally need, but knock yourself out if you believe its a need for you.
Comparing an impact to fire extinguisher is foolish. One saves you a few minutes taking a tire off, one can save your vehicle or life from a fire, cmon man.