

Best Compact Impact Wrench: DEWALT Atomic 20V Max Compact 1/2-Inch Impact Wrench.Best for Mechanics: Milwaukee M18 FUEL Compact 1/2-Inch Compact Impact Wrench.High Torque for the Price: DEWALT 20V Max XR 1/2-Inch Impact Wrench.

Best Value: Ryobi 18V One+ 1/2-Inch Impact Wrench.Best Overall: Milwaukee M18 Fuel 1/2-Inch Impact Wrench.Read on for some buying advice, followed by our findings and reviews of the best impact wrenches. We tested a range of impact wrenches-from a heavy-duty, high-torque model down to a compact, medium-duty model-and subjected them all to the same challenges to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Not being tied to a compressor with an air hose, these tools can easily go wherever they’re needed.

In fact, cordless impact wrenches have a tremendous advantage: mobility. The good news is that cordless, battery-powered impact wrenches have gotten better as battery technology improves, which has brought prices down and made them viable alternatives to their pneumatic cousins. To run a typical 1⁄2-inch pneumatic impact wrench, you usually need an air compressor putting out close to 100 psi-a significant investment.
RIDGID IMPACT PROFESSIONAL
All others are compared to 18V models.Historically, impact wrenches were predominantly pneumatic, or air powered, which left them squarely in the domain of professional mechanics. *Note: The M12 Fuel Surge’s value rating is based on its comparison to 12V models.
RIDGID IMPACT DRIVERS
If you work in an occupied space like a school or office building, the difference in noise level might be so significant that it skyrockets hydraulic impact drivers to the top of your value list. However, everyone prioritizes different aspects in different ways depending on their preferences. Because the performance is generally lower and the price is a bit higher, the overall value proposition isn’t as high. That’s because we rated them alongside their standard counterparts. None of these are a bad value, but none of them really reach the stellar ratings we see from some of the standard impacts. Milwaukee’s M18 Fuel Surge earns the highest value score followed by the M12 Fuel Surge, Makita, and Milwaukee. We consider performance, design, what buying into a battery system opens up, and much more in our value calculation. Value is so much more than just a list of prices.

From the best hydraulic to the worst standard-that 18-decibel difference is 64 times the pressure level and nearly 4 times different in perceived loudness! Value In the best-case scenario, they have at least twice as much sound pressure as the worst hydraulic impacts. The standard impact drivers we tested ranged from 97 to 105 decibels. Between the M12 Fuel and the others, you really can hear the difference under load. That drop of 7 decibels is more than four times the sound intensity! As far as how loud it sounds (perceived loudness), every 10 decibels you drop makes it sound half as loud. Keep in mind that noise measurement isn’t linear. The M18 Fuel Surge, Makita, and Ryobi are all 7 dB(A) higher. That award goes to the M12 Fuel Surge, which measured an average SPL level of just 87 dB(A).
RIDGID IMPACT DRIVER
But which one is the best hydraulic impact driver at actually keeping it down?
