Ryobi 1/2 Impact Wrench

[WNYBill]

I have all Ryobi cordless and think I need an impact wrench. After looking at them there seems to be 3 different 1/2 impact wrenches. I think only one on them is brushless and is $139. Anybody got one and what are your real life experiences with it?

 

[Richard G.]

I bought one last year.
Don't use it often, but it gets the job done when needed.
Especially handy on wheel lugs.

 

[Dopp Creek]

I bought one a couple years ago so I could quickly change blades on the disc mower out in the field. I use it regularly in the shop and realized this weekend I haven't used my air impact since the Ryobi came on board. This weekend I changed out the upper and lower control arms on my GMC 2500 and it made life easier.

 

[Goose]

I bought one of the new chartreuse ones a year and a half ago. I went with Ryobi because I have a bunch of other Ryobi tools that all take the same 18v battery.

It has three settings, and the highest is rated at 300 ft/lbs of torque. I said at the time I wouldn't expect it to compete with my 1200 ft/lb air impact wrench.

Just the other day, I used the air impact for the first time since I bought the Ryobi cordless, and that was on a bolt that was stuck to where the air impact wouldn't move it, either. Beyond that, I do everything with the Ryobi. Even lug nuts that you think might be a problem, the Ryobi will whip them right off.

 

[Phill Tibbetts]

Same as everyone else, don't ever use my air impact now. Another great Ryobi product is the air compressor with a built in digital gauge.

 

[JK-NY]

I bought one a couple years ago as I have some other 18v ryobi tools. I have had great luck with it and the new li-ion battery is great. Highly recommend you get it. I bought mine after Thanks giving when they were on sale.

 

[Richard G.]

Got one of those also.

 

[Richard G.]

Another thing I use mine for is taking blades off my 5 foot finish mower to sharpen them.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Just don't expect it to perform like a Milwaukee or Earthquake. You're not going to be cracking lug nuts loose on your big rig or anything crazy like you see on youtube.

For that reason alone I made an exception and bought the Earthquake impact even though it uses different batteries. It's amazing. Everything else I have is Ryobi and has been for almost 20 years.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

I would recommend you buy a bare tool you already have batteries for.

I use my 1/4 impact almost everyday as a screwdriver. Great tool.

I have an old 18v dewalt 1/2 impact. It does a great job spinning off lug nuts.
Other things I may need to use a breaker bar before the 1/2 impact can spin the nut off the rest of the way.

Air impacts are limited to the max air pressure your air compressor can develop. That's a large variable and you may not always be next to an air source or you have to wait for compressor to shut off.

If I ever have to buy another 1/2 impact cordless, I would look for something with more ft-lbs. Then I would see if they make an adapter to use your Ryobi battery.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Dad has a Ryobi drill I'm not impressed. Junk is always needing a charge and has no torque for tightening screws or drilling holes. I'm getting away from Cordless tools. The Cord always has power and is not dead after a few holes.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

There are different grades of cordless tools. Some are professional grade, some are toys. The old school batteries self discharge. Li batteries don't self discharge. Old school battery may be 1.5 amp
Todays new Li batteries are 5 to 6 amps. Some are even bigger.
Don't judge today's cordless you your dad's old Ryobi.
Just my opinion, Milwaukee's are the gold standard. Dewalt's are silver or bronze winners. I have many brands of tools.

 

[JK-NY]

I got one of them too. Real handy little air pump.

 

[tractorguy2]

I bought a Makita 1/2 inch 18 volt drill kit. Then later thought I need the impact too. I bought a Makita 18 volt bare tool impact. It is the middle size of the three Makita offers. I think it's somewhere around 375ft pounds. It cost me $169.00 got it brand new off ebay. I've only used it a few times has worked every time so far.

 

[K5_489]

I don't know how the heck you guys get Ryobi batteries to last...every single one of my 12 have been garbage for me, lucky if they last 6 months before refusing to charge. They're all the newer lithiums with the battery gauge leds on them too. Eventually I got sick of warranty swapping them out, as they always seemed to give out right when I needed them most.

I have all red on my work truck, and have gone orange for the home stuff. Only a few dollars more than the green, a bunch more power, and have been running years on the 4 original lithium batteries.

 

[gears]

I bought the Brushless HP 600ft/lb gun and love it! Worth the extra $40 over the 300 lb gun.

 

[DoubleR]

I have all Ryobi and have been real happy with it. I brought the 1/2 impact a few years back but don't remember the model I have. I do remember I paid about 150 for it with a charger and a big battery. I used it tonight to change a trailer tire out. I keep it in my truck on road trips with a trailer just in case. I used the middle position tonight on the torque adjustment and it put the lug nuts at 90#s when I checked. I'm afraid of breaking a stud on the high position. Its surprises' me at what it can do and hardly ever use my air impact or the electric one since I got it.

 

[Hay hay hay]

I have the older Ryobi 18v impact wrench and love it. If the newer version is better, it must be awesome! I have had a great experience with all Ryobi 18v tools for farm and home use.

 

[Hay hay hay]

My Ryobi tire inflator replaced my old air tank.

 

[T in NE]

Get a 1/4 hex impact driver, even the 12v dewalt, you'll never use a drill on a screw again, unless you're in a bind.
Just got to get used to the stripping screw head noise actually being the impact mechanism, and not the acrew head stripping.