Details from Harbor Freight:
http://www.harborfreight.com/review/product/list/id/1303/?limit=20- Description:
Harbor Freight Item # 45252
1/2" Electric Impact Wrench produces up to 240 ft. lbs. of torque to easily tighten or remove fasteners
Our 1/2" drive electric impact wrench has a 7 amp motor to fasten or remove fasteners without a lot of work. Includes ball detent system to secure your sockets, one-handed rocker switch (forward/reverse), and accessible brushes.
2100 RPM, 2400 impacts per minute
Ball bearings for smooth operation
One-hand forward/reverse
7 amp, 120 volt AC motor
Overall length: 9-1/4"
Tool weight: 7-1/4 lbs.
- Stock Images:
- Product Manual:
http://manuals.harborfreight.com/manuals/45000-45999/45252.pdf
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What's my need?
After all the hours of hand wrenching on my Jeep (like installing my entire lift suspension kit with wrenches and sockets), the thought of not using some sort of power tool to assist me with my next project finally drove me to this purchase. (I had attempted to use my Craftsman lithium drill on low to take of the axle housing cover on my last axle service, but the unit broke internally, dohhh)
Why this unit:
First off, there are two reasons why I’m trying this particular impact gun out, space and price. First, I have loads of hand-me-down impact guns, but I don’t have an air compressor that I own or could easily borrow. If I were going to buy an air compressor, my main issue is having the free space to have a large enough size compressor to sufficiently run an air impact gun. Second, I looked over other electric impact brands which all seem to be in the $150-200 dollar range for the entry level units and the reviews didn’t seem to warrant their costs. For example, there isn’t too many reviews on the Dewalt DW292K Heavy-Duty 7.5 Amp 1/2-Inch Impact Wrench that Sears sales refurbished online for around $110, but the reviews I found (on Amazon) give it only a 1.5 out of 5 rating, yet its $179 from Amazon. This throw away impact from Harbor Freight is only 1/4 of the retail price of a name brand unit and if it lasts past my initial project, it’ll have paid for its self in saved time.
Opened the box:
It comes in a black caring case wrapped in a plastic bag, cord tied in a loop, and a manual wrapped in another plastic bag.
To be honest, my first impression was "Is this thing really even going to put out 24LBS of torque, or even nearly the 240LBS it's rated at?" I opened the box and it looks just as cheesy as I expected it to look. The bright orange plastic brings to my memory of playschool toys from my childhood.
The Test Drive:
I plugged it in, threw on a 13/16" socket, and tried taking off a lugnut off my Jeep while hoping for the worst (better to let your hopes up then down). It spun off a fully torque down lugnut in the blink of an eye. When I say “blink of an eye” I mean, it fought with it for a split second, but then whizzed it right off. It tightened the lugnut back up just as fast as it took it off. Switched to a 3/4" socket, and attacked the stubborn bolts that attach my front bumper to the frame. Again it speedily began removing it, but since the tension this bolt is under, it fought with it a bit more going up and down before making contact to fully torque down. I then moved on to attack my front shackle’s middle bolt and nut from the bolt’s head side. I spun them loose, so the nut on the backside started spinning, and then attempted to tighten it back up without using a 3/4" wrench on the backside to hold the nut. A few blasts of forward power and it snugged it right back up. Two thumbs up on my first initial tests.
The first 13/16" socket was an impact grade, but neglected to find a 3/4" impact socket. During the short play with this unit, I’ve already started damaging the 1/2" hole in my chrome craftsman socket 3/4" socket. I’ve since went to Sears and paid $11 for a 3/4" deep impact socket that I need for my final and more important test. (No point of shattering normal sockets)
The last test will be taking off my u-bolts to my rear axle tomorrow, so that I can put the entire axle on the bench for my retired father-in-law to help guide me in rebuilding. I’m now hoping this unit is strong enough to work off my u-bolts and hold-up for my project. I’ll post a quick update on how it turned out for this purpose as a reference ASAP.
Sub-Conclusion:
For $40, I’m thoroughly impressed, so far. I found 14 reviews on the unit on Harbor Freight’s website, since after my purchase (I had figured there was none and hadn't looked, stupid me). Everyone seems to have gave it a 5 out of 5, except for one 4 out of 5 which didn't mention why he dinged it. Looks like the brushes are replaceable (the manual post when and how, just not where to get the points) and the gears need to be packed with hi-temp wheel bearing grease every 30-50 hours of use. I’ll be following these recommendations. I’ll be posting a final conclusion if and when the unit dies.
The only current downside to this unit that I’ve found is the inability to regulate the amount of torque applied other than bursting the forward or reverse trigger. With that said, the price would make this an unrealistic feature, but maybe one feature for a slightly more expensive model.
Current Coupon:
Here’s a coupon that’s good until 7/15/2010 (but it seems to be constantly on sale):
http://www.harborfreight.com/minitruck
