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Italy, Rome
1 Level
741 Review
42 Karma

Review on Experience Unmatched Power With AIRCAT 1150 "Killer Torque" Composite Impact Wrench - 1295 Ft-Lbs by Braden Douville

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Perfect DIY Impact, Best Purchase of the Year.

It's rare I'll take the time to write reviews for things, especially things that already have a 5 star review. So here's my take on this wrench:If you're just doing lug nuts then this wrench is overkill. Any cheap 250 ft/lb impact will handle that without issue assuming they were properly torqued on in the first place. This wrench won't speed anything up under the hood either, unless you're removing a crank bolt on a harmonic balancer. Impact guns don't belong in the engine bay- for that you want an air ratchet.I would consider myself an advanced home mechanic having done lots of brakes, suspension overhauls, complete front end rebuilds on cars and trucks, starters, alternators, A/C, electrical, cooling systems, timing, you name it. I bought this to speed up the rear wheel bearing job I needed to do on my Subaru- which entails a notoriously frozen 10" bolt that holds the knuckle to the trailing arm. It did the job without a hitch. Lug nuts zip off as fast as you can pull and release the trigger, axle nuts too, rusty strut knuckle bolts snap free in under a second, as did the rest of the hardware I encountered. Compared to my old Craftsman 250ft/lb wrench (which was used heavily and did quite a good job for it's price) this is a Cadillac of impact wrenches. The Craftsman (rebadged CH) routinely had to hammer stubborn bolts for 10 seconds or more before cracking them free. With this gun it's hard to tell what's stuck and what's not because they all crack free instantly. With an 8 gallon compressor I did the whole job without issue, without kicking the compressor on much at all, and best of all it's very quiet. All you hear is the impact mechanism hitting- no different than working with a high end electric impact wrench. An Ingersoll Rand 231C is deafening with no load on it. The Aircat is night and day quieter and worth it's price for that alone. If you do your own car maintenance at $161 it's a no brainer. Professional grade torque and build, quieter than any impact I've seen, and the power adjustment is cake to use. You'll love it and your neighbors won't thank you- because you won't be bothering them in the first place. Make sure your regulator is set properly, and put a couple drops of oil in it after each use- amazon sells Lucas air tool oil- it's good stuff.FYI Mac Tools rebadges Aircat products and sells them on their trucks (for quite a markup).I'd recommend the Ingersoll Rand SKM14 impact socket set for $35 to go with it. Great sockets, amazing price.

Pros
  • Impact Wrenches
Cons
  • May not be as durable as some higher-end options

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