DeWalt impact wrench selection for containment installation

[andykwong]

Good evening all,

I'm thinking to buy a Dewalt impact wrench for containment installation, sometimes can use for car tyre changing. Which size (1/4", 3/8" or 1/2") are more suitable? Considering DCF922 1/2", what's the difference with DCF923?

Regards,
Andy

 

[davesparks]

That sounds a bit extreme for installing containment!

I think if you try to fix tray/trunking with that much torque you'll rip the fixings straight through the back of it.

 

[nicebutdim]

As above, it would be limited to a small number of tasks when installing containment and those are easily covered with a middle of the road impact driver (which also covers many other tasks, weighs considerably less and fits in tighter spaces due to more compact form).

A lot of recent impact wrenches do have settings to limit torque, but it's not a tool I'd be rushing out to buy for this job.

As for differences between Dewalt tools? Afraid I can't help with that and would advise you ask a passing joiner

 

[timhoward]

I think there’s a tendency to seize hold of the fact that a lot of places sell combi/drill and impact as a pair and assume that the impact wrench is therefore the ideal powered screwdriver for all situations.
It’s actually too vigorous for a lot of tasks, and while can be handy I don’t consider it an essential tool.
A good drill/driver and a good SDS drill on the other hand are both essential. Followed by a multi-tool!

 

[pc1966]

A battery SDS drill is handy for attaching fixings to brick walls, etc. Think of smaller drills like 8-10mm for a plastic Rawlplug and woodscrew+washer, or maybe up to 10-14mm if you are putting in a bolt (expansion or chemical anchor) for something like channel strut, etc.

As above, a typical impact driver will just rip off smaller fastenings and make a complete mess of stuff. Having said that, one of my most useful tools turned out to be a 1/4" hex impact driver that I used with hex-shank drill bits, hole saws for 16/20/25/32mm fixings, etc. This one is great:

Milwaukee M18FID2 FUEL Impact Driver

Benefit from impressive driving performance in even the tightest of spaces when you use this Milwaukee FUEL impact driver. At just 117mm in length, the driver can access those hard-to-reach areas and still perform at its very best – high power efficiency under load and an outstanding torque of...

www.toolstation.com

You might look for a kit with it and batteries and charger, I got this originally:

Milwaukee M18FPP2A2-502X FUEL Gen 3 Combi Drill and Impact Driver Kit

Double up with this Milwaukee M18 FUEL™ twin pack and you'll be ready to take on twice as many jobs. The kit includes an M18FPD2 combi drill and an M18FID2 impact driver, along with two 5.0Ah batteries, a charger and a carry case - you'll waste no time in getting straight to work! Both tools...

www.toolstation.com

However, the normal "combi drill" is not used that often, but it has been handy for drilling without the hex-shank bits (they are cheaper and easier to get all sizes) and also for larger hole saws for duct pipes going in to plastic boxes, etc.

But be warned - that small impact wrench will happily shear off M6 fasteners if careless for a moment, so keep on low setting only use it for tightening larger stuff (M8 bolts or really big screws, etc) and NO MATTER WHAT do not use it on electrical terminals!

 

[nicebutdim]

I think there’s a tendency to seize hold of the fact that a lot of places sell combi/drill and impact as a pair and assume that the impact wrench is therefore the ideal powered screwdriver for all situations.
It’s actually too vigorous for a lot of tasks, and while can be handy I don’t consider it an essential tool.
A good drill/driver and a good SDS drill on the other hand are both essential. Followed by a multi-tool!

OP was asking about an impact wrench (1/2" sq drive and 600-2,000 NM torque) as opposed to impact driver (1/4" hex drive and 60-200NM torque), but the latter would most certainly be one of the essentials for a lot of containment work. Impact wrenches also have their place, but drivers will cover the majority of it - the only job I'd even consider the wrench useful for would be setting large thunderbolts, but to date my driver has never failed on this task. Maybe I need bigger thunderbolts

 

[nicebutdim]

I'd also be wary of sets offered by the well known tool brands. They're often good value, but just as often contain tools from the lower end of the manufacturer's range. Generally I'll compare specs, settle on the ideal model of a particular tool and then find the best price to buy it body only. Biggest and most powerful isn't necessarily best and for electrical work the ideal tools can be middle of the power range, but with alloy gear housing and metal gears (a surprising number are nylon), although metal gears these days are generally sintered metal. Many tools from the lower end of a range are surprisingly good, but much depends on what you expect to do with them - a £40 drill is going to shear its gearbox clean from the body if you try cutting with a 210mm holesaw, but conversely a very powerful drill will weigh more than necessary and be too big for some of the tighter spots we find ourselves working in.

If you're only starting out I'd advise against hasty power tool purchases, unless the employer expects you to have some specific tools, an instead look at the work you're doing and tools others are using to help make a more informed decision.

 

[andykwong]

Thank you all of you!

All your message are valuable to me. I'll further consider should I buy an impact wrench for containment installation.

 

[Timbo]

You would be better off buying a ratchet rather than an impact wrench.
My impact wrench only gets used for changing wheels etc.
Big advantage, it's lighter.

Examples:

Milwaukee Ratchets

Milwaukee ratchets available to buy online in the UK. From the M12IR 1/4 inch compact cordless ratchet to the M12FIR12 1/2 inch FUEL brushless impact ratchets.

www.bigredpowertools.co.uk